Starting Photography? Avoid These Three Mistakes That Waste Time and Money

Buying a first camera can feel like a test you have to pass before you even take a photo. This video is about avoiding the early traps that waste money, kill momentum, and make you second-guess every click.

Coming to you from Leigh from Leigh and Raymond Photography, this calm, practical video lays out three mistakes that show up again and again when you’re starting out. Leigh opens by knocking down the idea that you need the newest, most expensive camera to begin. The point is simple: start with what you have, even if that’s a phone, a used DSLR, or a basic point-and-shoot camera. Then Leigh adds the part most people skip: buying too much gear up front can slow you down, even if you can afford it. One lens and time spent using it beats building a pile of “just in case” stuff that never leaves the house.

The second mistake hits a nerve if you’re even a little self-conscious: being embarrassed to take your camera out in public. Leigh describes being shy and not wanting to stand out, which turns into a predictable pattern of leaving the camera at home, then wondering why nothing is improving. The advice is blunt: carry it anyway, even if it feels awkward. Go to a family event, a farmers market, a museum, a walk around the block, then shoot until the controls stop feeling like a foreign language. People might notice and ask what you’re doing, and Leigh gives you a simple line to use that doesn’t sound defensive: “Yeah, I’m learning and I really just don’t know much about it yet.” If that sentence makes you cringe, that’s probably the exact reason to watch this part.

The third mistake is where the video gets more personal: trying to meet other people’s expectations for your work. Leigh makes room for critique and community without turning it into a rule you have to follow. Sometimes you want feedback, sometimes you don’t, and either choice is allowed. Even when you ask for criticism, the person giving it isn’t automatically right, and you don’t have to reshape your taste to match the loudest voice in the room. Leigh also hints at a bigger tension that many beginners run into, the gap between “what gets approval” and “what you actually enjoy making.”

Near the end, Leigh tees up a follow-up that adds a bit of real-world friction: the “If I had to start over with my camera collection, what would I buy?” question. That’s the kind of topic that sounds simple until you try to answer it honestly, because it forces you to admit what you shoot, what you avoid, and what you regret buying. If you’ve been tempted to “cover every focal length” before you feel allowed to start, this video is a quiet correction, plus a preview of a debate that could save you from a very expensive detour. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Leigh.