Feedback from clubs after Smart Shooting Part 3 Dare to Focus.

I am always interested to receive feedback from people who attend one of my talks, workshops or holidays. This is a selection of the comments I have received which specifically relate to my talk “Smart Shooting Part 2 – From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary”.

Anyone can take absolutely superb photographs, but the first step is learning how even the basic controls work. The second, and often omitted step, is to understand how the differences in digital shooting can make these photographs even better. To move from the ordinary to the extraordinary

This talk is part of a series of talks aiming to help photographers learn the skills required to shoot smarter and extend their photography to the next level by taking back control of their camera. This talk, Smart Shooting Part 3 – “Dare to Focus”, looks particularly at the often-confusing area of autofocus and how to get the best out of this to achieve tack sharp photos from your camera. We are currently bombarded with incredible software to correct photos in post but one area where this is not and never will be possible is focus, if a photo is out of focus it simply can’t be corrected. 

Hype from manufacturers has led us to believe that all focusing problems have now been solved. However on the workshops and safaris I run I find this is the area where people struggle the most. Reality can’t match the hype especially when we hear about the supposed wonders of new mirrorless autofocus systems. The poor photographer is thus left to believe it is their lack of experience or even they’re inability to invest in the very latest technology that is the problem.

 

Feedback from clubs after Smart Shooting Part 3 – Dare to Focus.

Kevin Gibbin – Nottingham and Notts Camera Club –  January 2023

“Thanks Bob, An absolutely first class talk which I have just re-watched on zoom as I found that in the second half there was almost too much information to take in. Thank you so much – I really enjoyed what was one of the best lectures that we have ever had.”

Ian Taylor – Nottingham and Notts Photographic Society –  January 2023

“Hello Bob, Thank you for a fantastic explanation of focusing techniques for members of NNPS including myself as I have now got a second hand Canon R3 and is quite different to understand from my DSLR. I am interested in any YouTube videos on setting up the R3 although practising, practising, practising as you suggested is getting me there and I am now removing many frustrations in understanding the menus. However, every little helps including your back button which I use but will use much more now with the obvious statement you made that I had not considered, set the back focus button on servo and take your finger off the button if you don’t want to track. Yes obvious but I had overlooked that aspect with learning the menus first!! Once again many thanks for all the presentations you have given NNPS, they never stopped talking about the expose to the right of the histogram for months. Maybe the back focus button will be the same.”

Karen Higton – General Secretary Nottingham and Notts Photographic Society –  January 2023

“Hello Bob

Thank you so much for last night, so much useful information and very well presented. As I mentioned last night, I had attempted back button focus several months ago, but like so many before me, failed and gave up too soon. Your talk has inspired me and given me the determination to succeed Wildlife is my passion, albeit small garden birds but I do photograph swans, herons, mallards, cormorants and kingfishers, as I live alongside a local canal. I had been experiencing focus problems in the last few weeks and realised it was my lack of knowledge and not a camera fault, as I had originally thought. Your presentation could not have come at a better time for me as it has made me realise my lack of knowledge on focus was my only enemy. (thankfully not my Nikon) “