MASTERING FOCUS | A landscape photography tutorial

Nailing focus from front to back in landscape photography is so important. In this video I share some simple tips and photo examples to ensure you get it right in camera every time.
Photopills App - geni.us/Photopills
SIGN UP HERE to my PHOTOGRAPHY newsletter here - www.nigeldanson.com/newslette...
Where I get my MUSIC - goo.gl/7LWnFh
MY PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR
NIKON GEAR
Current landscape camera - Nikon Z7 - geni.us/nikonz7
Awesome telephoto lens - Nikon 70-200m f/2.8 - geni.us/nikon70200
Fav lens - Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 - geni.us/nikon2470
Best for Landscapes - Nikon 16-35mm f/4 -geni.us/MCglWI
FUJI GEAR
Fujifilm X-T3 - geni.us/fujifilmxt3
Awesome Bokeh - Fuji XF35mm F2 - geni.us/fuji35f2
Killer wide angle lens - Fuji 10-24mm F4 - geni.us/fuji1024
GorillaPod - azon.ly/BXvQ (as seen in previous videos)
OTHER PHOTO GEAR
My awesome Hat - geni.us/myhat
My heated coat - geni.us/blazejacket DANSON10 for 10% off
The great printer I use - geni.us/cIIc
Great bag for hiking - Tenba 24L - geni.us/orPwh
Super light Benro Travel Tripod UK - geni.us/FTA28CV1
A must have for tripod amzn.to/2zJ6oTa
Lightweight tripod - Benro Mach3 Carbon Fiber Tripod - azon.ly/Eals
Paper I use for all my prints - Fotospeed - goo.gl/tEKLqY
Use DANSON10 to get 10% off your paper.
Filters I use - geni.us/Kase | And use code NIGEL for 5% off
VLOGGING GEAR
Studio microphone - geni.us/rodentg4
Fujifilm X-T3 - geni.us/fujifilmxt3
For steady shots - Zhiyun Crane 2 - geni.us/M24vjc
Drone I recommend - geni.us/zPs0p
Mic I use for walk and talk - geni.us/smartlavp
Recorder for walk and talk - amzn.to/2BE0hAM
Brilliant Tripod Jaws Clamp - amzn.to/2BBMLO2
Squirrels for Lav mic - amzn.to/2kgZtOa
#photography #focus #tutorial

[@singingexpertspg]

Man alive, that makes it seem even more complicated than it is to me!

[@lindahenderson2113]

Thank you, Nigel. I appreciate the time that you put into this video and I will need to review it over and over again. There are a lot of techniques to use and the key is to practice and know your camera. My goal is to completely understand these tools and when to use them in different scenarios.

[@1964ilovebears]

Your skill to explain how you put in practice your photography is simply stunning !!. Every class you gift us makes me feel like running to get that beutiful realm your pictures have. They are so simple for the eye that I can’t help falling in love with them ☺️. Thank you so much indeed !!!!!

[@XCMRM80]

Very helpful video Nigel. Up until now I've been using a sort of stab in the dark technique combined with reviewing the image and making adjustments. I'll definitely take a more methodical approach from now on.

[@klausschleicher523]

Ahh Sunday. Coming home from a short photo trip, importing images into Lightroom, doing the first back up, making a cup coffee and enjoying your new video. Thanks a lot Nigel, as always very informative. Have a nice Sunday!

[@timelessplanet7647]

This is without a doubt one of the best videos I've watched about focusing. Thank you so much Nigel! Love your explanations!

[@RugbyLock2668]

Brilliant stuff as usual Nigel! Your simple and concise method of explaining subjects make your videos a must watch for me!

[@larsthoren3282]

Great content as always, keep up the good work!

[@scotty4418]

Time to sit down and go back through your back catalog as you provide so many great tutorials Nigel that you make learning a very enjoyable experience. Very much appreciated

[@josephstanski5180]

Great video Nigel - Great starting points - let the testing begin. Focusing is my biggest challenge in the field - choosing what to focus on to get it all in focus with my landscapes. Thank again. J

[@philipsmith4967]

Once again Nigel a very intuitive video. One to keep in favourites until it all sinks in to my thick head.Thanks very much.

[@RS.Outdoors]

Very good information. Can say that when I first started the number of images I did not check on the back screen and then opened in lightroom to find they werent sharp was scary. It was also very frustrating to hike or travel a vast distance only to find your images are out of focus was soul destroying at times but all part of the learning curve. Biggest issue I now avoid was relying on the cameras autofocus and assuming it would nail it every time. Have also now switched to the Nikon D810 which I am waiting on arriving and keen to see how it performs over the winter compared to my now sold Sony setup. Atb

[@muzlee7479]

In short: You can focus wherever you want, usually infinity is fine in a landscape, just don't go over f14. Also, check every image after you take it so you can be sure it's in focus.

[@gerrymein5282]

LOL I was falling asleep cause he talked sooo much!...but your comment was so easy to understand and got to the point hehe ;)

[@hillhurst7]

My goodness! My head started spinning after awhile. Thanks for info!

[@muzlee7479]

@UCYXY09r7RmaIvvV4-pTA9Kw Yeah, but it doesn't look good so you wouldn't do that anyway. If you really want it just photoshop in after, easier and looks better.

[@jd5787]

Thanks for the summary. Saves me 18mins

[@videos1692]

Nigel, that was such a good video. I don't remember anyone else explaining focus so thoroughly, Thank you.

[@yitzchallevi8208]

always a blessing to listen to you.... thank you

[@jorgemoro5476]

Hey Nigel. I just want to say THANK YOU for this video. I don’t much care for the exacting science of hyperfocal distance - tho I do practice it when needed. What I found truly eye opening was one of your three tips especially for us Fuji shooters: the manual focus highlighting! I am preparing for an Iceland trip and I really want to nail not only focus but DOF and this tip is genius! I’ve had my manual focus set to bright red when using my M42 mount lenses on the xt1 and xt2 but due to your incredible tip I’m using auto focus but have the small S C M switch on the front of the camera set to M. This works flawlessly!!! Ingenious! Thanks again. Heck just for that I’m subscribing!

[@tjsinva]

Thanks Nigel! I'll have to re-visit this. It must be too early to get my brain engaged. More coffee!!

[@wendynewing8834]

That was great. Very informative and useful, plus lovely images too. Thanks Nigel.

[@paulus0109]

The soft foreground with the lighthouse is amazing. Great tip!

[@robertstancer4469]

I have a problem with this composition and that is the accepted 'rule of thirds' seem to be ignored to the detriment of the image. Sorry big guy, not your best.

[@richardaneale]

Great video Nigel. I've been looking for a video like this on KZbin for years. Thank you 👏👏

[@erichstocker8358]

Nigel, great choice of topic. I found your technical explanation just right. I especially enjoyed the examples and found the particularly useful.

[@NigelDanson]

Thanks Erich!

[@davidwalker2402]

Great job Nigel, it’s nice to get a tutorial that’s easy to understand.

[@jamesdam3170]

The best in explaining of all focusing techniques, congratulations and thank you.

[@martincutrone5816]

Such a useful video! Just watched it for the second time because there is so much useful info here to learn from. THanks for a concise explanation of why hyperfocal distance is difficult to use well. I think when I am pushing the limits, I'm going to start using 2x the hyperfocal distance. Your explanation shows why. Well done!

[@howardgale5261]

Outstanding session, best I’ve seen, that answered a bunch of questions, and guidance to use. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. - hg

[@JoDaniels]

Very valuable info to help me to increase my photgraphy knowledge. Thanks Nigel and have a good Sunday!

[@nigelpowell4537]

Really good explanation on focusing Nigel. Thanks

[@PartialS]

Such an enjoyable channel. Receptive and open, with field-tested "what works" knowledge, supported by an endless stream of beautiful images.

[@davevowles8093]

Thanks Nigel, so interesting and informative, I will certainly work on this.

[@DBentham65]

Another interesting video Nigel, great information to keep us all shooting.

[@RR-bd4bm]

Very nice, Nigel, thanks. Perfect split between theory and examples.

[@smithereens11]

Nigel, a friend sent this video to me, given I had discussed hyperfocal distance with him. I like your technique as well. Though this is an older post, I thought I'd add a tip I learned from a pro photographer (who shoots with a Deardorff 8x10). He uses a loupe to check his focus on the ground glass before exposing (a $35 single negative!) and I almost accidentally discovered it is also handy to check focus on the back of LCD screens, especially in bright light. I have an older X-T2 and G7X. Especially with the G7X or other cameras without a eyepiece, the loupe works wonderfully when you zoom the image to check focus. All the best - John

[@L3GenDaRyPr0diGy]

Very underrated photographer and content creator. Keep up the great work, man.

[@gerardhorsman1844]

Great Video, I really liked the drama your images portrayed, particularly the mountain range in Iceland. Look forward to watching more.

[@MarcinSporysz]

A Great Content! The only photo related channel where I have to keep my grey cells working to keep up with all the information :D. Thank you!

[@endtimeimages3284]

This video helped me immensely to get sharp images from front to back. It required still some practice though, as the final result is only really visible on the big screen at home, not that tiny display of the camera in the field 😃

[@alma175w]

Really appreciate the fact that while out in the field you’re exploring aperture settings and focus to get the image that you want. I routinely come back with 8-10 images from a composition because I want options when I go to post.

[@jamesmarko1787]

Yeah, this is something I've been trying to remind myself of is to take multiple images with varying focus points and aperture settings, but I often forget to do this.

[@alma175w]

I don’t always know what mood I’m trying to convey, so I feel like have a variety of images for each composition... and I always switch up from landscape to portrait to understand the different framing. Maybe with time each scene will just be more natural to compose.

[@giselesmith7795]

As usual, I came away from this video with a better understanding of the subject. Nice examples too. Thank you again.

[@earlrogersjr3026]

Enjoying your video and your discussion on hyperfocal distance/point. Which I have not heard for years since the days I was shooting films. When I was a child I used to read whatever was available on photography and even as I got older they were very few people that were into it it is much as I was at the time. I believe there was a club or organization called ‘F8’Where you could read articles on photography and concepts are theory on depth of field ,white balance,,films speed, exposure and film developed. That conversation went out the window with digital photography. Which made this video so refreshing.

[@stevenscarborough2002]

Such good explanations. Amazing how much help the x's on the lines makes. If only I knew how far a meter is.

[@elka3507]

Thanks for all your videos. It's so much fun to learn and to emprove my ability and watching the results. Thanks a lot from Germany.

[@xkr2]

Nice video. Loved how you clarified things in the first half using some theory and graphs! Makes it a lot easier to understand and retain the core concept!

[@lievenm2661]

Thank you so very much indeed.. just amazing & just brilliantly done!

[@phooesnax]

Great tips Nigel. Thank You! Jim

[@meredithpottery]

Thank you so much for this clear explanation!

[@skydiver1x940]

You are absolutely correct about Diffraction and its effect is very real.

[@benvanboom8907]

Super helpful Nigel, thanks.👏

[@garyn1780]

I'm new at using a dslr camera, so there is a lot to learn and understand. Both inspiring, helpful and nice to watch such great photos. Thank you :)

[@krischan5186]

Such beautiful photos!

[@michealmclaughlin879]

As always, great post!

[@chrisstark8136]

Really great video Nigel thanks!! Both very useful and interesting will have to give this a go as do struggle with focus at times. Thanks again and keep the videos coming 👍

[@davidcontrerasm]

Your videos never disappoint. Thanks!!!

[@NeilFH]

much appreciated tutorials! Thank you! Cool photos too!

[@jemaluang1]

Great video, good reminder of the great time in Skye . Thx for sharing your knowledge.

[@galaxydreaming]

Gah! 🤯 I’m new so aperture has all been about light settings for me. Adding in how it effects focus is gonna be fun for my brain. I get it, kind of. I need to try this practically. I have photopills and will use that and it’ll sink in 🤞🏻😂

[@NigelDanson]

Good luck!

[@kjellandree7413]

At the start i missunderstood, so I shot landscape at low f number and portrait at high, and wondered why it wasnt the "blur effect" behind and was sooooo sure it was my camera or settings... The more you know

[@vindelossantos3861]

Great video!... I just really need these techniques. Thanks for sharing these guide! 😊

[@scottsmith4145]

Interesting. For landscape shots Ive always focused on the farthest mountains (infinity) and just thought that made the most sense! I never was taught about that. Glad to know my method wasnt too bad after all! Great video.

[@paullachapelle7477]

Really happy to see your new episode . It's been a long time 📸

[@stefankuhn6887]

Excellent lecture on a complex issue. I am sure that I will use manual focus more often to check and use what you‘ve explained 👍🏻

[@pvprashant9797]

Loved your video man . It was great to hear the scientific reason .

[@sander5086]

Really helpful tips, thank you for making this video!!

[@squirls8814]

The sharpest picture I ever created was done with focus stacking. I really enjoyed seeing two mediocre pics turn into something better before my eyes in photoshop with this method.

[@RobinSnelson65]

Cracking video Nigel, I have been struggling with this a little and this has helped me a lot.

[@OrenBVideo]

WONDERFUL! Thank you.

[@scottsadventuresinphotogra2432]

Excellent video; concisely explained what was something of a mystery to me.

[@herbc2155]

Nice job. Found your comments very helpful. Thanks

[@sarkarpappu]

Excellent video as always Nigel. Keep up the good work. I often use tripod for landscapes, so I can use the live view to zoon in 5x then 10x to manually focus for best precision. This is a common technique I guess which most of us know.

[@GrahamWilliamson1985]

Great video as always! Well explained and articulate with superb images to back it up. Cheers, Graham.

[@NigelDanson]

Thanks Graham

[@robjopling1573]

Excellent video, Nigel. Very well explained.

[@tomass7952]

Very useful video Nigel! Great work!

[@TheXone7]

@Nigel Danson I’ve seen over 30 videos about DoF and hyperfocal distance, but yours is absolutely the best of them! :-)

[@faryelolo]

Magnific.. 👏👏👏

[@deegeeofpenryn]

Thanks for another great tutorial Nigel. Before the dreaded unmentionable, I used to do quite a bit of travel photography and trying to estimate the actual distance to the hyperfocal point and then double check focus across the whole image in the camera out in the field is really challenging - especially in bright light. So I always say to myself (and anyone else who wants to listen), you have spent goodness knows how much money, time and energy getting to that special place so why not just spend a few minutes more to bracket several optional aperture settings - f8, f11, f16 - just to be sure ?

[@AlynWallace]

Really useful video Nigel, went into some great detail! I'll have to come show you how to focus at night :)

[@NigelDanson]

Thanks Alyn! When the sun goes down so does my camera... really want to do some night photography... we need to sort something!

[@AlynWallace]

@@NigelDanson I'll be in Hebden Bridge mid-December for business purposes. If we can find time and clear skies lets do it!

[@KentSpain85]

Thank you for your video! I will apply this next time I am out and about. I am just an amateur but these tips will hopefully help on my next outing with nice outdoors :D Thanks again :D

[@jhr4008]

Very interesting video Nigel! Going to try your advices...

[@grahamegannon9708]

I have been struggling with focusing recently and your tips will be very helpful to get sharper photo. Thankss

[@wallywaller11]

Thanks Nigel, that was very helpful.

[@francequirion9547]

Thank you so very much for this very well explained tutorial.

[@WhoSaidPhotography]

Nigel - absolutely a great video on focus. I must of watched it 5 time. Now if I can only remember it while I'm in the field.

[@NigelDanson]

You will! Thanks for watching

[@Rajupkd]

Superb and very inspiring!

[@DJshutterfly]

An amazing video. Great tips and insights. Thanks!

[@arnei23]

Very detailed explanation. Thank you!

[@michelekutner4229]

Nigel excellent video! Thank you so much great information!!

[@TomMasonPhoto]

Great video as always Nigel, some cracking images in there!

[@NigelDanson]

Thanks Tom 👍

[@ga9d]

Thanks Nigel, the light went on for me.

[@Powerreserve]

Great lecture Nigel: very useful. Thanks

[@huexley]

Great video as always !

[@chinthakapitigalaarachchi1380]

The most useful video i found in you tube. Thanks a lot mate.

[@tomaswilde5481]

It is a pity not to have met you before. It's never too late. Thank you for your teachings and for sharing.From Bogota, Colombia

[@halwork2195]

Nicely done. Go Giants!

[@richardrizzo_photography]

great information, thank you Nigel.

[@matthewpstratton]

seriously , great video! very informative!

[@gregoryforeman2105]

Great Video. Lots of helpful info. Thanks!

[@sue120502]

Great video. Front to back sharpness is something that I struggle with. Now got an X-T3 and use the focus peaking facility BUT I’d like to be able to get results myself. I really should go out and just experiment. One method I’ve used is - double the distance, ie. if the clearest thing to you that must be in focus is say 4ft away, then focus at 8ft and everything from 4ft to infinity should be acceptably sharp.

[@seminolecapt]

Very useful. This is a critical topic that seems to be presented much less than many others. I would like to hear more about how you make aesthetic decisions about selective focus in different situations. Sometimes deciding what the "star" of the image is can be challenging.

[@scdronemedia]

Thank you Nigel. Very useful tutorial.

[@kevinclarke9933]

A very helpful and timely video Nigel. Okay, so now I can start to work out where I'm going wrong with my focusing.

[@markwalkerphotography]

Great Sunday afternoon watch Nigel :-)

[@PereiraCedric]

It seems obvious, but needs to be stated. DoF calculations will give you an acceptably sharp range if you print/view the whole frame. Crop your picture & you're in effect increasing the focal length & decreasing the DoF (assuming you're viewing it at the same size as the uncropped image). I just stumbled onto your channel. Great information & well done videos. Thank you for sharing it them with the world.