If you’re struggling with the autofocus of your camera and not achieving razor-sharp images on a consistent basis you’ve come to the right place. The following tutorial from an experienced pro demonstrates a variety of common mistakes and foolproof solutions for perfect results.

Instructor Jan Wegener is an acclaimed German nature and wildlife photographer who is very generous about sharing the secrets to his success. After watching todays 13-minute episode you’ll be able to achieve fast and precise focus acquisition forever more.

The methods described work equally well for both action shots and static subjects, and Wegener explains the challenge like this: “Even with the most advanced cameras and autofocus systems you need to follow a few critical steps so you end up with stunning, sharp images.”

Wegener says some of his tips are those you’ve never heard before and may even sound a bit crazy, but trust him because they really work wonders. His “essential field techniques” begin with a quick discussion of configuring the camera properly by dialing in several important settings.

Even more critical for fantastic autofocus results are Wegener’s foolproof methods for shooting in the field, and these represent the balance of the lesson. His says the most common mistake photographers make is not pre-focusing before making the shot.

That because “the more your subject is already in focus before capturing the shot the great the chances will be that your camera will be that your camera will jump right onto it.”

On the other hand, if the scene is completely defocused when framing up a photo “many cameras will have a hard time finding the subject and sticking to it.” So pre-focus whenever possible, even if that means estimating camera-to-subject distance and focusing on a comparable spot.

The foregoing is just a small taste of how Wegener’s advice will supercharge your keeper rate, so pay close attention and jot down a few notes for future reference. And then pay a visit to his popular YouTube channel were you’ll find more instructional videos for nature and wildlife photography.

We also recommend watching the earlier tutorial we featured with another accomplished pro who demonstrates seven reasons your outdoor photographs are boring, with in-camera techniques for getting things right.

Sooner or later we all find ourselves in a creative rut that results in boring, uninspired images. This quick tutorial provides seven pro tips for getting your artistic juices flowing in a hurry so that the photos you make will once again be interesting and impressive.

According to South Korean photographer Alex Kim, this lack of inspiration often results from lazy, bad habits. Kim has struggled with this challenge himself, and today  he demonstrates seven quick solutions that will provide a big boost in creativity.

Kim’s tips are presented in the context of street photography, but they’re equally powerful with other popular genres. He introduces the lesson like this: “I’m going to share the most common mistakes that street photographers make that results in a boring photo.”

At the top of Kim’s list is always shooting from eye level, even though a different vantage point, either higher or lower, will enable you to boost impact by experimenting with unique angles and perspectives that are far more dynamic and compelling. In other words, if you shoot everything at eye level there a good chance that you’re missing out on photos with maximum depth, dimension, and drama.

One of Kim’s favorite methods for getting out of this familiar trap is to crouch down and shoot from the hip or with the camera close to the ground, and he proves this point with interesting imagery. As he explains, “low angles can make a subject appear larger and more dramatic by creating a presence that’s difficult to achieve with eye-level imagery.”

Conversely, shooting down from above provides another uncommon perspective that can make photos stand out from the crowd. This approach will make subjects appear smaller and add a unique sense of openness.

So far we’ve only scratched the surface of Kim’s helpful advice, and there are six more bad habits and solutions to consider. Along the way he demonstrates how camera settings, thoughtful composition, and even the subject itself will determine the level of creativity inherent to every image you shoot.

Kim’s popular YouTube channel offers many more instructional videos that will result in better outdoor imagery, so pay a visit and put his expert advice to work.

We also recommend watching another game-changing tutorial we posted recently from another accomplished pro who demonstrates how to employ custom vignettes in Lightroom to create outdoor photographs with maximum impact.

Fulfilling their goal of providing category-leading, accelerated camera-to-client workflow, Imagen has announced integration with Pic-Time, a premier online gallery and customer management platform. What does this mean to photographers?

With this development, Imagen establishes what they’ve coined “Edit to Delivery,” a first-of-its-kind solution that enables photographers to send edited files directly from the Imagen app to Pic-Time galleries—eliminating time-consuming upload steps and engendering faster response from happier clients.

Imagen is a leading AI-powered platform that streamlines post-production workflow, including culling, editing, backup and now delivery, reducing tedious, repetitive tasks while preserving photographers’ individual creative editing styles. Users manage their work through Adobe’s Lightroom Classic, retaining full creative control throughout. This improved efficiency saves time, improves work-product consistency and increases client satisfaction.

Imagen’s AI-powered software learns each user’s individual technique and replicates the same unique look and feel during every edit. Among the features that differentiate Imagen from competitors, users can access AI profiles developed by leading international photographers and can invoke them intact or modify various parameters to suit their personal creative approach.

Photographers are invited to download the Imagen app and receive 1,000 free AI-edits (no credit card required).

Pic-Time is a premium global platform that provides multiple services to professional photographers internationally. They offer online galleries, client management tools, blogging facilitation and other marketing automation features. Via the Pic-Time Smart Store, clients can seamlessly order prints and other products from more than 35 worldwide print labs that partner with Pic-Time instead of being limited to a single source.

Photographers can try Pic-Time’s Advanced plan free for 30 days (no credit card required).

The is no additional charge to subscribers for this new Pic-Time integration feature which can be accessed through the Imagen desktop app and is compatible with both PC and Mac. More integrations are planned for the future.

Imagen, with or without the Pic-Time connection, allows professional photographers to allocate their worktime more productively. Time spent on repetitive post-processing procedures can be instead devoted to an expanded field workload or promoting their enterprise. This potentially leads to increased revenue. Equally important, clients receive the work products faster— and no client on Earth ever complains about the deliverables arriving too soon. For more information, visit Imagen-ai.com.

∞ Shutterbug Staff

Accurate Colors are an essential component of every image you capture unless, of course, monochrome is your thing. To get everything right it’s important to understand the Color Space settings that are available, and how they impact your work.

Like with most things in photography there’s no “right” option  for every image you make, because the “correct” choice depends upon how you intend to display and share the photo(s) in question. This seven-minute tutorial from the Photo Feaver YouTube channel clears up all the confusion in barely seven minutes.

Instructor James is a passionate landscape photographer and post-processing expert whose shooting and editing lessons cover a wide range of topics geared toward beginning and intermediate shooters. He kicks off today’s episode with this: “What defines the colors of your photos is the Color Space you shoot in,” and there are more options than you may know.

SRGB and Adobe RGB are the most commonly used settings, but there’s also ProPhoto RGB and CMYK. James explains what this terminology means, how it matters, and why a firm grasp of the differences is super important.

James explains that “a Color Space is like a box that includes the range of colors your image can contain—otherwise referred to as “color gamut.” Some of these boxes are small, while others are “massive.” And as you’ll see, “choosing the right Color Space is critical to how your images will look on the screen and appear in print.”

The term SRGB is an abbreviation for “standard red, green and blue” introduced in 1998 by HP and Microsoft to work with the Web, computer monitors, and color printers. This very small color profile has both benefits and drawbacks, but it became the global go-to choice—at least for a while.

Of course imaging technology has changed significantly since the 90’s, which is why James walks you through newer Color Space options, explains what they represent, and the pros and cons of each.

So which setting should use when? After watching the video you’ll be able to delete this question from your list of unexplained photo mysteries. Then head over to the Photo Feaver YouTube channel where there’s much more to learn.

And on a related note, don’t miss the tutorial we featured earlier from another top expert who explains in-camera techniques for capturing winter photographs with accurate colors when snow covers the landscape.