Telephoto Photography

Stop Blaming Your Telephoto Lens — These Settings Are Why Your Shots Are Blurry
Video Tutorials

Stop Blaming Your Telephoto Lens — These Settings Are Why Your Shots Are Blurry

Telephoto lenses are the gear purchase that humbles people. You spend months saving up, you finally get one, and then half your shots come back soft and you start wondering if you got a bad copy. I’ve been there. I’ve also watched other photographers blame their glass when the real problem was sitting in the settings menu the whole time. That’s exactly why this Nigel Danson tutorial stopped me mid-scroll. Danson shot it on the west coast of Ireland during a legitimate storm, handholding a 400mm lens while waves crashed around him, and he walked through every decision he made to keep his images sharp.

How to Shoot Portraits of the Sea With a 100-400mm Lens (What I Learned From William Patino)
Video Tutorials

How to Shoot Portraits of the Sea With a 100-400mm Lens (What I Learned From William Patino)

Most photographers point a wide angle at the ocean and call it a day. I get it. The drama is right there, the horizon is gorgeous, and wide lenses are forgiving. But I kept looking at my seascape shots and feeling like something was missing. They looked like postcards, not photographs. It wasn’t until I watched William Patino work a coastal break with a 100-400mm that something clicked for me. Watch the full tutorial on YouTube before or after reading this, because seeing the actual wave action he’s working with puts the technique in context.

The Best Telephoto Lens Deals Right Now—And Which Ones Are Actually Worth It
Deals

The Best Telephoto Lens Deals Right Now—And Which Ones Are Actually Worth It

The Best Telephoto Lens Deals Right Now—And Which Ones Are Actually Worth It Look, I’m not going to pretend that every telephoto lens on sale right now is a steal. But there’s genuinely solid pricing happening across multiple camera systems, and if you’ve been waiting to upgrade your reach, this is actually worth paying attention to. The telephoto market has exploded for mirrorless shooters. Whether you’re shooting Sony, Canon, Nikon, or any other system, manufacturers are finally delivering the lenses photographers have been asking for.

What a $13,000 Lens Actually Teaches You (Even If You'll Never Own One)
Video Tutorials

What a $13,000 Lens Actually Teaches You (Even If You'll Never Own One)

I spend most of my time telling people they don’t need expensive gear. That’s not a bit or a brand position. I genuinely believe it. I shot a wedding on a $300 kit that ended up in print, and I’ve run blind tests where nobody could pick the $2,000 camera from the $500 one. So when I came across a tutorial where someone rents a $13,000 Canon 600mm telephoto just to chase dolphins in Malibu, my first instinct was to roll my eyes.