Most experienced photographers rarely shoot without a lens hood for several important reasons, whether they’re photographing indoors or out. These affordable accessories not only protect the front element of a lens from damage, but they also improve image quality in a number of ways.

This 10-minute tutorial  from landscape pro Vlad Manea reveals everything you need to know, including the rare instances in which you should remove the hood. As you’ll see, lens hoods are available in different shapes and styles because each is designed for lenses of a special focal length or range. And as simple as they are, there’s a right and a wrong way to use them.

When it come to image quality a proper hood is extremely helpful for blocking stray light from falling on the lens, either from above or from one side or the other depending upon the position of the sun. By doing so the hood prevents unwanted lens flare, adds contrast to a shot, and prevents a dull wash-out appearance.

They also act as “a bumper for your lens” to protect your precious glass from scratches, damage or destruction, and a hood is far more effective in this regard that a simple UV filter. Instructor Vlad Manea also explains why you should use a hood even when shooting indoors or at night.

According to Manea there are a couple reasons it makes sense to remove the hood from your lens. One is when you want to intentionally add flare to a photograph to create an artistic effect. Another practical example is when using a pop-up flash and the hood casts a shadow by blocking part of the light output from falling on the subject.

So what can you do if you left your hood at home and there’s light hitting the front of your lens that’s certain to degrade the image? One simple trick is to strategically position a free hand to block any stray light coming from above or the side. Just make sure your five-fingered hood doesn’t intrude into the frame. You can also use a hat in the same way.

Manea has a few other helpful suggestions for using a hood—whether yours is of the thread-on variety or it bayonets onto the front of a lens. Some hoods are designed to be reversible and this is really convenient because the lens/hood combination occupies far lens space when stored in your bag.

We encourage you to visit Manea’s instructional YouTube channel when you have time to explore, because there are many more straightforward videos that will definitely help improve your skills

And on a related note, don’t miss the earlier tutorial we featured in which another experienced shooter demonstrates four foolproof methods for removing a lens filter that refuses to come off—even if it’s bent or broken.

There aren’t a lot of photographers who have used every Nikon Z lens. And actually, I’m not one of them – I still need to test two, the Nikon Z 58mm f/0.95 Noct and the newest Z 35mm f/1.4. But I have tested 38 of the 40 (plus both TCs), and by now, I’ve settled on my favorites and least favorites of the bunch. I’ll share those with you today.

Simply put, if you miss accurate focus you miss the shot, no matter how compelling the scene or the subject. In this tutorial from the Wildlife in Focus YouTube channel you’ll learn a handful of proven techniques for getting the job done every time.

Focusing speed and precision varies among different cameras and lenses, and the five tips below will greatly improve your odds of success—regardless of the gear you use and whether you’re a beginner or a more advanced shooter.

Instructor Adrien Coquelle is a French wildlife photographer, but the advice he provides is applicable to other genres as well. He kicks off today’s episode by making this promise: “In this video I’m going to show you five tips that will help you put an end to autofocus that keeps hunting endlessly and struggles to quickly focus on the subject,

 

Coquelle employs interesting graphics to make his advice super easy to understand, beginning with a brief non-technical explanation of how autofocus works with modern equipment so that you’ll understand the remainder of his lesson. As he explains, “in order to  achieve focus the camera’s AF system needs to calculate the precise distance to a subject by utilizing sensors that analyze a scene in real time and make adjustments accordingly.”

He demonstrates how the minimum focusing distance varies from one lens to another and says that “Contrary to popular belief, all lenses can focus to infinity without any issues or constraints.” The speed of autofocus is reliant upon the system’s ability to move through and analyze camera-to-subject distance more or less quickly until it locates and locks on to the subject.

If you’re lucky enough to own a high-end camera and expensive lenses, the foregoing sequence can happen almost instantaneously, but what can the rest of us to help the process along? Fortunately for your wallet there are several things you can do to make mid-range or budget gear perform faster and more accurately without breaking the bank. And that’s what you’ll learn how to accomplish in less than 10 minutes.

 

Tip #1 involves taking advantage of the Focus Range Limiter that’s available on many telephoto lenses—especially those designed for wildlife photography. This feature is controlled by a switch on the lens barrel that enables you specify certain distant ranges— rather than requiring the lens to waste time by searching all the way from its minimum focusing distance to infinity.

Another way to speed things up is to manually preset the distance scale on the lens to your best estimate of how far away you are from the subject. This way the AF system responds much more quickly when it’s time to make the shot. In essence you’ll mimic the tip mentioned above when a lens lacks a Focus Range Limiter.

The remaining three tips are just as easy and effective as the two summarized above, and none of them require much practice. You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve with affordable gear by following Coquelle’s advice. And there’s much more to be found by paying a visit to his new YouTube channel.

On a related note, don’t miss the video we featured last month, demonstrating another pro’s favorite technique for achieving sharply focused photographs in all situations.

At times, wildlife photography can feel strictly descriptive: a bird on a stick, a giraffe on the savannah, a butterfly on a flower, and so on. Nothing wrong with that – most of the photos I take fall into that category. Still, when I can, I try to find moments that tell more of a story of the animal. Humor is one of the best, and least expected, tools to do so. But if you keep your eyes open and your mind cheerful, opportunities to make you laugh will surely come your way as a wildlife photographer.