RAZOR-SHARP Photos With ANY Camera! Steps You NEED To Take!

[@maurosegurah]

I pulled the trigger and bought the Photoshop Next Generation Master Class from Jan... and I can't be happier. I'm on lesson 5 and what I keep thinking is... I have seen some of these concepts and techniques somewhere before but here, these are organized & sequenced in a structured way and more importantly, applied to the type of photography I'm practicing, so this is allowing me to create a recipe to edit my images with a repeatable process in the future. Very happy so far with the investment and quality of the content.

[@jan_wegener]

Wow, thanks for the great feedback. I love hearing that it’s helping you and many others 😀

[@davidligon6088]

I like the direction of your videos this year. They have gone from informative to “must see” videos.

[@jan_wegener]

good to hear :)

[@adude394]

Thanks, Jan! Excellent advice as always. I loved the image of the two peregrine falcons, and I never get tired of seeing your shots of the riflebird!

[@jan_wegener]

Thanks for the kind words. They are two of my favorites as well!

[@j4kke046]

Excellent tips Jan! Thanks (as always)

[@jan_wegener]

You are so welcome!

[@ScottRitchie-bw9ls]

Heat hazed is a killer here in the tropics. Especially if you are getting low, shooting say shorebirds along an exposed flat. The max. temp. differential is just above the heated surface. I try NOT to shoot in full sunlight unless it is very early or late in day. But I liked your tip about taking lots of images. 1 or 2 may just hit the mirage waves right.

[@OldJack1960]

Nice one, Jan, you've answered a question that's been bugging me for a few months now. A nature reserve in England, heat haze was apparent but I managed to find a quiet hide with the birds just a few feet away. Yet every shot, no matter what I tried, was soft - don't usually chimp but I sensed something was wrong. It was only when I removed the lens hood that the problem went away, yet for the life of me I had no idea why. Until now. Cheers mate!

[@jan_wegener]

very interesting, thanks for sharing!

[@ginasanders5255]

You hit the nail on the head with the "dirty air" comment in the distance to the subject. That seems to be my biggest frustration. Thank you for voicing what I was experiencing! Now to figure out how to safely get closer to my subjects. I enjoy your content, please keep it coming!

[@John-Shutterlyphotos]

Great info, Jan. Those UV filters can play hell with sharpness, even the expensive ones. Many years ago I took a photography class in college and my teacher said why put a coke bottle over your lens. I use them to protect my lens itself, good idea bad to keep it on when photographing a subject. It wasn't until several years ago I did some portrait work and took it off my lens and forgot to put it back on, I noticed a huge difference in sharpness. Thanks for the refresher course :)

[@viviennenoble4035]

Thank you Jan.

[@Jonathantuba]

Thanks for another great video with some useful tips I had not thought about before. For me heat haze is the main cause of un-sharp images. Another way I have sometimes alleviated is by changing my angle, or height.

[@jan_wegener]

Glad to help

[@hankstarr7800]

Thanks. I think I know all this stuff by now, but I need to be told it over and over because when I get in the field I often start cheating. I need to put a post-it in front of my view finder that says “YOU HAVE TO GET CLOSE!” no matter how much you have spent on camera equipment.

[@cathco9]

Thanks, Jan! Great tips! I'm going to try some of them.

[@jan_wegener]

awesome

[@stonerock64]

On a long telephoto with a big lens hood I generally don’t use a filter. Like another commenter, I often use polarizing filters to reduce reflections off leaves and water. I also like to photograph at outdoor car shows and always use a polarizing filter to reduce reflections. I get pictures that would be impossible without it.

[@jan_wegener]

It’s a huge benefit to have a polarizer in those situations.

[@dougcampbell6509]

Another excellent video, thanks Jan!

[@jan_wegener]

thank you!

[@Kellysher]

I think my biggest issue is light! My favorite time to shoot is sunrise! The 100-500 7.1. That impacts the shutter speed, the autofocus system and my ability to handhold at lower shutters! Hopefully Canon makes a light mid priced 200-600 fixed F6.3 internal zoom soon that I can afford! I know,one can dream!

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, getting fast enough shutter speeds in low light is always a challenge

[@Twobarpsi]

Excellent advice and great video Jan!

[@jan_wegener]

Thanks so much!

[@michaelbierbaum-z5x]

Very nice and good vid Jan, thanks for sharing. 👍

[@jan_wegener]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@karimallidina6633]

I find whilst stopping down or increasing shutter speed is the right thing to do the image then gets darker. So higher ISO which means graineness increases.

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, exposure is always a trade off

[@csc-photo]

Really helpful tips here thanks Jan! 📷🦅

[@jan_wegener]

Glad you found it useful.

[@JH-qv3xv]

Worth the watch. I always learn something new or a friendly reminder. Thanks

[@jan_wegener]

great to hear :)

[@eskay2250]

Thanks Jan, really appreciating these informative videos The tip about adding a stop helped me understand why some bits of my bird portraits are sharp and soft. Although I set up BB AF on my camera, I still struggle to adapt to changing situations eg bird flying through dark to light background; perched to flight etc

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, adapting to changing light is a challenge!

[@reclaimyoursecurities]

Thank you Jan

[@bjrn-einarnilsen687]

As always, a great and informative video, with a lot of beautiful photos , mate. Here where i live, in far south Brazil, the heat haze and vey light fog, sometimes almost impossible to see, is my worst enemies. So it have been many times that i have come home with no keepers hehe. But thats life, so it's just to go out again another day to try again. Wishing you and yours a great week. Cheers, Bjoern

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, fog is bad too!

[@dalemengel7499]

Heat haze is the bane of my existence here in North Queensland. It's been that hot the past few weeks that there's no point picking up the camera as there's still heat haze at sunrise and sunset. Just have to wait it out!

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, very tricky

[@avibongo]

Very informative. My settings are usually at 1/4000 sec but all too often I don’t reduce it to 1/100-500 for perched birds that are relatively close. That has resulted in images that are noisy. I now shoot “ thoughtfully “ and take multiple photos at different speeds. As the bird begins to move I switch back to 1/4000 in anticipation of flight.

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, I wouldn't recommend 1/4000 all the time, but when action is expected we need it

[@PierrickMLR]

Awesome !! I don’t have PS but only LR at the moment. Maybe I can start LR masterclass but I don’t know if I have to try PS to have better result…

[@jan_wegener]

Photoshop gives you the most flexibility and cleanest results, but Lightroom has come a long way and many things can be done there now, too

[@PierrickMLR]

@ I think I must start both of the masterclass 😌 maybe next month 🙏

[@waynekirk8951]

Great tips Jan..

[@jan_wegener]

Glad you found it useful!

[@Metragnome_Images]

Brilliant... best tips ever.

[@jan_wegener]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gossedejong9248]

brilliant, as always, thank you!!!

[@jan_wegener]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@craigcarlson4022]

Jan, Very succinct and helpful video. I’ve found myself guilty of not raising my SS high enough. Part of that challenge comes from my using an APSC camera for my bird photography, which doesn’t seem to do well as i push the iso up. (Noise).

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, it can be a fine line, but I guess ultimately a too slow SS guarantees a bad result whereas a noisier image may be salvageable

[@cropperson5583]

Great video once again!

[@jan_wegener]

Thanks for watching!

[@JonathanSouer]

Your comment about filters is interesting, I am going to do some trials. Thank you for the suggestion.

[@jan_wegener]

Give it a go and let me know how it goes!

[@mik5617]

Awesome video ,thank you !

[@jan_wegener]

You're welcome!

[@silvavaughan-jones7121]

Great video tutorial Jan, I am always struggling with slightly too slow birds in flight setting in anticipation of too much noise, will definitely move to your suggested faster speed, also never resolved heat haze before. Love your tutorials, am also waiting for your R1 setup guide? Anytime soon?

[@jan_wegener]

Working on it!

[@silvavaughan-jones7121]

@@jan_wegener Thanks Jan, - I finally bought the R1 after your video on it, had been debating for a few weeks, however the viewfinder and AF combined with your video on it finally convinced me, have no regrets, (have an old 1Dx which was a work horse) but moved to R5 and added the R1 this week! Am hoping to work between the two cameras. Have always used your set ups, they are the best!

[@jan_wegener]

@@silvavaughan-jones7121 the EVF is something else for sure!

[@leezheng8161]

Definitely agree with the 3 reasons you listed! But on stopping down the aperture I have a mixed feeling. While I agree with you on the benefits of stopping down the aperture will give you sharper images in some cases. But meanwhile, stopping down aperture sometimes forces me to use slower shutter speed which might've cause the softer images. So I guess it depending on the situations like the lens we use, the lighting condition, are we on a tripod or not and so on.

[@bassangler73]

@leezheng8161 and some of the newer lenses like the Nikon 600mm PF lens is sharpest wide open.

[@jan_wegener]

it's always a juggle, but on certain lenses you can see that stopping down can make a huge difference

[@bassangler73]

​@@jan_wegenerI agree

[@vimbro1]

In Sweden this time of year we also have cold haze. It is not much better than heat haze :)

[@garrywatters1140]

Also fog and mist.

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, all these can be pretty annoying!

[@JGZphotography]

Informative video! I will add that removing the UV filter will achieve the absolute sharpness that the camera lens provides, especially with telephoto lenses. Variations in UV filter purity exist, particularly when shooting at full zoom, which magnifies diffusion. Even slight impurities in the UV glass coating can hamper image sharpness. Low-cost UV filters exacerbate the issue. Additionally, shooting behind glass windows will reduce image clarity.

[@jan_wegener]

Good points, thanks :)

[@MikeHodge9000]

Thanks Jan 😊

[@jan_wegener]

much appreciated

[@WernerBirdNature]

Thanks for this great overview of things to consider Jan ! The easiest improvement is your "secret" trick you hadn't mentioned for quite some time now: simply not using a filter on birding glass! I stick to this since you teached me this about 4 years ago, and my birding friends only make such mistake just once, isn't it Willem ?? 🙈 Stepping down, raising the shutter and checking the shape of the catchlight in the eye are good advise as well, but this period they're easier to execute in sunny Australia compared to foggy Europe. The most hated (and sometimes underestimated) enemy of sharpness is indeed heat haze, even when fog can come close. As you say, you can only reduce it by approaching the subject closer, or come back another time in better conditions.

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, fog is another bad one

[@youphototube]

Hey Jan, I dream of having to deal with hear haze. I live in the UK. My problems consit of capturing the Hen Harrier through the drizzle! Haha.

[@jan_wegener]

Yes drizzle and fog is bad too!

[@davidlemmon4272]

Thanks Jan. Another great video! Seems I'm in the minority since I see circular polarizers mentioned little, or at all. I use one all the time to primarily reduce leaf sheen, which I experience frequently shooting in forests here in Colombia. This shine on leaves in direct sun light or after rain can be enough to ruin a photo I think - and a turn of the polarizer always reduces or eliminates the shine. Leaf sheen can even be an issue in dark interiors. I use a $100++ (USD) B+W circular polarizer in the hope of minimizing the hit image quality can take with a filter, and just have to accept the impact on f-stop. I'm also a little hooked on the push in saturation that the polarizer provides. Until there's a Lightroom polarizer slider I'm likely stuck with the physical one.

[@jan_wegener]

Great tip. The main downside to that is that it costs you a stop of light.

[@KurtisPape]

My tip for heat haze is to identify if the haze is low to the ground, you might be able to target a different species perched and no be affected by haze. A situation when this occurs is when you get zebra clouds, it goes from cloudy to sun back to clouds repeatedly, even on a cool day this creates distortion 1ft from the ground but usually the air is 'clean' above it.

[@jan_wegener]

interesting!

[@Noumenon11]

Mate, any m43 camera reviews in the future? Great content, as always.

[@jan_wegener]

Maybe

[@przybylskipawel]

Luckily with big telephoto primes almost noone uses UV filters as they are usually well protected with very deep lenshoods.

[@jan_wegener]

yes, but it's very common on the zooms

[@MrJudahschwartz]

Is the course Light Room Classic ?

[@jan_wegener]

Yes

[@kevins8575]

There's another complicating factor. The longer your focal length, the faster you need to set your shutter speed. I step up shutter speed when switching from my 500mm to 800mm lens .

[@jan_wegener]

Absolutely, the longer the lens, the more vulnerable you are to camera shake.

[@HuubDerkx]

When I see you walking through these landscapes I see a lot of opportunities to take photographs. But I don't see these photographs in your video. Do you take many more photo's than showed in the video?

[@jan_wegener]

Absolutely, thousands of them

[@TheLiveNature]

With the right tools, anything can be achieved 📷 , but also with experience. I love exploring the wild. new subscription +🔔, keep it up 🎬✅♻️🌳

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, practice makes perfect!

[@stevewhiteley9249]

If your perched bird is singing, you may need a faster shutter speed. I found this with robins and wrens - pin sharp when they were quiet, blurred when singing because their bodies vibrate. In this case, I’d go for faster than 1/800.

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, and the beaks move as well!

[@hydroaquatic]

What about image stab? I heard that actually turning it off when using higher shutter speed than 1/500 will increase the sharpness.

[@jan_wegener]

Not something that I can confirm. Maybe on older lenses

[@hydroaquatic]

@jan_wegener so you are using IS even when shooting 1/2500s and higher?

[@jan_wegener]

@@hydroaquatic yes

[@jan_wegener]

@@hydroaquatic one reason is that the EVF is much more stable and with longer lenses that alone makes difference

[@ED-on8to]

4:47 6 to 12m? 😅 Whats your recommendation for larger mammals?

[@jan_wegener]

I guess scale it up by size. Maybe 20-40m

[@patmurphy6318]

Totally agree on Heat haze and Shutter speed but Filters.....Well my 100-500 has a Canon Protection filter fitted and I've been told by Canon that this has no effect on IQ. Cost me 90gbp, fitted another one to my 24-105 as the hood is even smaller on that lens. If it gets sprayed, I'll live with it. Unlike the front element 😮

[@jan_wegener]

I'd still take some shots with and without

[@stonerock64]

@pat murphy6318. I agree. I had a filter save a lens when a tripod blew over and the lens, without hood, hit a rock. Filter was badly damaged and lens was untouched. I don’t think the best filter manufacturers would agree that their filters significantly degrade image quality. Shooting without a hood into very oblique sunlight or reflections could potentially cause a good filter to degrade sharpness. As for another person’s comment about cheap plastic filters; they don’t exist.

[@sw-rv3rb]

Sir I am planning for Nikon Z50 mark II pairing with Nikon 180-600 is it a good combination for wildlife photography. Since budget constraints.

[@jan_wegener]

I haven't used the Z50II, but it seems like a nice camera. No IBIS will make shooting at slower shutter speeds and handheld video trickier

[@bassangler73]

I think heat haze is worse on a cold morning when the sun comes up! It's worse than the summer months. For one thing you have moisture added in the mix due to frost sublimation

[@jan_wegener]

Yes! All that can be pretty bad

[@youphototube]

I almost sold my Nikon Z 100-400 because it was very soft. Tbe culprit was a protective filter. I now do not use any protective filters on my lenses.

[@jan_wegener]

Thanks for sharing. The differences can be astonishing

[@cephotoclub]

the only thing more frustrating is not winning lotto

[@jan_wegener]

Haha 😆

[@ED-on8to]

2:41 Is that a Haribo tree? 🧐

[@jan_wegener]

I think it’s called an Umbrella Tree

[@dalemengel7499]

@@jan_wegener correct, Heptapleurum actinophyllum. Very invasive root systems so not to be planted near housing or pipes

[@davidct2406]

I so agree with you about leaving a filter on the lens all the time is a bad thing. Why buy a lens that costs a few thousand pounds (UK) and put a £30 piece of plastic over it?

[@jan_wegener]

Yep

[@jakecook716]

We all love sharp details, but I think sharpness is overstated in photography. Obviously it needs to be in focus where it's intended but most people won't judge an image on sharpness, as much as they do the overall image as a whole. A great composition that lacks slight sharpness beats a razor sharp but boring image every day of the week

[@jan_wegener]

That's totally true, but I think aiming for sharpness with the right tweaks in mind will result in a lot more keepers and thus increasing the chance of great images. Bad technique for instance that routinely results in soft images, is likely to eventually ruin a truely stunning image

[@larrybillgorum87]

I have to disagree about removing color cast in certain cases. Often I'm taking pictures because I like the color of the light on the scene, (especially at sunrise or sunset). Why would I want to remove what was likely the most important reason for taking the photo?

[@brianbower6817]

I also will not remove the warm sunrise/sunset color. That warm directional light takes quite a bit of effort to capture, clearly standing out from other photos not taken during the golden hours.

[@jan_wegener]

You don't have to remove them, but a strong cast will have an impact on it. You can also just lessen the impact or do nothing if you like it

[@hstein27]

Heat haze, even in winter. That's lately the issue unfortunately!

[@jan_wegener]

Yes, can be frustrating

[@justonbrazda3846]

Heat haze. Try8ng to shoot eagles standing in ice when the sun is out.

[@frankfurter7260]

I like subject small in frame birds photos so closer is not better for me. Bird “portraits” all start looking the same to me.

[@jan_wegener]

You can be very close and use a wider lens 😉

[@andrewwasik9044]

AMEN!

[@spottybeetles1040]

Another big mistake when shooting from a 4x4 / safari vehicle / minibus, ALWAYS turn the engine off, or ask the driver to, before shooting. It makes a huge difference.

[@jan_wegener]

Yes!

[@chrzanik666]

Colour cast tip is good 👍 thats very useful cheers Jan

[@jan_wegener]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andrewkeir2282]

1/4000 sec or faster.... wow... .. OK I will try it with my R7 and RF100-500

[@jan_wegener]

It will help to freeze the action when lots is going on

[@hoffmannolsen]

All lenses already have UV Filter coating. So that will not help. And using it for protection is redicoulus, the glass is so thin that any direct hit into you lens will simply go through the UV glass and scratch you lens anyway. So Jan is right, don't use it.

[@LarryMcCormick-z6w]

I hate how editing is done to change how birds and other things actually look to make it more colorful but fake ! Not for me at all !

[@jan_wegener]

Everyone has their own taste and also experiences the world differently. What something looks like also heavily depends on the devices we’re viewing the pictures on. In the end we can only do what feels good to us. I like nature colourful and vibrant, just like I experience it and how I like to share it with others

[@madcat1007]

You have done several videos like this previously. You are beginning to repeat yourself. Long time subscribers would like to see something new.

[@jan_wegener]

There will be lots of videos on lots of different topics 😀

[@JP-mz7zn]

Leider ist die Übersetzung sehr ungenau und teilweise falsch. Und die Stimme echt ätzend ist. Dann lieber im Original.

[@jan_wegener]

das kannst du ja zum Glück umstellen :)

[@JP-mz7zn]

@jan_wegener Jau. Ich komme aus Deutschland und verfolge schon seit Jahren deinen Kanal. Leider bin ich zu alt, sonst würde ich gerne mal an einer Fototour teilnehmen. Viel Gesundheit und immer genügend Licht!