STOP These APERTURE MISTAKES! (ƒ/11-ƒ/16)

🔘Download My FREE Composition Guide Here👇
markdenneyphot...
In this week’s episode, we discuss aperture mistakes you should stop making in landscape photography! Perhaps the single largest source of confusion when it comes to determining the best camera settings for a particular composition has to do with Aperture. Should you use a large aperture with a small f stop number to throw the background out of focus or should you use a small aperture with a large f stop number to create those razor sharp and in focus images? And that doesn't even account for the fact that each aperture you select will also impact the overall exposure of your image..it's enough to really scramble your brain!
In this video, I'll share with you the 5 beginner aperture mistakes I used to make all the time when I was getting started with landscape photography. Now these 5 mistakes are not ranked in order of severity, but they are ranked in the order that they impacted my development when I was navigating how to choose the best camera settings for a particular scene. I can't begin to tell you how many photos I ruined by simply not fully understanding how the aperture I dial in can impact the overall outcome of my photo. I hope the aperture mistakes that I made will help you to avoid them the next time you're on-location trying to determine the best camera settings to use for your particular situation. Thanks so much for watching! - Mark D.
🔘Focus Stacking Video: • How I FOCUS STACK for ...
RECOMMENDED GEAR PAGE
🔘geni.us/myfavo...
PHOTO GEAR I USE
🔘Stills Camera: geni.us/M8SIy
🔘Video Camera: geni.us/x-t4
🔘Action Cam: geni.us/oRhupMT
🔘Wide Lens: geni.us/fuji10-24
🔘Super Wide Lens: geni.us/superwide
🔘Long Lens: geni.us/longlens
🔘Super Long Lens: geni.us/longte...
🔘Favorite Tripod: geni.us/rrstripod
🔘2nd Tripod: geni.us/fotopro
🔘Favorite Backpack: geni.us/actionx
🔘2nd Backpack: geni.us/explore40
🔘Ballhead: geni.us/rrsbh40
🔘Filters: geni.us/nisikit
🔘Big Filter: geni.us/widepo...
🔘Printer: geni.us/canonp...
🔘Backup: geni.us/gnarbox2
🔘Full Photo Kit: geni.us/photokit
🔘Full Video Kit: geni.us/fullvi...
🔘Shimoda Camera Backpacks
Use Code DENNEY10 for 10% Off
shimodadesigns...
WATCH THESE PLAYLISTS NEXT
🔘Composition Tips: geni.us/compos...
🔘Beginners Guide: geni.us/Beginn...
🔘Editing Tutorials: geni.us/Editing
🔘Tips & Tricks: geni.us/Tipsan...
FAVORITE TOOLS & SERVICES I USE
🔘TubeBuddy: www.tubebuddy....
🔘Music & Sound Effects I Use: goo.gl/Qh9scf
As an affiliate marketer & Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I earn a small commission on the above links if you decide to purchase the item at no additional charge to you.
#landscapephotography​​ #aperture
*LETS CONNECT*
Newsletter: markdenneyphot...
Instagram: / markdenneyphoto
Facebook: / markdenneyphoto
Twitter: / markdenneyphoto

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Anyone else share some of these same mistakes??

[@Axonteer]

My most common error is not having an eye for what aperture might look good, i want to capture a scene, and i have my composition but i cant figure out "do i want a small or large aperture, if large, what do i want to have in focus - or should i focus stack - can i even focus stack" - these type of thoughts usually make me unable to capture a scene once i found a composition.

[@marcelduvenage3289]

Ah yep definitely, all of them including the over sharpening but the best way to learn for sure.. Nicely explained video though, will help people out for sure..

[@lostcoastautos]

As a first year photographer, all of them.

[@TheTrailMixTV]

I've been shooting since oct 2020 and I have made all of these mistakes at least once.

[@echoauxgen]

As a astro shooter always at wide, so one day at Grand Canyon a whole day at f/4 after a night of MW's 1224! All I knew in '75 with film on Canon Ftb is put the needle in the circle like your example with the meter.

[@livedeliciously]

Watching all these "lessons" makes me realize how much I need to improve. A lot. It's very painful spending time going to a location and realizing you don't have all the tools needed to get a good picture. Tools being in your head.

[@harrison00xXx]

totally depends on the tools you are missing If you dont have a tripod (like me), a camera capable with High ISO (like my old 550D, poor ISO performance) and only cheap lenses (like me xD...) But yeah, still i managed to make out of woodsticks a crude "tripod" or at least something to hold the camera in place to make astrophotographywith 15-20sec exposure time (Milky way) for example :D And im done with my gear more or less, at least the fked up 550D. Since my lenses are anyways all EF (no EF-S except kit i sold some days ago) im thinking about fullframe (which i wanted to go anyways since over 10 years) mirrorless now. I think the more i failed due my actually old, "bad" gear the more interesting it will get with a much better sensor (2010 APS-C entry level vs 2018 FF,...) and definately a new tripod (broke my 15$ one already years ago)

[@cmichaelhaugh8517]

No matter how long I’ve been doing this, it’s good to be reminded of these basics.

[@romgur73]

I like your pronunciation coz I'm from Ukraine and it's hard to understand what people say. And I gotta say your pronunciation is perfect, I wish my English teachers could speak like you

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much for that!

[@stevenrun34]

Aperture is everything. I remember starting out shooting everything wide-open and being like... "why is nothing in focus?" Starting off just shooting everything at f/11 isn't the worst idea in the world-- but I always had a need to know "why?" You have few tools in your arsenal to make a good photo. A lot of it isn't up to you if the light or subject just isn't there. Composition and aperture are so crucial that it is easy to just "abide by the rules" but if you don't understand why the "rules" exist and what they really mean, you won't know when or how you need to bend or break them to get what you're looking for. On a new (to me) lens or camera, I'll definitely shoot at a slightly elevated aperture to give me a little extra tolerance for nailing focus, and I feel like as you get better with the machine in your hand, you can open that lens up and really start to get creative with it and nail focus on your subject like it's a bodily function. Knowing how to use hyperfocal distance is a very powerful tool, but it's a hard concept to explain, and harder to understand just by hearing someone explain it (at least for me it was). Grabbing a manual prime lens and looking at the focus scale totally crystallized the concept in my brain. I point that infinity mark at f/16 and suddenly "woah! I get it now!"

[@FelixJorgenfelt]

One thing that I can recommend is aperture bracketing, especially when photographing woodlands. Not being sure what you want in field is normal, but make sure you cover the options you want for post.

[@lovephotography1966]

My go to....

[@bonnitakhaliq9578]

I don't see the difference between Focus Stacking and Aperture Bracketing , you still have to take Two or Three photos regardless which method you use. But with Focus staking you don't have to change any settings

[@curtisbme]

@@bonnitakhaliq9578 Difference is that focus stacking you are taking it with the plan to combine it in post. With "Aperture Bracketing" it can be simply be to add insurance that you get the single shot you want.

[@rockywaters9592]

@@curtisbme so basically Apature bracketing is for beginners who don't understand depth of field and Photoshop, and focus stacking is for those that do?

[@Jonasdelrey]

In summary, understand what depth of field means.

[@nate_thenotso_great]

Shooting with manual focus and focus peaking have really helped to visualize how much is in focus at which aperture.

[@vishypai7554]

Can relate to what you explain, Mark. Took me an year to figure it out before I had my own in-the-field workflow when photographing: 1) Visualisation without camera/Finding the composition(s). 2) Frame for the visualised image in the view finder/ LCD screen which includes selecting the Focal Length and therefore the lens. 3) Select the F/Stop based on the DOF I want to capture the visualised image based on Focal Length and Lens capability 4) where to focus to get the desired DOF ( also very critical) 5) Set exposure ( ETTR without blowing out the highlights or RGB, Shoot in RAW) 6) Make the image. 7) Carefully check the histogram and the image to make sure you have the desired results. Photographing has been so much more fun since I adopted this workflow.

[@yoitskimpoy2626]

Love it! I went out with some fellow togs and we all have different styles of shooting. I love depth in my photos so I use lower aperture whilst my other fellow togs are using higher aperture. There's no right or wrong in photography it's just the way we visualise images in our brain :)

[@cainmh]

Good review of aperture. People should also be aware of the affect of focal length on depth of field. At 18mm or lower it is hard to get anything out of focus the depth of field is so large.

[@mybobize]

I love that Sports Walkman on your desk! I have a couple cassette Walkman personal stereos myself.

[@07wrxtr1]

So with a lot of lenses, depending upon focal length, you get diminishing returns and will be forced to focus stack if you're in a "I won't compromise" mindset. This begs the question: Do we need every image to be in perfect focus? Do images sell more or less if they are or are not in perfect focus? Does the entire frame have to be in perfect focus? This goes right into the same topic about how contrast works - Not every image do we need to see every detail within the shadows. In fact, if you examine some of the most well sold famous classic art work out there, rarely is everything in focus as well as every shadow detail perfectly detailed. Part of what I would argue, just like cropping, is what we choose to leave OUT of the image, and that's not just limited to cropping, but should include how much selective contrast one uses, and of course what depth of field one chooses. I'm not sure going down to the perfectionist end of the spectrum, while we all appreciate being the "best" of ourselves, which I'm totally on board with, but not all images need the scientific approach when it comes to perfection. In looking at some of the "art" that sells, one can often laugh at some of what we would characterize as "mistakes" from a technical standpoint, but stepping out of the technical part, which is easier to teach and make videos about, is the artistic part: How does an image make people feel? Yes, we're now in a Feelings based society, more now than ever. So with that in mind, most people make choices based upon not the rational or scientific but on how they "feel." I'd argue this is why most photography becomes repetitive and while again, the drive towards making images "perfect" is something that's measurable and tangible, sometimes, especially as you age, you start to "see" differently. I do agree on the majority of the issues presented here, except I would have emphasized more on "copy variation" which is YUGE/BIGLY/TREMENDOUS on mass produced plastic lenses/3rd party lenses. The other issue I would have brought up would be about per-visualizing at home, before you even leave the house: Paint in your mind, what kind of image do you want? This is the best and most fun part - the creative thinking part. This is what we need more of. Then all you do is go out and find that image. I'd also love to hear who inspires you? Art Wolfe is a great artist whom brought inspiration from classic painters. It's in that approach you'll notice many of his images are far from this engineering/technical/scientific and not so fun perfectionist approach, which feels more like a job... While I think both are good, I think viewers should be reminded that imperfections, just like in personality, bring uniqueness to photography. Personally what I've seen from most photographers is that they get instilled in them this perfectionist/engineering approach, and the images they make, while maybe technically perfect, begin to look very common and/or you see the same compositions repeated; I see this in where I live as seemingly everyone flocks to the same viewpoints for that "checklist" shot. Some of the most fun/inspirational images most have taken were unique images they found, not ones they saw and went to replicate. I do understand the benefit in knowing "how" to make technically great images, but I think we need to keep this hobby and "art" as fun as well. Like many trends in art, things tend to go in cycles... Just a different perspective and reminder to have FUN with it!!! I'd encourage anyone that wants a "breath of fresh air" to look at some of Art Wolfe's teachings and take a painting or drawing course. It makes a big difference and will make you an even better photographer and "artist".

[@tobiasyoder]

i think you ought to understand that this video is about a very specific topic and not about some all-encompassing photography philosophy or supposed to be covering every tiny detail about lenses such as the 'copy variation' you brought up. This video is about helping people understand how different apertures affect an image so that people can effectively achieve whatever effect they want. At no point does mark ever indicate that there is a perfect depth of field or that every should always be tack sharp from front to back, in fact he is explaining pretty much the opposite.

[@cyberwaste]

My wife recently bought a relatively nice Fuji camera. I've been trying to teach her the basics of the exposure triangle, but she continues to just wind the aperture dial to get the right exposure. Her camera is pretty good for aperture priority jpegs, in fact, I'd say because of its size and weight, it's better than my Z6 for just walking around, so I'll continue to teach her.

[@mortenthorpe]

Ummm... for most lighting conditions, not too extreme (in this case, extremely dark), I’d strongly advise you and your wife to set aperture and shutter speed as you see fit for the right result, and then vary the ISO to get a proper exposure (for jpeg, exposure needs to match whatever result you want in the end, for raw, expose to the right, without blowing out the highlights)... so basically control the auto-iso using the exposure compensation, while having aperture and shutter speed locked down.

[@alanashenfarb9543]

I started using higher setting a few months ago… love the depth and clarity in my shots. Listening to Mark and viewing his shots pushed me to try… and so I did.

[@SandeepSharma-ri3bx]

Nicely explained. Request u to continue further withe type of shouldn't say small but we Photographers ignore most of the time.this is the fact we ignore small things keeping sometimes exposer sharpness etc.in our mind. Thanks.

[@huxcry78]

In some scenarios, maybe it would be useful to merge two images, each one focused on a different critical point of the scene. Thank you for this video !

[@NightfallMedia]

Recently I have started doing this and have seen a lot of success. Referencing Mark's other videos of simplicity, I find myself taking a lot of stacks or as you mentioned two exposures to merge.

[@ksnmurthy4476]

Fantastic demonstration with the scenes and there justification.💐👍

[@nickt8865]

Hands down this video puts aperture into perspective. When I first started I focused so much on my composition but then I became dissatisfied with what was or wasn't in focus. My screen doesn't have the best resolution so I wouldn't find out until I out it on the computer. Today I went out and came back with some I'm very happy with. Thank you!

[@ChrisShawIOM]

I did the same but will say that nailing composition techniques is a great way to start and then you apply the technical knowledge as you grow as a photographer. I too have been disheartened when reviewing the final images on a monitor but that just forced me to learn where I was going wrong. It’s all a learning curve, absolutely 🙂

[@ForrestWest]

This is some highly concentrated information with lots of good stuff in there! Usually you'll have to watch several different videos to get this much help. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences and knowledge with us. Be safe and happy shooting out there!

[@thewaywardbuccaneer6125]

Awesome tips/pointers there Mark, I will have to remember these when I'm out and about ;)

[@KevinGulbransen]

Great video Mark. Really hit some problem spots and helped a lot. Cheers

[@robertwmoore]

Thanks for taking the time to show me how much adjusting the settings can make a difference.

[@ControlTouchMaster]

Luckily I never listened to other photographers. Every time I photograph, I use different aperture, exposure compensation and distance settings to see what works best.

[@SirKenNorth]

My initial question is why do you want everything in focus? Might also be worth doing focus stacking if that is your goal

[@christopherbgriffith]

I had a similar thought. At f8 you could probably get away with only 2-3 shots to make a stack from reasonably close to infinity.

[@rannikkolainen_]

You might want to rewatch the. Mark never says he ALWAYS wants everything in focus. In a couple of examples he explicitly mentions that he did NOT want to have everything in focus, using the lens blur as a creative tool. As to focus stacking: a) It's a drag: might be fine if you really really want to make a particular one-off image the way you want, but doing that for every image is a postprocessing nightmare; b) Why do it in situations where you can apply your knowledge and get everything right in the field?

[@karpybmf]

Mark also mentioned focus stacking as an option :)

[@Helikopterpop]

@@rannikkolainen_ and then god invented the perspective control lens... then we dont need that computerized merged stacking magic bullshit that takes away the need of learning the cameras and the how tos. Photography nowadays is just like music, you dont have to learn a single chord to be able to let the computer make the music by drag and dropping samples and beats and so on. There is way to much computer bullshit involved with framing prints for the wall to impress the relatives and friends. A little bit like competing in the olympics with steroids. The cheaters win untill their bluff gets called.

[@StapediusReflex]

@@Helikopterpop ah yes, enter the sanctimonious “artist” who looks down on others and their art just because their methods don’t fall in line with his own, subjectively “better” ones.

[@Henry30065]

Excellent video Mark. I always learn something from your videos. Thank you. Alun

[@yildirimenes7756]

This is the most useful aducational video about aperture lesson on internet God Bless you Mr Mark thank you

[@rickf4401]

Wonderful information which just earned you a new subscriber. Thank you!

[@jamesbrickert1301]

In Photography class, back in 1972 at East Los Angeles College, they had a saying of "f8 and be There!"

[@coreyblaser]

❤️ That was a quote from Weegee, one of the most important photographers in history.

[@jamesbrickert1301]

@@coreyblaser 👍👍 Makes sense. There was a 16X20 framed photo of him in the classroom. As I recall, he had a wacky expression on his face, stubby cigar in his mouth and holding a 4X5 Speed Graphic! I believe our senior instructor knew him personally. Good Times! 😃😃

[@tkermi]

@@n5sdm Yeah, nowadays that's only for very basic photojournalism, usually for a reporter who also takes the photos but lacks in photographic skills. I don't think any decent photojournalist uses that anymore.

[@tmewborn1]

Excellent Teaching Video, Thank You very much for your excellent detailed Video.

[@DesertCookie]

Here's an ISO-related mistake I have made: I produced a short movie with friends, recording everything with my FujiFilm X-T3. We shot in FLog at ISO 640 as that was the lowest for Log. A few weeks after the project I saw a pal2tech video testing the Fuji ISO performance and found out that my camera has two amplifiers. Stepping up one step to ISO 800 would've yielded me a lot less image noise and that little bit of better low light performance we would've needed without professional lighting in some cases. Safe to say, the next project I'll be shooting with ISO 800 as, at least in photos, the difference is quite noticeable.

[@parttimehuman]

pal2tech should really be on Fuji's payroll at this point. So helpful.

[@JohnChubbSr]

Thanks, Mark, for this eye-opener. I'm sort of at the point where I'm guilty of them all.

[@peterfritzphoto]

These issues are so easy to ignore/forget. Great video, Mark - thx.

[@jean-guyhuot7869]

As usual interesting vlog but I think you didn't go to much into hyper-focal length and thus were to put the focal point in relation with the f/stop used for a desired result. Keep up the good work 😉👍

[@charmerci]

You are right about hyperfocal distance.

[@nielsv2025]

Great video. Maybe it is in the 367 remarks down here but I do miss you mentioning the relationship between the focal point of the lens used and the aperture. It is very important to realize this.

[@maesc2001]

Depends on whether you want deep focus or not. It’s a question of technique following intention.

[@tonyfazio575]

Love the flip phone and Walkman. Great video!

[@timothylatour4977]

First thing I noticed. Pretty cool.

[@willsimpsonphoto]

Awesome video! Its amazing how many things are effected by one setting. A lot of people dont know that Aperture/Fstop does all that.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed it Will!

[@andgiio6544]

Yeah, thanks. I came a cross a term that i didn't know of, but i had figured out a metod, by testing my way forward on focus, and focus points to what's sharp and not. But the term is hyperfocus, as a tip Danny, DOF calculator is quite good, and has Hyperfocus as well. Is on known App stores. Hyperfocus is landscape term, to maximize the focus in your image at a given F-stop/focal length and some more parameters about sensor size and so forth, its wort the effort to understand

[@stuartschaffner9744]

I'm no fancy photographer, but I have a lot of miles on my odometer and thought I would share some tips. First, as Ansel Adams used to emphasize, you usually want your blackest blacks in an image to just show the tiniest bit of detail. That gives caves, crevices, and underbrush a sense of depth. The same for your whitest whites. Digital cameras produce what looks like blocks of featureless white plastic in images that are saturated or "blown out". Featureless white plastic doesn't occur in natural scenes so the viewer knows something is wrong. If you are using Lightroom or something similar, adjust the histogram as the first step in the development process. Adjust the black setting just above total black and the white setting just below saturated white. Then adjust the shadows slider so you can just see into the dark areas and the highlights slider so you can just see some detail in the brightest areas. Finally, adjust the exposure slider to make the midtones what you want. Wash, rinse, repeat if necessary until the entire histogram is balanced. ONLY THEN start playing with clarity, saturation, and all of that. It gets complicated, but Mark is quite right about diffraction blur being important if you stop a lens down below f/11 or so. However, I would claim that it has a lot more to do with the size of the sensor and the number of pixels than on the lens itself. Still, the easiest way to figure all this out is to do some experiments with your own gear, as Mark suggests. If you look at Mark's images at high f/numbers, you will see not only softness but also a haze over the dark areas. This is called flare and even by itself makes images look out of focus. Again, thanks for the good tips.

[@AndyNormanPhotography]

Regarding 'mistake number five' it's worth remembering thatfocusing at infinity at a small aperture does not maximise depth of field. That's done by focusing at the hyperfocal distance, which is usually about one third of the way into the scene. I recognise that this is a bit advanced for this video, but I'm mentioning as the concept may be worth some of your viewers checking out. Good video though👏.

[@jeremyjs8863]

oooh, this is good. Delivery, presence, authenticity. I’m in

[@sarahbatsford4791]

Just when you think you get it right aahh! This one is on my frustration list by far, however, you are so inspiring. Into autumn here in Tasmania Australia and I want those autumn leaves tack sharp, can she do it. Lol

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Yes! You can DO IT!!!

[@jorisbohnson8530]

Most lens reviews I have seen say F8 is the sweetspot, so I start with that, but focus is king and that includes depth of field and movement from grass etc, oh and having amazing views which is one part lacking where I live.

[@thothheartmaat2833]

that first picture you took at f11 you focused on the closest thing to you which kills your depth of field. if you focus at infinity almost everything will be in focus. even if youre only using f4.. i forgot. check out a focal length vs aperture table and se how far the focus needs to be to be in infinity. its almost any aperture and any focal length outside of a certain range.

[@glennwebster6344]

Still enjoying your videos. I will sometime look at a depth of field app to show me what should be in focus, and also help determine where the hyper focal distance is. If we want to ensure the foreground is in focus while having distant subjects appear to be in focus, we should not be focusing at infinity. I generally switch to manual focus and utilize focus peaking to help me see what is in focus. My 12mm Rokinon is great in that I just pull it a bit back from infinity at F11 to ensure a large depth of field. Still, like you indicate there are times where we don’t want everything in focus. That’s the tough thing to figure out.

[@NisiGirl911]

Great video! My biggest issue is trying to decide where to place my focal point to get as much in focus as possible.

[@rascalhusky8129]

Interesting and educational. Good one . Thanks

[@ungratefulpeasant8085]

Just made this mistake yesterday. Thanks for the video.

[@dsigetich]

Thanks, Mark. You sparked the idea for me to take the same picture at different f-stops for all my lenses. Interesting results. Most of my lenses are sharp at other than the largest and smallest f-stops, but my Canon 100mm. macro and Canon's 24mm are pretty much sharp across all f-stops -- pixel peeping done. Thanks for the idea -- no more Lens Stranger.

[@adilduredoran2477]

You explain so well a good learning curve for Me thanks a lot

[@erikdravn]

Thank you! I needed this video.

[@stephencarmickle]

There is way too much to think about in photography. I almost always forget to do something or another.

[@andywilk38]

Great video and good to be reminded about giving proper consideration to camera settings for each shot, rather than getting stuck in a rut of complacency. Absolutely, have the end in mind, the ‘obstacles’/other factors to overcome, or embrace e.g. movement in the frame, before setting up the camera I use hyperlocal length/distance to maximize depth of field. Plenty of Apps to do the calculations. You might end up pushing the ISO, if there’s movement requiring a faster shutter speed, but most of the time with landscapes one is using a wide angle/short focal length lens, which will work to your advantage. I employ hyperfocal length/distance for all my interior shoots, but then I’m using a tripod, low ISO and long shutter speed. Focus stacking works extremely well, too.

[@annerichard788]

It is important I think to find the hyperfocal if you want everything in focus, and where you focus might be as important as the aperture chosen. The tools that help you with depth of field are easy to use.

[@watchdogu.s.a.8973]

To help understand f numbers: f/1.4, f/2.8, f/22, etc. are ratios of the lens opening size (aperture) in relation to the focal length of the lens. At f/2 the aperture opening would be 1/2 the size of the focal length, f/8 is 1/8, and f/22 would be 1/22. So... f=focal length and the number following is the size of the opening. A "fast" lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8, for instance, will be much bigger around (larger barrel and glass lens elements) based on the focal length of the lens than a lens that has a maximum aperture of, say, f/5.6. Smaller numbers = larger openings and, since it is a ratio, the actual physical opening size of f/1.8 would be much larger on a lens with a 100mm focal length than on a lens with a focal length of 24mm. Just like our eyes, larger apertures (think about your eye iris) let in more light while reducing the depth of field (the distance that is in focus).

[@deepotter6774]

Insightful as always, Mark. Thank you!

[@jimwlouavl]

Good tips and a good example of why the photography learning curve is steep. Lots and lots of compromises.

[@peterpacholkow3064]

Great video Mark, thank you. Choosing a right aperture for the scene was my struggle. What I also found interesting and inspiring is seeing your early photos, and what we can aspire to. Really enjoy your style of photography.

[@Albertoabrian]

Fantastic explanation 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@michaelmcculloughphotograp8571]

As usual, good job Mark. I like the way you explain things.

[@PINACI]

Photo stack foreground, middle ground and background.

[@mfparkison]

I read a comment awhile back where someone compared you to Bob Ross and I have to agree. Nice touch adding a clip of him to this video...well played, man.

[@zollieuncle9647]

Thanks Mark. Modern lenses are often lacking DoF scale, hence a a DoF app comes quite beneficial to check. Also I found that digital camera systems do not manage the DoF the same way, as old film ones. I am not sure why, but I see a bigger difference of sharpness, could be because my gear can result in sharper photos in general. Anyway, I see a much bigger demand for focus stacking at landscapes than ever before - I would even argue that your nice canyon shot with an old tree in the foreground could not have been made old the way that sharp without focus stacking. Also the best perfomring glasses recently are optimized for wide open sharpness and often they already start dropping IQ performance above F8, so "traditional" landscape type apertures are not working that well any more, hence again the need for focus stacking. Of course you are right that having the end result in mind, you do not often need everything in focus, but it is very difficult to check what exactly is in sharp focus on location just using the built in monitor of the camera body, hence again the need for an app that calculates that.

[@CrueLoaf]

Some lenses have a zone focus guide printed on them which really helps to set the appropriate aperture.

[@PatrickGarus]

I always love to watch you videos, when I'm in my Home Office. You have such a calm and informative style. Thank you

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Great to hear you enjoy them Patrick - means a lot man!

[@hzubovi1]

For close to infinity focus in landscapes I would close down the aperture as much as I can before diffraction kicks in, if you have subjects in a frame that are close to the camera you can use a wider aperture depending on your personal preference. Always be aware of how many foreground or background elements are comprising your image. The key to good composure is a good balance of both especially if you are using an open aperture.

[@dianerungu2444]

Great I will try this. Very helpful 👌

[@merlebecker8417]

Hey Mark - Tks again so much. I imagine that shortly, I will have more than enough "mistakes" to fill your bucket. Heading out very soon to the Smokys. Have not shot, as I mentioned earlier, in over a year. Been gorging on your videos to rebuild my memory with my Fuji's + yr. landscape/photo tips regarding ISO, Aperture, SS etc. Will take my compulsive notes with me for reference but most of all enjoy the experience in nature. Would love sometime to see short video on your Fuji settings if you get a spare moment.

[@PresentMomentPhotographs]

Great Tips! I remember when I had no idea what aperture was and I would take landscape photos on very low apertures. Won’t be making that mistake again!

[@roberthennessey128]

Thanks Mark....I definitely start at F11...then work from there on the composition..either up or down on the aperture. Your right on finding the sweet spot on the lens..for sure. I generally shoot AP.

[@brucedelorme5026]

Share the same mistakes? All the time. Beginner and still learning but loving it. Yes, I make this simple mistake and usually its becuse I am in a hurry to catch the light. I have learned to set up way early enjoy my coffee so I'm not hurrying to catch the light and I focus stack much more. Great VLOG

[@thehappydead1985]

Learned a lot from this! Great video!

[@massyralphswynnerton]

Thanks, some really great info !!

[@bencepfeil7855]

I have to watch this video again. I could not concentrate on your words, because I could not take off my eyes of the walkman. I used to have one of those and so many nice memories came back. I think that is the most iconic walkman ever! Are you still using it? :)

[@chetanunindracusin664]

Great tips thanks for meI always used hyper focal help me out alot of time

[@Male_Parent]

10:00 I actually like the softer look to that image, gives it a sort of "foggy" and washed out layer which adds to its mystical qualities. I guess that could've also been done in post processing bust still. 😂

[@eileenconragan1064]

Chock full of info to apply in the field. Always good to understand why a photo didn’t work. Thank you!

[@-WhizzBang-]

Great video, it helped me realize I was making many of the same mistakes. For landscape photos that don't have any movement, like water, etc. I find that Focus stacking is the best way to get a great shot with everything in focus!

[@frankmenkel8329]

Thank you for the review. Knowing the capabilities of lenses is especially important for situations where it is tough to focus e.g. night photography.

[@randyk1919]

Great tutorial! Infinity focus + proper aperture selection is fine for many photos, of course, but setting the farthest-most element to the *hyperfocal distance* for your given f-stop is more flexible and often better, as it can allow wider apertures while still keeping everything in focus (AND allows for higher shutter speeds to combat camera shake).

[@garethwilliams976]

Thanks for this contribution. I was wondering when this would be raised in the tutorial but it wasn't. Sadly most photographers don't understand using Hyperfocal distance and waste so much of the available depth of field. Sadly also that lens manufacturers now often put no depth of field scale on their lenses. Sad too that photographers use autofocus for everything even when manual focus is more appropriate.

[@panhandlejake6200]

AGREE - and there are useful apps available that will help determine min / max focus ranges for your camera & lens focal length at the desired aperture.

[@jordanho4257]

thank Mr. Mark i'm very intersting your lecture

[@johnnyfal1]

very useful tips. thank you.

[@ravirane6032]

How wonderfully explained Mark! Thank you for making the video very informative.

[@ChrisShawIOM]

Yes! I’ve learned the hard way about aperture and have been frustrated by it in the past when I didn’t fully understand what was going on in my images. Every example you’ve given, I’ve experienced so this is brilliant for people getting into landscape photography as aperture is so crucial. I felt myself nodding and agreeing through this whole video haha.

[@echoauxgen]

The best of all to learn and the rule of a quarter into frame and Remember!! . Not till I saw your first video did I check lenses and finally understood!! Everyone wants the fast glass for bokeh/faster SS at night but stay wide. The sharpest is about two stops above widest.

[@robertking893]

Love the video Mark! You are a gifted instructor, and photographer. Keep the videos coming. I watch every one and I always learn something.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much Robert - that means a lot!

[@aviatorman8]

Hi Mark. Thanks for sharing this helpful info. I went thru the motion as yourself and started researching my lenses to figure out the sweet spot for each. Can’t help but admit the advantage of smaller sensors like smartphones when it comes to getting everything in focus. Not sure if camera manufacturers can achieve that using computational photography in the future and alleviate the need for manual focus stacking.

[@patrickfototirol]

Great video Mark, thanks for the tips 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Wish you a great week and see you next wednesday

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks a million Patrick!

[@skykingimagery899]

Depends on focal length of camera, hyperfocal distance. The Queen's bath image is one of the most difficult spots imaginable. Must be 15-18 stops of light.

[@hornerinf]

If one studies the history of photography, it is interesting to learn that many of the world's most powerful photos are not totally in focus. It is fun to try and get the sharpest images but it should never be at the cost of the impact of the photo. This is a very informative lesson. Nice !

[@mortenthorpe]

Definitely true! Too many people think that great images are technically optimal... it has absolutely nothing to do with this, it’s about the image subject, and everything else is secondary, even composition !

[@ravikanagasabey285]

Thanks. Great insight. 👍

[@fredericsoumier8096]

may be you've explained it in a previous video that i've missed. No matter witch aperture you choose, how depth of field is distributed ? Always one third forward and two thirds backward from your focus point. Sorry for my english and hope it can be helpfull. Thanks for sharing your experience AND your mistakes

[@backwoodstrails]

Good information...Would be good to talk about hyperfocal focus and why not to focus on infinity when using small apertures so you can get more in focus in the foreground.

[@Auhana50]

Must of the time f/8 to f/10 would be my go to aperture for most of my landscapes. Great video too 👍🏼

[@jimswift2400]

Another informative easy to understand lesson thanks

[@johnwhite2155]

BOY been there done that. Thanks for the tip.

[@pattyhertogh9294]

Thanks Mark! Good info and advice. I think we all have made at least one of those mistakes, if not all of them. I think the one I repeatedly fall prey to is not paying attention to what’s in the foreground of my scene and whether it’s in focus. Thanks again!

[@nlh835]

I so enjoy your tips! I learn so much. Thanks Mark.

[@jackielarena-lacayo9884]

All of them at different times in my journey with photography. The one I struggle with the most is number 5 and your video has provided great Insight on how to manage that! Thanks again for a great and timely video Mark!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

You bet Jackie! And thanks for checking out this weeks episode