Artistically Using the Spot or Partial Metering Mode

You can use the metering mode of your camera to achieve certain looks in your pictures. For example, in the above picture, I used partial metering mode. In this mode, the camera exposes your main subject correctly by measuring the light in a small central area of the frame (usually about 6–10% of the viewfinder). Because in this case the subject is brighter than the surrounding space, the background becomes overexposed, resulting in a black background. You can get even more dramatic results if you use spot metering. 

 

The key point for achieving a dramatic effect is to have a subject that is strongly illuminated or brighter than the surrounding areas.

Here is another example. 

 

The Importance of the Right Shutter Speed

 Selecting the wrong shutter speed can result in blurry photos or motion blur. 

The other day I was at a local park looking for birds to photograph, and accidentally I changed the ISO setting from Auto to ISO 125. I didn’t notice the change at first because it was a sunny day, and this setting combined with Aperture Priority was giving me shutter speeds of around 1/60 to 1/125, so the pictures in the viewfinder looked well exposed to me. What I didn’t notice was that the pictures were not as sharp as they should have been.

When I’m shooting wildlife, I use Aperture Priority and Auto ISO, and I set the minimum shutter speed to 1/500. This shutter speed helps ensure that my 100–400mm lens captures sharp images most of the time. It doesn’t matter that both my lens and camera have image stabilization; I’m not using a tripod, and that introduces movement that can cause motion blur.

This mistake cost me a few pictures, which I deleted because they were not sharp enough. The moral of this real-life story is to check your settings at the start of your shoot—especially if you are getting paid for it.

 

The above picture could have been sharper if it were not for this error. You can notice the blur at the tips of the wings.

P.S. And people still think that a good camera and lens will always result in good pictures. But if you don’t know how to use those tools, they won’t result in good pictures at all. 

Canon R6 Settings: Wildlife Photography vs. Sports Photography

Many of you have probably heard me mention changing the settings on my Canon R6 to suit my needs when shooting either wildlife or sports. This article explains why and How. 

 

The Canon R6 is a versatile camera capable of handling almost any situation — from the quiet patience of wildlife photography to the fast-paced action of sports. While both genres rely on speed, precision, and timing, the way you configure your camera can make a big difference in your results. Here’s a closer look at how the settings for wildlife photography differ from those used for sports.

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1. Shutter Speed: Controlling the Action

Wildlife Photography:
In wildlife photography, your shutter speed depends largely on the subject. A perched bird or a resting animal allows for slower speeds — around 1/500s to 1/1000s — especially if you’re using a telephoto lens with image stabilization. However, for birds in flight or fast-moving animals, go up to 1/2000s or faster to freeze motion cleanly.

Sports Photography:
Sports require consistently high shutter speeds because the action is continuous and unpredictable. A good baseline is 1/1000s to 1/2000s, though you might go even faster for sports like soccer, basketball, or tennis. The key is freezing the peak of motion — the ball in midair or the player at full sprint.

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2. Autofocus: Tracking Your Subject

Wildlife Photography:
Wildlife subjects can appear and move unpredictably. The Canon R6’s Animal Eye Detection AF is a game-changer for this. Activate Servo AF and select the Animal Detection option in the AF menu. Using the Whole Area AF mode works well since the camera can automatically detect and track the subject’s eyes or head across the frame.

Sports Photography:
For sports, switch to People Detection under the same Servo AF mode. The R6 does a great job identifying and tracking players, even when they’re wearing helmets or moving rapidly. You can also use Zone AF or Expanded AF Area for slightly more control, particularly if the scene is crowded, or you want to keep focus on a specific player.

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3. Drive Mode: Continuous Shooting

Wildlife Photography:
Wildlife moments are fleeting — the flap of a wing or a sudden glance can make or break a shot. The High-Speed Continuous+ mode (up to 20 fps with the electronic shutter) helps you capture multiple frames per second, giving you more choices later. However, be mindful of buffer limits and the need for fast SD cards.

Sports Photography:
The same burst mode applies here, but you’ll often hold down the shutter longer during plays. To avoid filling your memory card too quickly, consider shooting shorter bursts. Use mechanical shutter (up to 12 fps) if you’re under artificial lighting to avoid banding, which can sometimes appear with electronic shutters.

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4. ISO and Aperture: Balancing Light and Depth

Wildlife Photography:
Lighting in nature is unpredictable. You may shoot in the soft glow of sunrise or the harsh contrast of midday. Keep your aperture wide (f/4 to f/6.3) to let in more light and blur the background, isolating your subject. For ISO, use Auto ISO with a cap around 3200–6400 to maintain quality without excessive noise.

Sports Photography:
Indoor or evening sports often push ISO higher. Don’t hesitate to go up to ISO 6400 or even 10,000 if needed — the R6 handles noise well. Aperture depends on the sport and your lens, but f/2.8–f/4 is ideal to freeze motion while maintaining enough depth of field to keep the athlete sharp.

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5. Metering and White Balance

Wildlife Photography:
Use Evaluative Metering for balanced exposure in complex lighting (like sunlight filtering through trees). For white balance, Auto WB generally works well, but if you’re shooting during golden hour, switch to Daylight or manually set Kelvin temperature for warmer tones.

Sports Photography:
Lighting in stadiums and gyms can be tricky. Stick with Evaluative Metering but check your histogram often. For indoor events, manually set the White Balance to match the lighting (e.g., Fluorescent or custom Kelvin value) to avoid color casts.

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6. Other Helpful Settings

• Image Stabilization (IBIS): Keep it on for wildlife handheld shots, but turn it off when using a tripod or monopod for sports.

• Back Button Focus: Assign AF-ON to your thumb for both genres — it’s invaluable for separating focus from the shutter.

• Silent Shutter: Great for wildlife to avoid disturbing animals, but not ideal for sports under flickering lights.

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Final Thoughts

Both wildlife and sports photography demand quick reactions and precise control, but they differ in rhythm. Wildlife photography is about patience — waiting for the right moment and blending into the environment. Sports photography is about anticipation — predicting the play before it happens.

The Canon R6 excels in both worlds, but success comes from understanding your subject and adjusting your settings accordingly. Whether you’re tracking a heron taking flight or a player scoring the winning goal, the right setup ensures you never miss the moment.

 

A 100 watt flash

Godox is selling the Godox V100, that’s a 100-watt! Nice, but be prepared to pay over $300 for it.

Now, why is so good to have a 100-watts flash? I'll let you this video explaining why. 

 

Getting Everything in Focus in a Landscape Photograph

This is not a simple task, even when you set your aperture as high as possible for the given lighting conditions. In such situations, one effective solution is photo stacking. This video explains how to do it.

 

I have to confess that I don’t have the temperament to use this technique. I don’t carry a tripod, and without one, stacking most likely won’t work.

If you are in the market for any photography gear, please visit my recommended gear page. Buying through my links will help me maintain this blog.

Yet another video about the invisible black background

Many people believe that to achieve a black background in your photos, you need to buy a black backdrop. That’s one way to do it, but there’s another method that costs nothing. This video will show you how.

 

How is done

Have you ever wondered how that picture was taken? I’m sure you have. In this case, I’ve got a video for you that shows how to create striking sports pictures. I’m planning to do something similar in the near future.

Editing, editing and more editing

Many assume that a photographer’s work ends the moment the shutter is released. While this may hold true in a studio setting—where conditions are carefully controlled, and images are often captured exactly as intended—in uncontrolled environments the situation is quite different. Once the shooting concludes, the extensive process of editing and post-production begins. If you think you can get a clean, noise-free, perfectly colored picture straight out of the camera, think again—especially at Karate events, which often take place in poorly lit venues rather than well-illuminated professional arenas.

Another important point to consider is that in this business, rushing is your greatest enemy.

I spent some time adjusting this picture of our grandson, taken at the USA Sport Karate, Mayan Challenge Competition in Clearwater, Florida.

Our grandsons don’t pose for me. Since they were born, they’ve been used to their paparazzo Abuelo running around with a camera. From time to time, they look at me—probably just to see what I’m doing—like in the picture above. The smile you see there is genuine; I couldn’t replicate it if I asked them, or any child, to pose and smile.

After finishing the editing, I still felt this picture had potential if the background were different. That’s when an AI tool helped me in my creative process.

Here is the end result. 

There are many AI tools available online that can do this kind of editing work. Most of them offer a free trial; after that, you need to pay for a subscription based on a credit system, where credits are consumed, and you must purchase more once you reach your monthly quota.

I’ve read many articles and opinions about photographers using AI tools, with some even being labeled as “cheaters.” I don’t see it that way—unless the image is being created entirely from scratch. In this case, everything begins with a real boy, in a real setting, captured through a genuine photographic process. The editing, supported by AI, simply enhances the image to reflect the photographer’s artistic vision. To me, there is nothing “cheating” about this creative process.

It all started with your RAW image and ended with your image still.

P.S. If anyone is willing to fund a trip to a location in Japan for me to take a picture like this—including handling the numerous permits, fees and other paperwork required to shoot in a sacred location using flash—please let me know. 

Practical Uses of HSS

HSS or High Speed Sync can be used for many things including and the most common use, overpowering the sun. 

However, I find it particularly useful for other purposes, such as creating a completely black or nearly black background.

The image above was taken indoors with an ISO of 1/100 and a shutter speed of 1/4000. This combination was sufficient to achieve a nearly black background. 

Be aware that if your flash is not powerful enough to handle such a high shutter speed, you may notice some banding in the darker areas of the picture. 

High Speed Sync (HSS)

High-Speed Sync (HSS) is a feature found in modern speedlights that allows you to use flash with shutter speeds faster than 1/250, which is typically the maximum sync speed of older flashes. This video demonstrates why this feature can be so useful.

I also like this other tutorial which compares HSS vs using ND filters.

And using HSS

Distractions or... about deleting them

One of the features included in the latest versions of Lightroom Classic is the ability to remove people from a scene. I had the opportunity to test this option on a few photos from our last trip to St. Augustine, and I’m impressed with the results. Here are two of them.

These pictures were taken on Labor Day weekend, on a Sunday. Believe me, the Castillo de San Marcos was packed with people.

Another popular spot with people cleaned/deleted by this option. 

 The feature may fail to detect people who are too close to the camera or when only partial body parts are visible in the frame. In such cases, manual selection and removal using the traditional tools in Lightroom is still required. For best results, try to use the tool on scenes where subjects are fully visible and at a moderate distance—this gives the AI a clearer reference and produces cleaner edits. 

By the way, all these pictures were taken using the Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Zoom Lens for Canon EF Cameras, you can find the link to buy this lens and my opinion about it here.

Karate Events in Hotel Conference Rooms

The last karate event was held in a hotel conference room, and the lighting was less than ideal for sports photography.

 For this event, I set my Canon R6 to Auto ISO capped at 25,600, which wasn’t enough to produce bright images when shooting at a 1/1000 shutter speed even when I was using my trusty EF70-200 L f/2.8. All my photos came out dark, and fixing them in post-processing was challenging because bringing up the exposure also amplified noise, which ruined the shots.

 In my usual post-editing workflow, I start by running all my photos through DxO PureRAW. This step helps clean up the files and prepares them for Lightroom Classic, where they’re automatically exported at the end of the process. In Lightroom, I fine-tune the exposure and adjust other aspects of the image, and for extra sharpness, I often send them through Topaz Photo AI. Normally, I don’t rely much on the DeNoise feature in Topaz Photo AI, but in this case, the amount of noise in my pictures made it necessary. It’s a good reminder that each situation requires flexibility in editing, even if it means stepping outside of your usual workflow.

 Another challenge is that in such large rooms, the lighting is uneven across the space, which often requires more frequent exposure adjustments during post-processing. This significantly increases the amount of time spent on editing.

I hope this gave you a better sense of what goes on behind the scenes, because photography is so much more than just pressing a button. For me, the joy is not only in creating the pictures, but also in sharing the journey with you.

Do you need a Karate Photo Session? Check my services here.   

Another one...

 Another of my favorite pictures from last weekend is this one.

This photo is a panorama composed of pictures taken along the vertical axis. By doing so, I was able to capture the beautiful cloud and its reflection in the lake. 

The cost of shooting video

I was recently asked to recommend a camera for shooting high-quality video. Ten years ago, “good quality” meant 1080p, but today, 4K is considered the standard for decent quality. Most modern smartphones can shoot 4K video, though with some zoom limitations. Keep in mind, however, that a capable phone with 4K video will cost you over $1,000—likely rolled into the monthly payments you already make to your service provider.

So, what does a camera for video cost? If you buy refurbished to save money, expect to spend at least $500 on a camera body capable of 1080p and another $500 on a lens (minimum). For 4K video, plan on spending more than $1,000 for the body and again around $500 for a suitable lens.

You can find a helpful article recommending the best refurbished cameras for video here.

Shooting video also requires a powerful computer for editing and plenty of storage for saving files. That can easily add several more thousands of dollars to your budget.

So, the next time you hire a photographer for your wedding and request video, don’t be surprised—or complain—when the bill comes to a few thousand dollars.

This is concerning

 There are people out there who love to take what doesn’t belong to them—especially your camera gear.

I have installed a quick release plate to my camera that carries an Airtag. Just in case. I may get some more Airtags for my Camera bags. Just in case. 

The Best Used DSLR Cameras Under $500

 According to KEH, the used camera and lenses store that I trust, here are the best DSLRs for under $500.

 

•  Nikon D5600: A well-rounded DSLR with features for both beginners and more experienced shooters.
•  Canon EOS 1300D: Simple controls and helpful auto modes make this ideal for new photographers.
•  Pentax K-70: A rugged, weather-sealed DSLR that is great for outdoor adventures. 

 

You may be doing it wrong, read this

Why don’t photographers charge camera batteries by connecting the camera to a USB charger?

Cameras get hot, especially when shooting video — and when they do, they can overheat and stop working until they cool down. When you're charging a battery — whether it's your camera or your phone — the battery generates heat. See the issue? By charging the battery inside the camera using a USB cable, you're adding more heat, which can shorten the amount of time the camera can operate while recording video.

 

Stop shooting at 100 ISO!

There was a time, not long ago, when shooting at the lowest possible ISO—100—was a priority for me. Today, I don’t care.

Can you guess the ISO used in the photo above? 25,600! Yet it looks like it was taken at ISO 800 or lower. Thanks to the performance of cameras like my Canon R6 Mark I and the power of post-processing software such as DxO PureRaw (my favorite), Topaz Photo AI, and Lightroom Classic, it’s now possible to achieve remarkably low noise levels—easily cleaned up with these tools. 

Results like the photo above made me change my default approach—from manually selecting the ISO to simply using Auto ISO.

A shot that I'm looking to replicate this year

Back in 2018 I took this picture. 

In St. Augustine, Florida, the Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century Spanish stone fortress, hosts historical reenactments that include live cannon firing demonstrations. These are part of educational and ceremonial programs conducted by National Park Service rangers and reenactors in Spanish colonial uniforms. I was lucky enough to be there at the right moment when this ceremony was being played in 2018 and managed to get this shot. According to Google these demonstrations, still, usually take place at on weekends at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM. We will be there on a weekend and be busy during Saturday shooting a Karate competition, but we are planing to visit the downtown on Sunday. 

That's the logistic behind the shot. Technically, I shot this picture using a Nikon D5200, at 1/800 with an ISO of 100.  Now I'm armed with a Canon R6 Mark I, I'm planning to take a Tamron 28-300mm on this trip to have more flexibly in the angle. From the point of view of settings, I'll set the camera in Shutter Priority with the lens wide open and Auto ISO with a shutter speed of 1/1000. Shutting a fast burst, I do not see a chance of missing the shot with the Canon R6 and these settings. A key point is to start shooting right before the cannon is fired.

As you can see, if you want to capture specific shots, you need to analyze the situation and mentally prepare a plan that includes your camera settings. This is where knowing how to shoot in Manual, Aperture Priority, or Shutter Priority becomes a real advantage. Shooting in full Auto, on the other hand, is unlikely to deliver the results you're after.

By the way, I used ChatGPT to check these settings and surprisedly enough, this AI took recommended the same settings. 

Here is an interesting fact, I asked ChatGPT how using the Tamron 28-300 lens would affect my shooting strategy and here is the answer:

How the Tamron 28-300mm Affects Your Setup

🔹 1. Variable Aperture Lens

• The max aperture shrinks as you zoom:

  • At 28mm: f/3.5

  • At 300mm: f/6.3

• Implication: If you're shooting at the long end (which you probably will), the lens is limited to f/6.3, so less light reaches the sensor. This may force:

  • Higher ISO (expect ISO 400–1600 depending on light)

  • Or slower shutter speeds if you're in Aperture Priority — which is why Shutter Priority is the better choice here.

✅ Your Move: Stick with Shutter Priority and set a minimum of 1/1000s. Let the camera open the aperture (up to f/6.3 at 300mm) and raise ISO as needed.

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🔹 2. Image Stabilization (VC)

• The lens has Vibration Compensation (VC), which helps with camera shake, especially at longer focal lengths.

• BUT: It won’t help freeze subject motion (like the flame/smoke). That’s where fast shutter speed matters more.

✅ Your Move: Keep VC enabled for handheld shots, but don’t rely on it to freeze fast action.

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🔹 3. Autofocus Performance

• This lens is versatile, but its autofocus speed isn't as fast as a high-end Canon RF lens.

• It might hunt in lower light or with fast-moving subjects — but for a static cannon setup, it’s fine.

✅ Your Move: Pre-focus on the cannon (manual focus or AF-ON button). Use Servo AF only if people are moving into the frame.

Between the EF70-200 L and the Tamron 28-300, ChatGPT selected the EF70-200 for this shot, but also mentioned the fact that the Tamron 28-300 was going to give me more flexibility, specially when I'll be shooting different scenarios in this visit. 

 

 

Never struggle with autofocus again

 I wish I had watched a video like this one from Jan Wegener explaining how to achieve focus in all wildlife photography situations when I started photographing birds and other animals. 

 If you have not subscribed to his channel, go ahead and do it. You won't regret it.