🔥QUESTION: What's the most common cause of blurry photos for you?

Another great video. And well done for admitting "I forgot to mention". Your approach of not pretending to be the know-all, end-all of photo knowledge is part of why I love your channel.

A tip from a shooter and photographer. Shooters always look to turn your body into a stable platform. Your body stance, sitting or prone must anchor your weapon. Same with my camera. Most good long distance shooters will take a deep breath and slowly let it halfway out, then stop the exhale and squeeze the trigger. Do the same with your camera.

Thanks for including comments in your Tips! It really demonstrates your respect for others!

A tip I learned when shooting a long exposure at a beach, step away from your tripod during the exposure. Any foot vibration can cause a blurred image.

Thanks so much for sharing these reminders! Always great to put these in the front of your mind again. I think I get in a rush when I shoot, especially portrait sessions. Always great tips from you Mark!

Thanks Mark and fellow photographers for all of the great pointers! Cheers!

Great pro-tips ! Thank you

Great video ! Thank you for all these tips, very usefull for me 🙂

Thanks for the advice!!

All great tips. Well done, viewers!

Maybe you mentioned this in the other video(s), I don't recall, but the other primary way of preventing this would be to use the timer function of the camera. I use it exclusively when I shoot the moon. I set the timer to a 2 second delay so that when I press the shutter the image isn't taken for two seconds so any motion introduced has time to stop prior to the photo being taken.

Your videos and information are very insightful, you have helped me immensely with my knowledge as an amateur photographer. Thank you!

Set an extra button to 100% zoom. Easiest way to confirm focus before you take the shot.

Another very informative video. Thanks for sharing with us.

Great Tips!

Thank you, great tips!!

Good advices and tips Mark. Thanks a lot man.

If I’m not mistaken snipers in the military are told to take the shot when they are slowly breathing out. So makes sense.

In this video series, you mentioned an exercise you do with a new lens to determine the aperture setting or range that provides the sharpest photo. I am very much a beginner and really appreciate you sharing this exercise. What other exercises can I being doing to get to know my equipment better? Thank you so much for this tip - liked, subscribed, notified

I always use wireless shutter control when I am placing my camera on a tripod. This has multiple advantages: First I don"t have the issue of bumping the camera by pressing the shutter button, and I also cannot bump into the tripod. Happens all the time when in cramped quarters. I often use exposure bracketing and it is paramount that the camera stays absolutely still - hence the remote shutter control.

Cheers Mark 😊

Burst shooting is the technique that is sort of frowned upon (spray and pray) but something that many people actually use. If used properly (meaning, you don't post several sequences/frames from the same burst) then nobody has to know. Especially in low-light conditions, this technique has saved me when my shutter has to drop below say 1/10th of a second or slower and I'm up against my limit in terms of ISO and aperture. I don't go nuts on this, but maybe do a 3 or 5 shot sequence in hopes that I can get one or two frames tack sharp, and out of a 5 sequence, I should be able to (with a 3-shot sequence it may be just one, but that's all I really need). Where people get in trouble is when they post a lot showing they did a long burst, and/or they do unecessarily long bursts, like 30 shots when maybe 5 shot bursts would be enough to get one sharp frame. Another tip is if you're shooting in natural light conditions, and nothing is moving in the frame (ie. you're doing a landscape for example) maybe turn on electronic shutter (disable MS) and this also help with sharper image. On DSLRs, using mirror-up mode while on a tripod can also help (or exposure delay mode if your camera supports it). Personally I have found taking a deep breath and holding it doesn't help and if anything makes things worse for me since I'm partially focused on holding my breath in, so I do the inhale-exhale-shoot method where you fire the shutter as your exhaling. The only thing I will say about this is to make sure that your breathing (exhaling) does NOT move the camera while you are exhaling this and shooting as that could lead to a soft image as well. This can be true if you have a habit of putting your elbows into your stomach for stability (some people recommend this but it can lead to slight unintended movement while exhaling). BBF can have caveats though, for example if the camera doesn't fully lock focus before you click the shutter, you may take an out-of-focus image. For the most part is is faster than doing the half-press shutter thing, but I've also had instances where I was probably in a rush and the camera hadn't fully locked focus and I fired the camera. I feel with shutter release focus, this gives you less of a change of a blurry shot due to fovus not first being acquired. To the last part about the center column, using a good quality tripod is important. It's important that the tripod is rated to hold atl east 2x the total weight you plan to put on the tripod (so if your heaviest lens/camera combo is 5 lbs, make sure your tripod can support atl east 10-12 lbs). It may pay to buy a sturdier (CF) tripod that doesn't have a center column. Another tip is not to extend the last leg segment on the tripod either. Some shots this may not matter as the extra 6 inches or so is not going to change your composition much unless you're shooting lower or you have foreground subjects near the camera, but if you're shooting a large vista with no real foreground objects in the immedaite foreground, then this will probably not matter as much as to whether you use the extra last leg segment or not. I try not to unless I absolutely have to. (Although I would use the last leg semgnent over the center column any day).

A very good summary once more. It might already been mentioned, but when outside using a tripod and especially on long exposures, do not use a lens hood. It can act as a sail even with a mild wind, thus impairing your focus. You're better off using your hand or something else if you need to block any light.

Hi Mark great series. I have one more tip that's the cause of many of my out-of focus images ... slow down! Often when conditions are epic we start to rush around and not looking carefully enough because you want to get to another image. Slowing down often helps a lot! Grt guido

I often set my camera to manual focus in oder to have full control and sometimes forget to manually press the focus button prior to the next photo.

Thanks for the followup. We all have made these mistakes and have to work always on better technique.

For me the benefit of turning off stabilization on the tripod is not worth the cost that I’ll forget to re-enable it afterwards. Also, I’ve tested with & without IS on a tripod and it hasn’t made a difference (at least to my eye). The only drawback is when shooting in bracket-exposure mode, IS may take a bit more time to complete each shot, but it’s a price I can accept. But thanks for all your content - I think you’re the best & least pretentious landscape you-tuber out there!

Being too quick and excited during a handheld shot when something suddenly appears is my biggest focus challenge. The only thing that has saved me at times is holding the shutter button down to capture a burst. I'm constantly reviewing my camera settings when in the field before taking shots, but developing a smooth approach to quick, focused handheld shots still needs improvement. Thank you for the follow-up tips!

All your videos are great. I do have one question. Did you attend a formal photography school? How did you learn all your knowledge?

Another advantage of using Back-button focus: by pressing this button a counter force is applied to that caused by pressing the shutter button and this contributes to stability.

Exposure Delay mode is very useful handheld at .2 and .5 of a second vs timer mode of 2 5 and 10 seconds. All good suggestions thanks Mark.

There it is!

I have followed you for quite awhile and would like to hear you do a video on the different shutter types.

Regarding IBIS, if it's in the camera body, it may or may not be searching for movement (this is true for in-lens stabilization systems as they are loolkng for movement even if no movement is occuring, but in my personal experience, in-body stabilization has little to no impact on image sharpness when on a tripod. I've done a few tests with my Nikon Z cameras for example and cannot really tell a difference. This may depend on the specific model and brand though and how the IBIS is implemented but some cameras can tell if they are on a tripod (for example, no movement is detected so the IBIS motors stop moving). That being said, I do still turn it off just to be safe, but in some cases, if there is a bit of wind or slight vibration, leaving IBIS on can actually benefit you more as it will counter any slight vibrations. I was shooting long exposures on a bridge once and without IBIS turned on, I got slightly soft images, but with IBIS on, they were basically sharp. One tip I did not see is to use a cable release. Maybe this was discussed in the original video, but either using the self timer (like 5 seconds) or a wireless cable release is recommended if on a tripod.

Thanks for the tips! This kind of videos helped me to improve as an enthousiastic photographer. I'm currently visiting the Neuschwanstein and Innsbruck areas and figured out that I applied them instinctively. Diaphragm breathing also helps reducing shaking your upper body.

Great episode. Even with my elbows tucked in I still struggle with getting stable with a DSLR up to my eye. My cheater tip is to pretend I'm holding an old Rolleiflex TLR, shooting hand-held by loosening my neck strap out nearly all the way, then holding the camera at just below my sternum with light tension, arms and elbows gently pressed into my sides, and using the strap and my body as a human tripod while snapping on the exhale as Mark suggests here. I have a level meter on a top-plate LCD display which helps with composition and will snap a few shots by twisting my torso, then stitch them in post to find a good crop for final composition out of the result. I don't bother with the rear LCD.

Hi. I really enjoy your videos. Please explain how to set and use the back button as your shutter release. Thanks

...thank you for this video... i was wondering today why my photos aren't sharp second time in row , when i'm outdoors for photography, but i think i haven't switched ibis off 🤦‍♀️ i need to check it! 😊

I'm glad I learned about Back button AF before I even bought my camera.

to help eliminate camera shake from pressing the shutter button you can set a one or two second delay after the shutter is pressed before the camera takes the photo

Amazing advice Mark! Can I just say though regarding IBIS and using a tripod, I just bought a fujinon xf 70mm-300mm lens with OIS and in the manual that was included, it says to turn this ON when using a tripod! Actually, there is no switch on the lens to turn it off but I suppose you could do in camera.

I've been successful doing 1/2 second and longer handheld photos (ND filter in place) with the finger roll. Camera set to One Shot, not burst. Using this along with back button focus, do not release the shutter button until the image has been processed. Keep your finger pressed on the button, don't lift it up right away!!! Good tips Mark, Never thought about using bust mode on stationary objects.

Great suggestions all - though I don’t really see any impact from leaving image stabilization on with my newer Nikon lenses and bodies.

All good tips. When I use my D850, I shoot in silent shutter mode with high-speed burst. It is basically mirror-up with high-speed burst.

I need a lightweight, sturdy tripod for long exposures. What do you use? What are three recommendations? Thanks

Hi Mark, great tips. My question for you, is there an alternative to back button focus? I have rheumatoid arthritis and cannot, for the life of me, find a away to reach any button for bbf. My hands are fairly small and I shoot with a canon 90D. BBF seems great. Btw, love your videos and I have learned so much. Keep up the great work.

so, my tip, would be dont be scared of using high iso to get usable shutter speeds! noise reduction these days it so good i regularly use 12,000 iso for wildlife so i can get the shutter speeds i need.

Thanks Mark. Re the tripod centre column I have a travel tripod and the final leg section is quite narrow so I’m thinking that not using that but instead using the centre column (which is thicker) could be the better option sometimes?

Another thing I do often times, is using, if available, the touch screen to take the foto, so I dont`t get any vibration from pressing the shutter button and ofcourse even better, using an remote control.

Most of my shooting these days is handheld and has to be done quickly and on the move, for this reason I find myself using shutter priority mode a lot more now than I used to

Hi Mark, not sure if you’ll see this but I’ve been binging your KZfaq videos trying to learn about photography. I recently brought a Nikon D610 and have a 50mm lens with it so I can practice portraits. I’m looking for a zoom lens that can be used as a walk around lens as well as for landscape photography. Do you have any suggestions? I’ve heard the Nikon 16-35mm would be a good option, although slightly pricey.

Well, taking pictures while breathing out should certainly help. I have the problem that I hold my breath because of excitement when I see wildlife and that just does something to my body, maybe producing adrenaline, so I get kind of nervous which does not help when taking handheld pictures 😅 Thank you so much for your content and hard work, Mark! ❤

Ha ha! You are trying your hand at acting too 😀 Another nice video! And humble as always.

Keep the shutter speed higher at the expense of ISO. Noise is very easy to remove - blur, virtually impossible to fix.

You could at least in landscape photography use the remote shutter function either with timer or an actual remote to reduce camera shake

Ibis got me today..switching on and off tripod...I am n new to using a camera with ibis so have to remember as my old lenses didn't have vr besides my 70-200

I use the breathing technique when hand holding the camera. Often, I breathe in and out a few times before finally pressing the shutter button.

motion and eye sight

Can you recommend a decent free photo editor? Something simple, something just for basic lighting and sharpness adjustments? I'd been using the free one included with Windows 10, and it was decent for a few years. But the most recent update they did totally ruined the editor, and now the editor literally ruins my pictures. Thanks in advance.

Use 2 second shutter delay function

hi mark, I have question for you, I have same camera you have over there, fuji gfx100s when I turn my camera off sub monitor doesn't turn off fully, I can still see numbers over there, when I put only histogram over there it turns off I wanna know if it is same with your camera or only mine so there is a problem with my camera, I was gonna calll fuji to ask them but I was watching your video now I said maybe he knows something about it

Fun fact re: tip 2 Our heart rate increases as we inhale and decreases as we exhale. That's why you're more calm and stable while breathing out.

Who shoots by jabbing their finger at the shutter button? I think a big problem is shutter focusing delay, which burst mode tends to eliminate. The problem with back button focusing is forgetting to do it. Good tips

While I suspect that these tips would work well on mirrorless cameras some of them might not work so well on DSLRs. In my experience burst mode tends to introduce blur not eliminate it due both to mirror slap and the tendency for the noise generated in rapid fire sequence to cause me to flinch a bit. With DSLRs I've found that handheld photos in low light situations almost always become sharper if you lock the mirror up, or set the shutter to actuate in delay mode.

The breathing-out technique is something I've learned from my grandfather. He learned it during war for aiming purposes and adapted it for photography.

I sent equipment to Nikon to have them review and calibrate lenses and bodies. Helped only a little. Tried high ISO so shutter wouldn't be an issue. Tripod didn't help. 45MP camera. It's not focus. It's not shutter. It's not a single lens. It's not image stabilization. My 12MP camera images look sharper. Still looking for answers.

Are you turning off Ibis on the camera and the lens when the camera is on a tripod

Another option is on tripod ...use remote control shutter instead of touching camera shuttor button

Maybe it was mentioned it before but how can one expect sharp handheld images when you use the screen rather than the viewfinder . Minimum three points of contact!

Hey Mark, Awesome video! Maybe you’ve mentioned this before but I use a two second or five second self timer instead of a burst. This means less storage space consumed for high megapixel cameras and less photos to go through later. This way you can press the shutter button on your deep breath in and the shot will go off as you are breathing out. Keep up the great work 👍!

I tend to thump the shutter button even when I'm trying not to, so use either a timer or remote release. I'll try the roll on the shutter but I think I'm a hopeless case. 🙄 I also find that inattention to camera settings (due to rushing to get a shot as if a waterfall is going to suddenly run and hide!) can contribute by not selecting the right focus point, or appropriate aperture, etc. I have heard a lot about IBIS and tripods and think photographers ought to do their own research, because there's a lot of differing opinions out there. A case-in-point is Robin Wong's clip: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oJ51ZNhksq3Zd4U.html for his Olympus camera. Spending a bit of time doing a few tests could yield valuable information.

If it’s handheld then can’t be on a tripod. - Learn how to hold your camera steady. - Shoot a faster shutter speed. - Close the aperture and increase your depth of field - don’t let the sun light come inside the lens. It’ll cause flare - take bursts of 3 shots in a row - also Sharpness isn’t that important. So don’t obsess over it. Some lenses are just sharper than others

Breathing out is the method rifle target shooters or snipers use.

My problem is I keep zooming in until I begin to think it’s unsharp ☹️

Nobody's mentioned using a simple 5 second timer mode in the camera when using a tripod? Just set focus point, press the shutter button and step away. 5 seconds later, the camera takes a shot. No chance of blur from camera shake.

I never ever use a tripod without a wireless trigger

My tip for sharp photos is to just buy a sony a7rV with 8 stops of ibis 😁

I had a cheaper tripod years ago, I could never get a sharp image using it. Get a quality tripod, use the cheap one to hold your coat.

2 second delay is the way

Taking a big breath in and holding it causes your lungs to put force against your heart, thus each heart beat is felt more by your body. Not a good stable photo tactic.

rifle shooters take a breath, let it out to a comfort spot. stop. fire the shot. You can breath or shoot... but not at the same time. move that into photography.

Get two lens. One lens sharp and one lens soft. Bad lens. Get two cameras. Lens sharp one camera, soft one camera bad camera. Gotta rule out gear before trying a dozen different shooting methods.