I Thought This Lens Would Be Better?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 พ.ย. 2023
- JOIN ME ON A WORKSHOP: www.hallofthewildstudios.com/
INSTAGRAM: (@hall.of.the.wild) / hall.of.the.wild
PRESETS: www.hallofthewildstudios.com/...
Main Camera:
(Adorama): howl.me/cjmJzBpNswu
(Amazon): amzn.to/3ftxI1f
Favorite All Around Camera: howl.me/cjmJDkOfPCX
(Amazon): amzn.to/3LWzRPl
Favorite APS-C Camera:
(Adorama): howl.me/cjmJGIJLEro
(Amazon): amzn.to/3DTPaFT
Favorite Drone: howl.me/cjmMQBZLWPd
Lenses
My Favorite Lenses
Favorite lightweight 800mm
(Adorama): howl.me/cjmOlEO0jLZ
(Amazon): amzn.to/3CpaLoW
Favorite Telephoto Lens: (also, my favorite lens overall)
(Adorama): howl.me/cjmJL3GRTvX
(Amazon): amzn.to/3dWLI38
Favorite budget wildlife lens
(Adorama): howl.me/ckWRLXRxXA8
(Amazon): amzn.to/3CrDAkD
Bags
Favorite Wildlife Bag: shimoda-designs.j8ujgp.net/21... (Hall10 for discount)
Favorite Overall Camera Bag: shimoda-designs.j8ujgp.net/oe... (HALL10 for discount):
Favorite camera strap: amzn.to/3M1P5mg
Favorite camera clip (for backpack): howl.me/cjmJRizzkhE
My Ghillie Blanket: amzn.to/3Crbaao
Camo Hood: amzn.to/3gK3W9s
3-In-1 Travel Tripod: heipivision.com/products/heip...
Mics
Main Mic: amzn.to/3tRhx1A
Backup mic
(Adorama): howl.me/ckWR0rVDA5z
(Amazon): amzn.to/3UYMugh
Website: www.hallofthewildstudios.com (for workshops, presets, and more)
Where I get my music: share.epidemicsound.com/aavo6d - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
This was a great video. Wonderful that you shared the original, the distance and your editing technique. Your thoughts on POV were perfect. Thank you!
Duade Paton and Adam Gibbs are great at showing their "before and after" wildlife and landscape images respectively. I often do it with my own videos. Every time I hear someone say "I don't edit, I get it right in camera", I die a little inside. Editing is half the job at least.
100% ! To add to this, I believe there are a lot of folks who shoot in RAW, and mistakenly believe that "right out of the camera" is as good, and natural as it gets, and anything else is cheating. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. RAW files capture a TON of digital info, but the default viewers show relatively little of it. Without processing, RAW files are generally undersaturated, and very low in contrast. However, the digital info is there, and available for folks to bring it to "as close to natural"... as they want, or know how to get it. JMPO, but if a person thinks that PS is cheating, their shots would probably look much better shot in JPG. Granted, those might not be as natural as they could possibly be, either. But at least they would have some color, and contrast, AND the person could still truthfully say > "Right out of the camera" :)
@@Chris_Wolfgram except of course, JPEG images have been processed too: by the camera. So actually, anything other than RAW images aren't strictly SOOC, including JPEG. The only difference is who's doing the editing and how much.
Editing for me is half the fun
@@JohnDrummondPhoto oh big time ! But shooting in JPG makes it easier to pretend, it never happened :) lol
@@Chris_Wolfgram I always ask these people if they think Ansell Adams did SOOC shots. Then I inform them that back in those days you did much the same as with photo editing software only you used chemicals and light instead.
I don't have a problem if someone prefers to avoid edits in post. But cropping, exposure adjustment, white balance, etc are so BASIC and subjective that I can't see why you would want to eliminate them from your creative toolbox. Generative AI, on the other hand, is different, and I would prefer to avoid it, too
Oh, cmon let him bring a new breeze in social media
Love the camping arrangements! Wish I had something like that back in the day! Excellent advice all the way around!
Thank you Brent for this video , so important for beginner photographers to understand why there photos aren’t like seasoned photographers who edit their work .
Another helpful video, thanks Brent. I can relate to all your points and it all makes so much sense. Thanks again.
Great video! Thanks
Great video, love the message, totally agree, chasing equipment can be a trap.
Great video! I agree, I get the same results, and find that I have to spend time on the computer to get the results like you have.
Never a truer word said - I love the whole process from going out and taking the picture then the next day sitting down and processing my photos, I like your honesty and can relate to it. Well Done - Keep them coming.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
Great advice! Thanks. Nicely presented too. Learning to edit effectively is an important part of the process these days.
Thank you for an excellent video and for a very interesting discussion! Please continue with similar honest videos. I have started following your channel because of this down to earth honest video!
Hey thanks for the kind words, and the sub, I really appreciate it!
"i get it right in camera" Every time i hear that i say
No you didnt. Your Instagram says otherwise.
Good topic to discuss, Brent. I find editing actually therapeutic. Not only does it bring the photo more to life, its like a painter with their canvas. Great discussion. I think there is too much emphasis on gear and not enough on the art of photography. Take care.
Yeah, I mean, I love being out there, but I also love editing.
I like your honesty and I appreciate your explanation and demonstration of your editing. I’m thrilled about your outdoor approach and I like your new roof tent on the car. / Best regards - Per from Denmark
This might be one of the best videos I’ve seen from anybody. You hit the nail on the head! Well done.
Thanks man, I really appreciate that! I almost didn't publish it because I thought it wouldn't be good and people would be ugly about it, lol.
Thanks Brent! Editing is something I had to learn as I never was able to get those awesome results in camera and thought it was my lack of skill. This validates the reality of the experience.
Yeah, learning to edit is not always the intuitive thing for trying to get better images. It's easy to get into the mind-frame that it's all in the gear. I mean the gear and photography knowledge are super important, of course, but so is editing.
I appreciate you sharing. I have only been shooting for a year and I have learned a lot from your videos. Again thank you.
Hey thanks man, I really appreciate that!
Good video Brent - many newcomers don't realise that a lot of hard work goes into processing an image and taking it from the RAW capture to a beautiful shot.
So true editing makes the image, the 500 F4 and R5 MP definitely facilitated the edit. Between you Duade Paton and Jan Wegener I have learned SO MUCH !! Thanks keep em coming.
Thanks Dan! Yeah, the gear helps, as does having the actual photography knowledge and skills in the field, but good editing can really help to create better images.
@@BrentHall Oh yeah learning to edit is key but it's a tad easier to edit one of those golden hour images shot with an f4 verses an f11😊. But I still honestly miss my f11 super light and sharp. But like you I traded it in for other stuff I felt was more important.
Great vid ! Love the editing.
Excellent perspective. Kudos. We've all fallen into that trap.
Thank you for this! There are people out there who think that editing is just wrong. But it is not. I believe that it is a part of the artistic process of being a photographer.
I always ask these people if they think Ansell Adams did SOOC shots. Then I inform them that back in those days you did much the same as with photo editing software only you used chemicals and light instead.
Not too long ago, I can say I spent days in the darkroom to get the colour balancing right on my 6x7 (120) prints maybe got one 16"X12" a day done, spend much less time in lightroom now :) @@garrywatters1140
Spot on! I enjoy editing almost as much as the capture.
Same. I love being out there, but I love editing just as much.
Great video... that approach and attitude was great points... I am slowly improving my Lightroom skills... so I will push myself to do more.... Thanks
Thanks man, I'm glad you liked it!
Best thing to do is get outside and shoot! Love your motivation. I just bought the Nikon 800PF and I'm really looking forward to shooting all day with it.
Great lens. I have had mine about 6 months and captured many "keeper" photos with it
True story! That's an awesome lens, have fun with it!
Totally agree. The image capture part is now, maybe 50% of producing a final product. Like you, I love the new technologies.
Hello,
J'aime quand le "magicien" montre ses trucs . Merci
I like when the “magician” shows his tricks. THANKS 😁👍
Brent, you are one of the sanest voices about photography on TH-cam. I'm not even a Canon shooter but I watch your videos because what you say applies to photography and not the gear. I completely agree with your central point in this video. What I have learned over many years of processing digital images is to make decisions based on the content and composition, e.g. what's in the frame, and not on how good the image looks straight out of the camera. My thinking is always "what can I get out, or 'rescue' from an image.
This requires a lot of effort - there are no instant result or use of auto-sliders but I often been rewarded with a fine end result putting the effort into learning and judiciously using the tools (in my case mainly Lightroom and DxO) effectively. I come from a film background where you had to nail it in the shot but otoh there are wildlife photos you can take today which just were not possible in the old film days. But you have to invest in post-processing skills, imho.
Hey thanks, I really appreciate that! Idk about that though, I'm just some random guy in the desert, who likes to take photos, lol.
I think it does help to pre-conceptualise an image, with the knowledge that the RAW file doesn't always represent what you saw with your own eyes.
Im very new to this and it feels good seeing you do a lot of the same editing tricks as me. Great video and HONEST
Great advice.
Love your videos. You have a great attitude. Your photos are great.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! 🙏
Photography is an art. Editing is part of the art.
True story.
I often show before and after on my blog so people realize how photos are edited. I always start with the best photo I can take. All the editing in the world won't save a crap shot.
That's true....many photographers edit their images to make it way better.
Take an painting artist, they edit it though the colours and clever skills to bring it to life, sometimes you get the perfect photos with any edits and other times edits help, skill full and experienced people can make maximum use of most cameras, enjoyed watching and it’s nice to show both sides 😎
Appreciate your editing for us!!
You're welcome, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I think what you say is bang on the money. I only edit my photos through Apple photo software my PC cannot handle raw images. That said, I’ve mastered, or as far as I can attempt to master, technique and field craft. I’ve saved and purchased some decent Canon gear. But you have to accept the laws of physics, as you say and other limitations such as light, location and species that can be difficult. That’s what makes it all the more special when you get the fantastic image. For me it’s about the journey as much as the destination. A great video in my humble opinion.
Thanks for your reality check regarding expectations for our photographs. We all see the beautiful images online and compare our work and maybe wonder if it's our lens, camera, technique, etc. We can all probably improve our editing and manage our expectations. I'm slowly learning when that bird or animal is just too far or it's too dark to get a decent photo and to just enjoy the moment. As I heard Russell Graves in a webinar, "you've got to learn with some images to stop trying to make them what they're never going to be, i.e., don't love something that can't love you back." Keep up the good work and give your back a "break" now and then!
I think you just did the most important video I have ever seen. You told the absolute truth about your gear and images. Too many times we are led to believe by some that they are gifted with super human skills and have the ultimate supreme gear. The gear, like any tool, does help you to achieve your goals but it’s not the end all be all. Same with editing skills. It takes a complete package and so glad you pointed out the impact atmosphere has on image quality. This was truly well done.
Thanks man, I really appreciate that and I'm glad you liked the video! It definitely takes skills and effort while in the field, especially with wildlife, but good editing can go a long way to really creating a solid image. :)
Great points my friend. I'm finally getting ready to start editing. I have never learned the process. I always said when I get 1 that is wall worthy I'm cool with that. Well since this past spring I've gotten hundreds or mostly predator bird shots and I'm realizing..Dang! I've got a bunch that I know with editing could be fantastic. So it's time to learn. Thanks for this video as it only has helped me to realize what I need to do.
You bet man, I'm glad it helped! Yeah, editing is not always an intuitive process to think about, but the more you do it, the more you'll understand what you need to do in camera and what you can get away with in post.
Thank you for sharing this. I don't feel so bad about editing my pictures now :)
You bet man, I'm glad it helped!
Only one thought here. A photograph is what YOU get from the camera. When you edit in the golden hour or other major adjustments that then becomes a piece of digital art. One of the issues with digital is the ability to take a poor image and then turn it into something special in post. I don't generally edit apart from a crop, so I try and get it right in camera.
Thanks for the great video that shows how photography really works! There isn't any magic camera or lens out there that gives you perfect photos every time. It was also very refreshing to watch the editing process without an advertisement for presets or brushes. :)
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Although, I actually do have presets for sale, lol... I'm just a bad business person and don't mention them enough :P
Thanks for the video. You're right about editing - it's a critical part of the process, and if you shoot RAW it's more than critical, it's essential. How far you take the edit is personal choice. I try not to deviate too far from what I remember seeing with my eyes. I shoot RAW so my files out of camera will never look exactly like what I saw so I try to recreate the light and tone that I saw. I will remove distractions and/or flaws in an image but I never add elements that weren't there. I think this is a reasonable middle line to take with editing. On another note - I saw in the video that you picked your camera and 500mm prime up by the camera body a couple of times. It's not a good idea to do this - it puts a lot of strain on the camera mount and eventually you will probably have trouble with that. I use a 600mm prime and it took me a long time to train my brain so that I never pick the rig up by the camera, only by the lens. Thanks again and good luck.
Nailed it.
Great video! It touched on a number of things which I think are really important reminders, at least to me. Sometimes i think that I loose sight of the reality that virtually all of the amazing photos that I see published on the photography sites that I frequent have been significantly processed. Seldom do the photographers talk about the processing they've done and frequently I'm left with the impression that these images are straight out of the camera. Intuitively I think I know that they've been processed but I often wonder if the folks are deliberately leaving the impression that they are just so good at using their equipment. Thanks for the reminder that most are processing like crazy. Yes, I am learning to process and am increasingly happy with the results. Also, a reminder "don't blame the equipment, blame the operator". Processing is part of the operators job. Thanks again. Love your honesty and approach to these videos.
Yeah definitely. That was my main point. A lot of people get discouraged when they see their own images and think they aren't good enough, because editing an image is not always an intuitive thought process for someone who's trying to get better at photography. It also doesn't help that they can't tell how much an image has been edited when they see them posted online, further perpetuating the mentality that good photography always comes from the gear. I mean the gear and having basic photography knowledge is crucial, but so is editing.
I can appreciate people being purists, and some people are very good at choosing the right place, weather, and time for getting shots that look really good straight out of the camera but I also think that photography (including photojournalism) is an art. You have to start with the image the camera sees, but it's okay to finish with the image that you see. I see a lot of images that I really like while knowing they're not very realistic. I also see a lot of shots that are over processed, which frequently means colors that are unnatural for one reason or another. Some of the best stuff I've seen started as images with nice composition, and good exposure and focus/DoF that weren't really special, but became excellent thanks to very good post-processing. Knowing how to do stuff with an editing program is really important, but you also have to knowing what to do with the editing program.
I suspect that a lot of people have seen photos of a red-wing blackbird's visible breath lately, and there's a fair chance it's a shot by Simon D'Eentremont. A couple of weeks, and 3 month ago he did 2 videos that both show much of the processing for that image. The older one is titled "TOP 3 PRO LIGHTROOM techniques to rescue dull, lifeless photos!". Dull and lifeless may be a bit harsh, but all of the images he shows in the video benefit greatly from good processing. Until Brent gives us more videos about editing Simon's are good choices.
Nice work man, You are totally correct and this is what sells cameras and lenses also, people see work like this and run out and buy the same gear and then ask why my images are not the same. Also of course you have to also be Infront of amazing animals. Cheers.
I agree with all you said. We must not forget that darkroom skills have always been a part of photography. I think some of the top portrait photographers in the past would hire certain printers to get what the photographer was not able to put on the negative. It's great when you don't have to edit an image. If I may be blunt we must also remember "you can't polish a t***" Take a better picture .Great video thanks
Your turd reference is spot on. Saved me saying it....
Great video, Brent! I got back from a safari in Africa where I also took my camera, R5 and 100-500 RF. (Photography was not my main purpose of this trip).
I thought I had shot some really nice images but when I got them on my computer, many of them suffered from atmospheric noise. Many of the animals were too far away. At first I thought it was an equipment issue or something I had set incorrectly. It was not that at all. Sometimes there is nothing you can do, even with intensive post processing.
Keep up the great work!
Hey thanks man, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! And yeah, the atmosphere can be a real killer sometimes.
All that matters in the end is how those you share photos with react to them. I’ve been capturing still and moving images on film and digital media since the late 60s as a pro, used the Adams Zone System for 20 years, worked at National Geographic and other publication printers reproducing photos as halftones, duotones, CYM sepia tritones -from a portfolio of Edwin Curtis photos of Native Americans -and color separations with analog screening and digital scanning and editing starting with Photoshop V1 in the early 90s.
Very rarely did non-photographer comment negatively on any technical aspect of the photo, movie or video. What was far more important to them were how the composition of the photo led their eye across context to the focal point and how much it contrasted with the background to hold their attention. The more photographic expertise a person has the more likely they will fail “to see the forest for the trees” discounting the fact a great moment was captured because the technique capturing it was flawed.
That’s where post processing editing can make a huge difference because with the exception of portraits on a plain painted background with window or studio lighting it is often difficult to move the POV of the camera to put a contrasting background behind a human or animal subject or eliminate unwanted contrasting distractions.
Your video opened my eyes to editing; loved how you sharpened the subject and did the opposite to background; I guess go learn Photoshop; ANY SUGESTIONS WHERE TO LEARN? THANK YOU, BRENT!
I bought a new dual purpose lens last month, mainly for astro. The pics looked good, but went fantastic after I figured out and changed editing. Same with day time, the lens required different editing than any of the other lens.
lol and I have a good chiro too. With astro, I'm always staring up.
Great video!! I get this really bad feeling in my stomach though, when your holding your lens by the camera!! 😮 trust me, we've all done it!! Lol
Ansel Adams called it "Playing the Negative". Photos have had the benefit of editing well before digital.
Yep. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and I went to photography school before digital and I can definitely confirm, we did a LOT of editing in the darkroom, lol. Ansel was famous for his darkroom editing. So much so that when he was approached to help document the national parks, they gave him the condition that he wasn't allowed to do any of his outlandish or over-the-top editing.
I edit all of my photos. I've just always looked at it as the same idea as developing film. The nice thing about the latest versions of Adobe & other mainstream editing programs, is it makes some of my older camera gear more relevant again with improvements in things like noise reduction etc.
It IS the same thing as developing film tbh
Maybe semantics but I like the word “process.” Film had to be processed or you didn’t see a picture. Although you can see a picture right away with digital, “processing” is still required to show what the photographer saw. That’s why prior to processing, it’s raw. I think “editing” is better used to describe creating something that is not necessarily what the photographer saw.
Anyway, my two cents. Another good video, Brent!
Yeah, that's true, processing is a good word for it, but as someone who grew up in the 80s and 90's and started on film and went to school for it, I can tell you I did plenty of both processing and editing in the darkroom. Anyone who thinks we didn't edit photos before digital has never done it and never researched how it was done.
Great video Brent. Thanks for being humble and honest. You made some excellent points. That lens is fantastic and you’re not going to get any better photos with another set-up. Getting close with good light is the winning combo every time. Nothing wrong with editing and getting the best results possible. As long as your aren’t adding rainbows and unicorns.
Thanks! Yeah, getting lucky with good (photography) weather conditions is always the biggest help, but knowing what you can do in post is pretty beneficial too! :P
Good video Brent and very much agree that the editing process is very important after every shoot. You may have had this question before, but when shooting with such a big lens, would a monopod help in stabilizing the gear and maybe your neck and back?
Yeah, a monopod would definitely help. I just really like the freedom of handholding though...and also, I don't have a monopod yet, but I might pick one up, with a gimbal head here at some point. It would be nice for certain situations.
Dang your shots are great and I have osprey living 50 yrds from my house. Lol. Great stuff
So, I had a question run through my head as I saw you in camo on the ground photographing the ducks and waterfowl: What about a camo lens cover for your 500? Any reason why you don't use one on it?
Yep... money. Maybe someday I'll get one. It's just not top priority right now. When I'm serious about it, I just throw my ghillie blanket over me and the lens.
Thanks for your honesty Brent. Most of us who've been into bird photography understand how much goes into first just getting a bird shot and then processing it. But I'll be honest I think you need to pre-order the Canon 200-800.. I know you got the GAS for it lol
I mean, I'd love to have that lens! But I don't have the money for it, unfortunately. If you wanna help out, then come join my Scotland workshop next June. If I get enough people signed up I might have enough to get the 2-8 next summer. :P
When I started out, I was definitely in that "Get it right in-camera, no editing!" mindset. But the real reason for that was simply because I was afraid of post-processing. It sounded like a lot of work, and I had no idea what a good editing workflow might look like, and I wanted to just be out shooting, right? But as others have said, even if you DO manage to get it right in-camera, editing is still absolutely crucial to bring out the potential and make an image really sing. Great example here with the duck, turning a fairly flat image into something much more interesting to look at and enjoy.
Post-processing is my biggest weakness (along with not being a morning person, and rarely being up in the early morning). I'm often fairly happy with the jpegs that come out of the camera (or as happy as I can be as my own worst critic), but every image I've gotten with digital would benefit from at least a bit of competent editing. There are also a lot of times (especially with landscapes) where it's impossible to get the best image you want in the camera, and the best you can hope for is getting the framing, focus, and exposure as right as possible.
ok ok you got me the lens is good after all.
Thanks Brent for another great video. I know that I need to get better at lightroom processing. I’d rather be outsider shooting than inside in front of the computer, as my day job is being attached to the computer! I’ve been shooting for about 3 years now and there is so much to learn. I resist
the urge to blame the gear. I do believe 80% of the results are on me!
I get it. Sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time sucks! Think of this way though, the better you get at editing, the faster it will get done. Being more proficient at it will get you off the computer faster. :P
I use an iPad Pro (11”) for all my editing. Very quick and powerful. Import directly into LR, edit, delete unwanted, export as jpeg. Upload to google photos. All while sitting on a lounger watching tv. Build your own presets makes life quick and also personalises the editing experience 😊
50 years as a professional and I still think my Sigma 50-500 is a brilliant lens. I have a 400 f2.8 but it is sooo heavy. My best kestrel shot ever was on that lens, with a 3mp body. But you are right, editing can do so much. I considered my Canon 7Dii images almost useless until I discovered Topaz denoise. Most people know it isn't the number of megapixels but the nut on the shutter, and in front of the computer. At the moment I am having fun with a Sigma 150-600C on a Canon 5DsR body as my R5 hates Sigma.
my R6 wasn't great with the Sigma 150-600
@@pdel7007mine works fine. How odd.
@@pdel7007 AF micro hunting problem? Duade Paton has a video on his channel on what settings to use to minimise it.
I still love my 4mp CCD based Canon 1D (the original). I picked up a MINT unit March 2022 for a very nice price (5k shutter actuations). Some of my favourite macro shots were taken with this camera. Note: I had a beat up 1D in the early to mid 00s, before selling it to fund an upgrade to the 8mp 1D IIn.
Topaz is pretty good, but my personal preference is for DXO pure raw at the start of my digital workflow. I find it works much better than Topaz.
Yes , I watched it but I was still missing some shots so I upgraded to the RF@@davepastern
remember that las who hated her tamron she went to a 500mm f4 mk1 so just shows how good the lens is.
Is the IS on the 500m noisy when it’s turned on? I recently got one and never had a larger prime like it so not used to hearing a consistent noise when IS is on.
Yeah, you can definitely hear it on this lens, though it's not so much that it's a big prime, but more so that's it's an older generation of IS.
Thanks for the video, so what editing program do you use?
I really hope you're talking about video editing...because I literally spent half of this video showing my editing in Photoshop. If you were talking about video, then I use Premiere Pro.
I'm 60 years old and 30 pounds overweight and still have a better chance at becoming a Navy Seal than ever learning what all you just did to that photo with the computer. Selling all my gear and hitting the gym. Thanks.
lol, keep at it man, you'll get it! I was a navy rescue swimmer on a seal team, so you can do both too! It'll teach you good discipline if nothing else. :P
fantastic video, never really could shoot pics as good as the pros even though I have pro equiptment, or so I thought, I knew that their pics were edited but I was always reluctant to edit my pics too much as I feel its slightly cheating to say that ive taken a great photo when all the time it was down to heavy editing. your video makes me more at ease now about editing my photos and not worry too much about feeling that Im cheating.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked the video! Editing is definitely a super subjective thing, as is all art, so it really is up to you how you feel about it, and if you're not ethically comfortable with editing, then no one will (or shouldn't) think less of you. You'll just have to understand the limitations you'll have without editing, i.e. there's only so much you can do in camera to "get it right". Personally, I love editing (obviously, lol) and I feel like it's another part of the process of creating the whole image for me. I love going out and "getting" the image, but then I want to come home and edit it to "make" the image. That's just how I look at it for my own stuff, though.
Hi Brent. In the video you say that you shot these photos in crop mode. In your opinion, what is the advantage shooting in crop mode vs. simply cropping in post? Don't you end up with similar pixel counts in the edited photo?
Yeah, for me it's not about the pixel count per se. It's more that, if I know I'm going to crop anyway, then crop mode will help the AF do a better job since the subject will be "filling" more of the frame in camera.
Thanks for the explanation. I will have to try it.@@BrentHall
At 0:50, 😄 what a surprise, I’m not alone, I also use the term Nemesis bird|deer|hare|whatever for the subjects refusing to pose in front of my lens.
😃😅😂
@@BrentHall Nemesis means "you get what you deserve". This leaves room for different interpretations of what I do wrong when I try to photograph my Nemesis subjects. 😄
The other thing a professional might do is rent animals to photograph or manipulate an animal through bait. I remember reading about some guys that made a sling shot to shoot fish out in the Mississippi to attract eagles. Then they can choose their backgrounds. You can't choose your background when a bobcat happens to run in front of your vehicle and disappears into heavy weeds. If I chose a background spot and waited for an animal to enter the area, I wouldn't ever get any animal pictures. People can be more picky in places like Yellowstone. In PA, you get what the animals give you. But I don't really like the trend of always isolating an animal with blur without ever having a distractive color, black spot or whatever in a picture. That's not natural. The trend is to have the pictures super clean. Possibly only obtained by people with the best equipment and very specific editing programs. Add some sunlight rays over here and remove things over there. There seems to be a standard for images to win a contest that often is not natural at all. Which is often created by editing. More technology is just going to bring more fake photos.
Great video, Brent... I've taken hundreds of wildlife pictures and landscapes with my Canon R5 and the Canon 100-500 mm lens... I'll be totally honest and say that I've been lucky and now have an extensive portfolio of images that are top quality for large prints and canvases.
Many pictures do not need any post-processing because I picked the right conditions at the time and took photographs during the warm evening light, which I found ideal for my photography. I couldn't be happier with the results I've achieved with the Canon R5 and the 100-500mm lens... Next year 2024, I will be photographing more wildlife, including dragonflies and damselflies, using the 100-500mm lens and a Canon 100mm macro lens... thanks for sharing your content
7:36 This lens is one of the scharpest, if not the scharpest lens. Buth you must use fast shuterspeeds. There is nothing wrong with the lens! The new 600 f4 is not as scharp.
Makes one wonder how past photographers got such great photos without the use of editing software. You do make some great points though. I’m still working on developing my editing skills and have been reasonably happy with the results. I must admit though, after renting the 500f4 for a month I was a little surprised at how little difference there was between it and my 100-500 lens. A little nicer bokeh but I was hard pressed to see any real difference in image quality!
Darkroom skills.
Yeah, editing has never been an intuitive process that most people think about, especially back in the film days, but as someone who grew up in the 80s and 90s and went to film school, I can tell you we definitely did a LOT of editing images in the darkroom...and it was super fun. I much prefer digital editing though, lol.
Raw photos must be developed. I edit every one of mine as well. But to me there is a line. So many young photographers just 'fix' it in post. Replace the sky. The foreground, background and on and on. And end up with something not close to what was real. Thats fine for digital art. But its not photography. There is an art to maximizing what you captured. And value in putting effort in to the capture as well as the editing.
Honestly not only young guys... old guys does it too.... belive me... it's no Art... for me... it's too much most the time...
At about 14:17, I use Topaz Sharpen AI, it offers also an excellent integrated AI subject detection and masking feature and a variety of sharpen options. Normally the automatic selected is perfect, if not quickly go through the others and use the one with the best result.
Great show. The beauty of truth. One piece of advice for you. Remove this camera from the speaker where the magnet is located. Greetings from Poland.
That camera is very dead, and is just for props now. 😅😉🫠
I had this 'damn, isn't much better' with every new camera (Canon), started with a 5D, then 1D range, and now the R5 and R3. I do windsurf photography, and... even when the AF is getting better and better with every model, it still 'hunts' , even the R3 (and R5).
With clear weather ofcourse, no problems detecting 'sails'of the surfers , but with kiters and wave surfers, it often 'misses', and most is my own fault... mostly because I hit the 'pre focus'button to early, so the camera will find a wave easily (is easier for the AF then a 'surfer in a black suite). With wavesurfing , that's no problem, since the tracking will track the wave, with the surfer on it, but with windsurfing, if they surfer jumps, you can see the focus 'going out of focus' on the surfer, since the AF tracks the wave still, ... which comes toward you!
And indeed, atmospheric environment, has it's influence. I mostly shoot with high winds, so , in the Netherlands that's mostly rainy grey environment. WIth windforce 8 beaufort, and rain, there is a lot 'in the air', sometimes you can actually see that , since you barely can watch the surfers after the 3/4th bank.
I forget this sometimes, so I'm bummed to see the images aren't then 'tack sharp and clean'.... even with a 45MP of the R5, on ISO800 or so, you get noise, but other noise then high ISO... It's just the way it is.
But... seeing the difference between an old 1D photo, and now the R3 , the current photo's are already way cleaner and sharper ... much more detail then the older camera's.
In the older camera's, faces of windsurfers , in dark grey rainy conditions were mostly 'blurred out'. With the R5/R3 it's now 'recognisable' and, apart from that, I can easily shoot at ISO6400 or even higher (and still shoot at 1/2000th of a second). I even shot an hour after sunset, in cloudy conditions... yeah your images get 'blueish', something people also don't understand... with no sun, the images get 'blue' ... but with current details picked up on the sensor , you can 'edit' that far better then the older stuff.
YOu are right, you need to know how a certain photo 'can be edited' in post. I edit always. That sets me apart from other windsurf photographers that post their images fast ... It's nearly impossible with windsurfing, to have the image 'good' just by the camera setting. Canon always underexposes, and the colors... with grey cloudy conditions, are 'flat' .
But... like in video 'flat' is mostly even better. I shot photo's totally flat, but that gave me way better ways to 'bump' the image, with shooting waves for example, against the sun, overexposed, but just enough difference between the 'white' of the wave and the background, I sometimes could make a very 'dark omminous' photo out of it.
Photoshop sometimes does thing extremely 'weird'... for example, take photo of an airplane with a blue sky... go to Photoshop, auto color, and most of the time, Photoshop makes that sky 'black' , while the plane keeps it colors.... very weird. Same with shooting the moon at daytime.... you can 'bump' it in Photoshop with auto color, so it get's black, as if you shot it at nighttime.
Knowing what settings your camera needs to get a good image in Photoshop, is probably very important. For me, mostly 'getting the action', 'freeze' it (so higher shuttterspeed, good stabilisation) is more important than getting the 'lighting' right.
The current camera's capture so much details, that you can tweak a lot in Photoshop...
Yeah and I also use a EF 500/F4.0L IS II .... it's an awesome lens, and I also need a convertor, and still need sometimes 'more tele', but I can manage with this setup (and more tele, you get those problems we mentioned here, so)
Off subject, but if those rooftop tents had a easy way to level the tent floor separately from the car itself, they would make a lot more sense.
Thanks
Hand holding the 500 may contribute to a lot of this. Also, why crop everything portrait?
Super video, some photography mixed with philosophy, very enjoyable. Editing is essential, anyone who claims otherwise is deluded.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
Around 10 years ago the camera I bought came with a free copy of lightroom & I started processing my shots:
My youngest daughter, who was quite a natural talent with a pencil, asked if I'd enhanced the colours on a certain image and, as I paused before explaining that No, but I had adjusted the contrast & clarity, my wife derisively said "Of course he has" & thus I've been branded ever since as a non-entity.
But what in the heck do you do with all the raw photos and the space it takes up especially when birding? Does one start to dump all the photos that aren't a 4 or 5?
For me, it depends. If it's a rare (for me) bird, or a great action sequence or something like that, I'll keep the whole batch, but if not, I'll probably just edit a couple and trash the rest.
I felt the same way after purchasing the 100-500. At first I was a little bit disappointing but here we are a few years later and I love it and won’t trade it. I plan on getting the 400 2.8 and it’s comforting to hear that everything won’t appear magical I shoot with it. This way it won’t feel like a waste of 14k lol but then again, maybe it will be 😂
I mean, I've had people tell me they bought and returned their 1-5 because it wasn't good enough...like seriously, if you can't get good images with that thing...maybe not's the lens that isn't good enough...lol
@@BrentHall definitely lol Thanks for Sharing your work with us.
Great video Brent! First - thank you for your service to our country. Not just on Veteran's Day, but every day. I just spent some time editing a Great Blue Heron from a poorly lit disaster with some potential, to an image I'm really happy with. It took me a bit longer than you though. That said, I see tons of bad to mediocre images posted on social media and they almost always mention that they are straight out of the camera or unedited or uncropped - like its a badge of honor or something. Its even more disappointing to see their watermarks which always say Bob's Photography or something. I put a lot of work and time into taking my images but I am finding that I spend way more time processing them to get them across the finish line. I wish everyone understood what goes into making a great image. And its not something that is new with the digital age. I've heard that Ansel's true genius was in the darkroom. That's a little scary seeing how good his composing and exposing was.
Oh yeah, definitely. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and went to photography school before digital. I grew up in dark rooms, and I can assure people, there was LOTS of editing going on back then. And yes, Ansel was very famous in the photography world for his darkroom editing, almost more so than his on-location antics. When he was approached by the government to start "documenting" the national parks and land, the conditions they gave him were that he had to cut back on his crazy editing because they didn't like the effects he was putting on his images and felt the public would respond better to more natural looking images. He wasn't happy about that, lol.
Check out 5:33, seems like a raptor was spotted by the Eared Greebe.
It’s all about the light not a computer program
Nowt wrong with em imo
Top Drawer
A lense i bought recently . Samyang 135 f2 i've noticed it struggles with scenery within a certain distance .
whats that on your car looks cool ?
It's a roofnest rooftop tent. I made a video about it a few months ago. Quite handy.
How is the shoulder?
Better, but still weird and not completely fixed. VA has me down for another follow up and possible surgery in Jan.
A lot to think about here. It’s taken me a long time to understand and discern what is coming from the camera and what is editing.
Thanks man! Yeah, I mean, knowing the photography basics and your gear's capability and then putting the effort in while out in the field is always the first crucial step to a good image, but knowing what's possible in post is just as important for taking images to the next level. It's just that the latter is not always as intuitive as the former.
As Wayne Gretzky said, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
On a recent episode of the The Grid with Scott Kelby, he was amazed that he didn't know a well known landscape photographer used post processing to remove unwanted background objects. I think the goal is to take those post process edits and apply them to shooting and make your post less and less. Great video Brent!
Lol I usually fluke it right in camera the first shot, but always get it wrong with thinking it's the photos after that have the correct exposure composition etc, and then go back and look at the first pic and go oh no that one is the best haha
My eyesight is almost gone 😂❤
lol, nice...it happens to the best of us! :P
The 'photographer' who Gets it Right in-Camera probably has a keeper rate of next-to-zero & has missed more shots than you can shake a stick at:
Any wildlife & bird photographer knows that you grab the shot - preferably a burst - and process the best of.
It kinda hard doing and thinking doing good with editing. I went photographing Hooded Merganser and took some quite good shots and posted it on a Wildlifer community after I edited it. I thought I did good but no one really liked it. then days later someone took a very similar shot and it very much looked like it was directly from camera and a lot of people liked his picture. I just don't know where's the line of too much edits or not enough edits I believe.
Yeah, editing is not always an intuitive thought process for a lot of people, but the more you do it, the more you start to understand what you need to do in camera and what you can get away with in post.
Great video :)
Kills me when I see a shot which is sharp, and has a lot of potential, but maybe it's noisy, flat, and boring. Always makes me wonder, does that photographer just not care ? Or not know how to edit ? OR, worst of all, do they mistakenly believe any PS is cheating ?