THANK YOU! I'm so glad that other people are taking the same approach as I have been afraid to divulge due to the obsessed nature of many "serious" landscape photographers. But, honestly, if the extreme corners or foreground of your images aren't perfect, that's usually a visual HELP, not a hindrance! Leading the viewer's eye is one of the most powerful tools that a photographer has, and it can be ruined by over-thinking focus technique, and needlessly focus stacking or making sure the foreground/corners are tack sharp, when the main subject is in the central zone of the image... Also, to anyone who thinks diffraction isn't a concern: You might as well trade your 40-60 megapixel sensor in for a 12-24 megapixel sensor, if you shoot at f/22. You're wasting all your technique for tripod stability etc, not to mention the money you spent on your camera, if you don't perform a very careful test to determine where diffraction comes into play for your particular setup, and draw your own line in the sand at whatever aperture you deem to be the limit of acceptability. Good luck! Thanks for sharing, Thomas, I can't wait to see your next "real" adventure!!!
You nailed this! Whatever prep you did to produce this video, put it in a jar and use it again and again when you do tutorials. Really chilled, positive and clear - much appreciated.
Well as far as I'm concerned this IS the definitive guide on focusing landscapes! Thank you as always Thomas. This just makes me look forward to getting back out there even more. Stay safe and be well :)
good common sense advice. Given the high number of pixels my camera has (Sony A7R iii) another "trick" I employ sometimes when I cannot focus stack but need a deeper depth of focus is to simply shoot the scene wider than I need (i.e. 20mm when 24mm is the framing I want). As we all know, the wider the shot, the deeper the focus range is. Then I just crop in post and still have a very large image.
Double-distance focusing; find the closet point in the image you want in focus and double that distance, relative to your camera position, for a focus point. Easier, faster and arguably more accurate than hyper-focal/i/3 in focusing.
Fab, as I don’t have photoshop I always focus to infinity even with close up foreground. And I agree if it’s slightly off it leads you into the scene. Never had a problem doing that.
Thomas thank you so much for your focusing tips. I am watching your videos backwards (from newest to oldest) and have been asking myself all this time “I wish Tom would tell us what he’s focusing on,” well here is the explanation I needed. Great content. Thank you
From someone who has really struggled with improving my landscape images. This is a video with such simple and easy advise that I already know if I follow and adapt your focus rules to my scenes I will improve for sure. Thanks Tom
While I don't do a load of landscapes, especially not during lockdown I really appreciate these tips. It's great to have this video, I've taken notes, and look forward to putting this into practice
love the help, a great tool to come back to. I think I'm going watch that bit about shapes a few more times. I love the idea, but it take a few for things to stick in my head, but great video Thomas.
This is useful to a lot of people that started on digital. Thank you! People should look at old lenses with distance scales and depth of field indicators though
Haven't enjoyed a vlog as much in a long time, welcome back. Hitting a subject which everyone struggles with, simplifying the knowledge and making it understandable in your own style. And i must say you yourself look a lot brighter and cheerful. 😁😁🏴
Nice concise guide Thomas. Some of us older photographers can't trust our own eyes for focus like we used to. Using the spot focus during Live View is a Godsend in that case.
Hi Thomas. Your tutorials are always very interesting and a pleasure to watch. I’ve got a photo shoot on this Sunday, Mundaring Weir in Western Australia. Landscape. Normally I use manual focus with maximum focus peaking, I light the scene up, usually on F11 to F16 maximum. I use a remote to focus & take the shot. Every photo shot to me is a learning curve. I mess up, learn, try again. I make the usual mistake of shooting in bright sky and I’m a slow learner and mess up by blowing out the highlights, using exposure comp. & find the bloody shadows are toooo black. One day I’ll get it all right. Stay safe Thomas. Thank you.
Hello, Really good information, and the video looks great. Would it be possible to detail what was the light setup for this video and what lens you used? Thank you
Fab video, Tom! Thanks and I hope you and your wife are well and safe. Being locked down here in Atlanta is driving me bonkers, so your videos are a big relief! Sean
Thomas: Very well done. Covered all the essentials and was very helpful. I follow you, Nigel, Simon, Mads and Mark Denney. Every time I watch I learn something or reinforce what I already knew. Thanks!!!
Very good video, thank you so much! Sometimes my camera is very close to the foreground, then focus to infinity will not work, even with f/16. What really helped me was a DoF app and then selecting a focus point that decreased my near limit to less than 1m or something and the far limit to infinity. Best results with focus stacking though. But I don't want to take 3 pictures all the time and then spend more time to process the images in post. Focus stacking for me is just some sort of last resort. And you are absolutely right about the kit lenses :-)
Phew! Thanks Thomas. I picked up your 'focus on infinity' early on after I started getting into photography and it's served me well but I've also just picked up the same habits as you in other cases. Nice clear explanations. Could you do something similar on metering modes please. I tend to use spot metering most of the time from something I read but an equivalent explanation on that would be really useful. Thanks again.
Could you please tell me what L-bracket you use (and maybe why this brand in particular)? Thanks. BTW: although I don't shoot landscape because I am too stupid to find good spots and compositions I like your tips and the calm way you present them
I am new to photography and have been watching all of your videos! I primarily take photos on the go while I'm hiking in the mountains and don't really have the luxury of setting up a tripod so most of my shots are handheld. Should I be aiming for a specific shutter speed to increase image sharpness? Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks!
Simple and concise, Thomas! Have been making a check on each item you mentioned. Focus stacking would be my next best thing to consider, instead of merging in hdr, photomatix. Thank you!
Thanks for yet another great video. Your tip is spot on as usual. You mention sharpness in lenses, and how some images online look so d.... sharp. You have been a Canon guy for many years, and I guess you have tried several of their lenses. A lot of videos on RUclips say that the difference between kit-lenses and , as for Canon, L-lenses are very small. Is this something you would agree with? I'm asking because I'm on the hunt for a mid range zoom lense, and wonder if it's worth going for a new mid range zoom lense from Canon, or look for a gentle used mid range L-lens. It's going on a Canon 77D. Thanks for sharing your tips, hopefully the world start opening up again. Miss your hiking videos, seen all of them now.
Excellent, practical advice all around. I've used the focus to infinity technique since I saw your video of a few years ago where you put several focusing methods to the test and found that it worked best, or at least as well any of the more complicated methods you tried. It always works for me. I also recommend testing your lenses to determine which aperture produces the sharpest results. I found that all of my lenses (good but not "L" quality Canon lenses), start to suffer from diffraction above F11, so I never shoot beyond that unless I'm going for a starburst effect.
Thanks, #Heaton that is the best guide to focus landscape shots. I was and am a bad focus guy but I haven't happen to be lead by this good videos on YT (my photography teacher).
This is very helpful! I’ve never understood the application of anything over f8 as it applies to landscapes. Now maybe I can get that beautiful image of Mt Rainier! Thankyou so much
I've been doing photography for a decade and only now learn that the mirror is up when you're in live view. Duh, Angel. That's why I watch Heaton vids! Or should I say, Shaggy from Scooby Doo! ;)
Nice video Tom, good to reaffirm that I'm focusing properly, basically I focus the same as yourself although I did wonder about the moving foreground scenarios and those images where there's no stand out subject like the forest image... I'm definitely with you on having the back or mid - back sharper than the front of the image if it's one or the other.
Thanks for this Thomas. Very informative. What are your thoughts on the need to use your camera's micro-focus adjustment settings to correct any slight focus errors that you might get with specific lenses?
Straps keep the tripod from blowing over in wind. And, I loosely hold the strap when making log exposures on a tripod, and I've never had a sharpness problem. A strap is just another security option.
Tom, I hope you have the time to comment on this. So what limit would you recommend as the smallest aperture for aps-c cameras? Is it f11 or f8? Is it true that f11 on an aps-c with a 1.6 crop factor is the equivalent to 11 times 1.6 = f17.6 on a full-frame? 2nd Q: I only have aps-c canon. I can't afford a good full-frame. Will I ever be able to produce stunning pro-level landscape photos?
Hi I'm not Thomas but I thought is share my opinion. There are pro landscape photographers who have stunning images shot with crop sensor and micro four thirds cameras, and there are pro photographers who use full frame cameras who make terrible images. The advantage of having a full frame camera over a crop sensor camera are very little, I'd focus on improving your composition, understanding light and post processing your images skillfully, that's where you'll see a big improvement in your photography. If you were given a Sony a7r4 with 3 lenses I'm certain that your photos will look the same but the only difference would be that you'll be able to zoom into 300% on your monitor to appreciate all the fine details.
Hello Thomas, could you pls give your opinion on « physical / real » graduated filters for landscapes / skies vs the « digital route » via post-processing? Thx for your work
Agreed Thomas - was dreading that for #5 you’d say calculate the hyperfocal distance using some app lol. Looking forward to your post lockdown content. F11/f16 should do it if you focus about a third of the way into the scene.
I use old 60s, 70s lenses which have markings for easy hyperfocal distance determination. If used on a full frame DSLR or 35 mm body, they work fine. Not so on APS or other sensors. I also shot 6x7, where dof is very shallow. The markings and scales of those lenses are priceless.
As always, awesome video. But Thomas you didn’t say if you are using AF or manual. You did mention manual primarily. Focus through the viewfinder or live view? Are you moving the AF point around or leaving in the middle and moving the camera after lock? Also, could you speak more to the difficulty in focusing in the dark or in really harsh sunlight.
Great video Tom. I noticed that PhotoPills app has a depth of field guide but it can give you a augmented (what ever you call it) view. Not tried it myself but seen bits of their recent RUclips video. Not sure if you got same cloud cover for Wednesday but around here 100% high cloud and 0% mid and low, so hoping good sunset. Hope your all well there and staying safe.
Great advice, very thorough. I would like to add that lenses have sweet spots i.e. best focal length to aperture for optimal sharpness dxomark.com is a great resource for checking this. They have a great database of lenses and bodies to check what the best settings to use are. I find my prime lenses are best for sharpness though as they fixed glass as opposed to any of my zooms.
At 5:00, "Bits are soft in the foreground, bits are soft in the background, no one cares, no one cares." Love it, thanks for keeping it real.
You still inspiring people even in the lockdown situation. Amazing photographer!!!
THANK YOU! I'm so glad that other people are taking the same approach as I have been afraid to divulge due to the obsessed nature of many "serious" landscape photographers. But, honestly, if the extreme corners or foreground of your images aren't perfect, that's usually a visual HELP, not a hindrance! Leading the viewer's eye is one of the most powerful tools that a photographer has, and it can be ruined by over-thinking focus technique, and needlessly focus stacking or making sure the foreground/corners are tack sharp, when the main subject is in the central zone of the image...
Also, to anyone who thinks diffraction isn't a concern: You might as well trade your 40-60 megapixel sensor in for a 12-24 megapixel sensor, if you shoot at f/22. You're wasting all your technique for tripod stability etc, not to mention the money you spent on your camera, if you don't perform a very careful test to determine where diffraction comes into play for your particular setup, and draw your own line in the sand at whatever aperture you deem to be the limit of acceptability.
Good luck! Thanks for sharing, Thomas, I can't wait to see your next "real" adventure!!!
Like the 60's style haircut. It reminds me of the British Invasion Era of the Beatles. 😆👍🎵🎶🎹
@Phil Weatherley Love your wit Phyllis.
You nailed this! Whatever prep you did to produce this video, put it in a jar and use it again and again when you do tutorials. Really chilled, positive and clear - much appreciated.
Thank you thank you thank you. I've learnt more from this video than i have in the last 30+ years of photography.
Straight forward, no fluff. Thank you.
I don´t think most ameteour photographers really comprehend the value of this video, thank you mate...
Well as far as I'm concerned this IS the definitive guide on focusing landscapes! Thank you as always Thomas. This just makes me look forward to getting back out there even more. Stay safe and be well :)
good common sense advice. Given the high number of pixels my camera has (Sony A7R iii) another "trick" I employ sometimes when I cannot focus stack but need a deeper depth of focus is to simply shoot the scene wider than I need (i.e. 20mm when 24mm is the framing I want). As we all know, the wider the shot, the deeper the focus range is. Then I just crop in post and still have a very large image.
Struggled with focusing for years! You've answered all my issues in 10 mins.... cheers Thomas.
Double-distance focusing; find the closet point in the image you want in focus and double that distance, relative to your camera position, for a focus point. Easier, faster and arguably more accurate than hyper-focal/i/3 in focusing.
This is now my favourite video on this subject! Brilliant, thank you!
Mate, loved the way you explained. Specially at 9.19. 'Don't take this as definitive guide ----'. Subscribed immediately.
Fab, as I don’t have photoshop I always focus to infinity even with close up foreground. And I agree if it’s slightly off it leads you into the scene. Never had a problem doing that.
Brilliant... Thank you
Thomas thank you so much for your focusing tips. I am watching your videos backwards (from newest to oldest) and have been asking myself all this time “I wish Tom would tell us what he’s focusing on,” well here is the explanation I needed. Great content. Thank you
One of the best quick summaries I’ve every seen. I’m saving and may put these ideas on a 3x5 card. Thanks
I promise you this video will be very popular ;D
I agree!
That was very helpful. Far less complicated than what others make focusing to be.
Thanks Tom I used your this Focus method on my first time to Rocky Mountain Colorado trip and got pretty good images thanks you....
From someone who has really struggled with improving my landscape images. This is a video with such simple and easy advise that I already know if I follow and adapt your focus rules to my scenes I will improve for sure. Thanks Tom
While I don't do a load of landscapes, especially not during lockdown I really appreciate these tips. It's great to have this video, I've taken notes, and look forward to putting this into practice
love the help, a great tool to come back to. I think I'm going watch that bit about shapes a few more times. I love the idea, but it take a few for things to stick in my head, but great video Thomas.
This is useful to a lot of people that started on digital. Thank you! People should look at old lenses with distance scales and depth of field indicators though
Very straigtforward and interesting! Thank you so very much for this lesson!
Haven't enjoyed a vlog as much in a long time, welcome back. Hitting a subject which everyone struggles with, simplifying the knowledge and making it understandable in your own style. And i must say you yourself look a lot brighter and cheerful. 😁😁🏴
Thank you so much for your simple and down to earth honest conversation. wonderful :)
Susinct. Accurate. Helpful. Compressive. Great job.
Nice concise guide Thomas. Some of us older photographers can't trust our own eyes for focus like we used to. Using the spot focus during Live View is a Godsend in that case.
Hi Thomas. Your tutorials are always very interesting and a pleasure to watch. I’ve got a photo shoot on this Sunday, Mundaring Weir in Western Australia. Landscape. Normally I use manual focus with maximum focus peaking, I light the scene up, usually on F11 to F16 maximum. I use a remote to focus & take the shot. Every photo shot to me is a learning curve. I mess up, learn, try again. I make the usual mistake of shooting in bright sky and I’m a slow learner and mess up by blowing out the highlights, using exposure comp. & find the bloody shadows are toooo black. One day I’ll get it all right. Stay safe Thomas. Thank you.
Very much enjoyed this video. Took notes and decided your info is like a 'cheat sheet'. Easy to remember. Thanks.
Hello,
Really good information, and the video looks great.
Would it be possible to detail what was the light setup for this video and what lens you used?
Thank you
The moving sea in foreground tip was precious, thanks.
Fab video, Tom! Thanks and I hope you and your wife are well and safe. Being locked down here in Atlanta is driving me bonkers, so your videos are a big relief!
Sean
Hands down the best vid on landscape focusing. Great video Thomas! 👍
Nicely explained, will follow your technique in future. Thanks for sharing valuable knowledge.
Proper helpful for a starter like me.
As a fairly new photographer these tips are awesome. Very easy to understand, thank you.
Thomas, another great post. I started watching you because I like nature, but I am learning and Want to try some of your techniques.
Thomas: Very well done. Covered all the essentials and was very helpful. I follow you, Nigel, Simon, Mads and Mark Denney. Every time I watch I learn something or reinforce what I already knew. Thanks!!!
Very good video, thank you so much!
Sometimes my camera is very close to the foreground, then focus to infinity will not work, even with f/16. What really helped me was a DoF app and then selecting a focus point that decreased my near limit to less than 1m or something and the far limit to infinity.
Best results with focus stacking though. But I don't want to take 3 pictures all the time and then spend more time to process the images in post. Focus stacking for me is just some sort of last resort.
And you are absolutely right about the kit lenses :-)
Phew! Thanks Thomas. I picked up your 'focus on infinity' early on after I started getting into photography and it's served me well but I've also just picked up the same habits as you in other cases. Nice clear explanations. Could you do something similar on metering modes please. I tend to use spot metering most of the time from something I read but an equivalent explanation on that would be really useful. Thanks again.
TH, how do you do it?! Get so many excellent tips into one short video, I mean! Always worth watching. Thank you.
Excellent, highly useful episode, Tom.
Thanks a lot for this video. I found it very useful and interesting for the different methods and for the tips.
Thanks Thomas, so clearly and succinctly explained. I has put a lot of thought into the right perspective.
A very concise and excellent video. Got some great tips for a subject that I have personally struggled with in the past. Thanks for sharing. 👍
Could you please tell me what L-bracket you use (and maybe why this brand in particular)? Thanks.
BTW: although I don't shoot landscape because I am too stupid to find good spots and compositions I like your tips and the calm way you present them
I am new to photography and have been watching all of your videos! I primarily take photos on the go while I'm hiking in the mountains and don't really have the luxury of setting up a tripod so most of my shots are handheld. Should I be aiming for a specific shutter speed to increase image sharpness? Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks!
Simple and concise, Thomas! Have been making a check on each item you mentioned. Focus stacking would be my next best thing to consider, instead of merging in hdr, photomatix. Thank you!
Hi Thomas, random question, but what is the make of the top you are wearing in this video? Really like it, cheers!
Thanks for the tips, definitely been pointed in the right direction for shooting landscapes 👍
Well put together a video, very helpful suggestions. You summarized the important aspects in clear, definitive terms. Thanks for posting this, Thomas!
Hi Tom, excellent video, as usual, sitting and talking photography can be just as effective as being out in the field. Cheers mate,
About the straps, I use peak design ones with anchor link, you can take them off in a second, very usefull😁
That lighting setup is looking great in this video! love whatever you have done
Thanks for yet another great video. Your tip is spot on as usual.
You mention sharpness in lenses, and how some images online look so d.... sharp. You have been a Canon guy for many years, and I guess you have tried several of their lenses. A lot of videos on RUclips say that the difference between kit-lenses and , as for Canon, L-lenses are very small. Is this something you would agree with? I'm asking because I'm on the hunt for a mid range zoom lense, and wonder if it's worth going for a new mid range zoom lense from Canon, or look for a gentle used mid range L-lens. It's going on a Canon 77D.
Thanks for sharing your tips, hopefully the world start opening up again. Miss your hiking videos, seen all of them now.
Great video Thomas. Great overview, short and to the point! Real Worth the time watching it! Thanks
Thank you so much for telling everyone about the center column. Lots of great advice, well done!
Thank you Thomas - always pick up great tips watching your videos.
Excellent, practical advice all around. I've used the focus to infinity technique since I saw your video of a few years ago where you put several focusing methods to the test and found that it worked best, or at least as well any of the more complicated methods you tried. It always works for me. I also recommend testing your lenses to determine which aperture produces the sharpest results. I found that all of my lenses (good but not "L" quality Canon lenses), start to suffer from diffraction above F11, so I never shoot beyond that unless I'm going for a starburst effect.
Very concise,and helpful. Been a bit afraid of focus stacking, because of the masking, would love to see more explanation on that.
Thanks, #Heaton that is the best guide to focus landscape shots. I was and am a bad focus guy but I haven't happen to be lead by this good videos on YT (my photography teacher).
Thanks Thomas! Very useful tips!
So helpful! Thank you for sharing.
This is very helpful! I’ve never understood the application of anything over f8 as it applies to landscapes. Now maybe I can get that beautiful image of Mt Rainier! Thankyou so much
Another great video with great advice. Thanks.
I've been doing photography for a decade and only now learn that the mirror is up when you're in live view. Duh, Angel. That's why I watch Heaton vids! Or should I say, Shaggy from Scooby Doo! ;)
Glad you didn't give a talk on hyperfocal distance. And well done for the new hairstyle, swept back like that is quite dashing.
Why? I would've liked to hear his take on hyperfocal distance.
He kind of did when he said to focus 1/3 - 1/2 into the scene
These are great tips. Thanks so much for all your content..now to get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot.
Nice video Tom, good to reaffirm that I'm focusing properly, basically I focus the same as yourself although I did wonder about the moving foreground scenarios and those images where there's no stand out subject like the forest image... I'm definitely with you on having the back or mid - back sharper than the front of the image if it's one or the other.
Good tips! I've been at this for a while now, but it's good to refresh these simple concepts. I usually focus at a 1/3 using f/8 or f/11.
Thanks for this Thomas. Very informative. What are your thoughts on the need to use your camera's micro-focus adjustment settings to correct any slight focus errors that you might get with specific lenses?
Straps keep the tripod from blowing over in wind. And, I loosely hold the strap when making log exposures on a tripod, and I've never had a sharpness problem. A strap is just another security option.
Wow! A massage amount of great information. Thank you very much.
Tom, I hope you have the time to comment on this. So what limit would you recommend as the smallest aperture for aps-c cameras? Is it f11 or f8? Is it true that f11 on an aps-c with a 1.6 crop factor is the equivalent to 11 times 1.6 = f17.6 on a full-frame?
2nd Q: I only have aps-c canon. I can't afford a good full-frame. Will I ever be able to produce stunning pro-level landscape photos?
Hi I'm not Thomas but I thought is share my opinion. There are pro landscape photographers who have stunning images shot with crop sensor and micro four thirds cameras, and there are pro photographers who use full frame cameras who make terrible images. The advantage of having a full frame camera over a crop sensor camera are very little, I'd focus on improving your composition, understanding light and post processing your images skillfully, that's where you'll see a big improvement in your photography. If you were given a Sony a7r4 with 3 lenses I'm certain that your photos will look the same but the only difference would be that you'll be able to zoom into 300% on your monitor to appreciate all the fine details.
@@mrsusan893 thnx a million. You're absolutely right
Hello Thomas, could you pls give your opinion on « physical / real » graduated filters for landscapes / skies vs the « digital route » via post-processing?
Thx for your work
Agreed Thomas - was dreading that for #5 you’d say calculate the hyperfocal distance using some app lol. Looking forward to your post lockdown content. F11/f16 should do it if you focus about a third of the way into the scene.
I use old 60s, 70s lenses which have markings for easy hyperfocal distance determination. If used on a full frame DSLR or 35 mm body, they work fine. Not so on APS or other sensors. I also shot 6x7, where dof is very shallow. The markings and scales of those lenses are priceless.
Thanks for sharing these helpful focusing tips.
awesome info in this video. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I cant wait to apply some of these techniques.
Great Video Thomas, good reminder of focusing principles Thanks Tony
🇮🇹 la migliore spiegazione che si possa avere thanks🇮🇹
Great video.... What shutter speeds do you usually use for landscape.. Thanks peace
Thanks a lot! Whoever does landscape photography, he's an aperture guy!
Great tips and lots of great examples. 👍😎
Finall, some practical stuff for the Everyman, fabulous
Thanks Thomas ! I must use the tripod more and try to lock the mirror.
Lots of fantastic points in this one. Thanks!
Great video. Sums up the most things to know about focusing.
As always, awesome video. But Thomas you didn’t say if you are using AF or manual. You did mention manual primarily. Focus through the viewfinder or live view? Are you moving the AF point around or leaving in the middle and moving the camera after lock? Also, could you speak more to the difficulty in focusing in the dark or in really harsh sunlight.
Thanks Thomas very usefull video thanks to tha all information thank u
Really good stuff, Thomas. Many questions answered.
Great video. You’ve answered all the questions I wanted to know about focusing in landscape. Many thanks
Very good video, Thomas.
Great video Tom. I noticed that PhotoPills app has a depth of field guide but it can give you a augmented (what ever you call it) view. Not tried it myself but seen bits of their recent RUclips video. Not sure if you got same cloud cover for Wednesday but around here 100% high cloud and 0% mid and low, so hoping good sunset. Hope your all well there and staying safe.
Thanks mate I’ve learned quite a lot of things from you today
Great advice, very thorough. I would like to add that lenses have sweet spots i.e. best focal length to aperture for optimal sharpness dxomark.com is a great resource for checking this. They have a great database of lenses and bodies to check what the best settings to use are. I find my prime lenses are best for sharpness though as they fixed glass as opposed to any of my zooms.
Hi Thomas, thanks for the video. Do you ever use hyperlocal focusing?
Great job bro, which camera was using at home?