Everyone tells you about the best photographs and how you can make them possible. But there isn’t enough to tell you about all the bad stuff out there. The truth is that it’s really easy to take bad, lazy images if you’re disconnected from the scene, don’t feel anything, or you’re just spraying and praying that you got something good. Believe it or not, lots of photographers shoot that way now. Or at least, they call themselves photographers.
This article is a dive into the Phoblographer’s archives. We don’t use AI to write articles, and this article was published in a time even before we thought that was possible. It was originally titled, “Ten Terrible Tips for Photography.” We’ve added a new title and introduction.
Photography can be a crapshoot. Sometimes you don’t know if you should press the shutter. Sometimes you don’t know how you should edit an image. There are plenty of variables! So, in the spirit of our Reverse Guide to Instagram, we thought we’d put together a reverse guide to photography, a collection of terrible tips that would be ill-advised to actually heed.
Always compliment the camera because it’s doing most of the work
Use your shirt or a tissue to get that spot off your sensor
Center your watermarks
If your photos aren’t working, buy a better camera
If you don’t know what to call yourself, just say you’re a street photographer
A handshake is just as good as a signed contract
If they only offer you exposure, take the job
When in doubt, photograph with your iPad
Fluorescent lighting works great for food photography
Black and white can make a boring photo interesting 
Bonus tip: Use HDR to give your images depth
