🌟QUICK QUESTION: What's your most used focal length?

Mark! Your shoulder is on fire !!!!

Really interesting Mark, and this chimes with something I heard recently .. to try and take 5 images of something, thinking about what each photograph is intended to be about, / what you're trying to communicate, not just fixated on what it is of. Its an informal story board type idea and it was a revelation to me. Having to get 5 images really gets the grey stuff going. Sometimes you get 5, sometimes only 3, other times you can get maybe 6 or 8 .. but this technique you're offering really makes you think laterally, so your thinking goes wide, not just the lens!

This is spot on..I think the real title of this video is 'Secret to great compositions' but that may not drive in traffic..

For landscape photography, the two lenses I like to use are a wide-angle and a normal. 14mm and 20mm for micro 4/3 28mm and 55mm for full-frame 50mm and 90mm for 6x7mm medium format 90mm and 135mm for 4x5 inch large format

The cropping exercise is really valuable, Mark. I often crop my images heavily after I see them onscreen. And if you’re shooting high resolution images, it’s just fine. Thanks for another great video, mate. 👍🦘🇦🇺

I realise that you made this video a couple of years ago, but I have just watched it and been inspired by your reasoning. Thank you.

I agree that variety is a good approach to this, because the way I see it, there isn't just one focal length for landscape. And to an extent, it almost depends on the landscape itself, what focal lengths (and thus what lens) you will use. Additionally, I think a variety of focal lengths are how you can portray a landscape to someone. I used to primarily shoot wider angle shots for landscape, and never really consider using something like a 70-200. But now I carry 3 essential lenses (essential for me for landscape at least): ultra wide angle, standard zoom and my 70-200. Between those three lenses, I have a wide range of focal lengths I can choose from. But more importantly, I try to use various FLs on the same landscape. I generally start out wide, to show the overall landscape, and then like to start zooming into and capturing specific parts (some might call this extraction). Of course not all landscapes are the same, and some may only be "wide" shots, but I agree that a variety of focal lengths is good for landscape. I mean it gives you VARIETY which is good., and I feel like I've captured more of the scene when I do this approach of using different FLs instead of just shooting wider focal lengths (like 10-30mm)... I finally started to find lack of variety to start to get boring over time, almost to the point where I felt wide shots were no longer interesting (I mean they have their place, and now that I've shifted more to varying my compositions and focal lengths as a result, I can appreciate each of the various focal lengths more I think--not sure how to word this exactly). Maybe because it has introduced more variety and different ways of looking at the same subject, whereas with most things, if you do the same thing over and over again, it starts to get boring. It's the same for portrait photographers who only shoot from say a normal standing eye-level, versus getting down low or up high and shooting down, and even playing with various FLs. It starts to get boring and that you start to crave variety after a while.

Another great video, Mark. I agree with the wide and long options. I usually carry my 17-40 and 70-200. Sometimes, especially if I'm scouting or just out for the day with family, I'll just stick on the 24-105 and I still have a (not quite so) wide and (not quite as) long. Most used? Probably around the 40 end of the 17-40.

Great video this week. I like the exercise of going to a location and challenging yourself to come away with three different keepers that are quite different. I'll give that a go next time I shoot landscapes. My go to lens lately has been a 24-120 f/4. Pretty good lens that usually gets me what I'm looking for. But I usually carry 3 or 4 lenses.

Mark, I love your content but this one really was "spot-on" for me. I'm a CPA and work seven days a week since COVID began so time to shoot is so limited. When I do try to shoot I get frustrated when I come away with 100 shots of a composition and as you said so well I edit one image and I'm still not happy. As I was watching your video it reminded me and when my husband and I had time to travel (which is when I did most of my photography) I was primarily trying to tell a story. Hopefully a story that Charles and I could look at when we can no longer make long trips and re-live those beautiful places and times. And I realized that even when I just take the pups and go over to the woods I most enjoy when I try to tell a story to come back and share with Charles. And invariably my best images are found in those types of adventures. This video really brought back the "story" aspect and I think I'm going to be incorporating it again instead of looking for ONE GREAT SHOT! Thank you Mark for your content. You have helped me get through a very difficult time of working twelve hour days most days and always seven days a week for almost two years. Taking trips with you via your videos has been a lifesaver or at least a sanity saver! Peace to you and Merry Christmas! Just one of your many fans!

Great Video Mark! You've really hit a nerve there, because I also suffer from taking the same photo over and over again. So thanks!

Love what you said about telling a story. I find a collection of photos that are all contextual one another, adding more elements around each photo. I find due to the different perspectives, it’s like adding the third dimension to them, where you can imagine the panning progression between the frame and the 3D space around them

Love the storyboarding concept. I have long used a similar approach. I sometimes even physically sketch out on paper compositional ideas if it’s an area I’m very familiar with. I come from a video production, and graphic design background so I use in day-to-day work all the time. Sometimes changing mediums helps you think even more out of the box.

I recently bought a Tamron 28-200mm for my Sony a7 IV, as an upgrade from the standard 28-70. Needless to say, I am probably gonna keep that on for 95% of the time as I also own a nifty 50 and that is useful in some scenarios but the 28-200 just does everything I want and is reasonably sharp and is great value for the money and the broad range of focal lengths it allows me. By no means is it as sharp as a 24-70 G-Master, I've been lucky to use one of those for work, but it's also worth only 1/4 of what that's worth so I put that into perspective too. My photography ranges from 28mm to anything really. But I notice usually I'm in the 35-70mm range. I've got some at 100+ and others at 28mm, but most are in the mid-ranges. Absolutely despise shooting ultra-wide though. Owned a 14mm for a few months and it almost never came out of the bag. And when it did, I didn't like anything I framed with it. Looked unnatural to my eye, everything too stretched, and so never used it.

Spending hours to get to a location, hours on location and hours coming back from a location, all for just one good photo? That’s exactly what Ansel Adams did for most of his best work. Nothing wrong with that.

what I love about your channel is that you bring fresh insight into the world of photography. there is so much repetition out there. well done Mark!!

How timely. Was just having a discussion with someone about the practical decision of how many lenses to carry from a weight/size perspective. Factoring in the shooting situation and the story to be told is equally if not more important. But I think your point is that we can tell a story with even one lens - we just need to make sure we tell it. Like you, I have those collections of essentially duplicate shots - I've gazed at them, wondering what I was thinking, and then deleted most of them. Thanks again for your usual thoughtful perspective - really well done.

Thats a REALLY good exercise with the different cropping to see different perspectives. The art of story telling through compilations of compositions is amazing advice to help really capture the entire emotion of the location! Amazing video again Mark! Thank you again for everything you to help so many people better themselves and their own photography 👏👏

An excellent reminder of something I know only too well. Back in the 1980's & 90s I made a whole bunch of AV programmes and TV commercials for my ad agency clients,. Each one HAD to be storyboarded. No way could I sell a concept to a client for an AV or a commercial without first storyboarding it. But I cannot for the life of me think why I've never once thought of storyboarding any one of my photoshoots. Why not? Uhh? Dunno! It should be a natural, common sense thing for all visual storytellers to do. So, thank you Mark for reminding me to do something I should have been doing ever since I started as a photographer a decade or more ago. From now on I WILL storyboard all future shoots.

Thanks for letting me know I was on the right track. I now use a 40 and a 135mm. I tried a buch of old lenses and find that these two focal lenght do most of the job. Since I want to get everything nature, not just landscape, I will eventually buy a 200-600. Most landscape are shot at very wide angle it seems, but I am more into intimate landscape and for wider stuff most of the time a pano work.

Great video Mark. The Moab single composition illustration really hit home as I’m guilty of that time and time again. My other landscape sin is that I’ll often reach for a super wide lens so I can capture everything - completely removing most of the thought required for composition. I’ll start carrying and shooting something longer and see how that goes. Thanks again.

bravo Mark, this is very very wise. instead of running to fuji, nikon, sony or whatever. let's run with our brain and our eyes. that's it.

The ideas of cropping and storyboarding are going in my photo journal as ideas to be used often..

Have been doing this for a while now and it really pays off. Not just because I came home with more different shots, but because I then often liked the second/third composition more than the first one, or those turned out to be more useful.

Fantastic idea and fantastic approach for both getting out of "composition lock" and telling a story on location. Really enjoyed this video Mark and I'm ooking forward to taking these ideas to the field (and to Lightroom). Many thanks!

Thanks Mark - I snuck out to Cherokee, NC a few weeks ago. It's a mecca for Wrfalls. Had a few chuckles by myself applying some of your techniques. Adapting one of yr lessons & combing two tips, I developed a routine for Pre-shots. I call it the 4 corner 2 step !! Kind of jazzy but good B4 each shot as you discussed. Surprised how it changed, (improved), the composition slightly. Best to say it quietly unless you are alone!!

I love the concept of telling a story with photography and have been doing that myself for awhile now. But it wasn't until I started my own little KZfaq channel about my landscape photography journeys that I realized just HOW much I love telling the story of my hikes through my photography. I come away with such a variety of photos from close-up details of moss or leaves along the trail to the scenic vista or waterfalls at the end. As for lenses, I too keep it simple. I am fairly petite, so I try to keep the gear I take with me to a minimum. Right now, I have been mainly rocking my 24-70mm lens on my Nikon Z6, but want to get a 70-200mm to replace my old and cheap 18-200mm lens.

That’s a very handy concept to storyboard an existing photo to uncover compositions to improve for future shoots. I’ve never thought of that! Thanks Mark 👍🏻

I can not count the photographers that setup and stay in one place the whole night trying to get one perfect image! Shoot, Move, Shoot, Move..... Like capturing the Milky Way in May and June as it rises just after sunset in the SE and sets (or disappears) at sunrise SW. If on an island just off the coast you start on the beach side as it gets higher you do several 200 deg ARC in several places then head south and sorta mid island with a few hotels and get it almost head on going over a building or garden, then early morning you go looking west and aim SW to get an almost vertical shot. If you are on a beach with driftwood there will be a capture at each driftwood and you basically run to each and back the whole evening and in between you capture many different ARC views. And a kicker is if you are out 5 to 10 days before the new moon you get a crescent moon (looks full) below the MW, and as the moon rises the tide goes out giving a clean no footprints with reflective pools for stars. Something wedding photographers forget is a MW ARC capture with the wedding couple at center using flash or not yes hard to get someone out at night but an awesome pano!

I actually carry two rigs, one for long exposure, the other for shots of things that are natural compositions around my tripod - from city scapes across water to water falls and traffic on highways the long exposures speak for themselves, but it’s the shots I get while waiting for the tripod rig that contribute most to the story board you’re speaking of

I’ve been through that phase as well. When I became more confident I shot less but came home with a lot more keepers.

Been in a creative rut and this video was exactly what I needed

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and comments... although I am only a hobbyist I have a habit of always taking min three shots of subject/landscape at different focal lengths .... this is because I struggle with compositions I see at the moment... enjoyed your video... cheers 😀

I take 3 prime lenses out with me when I shoot and I'm never sure which one to use. Now I am going to try the storyboard thing where I shoot a wide, medium and telephoto picture for each location. Might make me work harder getting a shot with each lens, would also make posting to social media easier as well as kind of story triptic. Great video, great idea.

Hi Mark I fully agree with your reasoning. I practice multiple photographic genres, and initially I carried a lot of lenses with me. Now instead I bring 2 maximum 3 lenses with me. I realized that having too many lenses behind is just a waste of effort, due to too much weight, and does not allow you to concentrate better on what you are photographing. Having only those 2 lenses instead, you can concentrate much better on finding the best composition. And you are much lighter.😄😄😄 In this last period, the focal length I am using the most is 27mm on apsc.

Same here... I used to take dozens and dozens of the same image at the same focal length and composition. Now, I try to keep each to just a few and usually bracket exposure to give me the most chances for the proper light. I may stay at the scene just as long, but I change up the focal length and re-compose to make each set unique. Probably the best reason for good zoom lenses (usually my 14-24 and 24-70). Gives me far more options (and keepers) later when I get home to review and post-process.

Great video indeed.

This right here, bro. This is why I follow you and check out your videos. Best focal length? Not so much. Tell a story better, that's the ticket. Great video, sir. Much appreciated.

Mark, this video is speaking to me. I have the Nikon S14-30 and have the new 24-120 and 100-400 on order to build a 3 zoom kit covering 14-400 to use with my Nikon Z6ii. The thought of using all three on one location is eye opening…telling a story of that location from multiple focal lengths, thanks….

Recognized myself. A workshop instructor told our group not to “stand there and machine-gun the scene.” That’s what I had been doing, for the reasons you mention: maybe the sky will change, maybe an animal will come by. I don’t want to switch to all triptychs, but your idea is a good one.

After going on the gear acquisition merry go round for the last few years, sometimes being up at 9 lenses (zooms and primes) I’ve now gone back to two essential lenses for my R5: the RF 15-35mm f/2.8 (I like Milky Way and nightscapes) and the RF 70-200mm f/4. Relatively lightweight but more importantly - it’s simplified my decision making in the field - wide or long. For the missing bit in the middle - just move my feet! I had dithered between pairing a 24-70 with the 70-200 but I like the extra creativity that comes from having 15-23mm to play with. And, like I say, I like Astro but don’t want to have dedicated primes etc. Same with close-up, macro and portraits - rather than have specialists lenses the 70-200 does a decent job given I’m not a pro and only take such shots occasionally.

Good thoughts.

Your videos keep me inspired to progress and think about photography in a completely new way. Every one of your videos makes me want to go out and shoot

Good stuff. I like the practice of moving my tripod to different spots on a given scene to give me options when I return home to edit. Different perspectives are good.

Thanks, Mark, for another great video. This one really hit me because my wife and I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and have photographed these same areas you shared. Was surprised to see Duggers Falls since it is not a large falls and not easy to get to either - standing in the water underneath the little bridge after crawling over rocks to get there.

Interesting, I had the same thoughts too while back. I used to shoot the same image multiple times with similar framing and got sick of it. I used to carry a 24-70 lens and now I like it 24-200, as you can do great landscapes with longer zooms too. Not the best glass, but easy to keep things simple.

This video is a lightbulb moment. Great concept. Now, I can't wait to go out and try it at locations where I have shot before. Thanks!

Been waiting for XMAS & burning houses. Ready to sacrifice space of a memory card even for video. ;-)

great advice

Hi Mark.. Really like your channel and all the useful tips which you highlight, thank you.. Quite a few years ago i bought a 17 - 35 mm Nikon lens it quickly became my 'go to' lens and still is.. i guess it's the way i see my world..

Hello Mark and thanks for your vidéos. M’y mostly usted are 28-135 and 70-200. Canon user. Greetings from Switzerland

Wow how much this video touched home, ive taken way to many shots of the same look. And I am glad I have bought a Shimota backpack after your video, I love it!!!

Hi Mark. This is a great video. I’ve been thinking a lot about “story” in my images. The storyboard idea and variety of images and focal lengths is helpful. I also used to create way too many images of the same scene with only slight differences. What a tiring editing session that creates! Thankfully I’m not doing that nearly so much and I do try for some variety.

It is a really interesting question and having been a landscape photographer now for quite awhile I just say to people you can take anything but you just have to be creative. I now carry two lenses only. 815 to 30 and a 70 to 200. And with moving your feet back and forwards that kinda covers most focal lengths from 15 mm up to 200 mm and for me that’s enough

Thumbs up! FYI anyone doing a preorder for the Aspen ballhead, orders are expected to be Q1 2022 per Colorado Tripod.

Pre-visualization is crucial I believe. Saves post-processing time as well. For landscape, I use 16mm (24 equiv) + 50-140mm (76-213mm equiv). Funny that I purchased the 16mm (my first Fuji lens) first thinking this was the ideal focal length for sweeping landscape scenes. However, my 50-140mm rarely leaves my camera body. And, I think the reason for that is that it allows me to better isolate the main subject and complete the storytelling. Thanks for your excellent vid!

Thanks!

The story of your Moab single composition photo dump really hit home for me. Often times when I set up my tripod, I end up with the same problem, I shoot the same scene over and over. Focus stacking, bracketing, panorama etc. I never move about as much as I should and end up with similar shots. In the last few months, I have made an effort to not stand my tripod until I am absolutely sure of the composition. I will carry my camera around and take snapshots and even try different lenses. And only when I'm sure, will I put my tripod down and set up the rig to start shooting.

I feel im always years behind you. Because what you are saying you used to do i do now and im as unhappy for doing so as you where. Thank you for your advice.

Extremely useful Mark ! I have been struggling in this area ever since I started capturing landscapes !

Thank you Mark, some great idea,s there, never considered. 20MM most used, that,s M4/3, 40MM equiv on full frame, less distortion than any wider and fill,s the frame better than the often quoted nifty 50MM. (25MM for me).

This is spot on Mark. Love your vids and appreciate all you share with your audience. Keep 'em coming. Same as you I tend to 'try' and minimize my gear to two or maybe three lenses max: the GF32-64 and 45-100 are excellent lenses, possibly with a prime.

I’m not a landscape photographer but this info was great and applicable to all types of photography. Great job my friend.

Fantastic recommendation for capturing variety within one location. I do focus mostly on shooting landscapes so I tend to focus on wider images. Zooming of focusing on smaller aspects of the location itself would definitely tell more of a story.

Very interesting tip of storyboarding you provide here Mark! Something to keep in mind for the upcoming holiday season.

Mark, as always, great insights. I've begun to incorporate some of these techniques in my recent outings.

Love the "tell a story" with the location. I get too far down the rabbit hole with attempting 1 epic picture too often. Need to try planning out and looking around more..

Love your videos! I know this may not be something you care to cover or that anyone else would like more info on, but would it be possible for you to do a video on your best practices for exporting photos to social media out of light room?

Aloha Mark. Thanks for another great video. I'd like to ask if you could share your views on the Aspen ballhead you are using and if it holds tightly beyond 90 degrees. Mahalo and Aloha.

That was indeed helpful ! Just at the right moment .

Mark, I suffer the exact same issue….Multiple photos of the same shot just waiting for the “best” one. Thanks for this video. Challenging…. I am going to try this…. Many Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Variety is why i like the Tamron 28-200, and take a wide as my second lens. or occasionally replace the wide with a super zoom like a 150-600, but mostly its the tamron pair of 17-28 and 28-200, theyre both decent lenses, and the variable aperture of the 28-200 doesnt bother me, i normally shoot at f8-12 any way, so the upper f5.6 is nothing really.

Two bits of advice for landscape shots. Get a “super zoom” like a 28-200, with landscapes you don’t really need super bright 2.8 lenses and modern day cameras and post-processing make high noise shooting viable enough to print massive prints. If you need to shoot even wider than 28mm you can always take a series of shots to stitch together in Lightroom, it’s basically one click and very accurate, and bonus you get a huge megapixel count doing this. Advice #2, addressing the concern about getting trapped into shooting just one perspective and not trying enough variety: Avoid using a tripod at all cost! There’s so much set-up time with a tripod, it mentally commits you to shooting from one vantage… I see so many people setting up a tripod in broad daylight, it’s completely unnecessary. By the time you’ve taken one picture with your tripod, I’ve moved around the scene and taken 10 pictures. By the time you’ve fumbled with swapping between your 70-200 and your 16-35, I’ve taken a few shots plus a stitched wide angle and I’m already moving on to the next phase of my nature hike. Only time I find a tripod necessary with modern camera gear is when I’m shooting at “blue hour” or astrophotography.

Great video and commentary thanks 🙏

I've been using my camera's kit lens 18-55mm, it seems to get some satisfying results for me. I do have an 80-200mm but the glass is from a very old model so the image quality lacks and wouldn't mind a more modern one at some point.

Olympus user, so my glass is slightly smaller than full-frame systems. I carry everything. A lovely 7-14 mm f/2.8, an 8mm f/1.8 fish, a freakishly sharp 45 mm f/1.2 with creamy bokeh, my main zoom - the 12-40 mm f/2.8, and just in case, the 40-150 mm f/2.8 and it's 2X teleconverter. So in full-frame equivalent terms, I'm covered from 14 mm to 600 mm. If I absolutely had to limit it to just two lenses, I'd take the 7-14 and the 12-40 zooms.

Enjoyed the video, Mark. Go Dawgs!!!

I'm a sucker for wide-angle. My set up right now is the Fuji GF 23mm, 32-64mm and 100-200mm. I rarely use the 32-64 but am loath to sell it. For APSC I useFuji's 10-24, 16mm f1.4 and 35mm f2. I find that with the above I've got pretty well everything covered (apart from super tele but I rarely shot with that lens (a 55-200) when I had it.

Mark, thanks for the great video. I carry three lenses a 16 - 35 wide, a 24 - 105 long and a 55 f1.8. There is overlap between my wide zoom and my long zoom. Thinking about trading in my long zoom for one that can reach to 200 with less overlap. Weight is always a consideration. Those long zooms are heavy. Curious what you and others on this channel think. Is the longer reach worth the upgrade?

You can do this with only one focal length, A good prime withyour preferred focal length, which you can also use for close-ups. At first it feels a bit extreem but after some time you get used to it. My preference at this point is the 50mm (FF) focal length. Main point is that you only create photograhs of what you like yourself. When you have to take images for clients that have personal preferences it is an other ball game.

Cảm ơn chia sẻ thông tin chụp ảnh phong cảnh

Wow-what an eye opener for me! I've fallen into the same trap, mostly when on workshops. I enjoy them but need to modify my mindset and also get the most bang for your buck. Thanks so much. P.S. I love the wall mounted fireplace. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Go ‘Dawgs!

Great idea, using crop tool.

I've been playing with a bridge camera and I always find myself at either extreme and often wanting more at both ends. And that is silly, 25-400mm is a massive range in a single unit. I need to think more about what I can do within those limits rather than being disappointed by what I can't quite fit in the frame or get close enough to. There's so much variety in the middle that I'm missing.

Another grand video. I tend to take too many images of the same subject and take too many lenses with me only to use the lightest and longer zoom such as the 70-300mm. I am using a tripod more and using a backpack that only fits two lenses. Maybe use the 14-24 and the 80-200. Both are 2.8 and heavy. Using a Nikon d810 but thinking more and more about a good used d850 for more cropping options.

Your shoulder is on fire!

Another great video.. ❤️

Thanks Mark for your great videos😎 One question I had was what are your to zoom lens ranges for your white angle and telephoto

Hi Mark, Could you tell me where most of the heavy items should go in your backpack?

Thanks for a great video! I always enjoy your take on photography, and the backstory is very interesting as well. :-) I think these days I zoom in and try to make one location into more shots - around 70mm.

omg that has so been me as well - 100 versions of the same thing lol

Although I have a pretty wide range of lenses up to 200mm, I pretty much just take a 50mm or my 45 ts-e if lugging my larger system. I find the ambiguity intriguing and it has the ability to cover a diverse range of image types.

Off topic, but I was scouting for vintage cameras and art at a local value village yesterday and I found a Cannon pixma pro 9000 mk ii for $40. I did some reading up on it and found that if the printer isn’t in use often, then the ink dries up quickly. Is this something that you have dealt with? If so, then is there a solution to prolong the life of the ink cartridges? Thanks in advance. Love the videos! More on location would be great, so I can live vicariously through you as I finish up college!

Another great video! I had to laugh bc I do a lot of my photography while hiking with my husband and I usually can pop off a few shots of something before I have to hustle to catch up. I dream of being in one place long enough to really take the time to set up a scene!!

Love the idea of telling a story. I like to make slideshows, with two or three photos of a scene. But I'm not happy with the slideshow app I am using. Do you or anyone else have a recommendation for a slideshow app, preferably one that provides a pan and zoom transition option and an option for incorporating your own music instead of stock music?

Mark, I'm loving your teaching style. Was that the Lower South Falls at Silver Creek Falls, OR? I live close by and we go there on a regular basis. One of my favorite places to photograph.

If you look at the statistics of lenses being out out, by focal length - most converge around doing well at certain focal lengths, and a lot converge around 85 mm full frame equivalence… no coincidence, this is the sweet spot for portraits. In landscape, around 12-14 mm seems to be the convergence, and for telephoto, 200 mm is the sweet spot. For super long telephoto, it gets muddy- longer is better, but at an acceptable aperture ( goodbye to canons insane decision to make f11 600 and 800 mm lenses! ). The interesting thing here is though, that the classically known proliferate focal lengths of 35mm and 50mm really don’t seem to be all that prevalent…

Nice idea of the story boards. When I’m out shooting, I try to always shoot a landscape format image, and a portrait.