VIDEO: *15 Mistakes People Make When Taking Photos (and How To Correct Them)* This presentation discusses 15 of the most common mistakes that people make when taking photos. Jeff Cable will discuss composition, proper use of flash, good focus technique and much more!
Great presentation. I hear what you are saying about a whole new world opens up when you start thinking "photographically". I have been taking photos for 27 years, but had a break for several years when I was side-tracked into other projects. I recently started taking images again (the beginning of this year) and the photography bug hit me instantly. I am constantly itching to get out and take images and when I do I notice EVERYTHING. As you said, the colour and patterns of the bark, the colours of the leaves, the texture on rocks, the formation of the clouds, etc. What I see with my camera is so different to what I see without it.
While I was going to photography school in Daytona Beach, Fl. I loved going to the 24 hours of Daytona race. Back 25 yrs before digital. LOL I had to pre focus on certain parts of the track near a turn where I knew the car would have to slow down. I forgot to say you have many fantastic shots on this video :-) Loved the video also.
The point that's made near the end (starting 1:12:16) is something I've tried to explain to other people: getting deeply into photography changed the way I see the world and opened up my perception. If I never took another shot, that "way of seeing" is something I'm glad I acquired. Great video!
10/10 Jeff! I agree with everything you said! Through this presentation and many other tutorials and lectures on You Tube, I'm using my DSLR, in ways which never dreamed of! Cheers!
I've been watching a lot of these photography tutorials/lectures on RUclips and this is one of the best. Very straight forward and helpful with lots to take away and practice.
Another really useful video by B & H. This is the third one I've watched all the way through. Jeff you're a natural at public speaking and of course a damn good photographer.
You are really a great teacher, I approached only recently to photography (i'm 27 years old) but I'm finding in your lessons and your tips a really honest and human point of view. You do not teach maintaining the fascinating aura of mystery of the classic "cursed" photographer, but believe me, it is only a compliment.
loved this tutorial,Great presentation.As a passionate amateur i love watching videos from B &H,YOU LEARN SO much and jeff is a very nice guy thank you
I am half way through the presentation and already learnt a lot many thanks. I must admit the more videos you watch the more you learn even if its one trick from each video.
Greatly appreciate these videos, even listening to things I already knew, this reassures and gives me confidence in pursuing this little hobby of mine into something more. Thanks!
I totally agree with seeing the world in a different way....I'm constantly looking at things in the "how do I get that shot?" and "oooh, that is great light"....if only there was a camera attached to my face all the time! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight! Love your work!
I really appreciate and get a lot out of videos like this. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or professional. listening to other photographers experience can only help. Thanks For sharing.
Just one word - 'awesome'. Watched this talented presenter talk with so much passion for his art. Loved every minute and learned so much. Many many thanks Jeff. Cant wait to get out there tomorrow.
Love this talk by Jeff Cable. Not only is it fun to watch and easy to understand for my beginners friends (to whom I highly recommend this video), but it also contains great pointers for seasoned amateurs like me.
Usually i find B&H's presentations a bit rambly with not much take away, but this is interesting and I had quite a number of takeaways from this presentation !
Not trying to big up Jeff Cable, but his presentations are always: on point, humorous, educative and informative, top quality, well structured and organised, objective driven, and finally, aimed at making me a better photographer. All I can say is, thank you +B and H, and thank you +Jeff Cable.
Really enjoyed this video! I have made some of these mistakes, but making strides, finally shooting in manual and learning lots with these online resources. I am similar to you with my OCD, but that can be good from a technical standpoint, right? Trying to find my creative side and loved the part where you talk about seeing things differently, being in tune with what is around you. I make family yearbooks every year and it's fun to capture life and priceless memories. Excited to get more proficient with all of it! Thanks so much!!
Great job . I do some of the things you spoke about but I learned a lot of things today. Your presentation is spot on. Like listening to a friend who teaches with out being smug.
I see lots of people here complaining about the time he spends on this presentation. Well, I'm not a teacher, but I suppose he could have just scrolled through a PowerPoint / Keynote presentation in just a little more than 15 minutes. Maybe even less. Instead he goes at it with in-depth explanations, real-world examples with photos showing what goes wrong and why. This gives the audience - us - the ability to relate to the material he teaches when we pick up our cameras to do some photography. I for one really loved his teaching, and I will be watching it multiple times as I can't learn everything just by watching a RUclips video. I will need to practice a lot and apply what I've learned - from several sources - to my own creative process. Jeff Cable: I really hope you'll be back sharing more of your knowledge with us. Unfortunately - as I live in Norway - I obviously can't join the presentations at B & H. But I really enjoy watching them here RUclips. Keep up the good work. And THANKS.
These are invaluable lessons! Thank you so much! It really gave me a much better understanding on photography. Also fantastic shots you have there! You really come across as a person who loves, lives and breathe photography! Again, thank you so very much!
Very enjoyable! I love these workshops because even if I don't feel I have learned anything earth-shattering I still feel refreshed by potential new shooting styles, or reinforcing and affirming what I already know and how to improve, be introduced to concepts I hadn't thought of before. All in all I was just starting to feel stale with my photography but now I have some ideas of where I want to go next. Thanks a lot! P.S. That picture of the shadow of the skater was amazing! So creative to consider that! Great job!
At 17:24 I understand about the hills leading you down to the Right but since we read in the USA from Left to Right do you think a few shots of the tree being placed on the Right Third of the frame would look better? Just like the shot of your Daughter with all the Red chairs, it flows from the Left & stops at the main subject ( your Daughter )
48:52 - "how many people still have their camera in single shot mode?" Don't One reason for using this from time to time is because you get an AF confirmation beep (I think you also get the confirmation in MF mode). You get that beep confirmation which then enables focus lock and then recompose. In AI Servo, you get a stable green dot. The annoying thing is it's one more item to lookout for in the viewfinder. Whereas in One Shot mode, you simply listen for the beep. But I agree with you that AI Servo is always better to set as the AF Mode.
7:30 Reframing with locked focus also shifts the plane of focus. So whatever you locked on, might fall out of focus when you take the shot. Likely won't matter, if it's just a head and shoulders shot.
OT but maybe something to be addressed as a lecture. A friend asked me how to start with photography (as an interrest rather than proffession) and I quickly became flummoxed in trying to tell her what camera to start with and why. Not specific camera brand but type and their capabilities and why. Basically I was trying to think about what could be good to learn on, what could be good to grow with. What system one could start out with AND continue to grow with. With a mind to it still being useful after one has learned what one should.
In order to best reply to your inquiry, can you please resubmit this question to askbh@bhphotovideo.com, and mention 1) what specific model camera you are working with, 2) which lenses you have, 3) How large of a group 4) environment the shot will be taken in (i.e. outdoors, indoors in a convention center, indoors in a small room etc) Thank you in advance. - Yossi
This is a very good discussion I really enjoyed watching it all and will be watching it again thanks good common sense talking here normal down to earth dude well done here says me
Jeff, you're saying you use the center point on the eye and then recompose. I'm assuming you don't shoot super big aperture prime lenses? If you do, you'll find that the depth of field is so narrow that you've taken the focus away from the eye because you recomposed. For super big apertures, (lets say bigger than f/2.8), isn't using LiveView to focus manually, or cropping later in Photoshop a much better option?
What were your settings for the fountains at the Bellagio? because I I was trying to shoot some fountains at night in the Houston area, and i found 1/3 shutter speed at 400 ISO to be decent
You can add mistake number 16 to the list. Making pictures of people without their permission, upload the pictures to the internet and even call out, that you have no permission. 0:38
For a certain amount of long exposure shots where you can't hold it stead for whatever reason, one thing you could do is to shoot a lot of frames and then combine them in the stacking application of your choice.
This is so old so its kind of pointless @33:51 Judging by the color of the filter I think he is using a circular polarizing filter on his lens that's why he has his hood on backwards... so he can still spin the filter. Other wise you cant adjust the polarization because the hood blocks it.
i also use A priority then i can decide my out of focus area but first and foremost adjust the lens to its sweetspot of sharpnes every lens has its spot where it is sharpest
Jeff Cable, I'm guilty of shooting with the lens hood backwards, and I'll tell you why. When I add a polarizing filter, the lens hood will not go on the correct way. If you can tell me how I can both fit my filter and the hood I'm happy to change it. :-)
The idea is that people have the hood on backwards thinking it will do something. But the chances are pretty good (these days, particularly if there's the option to put in on backwards at all) that your hood is a bayonet mount, and that you can remove it to adjust your polarizer. On a tripod, there's no excuse; hand-held, it's a few extra seconds. Polarizers and fast-reaction action shots don't tend to go together often.
I honestly thought he was taking a cheap shot when he made fun of that guy in the photo. I almost always carry my camera this way, especially if I'm shooting street - the hood makes people all the more defensive. Whenever I'm shooting in bright place, I turn the hood the proper way around. I don't use it backwards because I don't know how to put it on, or because I don't know how it works - I do it because it's more convenient at that time.
Burak Şeker I added that photo to the presentation for some fun, and it may be that the lens hood was not needed at that time. But the point is still valid with many people not knowing when or how to use the hoods.
Jeff Cable Cool, thanks for the reply :) Alright, I do understand that a presentation needs some entertainment, and can see your point. I guess I took it the wrong way and got kind of offended - it seemed like you were arguing that everyone who shoots this way is inexperienced. Yeah, this is a very minor thing and I'm making a big deal out of it :) I don't want to act like a jerk, I apologize if my comment looked that way
Is there anyway that I could exceed the 1/250 shutter speed while using my pop-up flash to trigger a speedlite? the hi-speed sync feature works only when the speedlite is on the camera? btw I'm using a canon 60D and a canon 430exii.
Don't think you can I'm afraid. You'd need a radio trigger instead of the pop up. I got one for about 60 bucks that's works ok. Hahnel. Also doubles as a remote shutter.
It's really amazing, I do it for outdoor photo sessions and portraits, So I can drop down the background like half a stop then with an off-camera flash inside a softbox will lit up my subject very well creating extremely dramatic look and lighting, and a fast shutter speed is required when u shoot in bright sunlight with wide open aperture creating very interesting blurred background making the shot even better.
Hmm in just thinking whether you can do high speed sync with that radio trigger. I know some of the expensive ones do but I will check mine. Perhaps you could use a cable trigger too. The other option is nd filters I guess.
+Chris Tyrrell We just went out, took photos and then had them developed to find out how good or bad they were. Now we can take thousands, experiment, with no worries about a few of them coming out bad and for some, there have photoshop, to rescue stuff, that in the days of film, was lost for good
First mistake, buying a camera, when you wil never really use it to it's fullest Second: believing that watching stuff like this, will prevent you making the same mistakes next time Third, owning a smartphone and trying to take a photo of a friend or family member, who is about 100 ft away and thinking "turn flash on"... in broad daylight Forth :Trying to photograph a mirror head on Fifth: Listening to reviews on what others think, when the person that really matters is YOU Sixth: Taking all that wonderful gear with you on the trip of a lifetime, visiting some out of the way, amazing location, only to find you left your cards at home and the nearest shop, that might stock them, is in another country OH and it's not a mistake if it's correctable.. It's simply an experiment
Respected Sir Jeff Cable , I am an armature photographer. Your lessons have helped me a lot ,I would like to send you some of the pics i took so that you can correct my mistakes and tell me what I did wrong.
Too bad there's no closed captions so that way I could understand what they're saying. I'm not deaf but it would be great with how they say it. =) By the way, 49:58 XD It had me cracking up. Best one out of his jokes.
+DE DE - If you visit the Event Space’s page on our site, you can find a list of upcoming events. You can register for the events on that page as well. *Christina* AskRUclips@bhphoto.com bhpho.to/Zc6vnG
"If you don't have the passion, you don't want to be here." Kinda disagreed with that. It sounds very restrictive. You don't need to have a passion for photography to enjoy doing it and learning about it, and generally find it a meaningful creative activity.
Franciscus van der Maat I think if you enjoy doing it, you have a passion for it. He's not talking about people who "live" photography and it's their main hobby/career when he says "passion." He's talking about people that enjoy it. He's saying that if you're not getting that urge to take more and more pictures then you're probably not that into it and maybe it's not for you (don't force yourself to like something). Last time I was shooting, I was getting bit by bugs, I was sweating, and there wasn't even great light. But I kept taking more and more pictures and the only reason I stopped was because my girlfriend called me into the house saying that a show was coming on that I wanted to see. I'd been outside for about 10-15 minutes when it felt like maybe 3. That's what he's talking about when he says "passion." When you're having so much fun capturing little tiny moments, moments that quite literally will never happen ever again, fly by without you knowing. That's when you know it's something you enjoy doing.
Oozywolf I sort of get what you are saying, but for me there is a clear difference between something I just like doing and something that I have a passion for. Having a passion for something means that it can consume you at time; you can be totally engrossed in it; you often think about it even when you are not doing it. For me photography is not something like that. For me photography is more functional: I like to learn the skill to make good photo and video. I enjoy learning how to do that, and just being creative in general. But it is not a passion for me. Now to be honest I don't think he actually meant to say that people without the passion should do something else. I don't think he actually wanted to exclude some people from photography, I think he just chose a very unfortunate way to say that he has a passion for photography.
Franciscus van der Maat Yeah I can see that. As you said, I definitely don't think he was trying to exclude anyone from photography. He said a bit of an over-exaggerated to show passion and to make it a bit more interesting and dramatic. I absolutely think you'd be included in what he meant, but it probably just came out wrong haha. But yeah, learning photography is a ton of fun (even as a small hobby). I got interested in photography when I thought about just how powerful photos can be. As I said in the other comment, you're capturing a moment that will never happen again no matter what. There will always be something different. That to me is fascinating. With digital cameras, we can basically have our photos brought up over and over forever without wear (slight loss of quality when constantly transferring to new save devices, but that might even be fixed after a handful of decades). It's unlike just about every other hobby.
+Franciscus van der Maat +Oozywolf - You are both right. I was not trying to exclude anyone, just saying that the more you love doing something, the better it is for the end result and for you as the photographer. I love that you both are passionate about the conversation. :)
+איליי זובקוב - A lens’s aperture is the opening in the diaphragm that allows light to pass through. Adjusting the aperture will control both exposure and depth of field. You might checkout ‘The Basics of Aperture:FocusEd’ video on B&H’s youtube channel. It’s a quick little intro to the basics of aperture. *Christina* bit.ly/1Z4SLDJ
Only partially true at best. There are a number of things to think about in composition that could be called geometrical, but there are a lot that aren't.
Only 40 mins in at the time of typing this comment, but thought I'd make a point on how you find it funny with people using there mobile phones. DSLR cameras are pretty expensive and that's just the camera let alone the lenses, tripods, external flashes. I've only recently got my first DSLR camera a few days ago and have been happily using my S7 Edge up until then and have got some pretty decent shots with it. If people have paid money to get up to the peak and they couldn't afford or even justify the price of a DSLR camera as they may just wanna take simple shots for the memories or social media then there's nothing wrong with them using their phones. Of course if they clearly have a DSLR camera on them and they're using their mobile phones then that's a bit stupid. Mobile phones are pretty good at taking images these days and even have manual shooting modes, for example I can shoot from 10 seconds to 1/24000 of a second on my S7 Edge and have manual control over focus. I can also go up to 800 ISO as well so can't really use the faster shutter speeds unless I have the right lighting but I have that control. Besides the disadvantage of not having interchangeable lenses and fixed focal lengths and apertures, I'd reckon it'll be pretty easy to get a similar shot on a mobile phone that you took from the peak, probably be wider but with a way to stabilize the phone and using manual mode with a slow shutter speed, I'd say it's possible even on a phone.
Michael - all good points. I am not saying that mobile phones are bad. I use mine often. But I am trying to say that to get a truly great photo, it is much more possible with a DSLR or other higher end camera. :)
True but if a mobile phone or even some crappy 3.1 mp point and shoot camera is all you have then it's better to get a bad picture than non at all especially if it's just capturing a memory of a vaccination for example. Here are some pictures I've captured on my mobile phone, will say though that I edited the motorcycle image to add some DOF and obviously the one with the flames is edited but was originally shot on my phone that was on a tripod: goo.gl/photos/h1eXAouqL866SXi6A Sure most, if not all would look better with a DSLR especially with the bokeh that can be created in camera. But my phone was the best camera I had up until a few days ago and got my first DSLR a canon 77D. Speaking of which would you mind giving me some constructive criticism on these photos that I've taken so far with it? www.flickr.com/photos/149202379@N04/ Forgot to mention that your presentation was a big help btw, shall be watching more of your presentations and have started watching the presentation on camera features that photographers should use.
Dave Frette That all depends upon what aperture you are shooting at and the distance from you to the subject. It is certainly not advisable with a very fast lens and especially when close up, but I am sure Jeff Cable wouldn't do it in those conditions.
If they are in that room and own a camera they most likely "photographers". Good, bad or indifferent Mr Cable. Maybe the question should be .... How many of you do it for a living or something of that nature, otherwise it sounds like you're being snide. I'm sure you know some hobbyists that are better than some pros.
I'm sorry, but some of the things you said are subjective. Example holding the camera vertically.... I personally get better stability when my limbs are closer to my body than when I'm chicken winging with my elbow out in the air.
VIDEO: *15 Mistakes People Make When Taking Photos (and How To Correct Them)*
This presentation discusses 15 of the most common mistakes that people make when taking photos. Jeff Cable will discuss composition, proper use of flash, good focus technique and much more!
Derrick Dyer
frozen
B and H
Great presentation. I hear what you are saying about a whole new world opens up when you start thinking "photographically". I have been taking photos for 27 years, but had a break for several years when I was side-tracked into other projects. I recently started taking images again (the beginning of this year) and the photography bug hit me instantly. I am constantly itching to get out and take images and when I do I notice EVERYTHING. As you said, the colour and patterns of the bark, the colours of the leaves, the texture on rocks, the formation of the clouds, etc. What I see with my camera is so different to what I see without it.
While I was going to photography school in Daytona Beach, Fl. I loved going to the 24 hours of Daytona race. Back 25 yrs before digital. LOL I had to pre focus on certain parts of the track near a turn where I knew the car would have to slow down. I forgot to say you have many fantastic shots on this video :-) Loved the video also.
The point that's made near the end (starting 1:12:16) is something I've tried to explain to other people: getting deeply into photography changed the way I see the world and opened up my perception. If I never took another shot, that "way of seeing" is something I'm glad I acquired. Great video!
Jeff, this was great. I never thought I would watch an hour long presentation. But you made it fun and educational. I appreciate it.
10/10 Jeff! I agree with everything you said! Through this presentation and many other tutorials and lectures on You Tube, I'm using my DSLR, in ways which never dreamed of! Cheers!
I've been watching a lot of these photography tutorials/lectures on RUclips and this is one of the best. Very straight forward and helpful with lots to take away and practice.
Another really useful video by B & H. This is the third one I've watched all the way through. Jeff you're a natural at public speaking and of course a damn good photographer.
As a passionate amateur, this was a thrill to watch. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
You are really a great teacher, I approached only recently to photography (i'm 27 years old) but I'm finding in your lessons and your tips a really honest and human point of view. You do not teach maintaining the fascinating aura of mystery of the classic "cursed" photographer, but believe me, it is only a compliment.
Awesome reminder of why I shoot and how to make sure that each image is the best I can take. I plan to try that zoom technique - looks like fun!
Brilliant presentation, just as all the other Jeff Cable ones! Already learnt a lot new tricks. Thank you Jeff!!
+Blazs86 You are very welcome!
Glad you got Jeff back!
What a nice guy, loved this tutorial. Jeff Cable is a real teacher.
Thank you. Very much appreciated.
loved this tutorial,Great presentation.As a passionate amateur i love watching videos from B &H,YOU LEARN SO much and jeff is a very nice guy thank you
I am half way through the presentation and already learnt a lot many thanks. I must admit the more videos you watch the more you learn even if its one trick from each video.
That is so true. The more videos I watch, esp in reference to aperture, ISO and shutter speed the more I understand.
Greatly appreciate these videos, even listening to things I already knew, this reassures and gives me confidence in pursuing this little hobby of mine into something more. Thanks!
Jeff Cable I have seen several of your presentations and I enjoyed this one the most. . IT RESONATES! Great job.
I totally agree with seeing the world in a different way....I'm constantly looking at things in the "how do I get that shot?" and "oooh, that is great light"....if only there was a camera attached to my face all the time! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight! Love your work!
This presentation was highly informative and hilarious at the same time. Thanks so much for uploading it :)
I really appreciate and get a lot out of videos like this. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or professional. listening to other photographers experience can only help. Thanks For sharing.
Just one word - 'awesome'. Watched this talented presenter talk with so much passion for his art. Loved every minute and learned so much. Many many thanks Jeff. Cant wait to get out there tomorrow.
+Wayne Russell Thanks so much. Glad that the passion comes across in the video. I do truly love this art!
Very nice presentation, interesting and very nice guy. Thanks a lot Mr. Cable and B&H for another quality presentation.
You are quite welcome. Glad you liked the presentation. :)
Love this talk by Jeff Cable. Not only is it fun to watch and easy to understand for my beginners friends (to whom I highly recommend this video), but it also contains great pointers for seasoned amateurs like me.
Usually i find B&H's presentations a bit rambly with not much take away, but this is interesting and I had quite a number of takeaways from this presentation !
Not trying to big up Jeff Cable, but his presentations are always:
on point,
humorous,
educative and informative,
top quality,
well structured and organised,
objective driven, and finally,
aimed at making me a better photographer.
All I can say is, thank you +B and H, and thank you +Jeff Cable.
Really enjoyed this video! I have made some of these mistakes, but making strides, finally shooting in manual and learning lots with these online resources. I am similar to you with my OCD, but that can be good from a technical standpoint, right? Trying to find my creative side and loved the part where you talk about seeing things differently, being in tune with what is around you. I make family yearbooks every year and it's fun to capture life and priceless memories. Excited to get more proficient with all of it! Thanks so much!!
Great job . I do some of the things you spoke about but I learned a lot of things today. Your presentation is spot on. Like listening to a friend who teaches with out being smug.
I always appreciate your teaching (and your photos!), Jeff! Thanks again - taught me much.
I see lots of people here complaining about the time he spends on this presentation. Well, I'm not a teacher, but I suppose he could have just scrolled through a PowerPoint / Keynote presentation in just a little more than 15 minutes. Maybe even less. Instead he goes at it with in-depth explanations, real-world examples with photos showing what goes wrong and why. This gives the audience - us - the ability to relate to the material he teaches when we pick up our cameras to do some photography. I for one really loved his teaching, and I will be watching it multiple times as I can't learn everything just by watching a RUclips video. I will need to practice a lot and apply what I've learned - from several sources - to my own creative process. Jeff Cable: I really hope you'll be back sharing more of your knowledge with us. Unfortunately - as I live in Norway - I obviously can't join the presentations at B & H. But I really enjoy watching them here RUclips. Keep up the good work. And THANKS.
'Late' into photography, but this presentation will be valid for the next incoming years! Thank You for the inspiration.
These are invaluable lessons! Thank you so much! It really gave me a much better understanding on photography. Also fantastic shots you have there! You really come across as a person who loves, lives and breathe photography! Again, thank you so very much!
You really wants to be a better photographer? Listen this guy! Awesome! thanks Jeff.
Really enjoyed this and its was great for a casual/novice person such as myself.
very nice and easy to understand by beginners. I'm passing this to some friends. thanks!
Really a great video. Thank you so much for sharing. It helped me a lot to understand the settings of my camera and how to use them the right way.
Very enjoyable! I love these workshops because even if I don't feel I have learned anything earth-shattering I still feel refreshed by potential new shooting styles, or reinforcing and affirming what I already know and how to improve, be introduced to concepts I hadn't thought of before.
All in all I was just starting to feel stale with my photography but now I have some ideas of where I want to go next. Thanks a lot!
P.S. That picture of the shadow of the skater was amazing! So creative to consider that! Great job!
Another great session from Jeff Cable. Love these videos!
This was an excellent presentation with very good advice for photographers!
Very informative video, in easy to listen and remember format - worth the hour plus to watch
Learned a lot! Even took some notes. Thanks Jeff Cable!
thankyou for the video, I learned alot.I will practice to take better pictures.
Brilliant presentation - as always. Thank you.
At 17:24 I understand about the hills leading you down to the Right but since we read in the USA from Left to Right do you think a few shots of the tree being placed on the Right Third of the frame would look better? Just like the shot of your Daughter with all the Red chairs, it flows from the Left & stops at the main subject ( your Daughter )
Oh very nice talk, I learnd all those the hard way :) But great for starters, this man has some really good advice.
48:52 - "how many people still have their camera in single shot mode?" Don't
One reason for using this from time to time is because you get an AF confirmation beep (I think you also get the confirmation in MF mode).
You get that beep confirmation which then enables focus lock and then recompose.
In AI Servo, you get a stable green dot. The annoying thing is it's one more item to lookout for in the viewfinder. Whereas in One Shot mode, you simply listen for the beep.
But I agree with you that AI Servo is always better to set as the AF Mode.
Loved this presentation!!
7:30 Reframing with locked focus also shifts the plane of focus. So whatever you locked on, might fall out of focus when you take the shot.
Likely won't matter, if it's just a head and shoulders shot.
DeckerFI That happens only when you have a very very narrow depth of field. Generally speaking, recomposing keeps the original focus place in focus.
Cable is always worth watching. great lesson.
Great lecture as always Jeff
Fantastic Lecture! Thanks...
Very informative. And, small world, but based on that picture, I had to have been standing next to you for that Indycar race.
I love that. It really is a small world my friend. :)
great great video... thanks so much.. you were fabolous... learned alot.
Hi B&H Team.. I have been waiting for this... Thanks for uploading the Video. You guys are the best...
And Jeff--- "YOU ROCK!!!"
Thanks - glad you like it. :)
OT but maybe something to be addressed as a lecture. A friend asked me how to start with photography (as an interrest rather than proffession) and I quickly became flummoxed in trying to tell her what camera to start with and why.
Not specific camera brand but type and their capabilities and why.
Basically I was trying to think about what could be good to learn on, what could be good to grow with. What system one could start out with AND continue to grow with. With a mind to it still being useful after one has learned what one should.
thank you so much,just what I needed amazing video!
You mentioned a few times that you used flash. Was the flash on or off camera?
Great video! A question on the focus topic. Where should i focus/and what aperture for a group shot and have background blur?
In order to best reply to your inquiry, can you please resubmit this question to askbh@bhphotovideo.com, and mention
1) what specific model camera you are working with,
2) which lenses you have,
3) How large of a group
4) environment the shot will be taken in (i.e. outdoors, indoors in a convention center, indoors in a small room etc)
Thank you in advance. - Yossi
This was great! Thank you so much!
Nice, informative presentation. Thanks!
This is a very good discussion I really enjoyed watching it all and will be watching it again thanks good common sense talking here normal down to earth dude well done here says me
Jeff, you're saying you use the center point on the eye and then recompose. I'm assuming you don't shoot super big aperture prime lenses? If you do, you'll find that the depth of field is so narrow that you've taken the focus away from the eye because you recomposed. For super big apertures, (lets say bigger than f/2.8), isn't using LiveView to focus manually, or cropping later in Photoshop a much better option?
What were your settings for the fountains at the Bellagio? because I I was trying to shoot some fountains at night in the Houston area, and i found 1/3 shutter speed at 400 ISO to be decent
truly helpful, thank you!
very good presentation!!
Great video and tips!
You can add mistake number 16 to the list. Making pictures of people without their permission, upload the pictures to the internet and even call out, that you have no permission. 0:38
Very informative and entertaining as well:)
So helpful thanks.
Hi, i'm interested to know what settings you used for the hotdog cart photo and was it hand held. Great photo and love your tutorials.
+si spencer That was a 1/2 sec exposure (on a tripod), f/9 at ISO 500. And...glad you like the tutorials. I love doing them. :)
THX FOR THE VIDEO I LEARN ALOT FROM THEM .
For a certain amount of long exposure shots where you can't hold it stead for whatever reason, one thing you could do is to shoot a lot of frames and then combine them in the stacking application of your choice.
Educational and entertaining!
One of the best, and I wish you were in Russia or Poland so that I could fund myself one-to-one tuition if you do that.
The indy car shot-pretty impressive to get that in camera.
This is so old so its kind of pointless @33:51 Judging by the color of the filter I think he is using a circular polarizing filter on his lens that's why he has his hood on backwards... so he can still spin the filter. Other wise you cant adjust the polarization because the hood blocks it.
i also use A priority then i can decide my out of focus area but first and foremost adjust the lens to its sweetspot of sharpnes every lens has its spot where it is sharpest
good info tnx
Jeff Cable, I'm guilty of shooting with the lens hood backwards, and I'll tell you why. When I add a polarizing filter, the lens hood will not go on the correct way. If you can tell me how I can both fit my filter and the hood I'm happy to change it. :-)
The idea is that people have the hood on backwards thinking it will do something. But the chances are pretty good (these days, particularly if there's the option to put in on backwards at all) that your hood is a bayonet mount, and that you can remove it to adjust your polarizer. On a tripod, there's no excuse; hand-held, it's a few extra seconds. Polarizers and fast-reaction action shots don't tend to go together often.
Problem is that the polarizer is too wide, and the hood won't go over.
I honestly thought he was taking a cheap shot when he made fun of that guy in the photo. I almost always carry my camera this way, especially if I'm shooting street - the hood makes people all the more defensive. Whenever I'm shooting in bright place, I turn the hood the proper way around.
I don't use it backwards because I don't know how to put it on, or because I don't know how it works - I do it because it's more convenient at that time.
Burak Şeker I added that photo to the presentation for some fun, and it may be that the lens hood was not needed at that time. But the point is still valid with many people not knowing when or how to use the hoods.
Jeff Cable Cool, thanks for the reply :)
Alright, I do understand that a presentation needs some entertainment, and can see your point. I guess I took it the wrong way and got kind of offended - it seemed like you were arguing that everyone who shoots this way is inexperienced.
Yeah, this is a very minor thing and I'm making a big deal out of it :) I don't want to act like a jerk, I apologize if my comment looked that way
Is there anyway that I could exceed the 1/250 shutter speed while using my pop-up flash to trigger a speedlite? the hi-speed sync feature works only when the speedlite is on the camera? btw I'm using a canon 60D and a canon 430exii.
Don't think you can I'm afraid. You'd need a radio trigger instead of the pop up. I got one for about 60 bucks that's works ok. Hahnel. Also doubles as a remote shutter.
Alright Thanks a lot! :)
What are you shooting btw just out of curiosity. Off cam flash and high shutter sounds interesting!
It's really amazing, I do it for outdoor photo sessions and portraits, So I can drop down the background like half a stop then with an off-camera flash inside a softbox will lit up my subject very well creating extremely dramatic look and lighting, and a fast shutter speed is required when u shoot in bright sunlight with wide open aperture creating very interesting blurred background making the shot even better.
Hmm in just thinking whether you can do high speed sync with that radio trigger. I know some of the expensive ones do but I will check mine. Perhaps you could use a cable trigger too. The other option is nd filters I guess.
great Vid.
How did we survive before YT?
+Chris Tyrrell We just went out, took photos and then had them developed to find out how good or bad they were. Now we can take thousands, experiment, with no worries about a few of them coming out bad and for some, there have photoshop, to rescue stuff, that in the days of film, was lost for good
Great!
First mistake, buying a camera, when you wil never really use it to it's fullest
Second: believing that watching stuff like this, will prevent you making the same mistakes next time
Third, owning a smartphone and trying to take a photo of a friend or family member, who is about 100 ft away and thinking "turn flash on"... in broad daylight
Forth :Trying to photograph a mirror head on
Fifth: Listening to reviews on what others think, when the person that really matters is YOU
Sixth: Taking all that wonderful gear with you on the trip of a lifetime, visiting some out of the way, amazing location, only to find you left your cards at home and the nearest shop, that might stock them, is in another country
OH and it's not a mistake if it's correctable.. It's simply an experiment
new cameras like Sony A6000 - Panasonic LX100 etc have eye focus - so no need to focus and recompose which is not always affective
Respected Sir Jeff Cable , I am an armature photographer. Your lessons have helped me a lot ,I would like to send you some of the pics i took so that you can correct my mistakes and tell me what I did wrong.
Too bad there's no closed captions so that way I could understand what they're saying. I'm not deaf but it would be great with how they say it. =)
By the way, 49:58 XD It had me cracking up. Best one out of his jokes.
Photography is subjective, always try different angles and approaches to your target.
I know my goal is to be different
how can joy free lecture in B@H office?pls reply me
+DE DE - If you visit the Event Space’s page on our site, you can find a list of upcoming events. You can register for the events on that page as well. *Christina* AskRUclips@bhphoto.com
bhpho.to/Zc6vnG
"If you don't have the passion, you don't want to be here." Kinda disagreed with that. It sounds very restrictive. You don't need to have a passion for photography to enjoy doing it and learning about it, and generally find it a meaningful creative activity.
Franciscus van der Maat I think if you enjoy doing it, you have a passion for it. He's not talking about people who "live" photography and it's their main hobby/career when he says "passion." He's talking about people that enjoy it. He's saying that if you're not getting that urge to take more and more pictures then you're probably not that into it and maybe it's not for you (don't force yourself to like something). Last time I was shooting, I was getting bit by bugs, I was sweating, and there wasn't even great light. But I kept taking more and more pictures and the only reason I stopped was because my girlfriend called me into the house saying that a show was coming on that I wanted to see. I'd been outside for about 10-15 minutes when it felt like maybe 3. That's what he's talking about when he says "passion." When you're having so much fun capturing little tiny moments, moments that quite literally will never happen ever again, fly by without you knowing. That's when you know it's something you enjoy doing.
Oozywolf I sort of get what you are saying, but for me there is a clear difference between something I just like doing and something that I have a passion for. Having a passion for something means that it can consume you at time; you can be totally engrossed in it; you often think about it even when you are not doing it. For me photography is not something like that. For me photography is more functional: I like to learn the skill to make good photo and video. I enjoy learning how to do that, and just being creative in general. But it is not a passion for me.
Now to be honest I don't think he actually meant to say that people without the passion should do something else. I don't think he actually wanted to exclude some people from photography, I think he just chose a very unfortunate way to say that he has a passion for photography.
Franciscus van der Maat
Yeah I can see that. As you said, I definitely don't think he was trying to exclude anyone from photography. He said a bit of an over-exaggerated to show passion and to make it a bit more interesting and dramatic. I absolutely think you'd be included in what he meant, but it probably just came out wrong haha. But yeah, learning photography is a ton of fun (even as a small hobby). I got interested in photography when I thought about just how powerful photos can be. As I said in the other comment, you're capturing a moment that will never happen again no matter what. There will always be something different. That to me is fascinating. With digital cameras, we can basically have our photos brought up over and over forever without wear (slight loss of quality when constantly transferring to new save devices, but that might even be fixed after a handful of decades). It's unlike just about every other hobby.
Oozywolf Totally agree with that :)
+Franciscus van der Maat +Oozywolf - You are both right. I was not trying to exclude anyone, just saying that the more you love doing something, the better it is for the end result and for you as the photographer. I love that you both are passionate about the conversation. :)
i learned a lot Vin diesel!!
What is the aperture?
+איליי זובקוב - A lens’s aperture is the opening in the diaphragm that allows light to pass through.
Adjusting the aperture will control both exposure and depth of field. You might checkout ‘The Basics of Aperture:FocusEd’ video on B&H’s youtube channel. It’s a quick little intro to the basics of aperture. *Christina*
bit.ly/1Z4SLDJ
Keep the subject in focus - that's a good tip? Come on.. you can do better.
Awesome seminar, but I cant afford that glass?
Composition isn't about knowing your subject, it's about geometry. Learn that and your photography will benefit.
Only partially true at best. There are a number of things to think about in composition that could be called geometrical, but there are a lot that aren't.
Tzadeck and those things are?
Only 40 mins in at the time of typing this comment, but thought I'd make a point on how you find it funny with people using there mobile phones. DSLR cameras are pretty expensive and that's just the camera let alone the lenses, tripods, external flashes. I've only recently got my first DSLR camera a few days ago and have been happily using my S7 Edge up until then and have got some pretty decent shots with it. If people have paid money to get up to the peak and they couldn't afford or even justify the price of a DSLR camera as they may just wanna take simple shots for the memories or social media then there's nothing wrong with them using their phones. Of course if they clearly have a DSLR camera on them and they're using their mobile phones then that's a bit stupid.
Mobile phones are pretty good at taking images these days and even have manual shooting modes, for example I can shoot from 10 seconds to 1/24000 of a second on my S7 Edge and have manual control over focus. I can also go up to 800 ISO as well so can't really use the faster shutter speeds unless I have the right lighting but I have that control. Besides the disadvantage of not having interchangeable lenses and fixed focal lengths and apertures, I'd reckon it'll be pretty easy to get a similar shot on a mobile phone that you took from the peak, probably be wider but with a way to stabilize the phone and using manual mode with a slow shutter speed, I'd say it's possible even on a phone.
Michael - all good points. I am not saying that mobile phones are bad. I use mine often. But I am trying to say that to get a truly great photo, it is much more possible with a DSLR or other higher end camera. :)
True but if a mobile phone or even some crappy 3.1 mp point and shoot camera is all you have then it's better to get a bad picture than non at all especially if it's just capturing a memory of a vaccination for example. Here are some pictures I've captured on my mobile phone, will say though that I edited the motorcycle image to add some DOF and obviously the one with the flames is edited but was originally shot on my phone that was on a tripod: goo.gl/photos/h1eXAouqL866SXi6A
Sure most, if not all would look better with a DSLR especially with the bokeh that can be created in camera. But my phone was the best camera I had up until a few days ago and got my first DSLR a canon 77D. Speaking of which would you mind giving me some constructive criticism on these photos that I've taken so far with it? www.flickr.com/photos/149202379@N04/
Forgot to mention that your presentation was a big help btw, shall be watching more of your presentations and have started watching the presentation on camera features that photographers should use.
I generally frown upon advising people to focus and re-compose. It's usually the culprit of why the eyes aren't tack sharp.
Dave Frette That all depends upon what aperture you are shooting at and the distance from you to the subject. It is certainly not advisable with a very fast lens and especially when close up, but I am sure Jeff Cable wouldn't do it in those conditions.
If they are in that room and own a camera they most likely "photographers". Good, bad or indifferent Mr Cable. Maybe the question should be .... How many of you do it for a living or something of that nature, otherwise it sounds like you're being snide. I'm sure you know some hobbyists that are better than some pros.
33:13 even profesionals do same thing.
I'm sorry, but some of the things you said are subjective. Example holding the camera vertically.... I personally get better stability when my limbs are closer to my body than when I'm chicken winging with my elbow out in the air.
My Pentax k-1000 is looking awfully obsolete after seeing this video. :)