Hi ,
I’m a little behind on my monthly newsletter, mostly because the sun finally came out here in Alaska. After a long spell of rain and clouds in August, we’re finally back to glorious weather, which means lots of time outside, and not very much time inside.
I just spent a week in Idaho, riding bikes every day. Lots of sunshine and over 300 miles of pedaling, plus some quality family time and a 93-mile gravel bike race and an overnight bikepacking excursion. What’s not to love? That was after an awesome season of mountain bike racing here in Anchorage, which of course, has now transitioned into cyclocross season!
Now that I’m back in Alaska, I’ve been flying quite a bit, taking advantage of the good weather. Last night the little Cessna took me to a new spot, where I spent the evening hiking. I saw quite a few ptarmigan as I traversed the rocky slopes of the peak I climbed and captured a few images with the XF90mm f/2 lens.
I always like seeing ptarmigan. They’re usually wary of approaching hikers, but rather than quickly fly away, they often just walk slowly away from you and amble over the rocks. They must perceive that we’re a limited threat, so they keep their distance, but with a seemingly low level of alarm.
The world ptarmigan comes from the Scottish Gaelic word tàrmachan, which means “little croaker.” Their soft clucking is a pleasing sound to hear when you’re adventuring in the hills.
Anyway, I hope you’ve had an awesome summer and are looking forward to the utterly splendid time for landscape photography known as fall.
This week’s tip is about autofocus. Nailing focus is one of the most challenging aspect of photography, as anyone who photographs things that move can attest.
Today’s high end camera, even mirrorless cameras, are totally capable for nailing fast action. I’ve shot a wide variety of action with all of my Fuji cameras, and I can attest, they’re definitely up to the task, as are most other systems, providing you know how to use them.
However, they’re not infallible. There’s an inherent flaw in the system: Us. We’re the weak link the process. While cameras aren’t perfect, more often than not, it’s our own lack of technique that prevents us from getting sharp images.
I hear from a lot of people who say that they’re unable to get very many sharp images, or that their success rate is not very high. Often times they chalk it up to the camera, and resign themselves that their particular model is not up to the task.
While the gear can make a difference, more often than not, it’s simply a matter of practice. As I said, shooting action can be incredibly challenging. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years and it’s still hard at times.
To be an effective action shooter, you have to know your gear and your AF system like the back of your hand, and you have to know how to use it in a variety of situations. You also need to temper your expectations when shooting in certain situations, especially in lower light or when trying to capture your subjects against busy backgrounds.
Autofocus competence comes with practice, especially if you move to a new system. Nothing will make you a better action shooter than photographing action on a regular basis.
The reality is that if you don’t have your technique down, then it’s probably not the camera, it’s just that you need to get more experience under your belt.
To help you get better AF performance, I wrote a post called 10 Essential Autofocus Tips for Sports and Action Photography. BIF photographers, take note, this post is highly relevant to you as well. I hope you enjoy the post and I hope the tips help you get better performance from your cameras.
While we’re on the subject of autofocus, I’ll mention the new X-T3, which was just announced by Fujifilm last week. You might have read my full X-T3 review post. The new Back Side Illuminated sensor contains 4X as many Phase Detect AF points spread across 100% of the frame, which means the X-T3 can focus faster than the
X-T2, and in lower light.
As one of my readers joked, "the best thing about the X-T3 is the X-T2." It’s still very much the same body and form factor as the X-T2, but with the new sensor and faster image processor. This gives it more power and a few new creative features, one of my favorite being the new Black and White warm and cool tints.
If you want maximum performance from your X Series camera, especially if fast autofocus is an important factor in your photography, then the X-T3 deserves a series look. It starts shipping on Sept 20.
I’ve been answering question about the X-T3 here at the Fujix-forum, so feel free to chime in if you have any. Or you can always email me. I’ll do my best to answer.
The X-T2 is still an awesome camera. I’m still shooting with it and I still love it. Image quality is stunning, AF performance is exceptionally good and it’s still a highly relevant and totally fun camera in every single way. Even though I’ve shot with the X-T3, I can attest that the X-T2 will still get the job done in almost every single way.
If you’re not an action shooter, you may not need the updated AF performance of the X-T3. For many shooters, the X-T2 offers everything you need to enjoy a wonderfully fulfilling photography life at a great price. With a $500 drop, the X-T2 is only $1,099 right now, which makes it an excellent value.
If you’re still using one of the older models like the X-T1, X-E2 or X-T10, or if you’re new to the Fuji system, the discounted X-T2 is a great choice. If you want the top of the line X Series camera with the fastest autofocus, the best low light performance and the very best image quality, then the X-T3 might be the one
you want.
If you’re a Nikon shooter, then you’re probably excited that they finally released their long-awaited mirrorless camera system. The new Z Series bodies and lenses are getting pretty good press. They’re said to be equal to the D850 in terms if image quality and usability, with the advantage of being smaller rand lighter.
Nikon is also letting you use your legacy Nikon glass with the new cameras, by offering the new FTZ Mount Adaptor. It’s designed to have no effect on image quality and can even improve performance, since it will use part of the stabilization technology that’s built into the Z Series cameras.
You can read more about the Nikon Z Series cameras here.
Not to leave anyone out, here’s the list of current Canon Lens Rebates, as well as the current Olympus Lens Rebates.
I’m honored to be included as the feature interview in this month’s issue of Landscape Photography Magazine.
In this 2,800 word article, I talk about my early days with outdoor photography, what inspired me, the challenges I faced when I first turned pro, my transition to using Fujifilm gear, some of my personal benchmarks with photography and advice I would give to younger photographers who are just starting their journey with photography.
I hope you enjoy reading my interview, and I hope you take some time to enjoy some of the other content that LPM has to offer as well.
If you’d like to read more interviews with me, or if you’ve missed some of my recent podcasts, I’ve now made it easier for you to find that stuff. I’ve compiled all of my interviews and podcasts into one archive page on my blog. It's right under the "About" Menu on my blog.
Events and Workshops
I had a great time teaching at Pictureline in Salt Lake City last month. I did a an Intro to X Series class and an Advanced X Series class and both sessions were well attended. If you were there, I enjoyed meeting you in person.
I’m working on doing a Colorado event in Fort Collins for mid October. Stay tuned for exact dates and location.
There are still a few open spots for our 2018 Fuji X-Photographers Nature and Travel Summit in the Great Smoky Mountains, which will take place this fall, Oct 30-Nov 4. Learn nature and outdoor photography skills and learn how to get the most from the X Series cameras from Jack Graham, Bill Fortney and me. You’ll also be able to demo X Series and GFX cameras and lenses.
From the Archive
Cyclocross season is finally hear again! I’ve already shot one race last weekend, which you can see here. I’ve been photographing and racing this sport for a number of years now, and it’s one of my favorite action subjects to shoot. Here’s a look back at some of my early CX photos from 2012.
Two years ago, I had a really special experience camping among the icebergs out at the Knik Glacier. I spent much of the evening wandering around photographing the ice under the light of the full moon. You can see some of those images and read about my mini adventure here.
Sh*t Photographers Never Say - You’ve never uttered any of these things, right?
Chasing Vampires and Adventure in Transylvania - Bikepacking in Romania - Three years ago, we did a 5-week bikebackping tour in northern Romania. It was a pretty amazing trip. Enjoy this photo essay that describes our trip.
A Cool Technique for Photographing Flowers & Plants - Do you have a flash or a studio light and a big soft box? How about a really bright light and a white pillowcase? A few years ago, I tried an interesting approach to photographing flowers and plants in my garden. Essentially, they’re backlit, and set against a totally white background. The results are pretty interesting. I recommend trying this out and seeing what you come up with.
Portraits of My Airplane Mechanic. Mario, my Cessna mechanic has a pretty unique look. I shot these photos of him when I picked up my plane from its annual inspection a couple months ago.
That’s all for now. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy my recent blog posts. Feel free to share this newsletter with your other photography friends and keep in touch.
Best regards and happy shooting!
-Dan
| The Symphony of Autumn |
 Fall is like a symphony for photographers. After winter, we dust off our instruments, (I know that many of you shoot throughout the colder months, but just bear with me for the sake of this metaphor), we take stock of our … Continue reading →
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