THE BEST LONG LENS TECHNIQUE

Want to take amazing wildlife photos? Check out my new course with 20 modules and over 5 hours of content, no fluff! AND A CHANCE TO WIN A $13,000 600mm f4 LENS!

My name is Simon d'Entremont and I'm a professional wildlife and nature photographer from Eastern Canada. In this video, I'll take you through the detailed considerations for maximum sharpness out of your long focal length lenses.

I use Topaz Labs software for noise reduction, sharpening and upscaling:

Music in intro: "Nicer", by Houses on the Hill. Find that, and other sound effects at Epidemic Sounds

My equipment:

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[simon_dentremont]

What's your favorite long lens and what do you photograph with it? I'd love to know to help me make more relevant videos!

[michaelkissane]

Hi Simon, Great video! A tip I learned from my late Dad who was an amateur photographer and shot only low ASA slide film. When stationed as an Army doctor in France in the mid-50´s, he liked to shoot stained glass shots, but was considerate enough to not bring a tripod into churches and chapels. I saw him take pictures upside down, with the camera braced on his forehead and asked about it. He said that instead of risking a camera pivoting on his nose, he held it tightly against his forehead, upside down. The forehead, besides being flat, has less softness than the nose and one can concentrate on holding your head steady, like with a dentist's x-ray. Also, using the riflery trick of keeping tension on a strap, is good advice for free-handing. Another tip from Army vet is to relax and breathe easy. He got sharp waterfall pictures at 1/15 sec. Being stunned, I asked what he did in the Army and he said he was a 'marksman'. So there's that, too.

[philipkoenig]

Brilliant as always! Your videos are my favorite due to your clear, helpful content plus your fast no-nonsense pace of presentation along with high production quality. I am a hobbyist shooting for a long time and I always pick up some great tips from you even when I do not expect to. Well done, Simon - thank you!

[ralphguppy]

I’ll add one more tip that I learned this morning, shooting surfers on Kauai. Unless you have a premium filter take it off the front of the lens. I was shooting my R6 with a 2X tele on the awesome RF 100-500 and just couldn’t get sharp shots. So….I took off my CPL, and beheld the amazing shots with water dripping just as I expected! Not saying that filters are bad as it was a Luzid filter which did give me awesome landscape shots of the Waimea canyon and waterfalls. Just seems that long lens likely exacerbate cheap glass!

[CreativeIsolation]

You’ve got YT figured Simon. Short intro explains the plan, tease a “bonus, ” invite us to subscribe in a way that’s not pushy but reminds us to do it upfront, samples of your work that show you know what you’re talking about, even music that sets the tone. Of course, your content beyond that continues in its refined quality.

I’ve got ideas about what you might do differently, but honestly, what the hell do I know? You seem to have YT on lock.

[BoReynolds]

Jesus Simon, you are a BOSS! EVERY turorial I watch on your channel helps SIGIFICANTLY! Just bought the RF 100-4oo and wondering WHY my shots are MOSTLY out of focus. SHUTTER SPEED! Thank you buddy!
Bo Reynolds

[maxgrillmickellpetersen]

I live in Denmark and always have low-light issues, so learning about proper image stabilization helped me lower my shutter speed for those properly exposed images. Thanks again for the masterpiece of a tutorial, they really help out a ton:D

[Synmomusic]

Thank you Simon. Your videos are always so well presented and information dense. As a teacher, I know that takes work, and I appreciate how thorough and concise you make these lessons.

[DanSantanaBows]

Game changing tutorials! Thank you for helping so many of us with our content

[rhildur]

I'm staying for the bonus tip! ☺️👍

[peter]

Back when I was in school, I belonged to the local city police gun club, shooting 22 targets once a week, and also took a hunter safety course at our local Fish and Game Assoc. At both places, we were given shooting tips and one of the tips was to take a breath, release part way, hold it, then squeeze the trigger. The instructor also told us to use the same technique with our cameras. I am 70 now, and have been using this technique ever since. I have been doing it for so long, I don't even think about it anymore. It is just a habit, like your other techniques for sharpness. Thanks Simon. I enjoy your videos.

[felipeochoa]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us Simon. I love your videos! ❤️

[simawds]

watching these videos is really helping my photography, thanks again.

[JaghataiK]

I consider taking my kid's photos as wildlife photography. I've learned more from Simon in this regard than any portrait photographer.

[SteveMc]

I started shooting my daughter’s soccer games with my Fuji 100-400mm lens last fall. Lots of great tips here that’ll help me improve those shots. Thanks, as always, for your great tips.

[ilesmic]

Just upgraded to the Canon R6Mark 2 and the RF 100-500 Your tips will be extremely helpful. Thanks, your videos are always so helpful

[melvynmanning]

Have watched many of your vids and have to say, it’s so refreshing to hear it from someone who’s independent. Thank you so much for your commitment to helping us through the minefield.

[richierich]

Another gem of a tutorial, Simon. You have a concise way teaching your wealth of knowledge to others! I shoot with a monopod a lot of times, your stabilization against the knee was a great tip that I will be trying out.

[patrickblahut]

Really useful review of basics techniques. One other approach: use a slightly shorter focal length lens and crop as needed. Just returned from a railroad trip; across the Canadian Rockies. I used nothing longer than a 300mm lens to capture eagles, bears, and wild horses. It's a lot easier to track an eagle in flight with a 200mm or 300mm lens than a 500mm. Cropping elimininated perhaps 20 - 35% of the image; what was left was sharp;. If I tried to get these images with my 500mm, I likely would have multiple photos of empty space where an eagle was a second before.

[nikon]

YOUR VIDÉOS ARE ON MY FAVORITES LIST, thank you so much, you are a great photographer and teacher,