NOTE: This is not an official Canon USA show. This is a podcast first and foremost, available in both audio-only or video, and the video is also placed on YouTube. My hope is that by going through all of the AF options one-at-a-time, in extreme detail, you will be able to get more out of the camera system you have.

My first show with Rudy Winston, a Technical Marketing Consultant for Canon USA, was back in February of 2022 for “Canon Auto-Focus Explained“, so almost exactly 3 years ago. To date, it’s still one of the favorite shows that I’ve done.

I find that as photographers our relationship with auto-focus isn’t always a great one. It’s so easy to say “the camera missed focus”, or “it front or back focused”. The problem is that’s not the case more often than not. Don’t misunderstand me, these issues are real – that’s why micro adjustments exist. Cameras and lenses are not perfect, and the software that runs anything today can have issues, but focus issues often relate to the end user not having the AF system configured correctly, or not understanding how the system really works. That’s how the first show with Rudy came to be, and to say that was popular is an understatement:

To date it’s had roughly: 453,000 views on YouTube, in addition to all the views in the video and audio-only podcast feeds.

But when we recorded that show the R3 was brand new, and it wasn’t widely available. So I used my R5 for the menu examples in that show, and while we did talk about the AF settings unique to the newer R3, I almost immediately had people asking for an updated video. Since then, we’ve seen the R6 Mark 2 and the R5 Mark 2 come out, and again, lots of people have requested an update to cover all of the newer Auto Focus features.

My thing is, it doesn’t make sense to do a video specific to each camera model, there’s too much overlap, so I wanted to wait until the R1 had actually been released – and it was in November of last year, it started hitting stores in Nov of 2024.

So today, we are going to do basically the same thing that we did 3 years ago, we’re going to go through all of the AF menus, and describe every single command and option for you in detail.

For this show I am going to use the new Canon R1 for the menu examples, which needs a little explanation. When I used the R5 last time I had some people complain that I was using a body out of their price range, while others complained I wasn’t using the R3. So, let me try to explain my decision making process…

The higher end bodies have features the lower end bodies don’t – but they also have most, if not all, of the features on the lower end bodies – so to cover as many settings as possible, spanning bodies in all price ranges, the best choice is the higher end body, which today is the R1.

Unfortunately, I don’t own an R1… so a HUGE thank you to Canon USA for getting me one to use for this show.

Now, if you’re not a Canon shooter.. DON’T RUN AWAY!

While we are using the Canon EOS R1 for the examples today, whatever brand you use:

Nikon

Most of today’s cameras will have some equivalent to the settings we talk about… AF option names will change between brands, and even between models in the same brand, some may be more or less granular, or in different places in the menus EVEN for the same brands, but understanding these AF concepts will still help you get the most out of your camera, regardless of the brand.

One last disclaimer:

I also had some people comment on the last video that they wished I had inserted some B-Roll showing the features in action through the viewfinder, so you could see the AF moving and changing for something like a person running, or a bird in flight etc.

Thank you to everyone that made suggestions, but again, with this video, I have made an intentional choice to not do that. There’s a few production reasons for that choice, but the biggest thing for me is that I want this video to be as generic as possible. In a perfect world this could be a replacement for the manual, and I’m hoping that you might have your camera in hand as we go through these options and settings, and then, once you better understand them, that you’ll take your camera out and test them yourself to find what works best for your genre and style of shooting.

Join Rudy Winston, Technical Marketing Consultant for Canon USA, and me as we take a deep dive into the amazing auto-focus systems available in the current line of Canon cameras, using the Canon EOS R1 as the example, on this Behind the Shot.

00:00:00 – Intro

Website: usa.canon.com

Canon R5/R6 Fast Eye Autofocus Switching: youtube.com

LA based photographer Ian Spanier has been on the show a few times, with the first being back in 2019 for a conversation about Classic Portraits & Classic Lighting, discussing a portrait of actor Jeff bridges. Next up was the 2022 show talking about his Favorite Light Setups, which was fitting since Ian is an Ambassador for Westcott as a “Top Pro”.

In all the years I have been doing this podcast, Ian is absolutely one of my favorite interviews. He’s always happy to share any of his techniques or the details of his process. I have even watched his workshop a few times, when he was a guest presenter at Cal Baptist University. Simply put, he is a top level creator, and a fantastic educator.

I was emailing back and forth with him recently, and he mentioned he had a new book coming out next year, titled Cigars: A Biography. Keep in mind, Ian already has had three successful books. His first full book of published work, “Playboy, a Guide to Cigars” arrived in cigar shops in November 2009. The book is a collection of his photographs made in six countries, and spanning two and a half years. His second book project was a different subject altogether, and “Local Heroes: America’s Volunteer Fire Fighters,” came out to critical acclaim in the Fall of 2012. This year saw the arrival of book three, Arturo Fuente: From 1912 by Assouline books. This one is a two-book series that features all of Ian’s images in their $1200 US Retail version as well as the limited edition smaller version packed with 20 exclusive Arturo Fuente cigars retailing for $2500 US.

While we’re chatting about the newest book, Ian said something that struck me as a great idea for a show. He talked about “how a long term personal project helps one grow as a photographer”.

I think that as creatives we all have a different path for growing as an artist, and I feel like I have heard this one often. Personal projects lets us play, and explore not only our subject matter, but our entire approach to the art. I’ve done shows about personal projects before, and I have always been fascinated by the personal projects I see photographers take on, but this one was different. This personal project is the result of 17 years of Ian’s work.

As I mentioned above, Ian is an Ambassador for Westcott as a “Top Pro”, and he’s also a brand ambassador for companies like ThinkTank Photo, Spider Holster, Hoodman USA, Sekonic, Naroo Global Masks, and CamRanger. So, I asked if he’d wanted to come back and talk about how a project like this, spanning so many years, helped him grow as a photographer.

Join photographer Ian Spanier and me as we take a look at how personal projects can help you grow as a photographer.

Personal: ianspanier.com

Westcott Deep Umbrella: fjwestcott.com

Playboy: The Book of Cigars: amazon.com

Albert Watson: albertwatson.com | @albertwatsonphotography

Social media today can be so draining, but almost daily I am reminded of the wonderful connections I’ve made there, and today’s guest is a perfect example. Jenn Devereaux is a New Orleans area concert and event photographer, and while we’ve never met, we have kind of known each other, or at least of each other, for years.

I think I first discovered Jenn when Todd Owyoung mentioned her, or tagged her in a post, and I have been a fan ever since. Jenn is probably mostly known in the music photography community as a festival photography team member for some of the biggest festivals, like the iHeart Radio Fest in Vegas. Her work from those festivals, some examples of which are in the last gallery below, is just plain fantastic. That, in combination with her work at venues in the New Orleans area, sets her well above a lot of the talent out there.

For today though, we aren’t going to focus on her live music work. Jenn was one of the photographers at this year’s When We Were Young Fest, and when I saw her post some of her backstage artist portraits the idea for today’s show jumped into mind. Working as a festival team member is very different than shooting a show as media, and the pressure of shooting band portraits in a cluttered backstage area, often with very little time and less control of the environment, isn’t for people without confidence.

I think a lot of people are confused about how to pull off that kind of run & gun shoot. They worry about lighting, location choices, working with rock stars, and just getting the shot. So, I invited Jenn to stop by and share her experiences with us. Hopefully, after this show you will have more confidence to just go out and try a shoot like this.

Jenn is such an accomplished photographer, with clients like Uber, Live Nation, Showtime and iHeartRadio, and her work has been seen in publications such as Rolling Stone, Rock Sound, People

Join Music and Event photographer Jenn Devereaux and me as we dive into how she handles the job of getting backstage portraits of bands, on this Behind the Shot.

Websites: jenndphotography.com

Women In Music Photography You Should Know: ishootshows.com

Angler Fastbox 24” – compatible with Godox V1: anglerlights.com

Skyler Barberio: skylerbarberio.com | @skylerbarberio

I’m a Canon shooter… I shoot an R6 and an R5. So, I have been curious about the new Canon R1, and a little less so about the R5 Mark II. Still, I had written off watching the announcement, because it was at something like 3am my time… but, I happened to be up anyway so I watched it, and I ended up with some serious opinions on both the new gear and the presentation itself.

There’s no question these cameras are in demand, even though the R5 Mark II retails for $4,300 and the R1 for a whopping $6,300. The R5 Mark II is already backordered to early Sept, and B&H says the Release Date for the R1 is estimated as Nov 26th.

Very few people have had the chance to try out the R5 Mark II and R1, and those that have didn’t get much time with them. A few photographers were given pre-release bodies to use at the Olympics, and luckily for us one of them is a friend of the show.

I knew Jeff was going to be using the R5 Mark II and R1 at the Paris Olympics, it was semi-public knowledge, so before he left I asked if he would come back on the show to give us his thoughts. He agreed to do a recap, and so today we will dive into his experiences under the real world pressure of photographing the Olympics for Team USA.

Jeff has been on the show a few times before. First for the episode Capture the Action, and then to talk about his experiences at the Tokyo Olympics for the show on Real World Use of the Canon R3.

On the chance that you didn’t see either of those shows, let me introduce you to my friend Jeff Cable…

Photographing the Olympics has got to be the pinnacle of a sports photographer’s career, and for Jeff Cable it’s one he’s reached many times, having now photographed the last 8 Olympics for Team USA.

I am always amazed by how many photographers either come from, or are in some way involved with, the tech industry. For more than 25 years, Jeff was a marketing executive at companies like Symantec, Magellan, and Micron, but while traveling the world for his corporate job, his interest and passion for photography grew quickly. He left the corporate world in 2016 to dedicate himself full-time to his photography.

Since then, Jeff has earned respect around the globe for his creative images, and for sharing his love of photography with others. He’s best known for capturing photos for the US Olympic Committee, photographing the last eight Olympic games, in Beijing, Vancouver, London, Sochi, Rio de Janeiro, PyeongChang, Tokyo, and Paris.

As an educator, Jeff also leads photo tours where he teaches photo enthusiasts and professionals around the world. He has taught in Africa, Australia, China, Europe, Central and South America, and across the United States, and has upcoming tours, through 2024 and 2025, to San Francisco, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, Tanzania (African Safari), Japan, Botswana, and Alaska.

Join me in welcoming Sports and Event Photographer Jeff Cable back to the show, as we talk about his real world experience at this year’s Paris Olympics with a pre-production Canon EOS R1 and pre-production R5 Mark II, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

CORRECTION: Thanks to Mike in the YouTube comments for pointing out that I was incorrect when I referred to the R5 II as having cross-type AF. The R1 does, but the R5 II does not. Sorry about the mistake.

Jeff’s Real World Review of the Canon R1 & R5 Mark II: blog.jeffcable.com

Website: jeffcable.com

Chris McLennan: chrismclennanphotography.com | @chris_mclennan1

I have always been fascinated with the education side of photography. I don’t have a formal photography education myself, and I am very aware of what skill sets I wish I had been exposed to earlier in my photo journey.

I have been around a lot of the continuing education side of photography, like KelbyOne, or various workshops that a lot of the top photographers do, and in fact teach workshops myself, but I do appreciate what many of the more traditional photography programs provide for the next generation of photographers.

A few years ago I even teamed up with Red River Paper to spotlight some students from the schools they supported with the EDU programs.

All of this is to say, I think some of the absolute best creatives shooting today are a great representation of where this craft I love is headed.

A case in point is Cal Baptist University, in my hometown of Riverside, CA. The photography program there is run by Christopher Kern, and he has put together such an amazing program. I have been there a few times, usually to see my buddy, and past guest, Ian Spanier do his guest workshop, but also to visit with Christopher and see what they are doing at CBU. This program has even helped another past guest, Art Streamer, with interns for some of his shoots.

A few weeks ago I saw an Instagram post from CBU, and had me thinking…. what are some of the current students in this wonderful program shooting these days? I asked Christopher for a recommendation of a student he thought might make a good guest on the show, and he suggested Josiah Grant.

Josiah is the perfect example of what I was talking about up above. An amazing photographer that just sees things differently than most anyone I know. Looking through his portfolio you are struck by his use of depth, and I don’t only mean only depth-of-field. Josiah uses light and shadow, softness and sharpness, foreground and background, subtle or bold, to define what he wants you to see. His understanding of directing the viewers eye seems to be much more experienced than his still being in college would imply.

I am so excited to learn from the student today, and the image we will be discussing has won a few awards!

From over 7,000 entries, a Jury selected just 317 images, including Josiah’s, to appear in the “2024 American Photography 40”, a book representing the best pictures from 2023. It also won an Award of Excellence in the one of the most prestigious competitions for creativity in photography, the “2024 Communication Arts Photography Annual 65”.

Join photographer Josiah Grant and me as we dive into how he creates such amazing and creative portraits, on this Behind the Shot.

Websites: josiahvisuals.com

Miguel Esparza: miguelesparzaphoto.com | @miguelesparzaphoto

This is a show I have been thinking about doing for a while, and that I believe is an important subject for both new and veteran music photographers…. BUT even if you’re not a music photographer, this subject should matter to you. I think it applies to anyone negotiating prices.

I have strong opinions on what the ASMP has referred to as “Predatory” Releases, and there’s no question that I have an opinion on the message I want to get out on this episode, but, it is my show, so I get to do that.

If you’re not a Music Photographer, and have never heard of photo releases – note that these are NOT model releases – then don’t worry. I explain what they are, and why they exist, in the show. Then I am joined by two other music photographers…

My buddy David Bergman is a Canon Explorer of light, and hosts the show Ask David Bergman on Adorama TV. There are few people I know of that know more about photography than David, from his days shooting for the famed Miami Herald newspaper, to having 13 Sports Illustrated covers, David is a big deal. He has been Luke Combs’ full-time tour photographer since January 2019, and Bon Jovi’s tour photographer since 2010. So glad that we get to benefit from his years of experience in media and music photography for this show. Oh yeah… David’s workshops, like Shoot From the Pit and his upcoming Italy trip, are great chances to hang out and learn photography.

Also on the show we have Montreal based Music Photographer Marie Demeire. I have followed Marie on socials for years, but today is my first time meeting her face-to-face. Known around the net as “Marie Goes To Shows”, she has been published in Complex, EDM.com, Bandcamp, iHeartRadio Canada, Canadian Beats, 99Scenes, Sors-Tu, the MUHC Foundation, Secret Melbourne and BP Arts Media. Having been a fan of her work for years, I am thrilled to be able to get her perspective on this subject.

Join Canon Explorer of Light David Bergman, and Montreal Music Photographer Marie Demeire, as they join me for a serious, and fun, chat about Concert Photo Releases, on this Behind the Shot.

00:00:00 – Intro

Website: davidbergman.net

Website: tinyurl.com/mariegoestoshows

Aubrey Wise: aubreywisephoto.com | @aubreywisephoto

Susan Moss: susanmossphotography.com | @susanmossphotography

Predatory Contract Clauses: Music Edition: asmp.org

Playlist on YouTube: Music Edition: YouTube.com/@behindtheshot

I will never forget growing up hearing my dad talk about his days flying P-51 and P-40 planes. His walls were covered in model planes of classic war birds, as though he was trying to relive his youth. When he passed away, I inherited a bunch of model planes he’d never gotten around to building. He was in the Air Force his entire life, retiring as a Lt. Colonel, and talking with today’s guest has brought back so many memories.

Brett Schauf, the owner of T&J Studios, in Wichita, Kansas, is a commercial, portrait and fine art photographer, but in addition to his commercial and portrait work Brett has been able to produce a collection of fine art prints featuring Landscape, Travel, and Aviation photography.

Since 2015 Brett has been the lead photographer for the B-29 Doc, a restored World War II B-29 bomber, and man…. it’s a beautiful plane. This gig has given Brett the opportunity to travel as a crew member, documenting the plane, crew, visitors and the many veterans who visit Doc on tour. So, while I started by introducing Brett as a commercial, portrait and fine art photographer, today’s focus will be the Aviation photography.

From aviation manufacturers and publications, to industry leaders, businesses and entertainers, Brett’s commercial client list keeps him pretty busy, so I am so grateful he was able to set aside some time to talk to us about how he captures these rare classic warbirds. And a quick thank you to Dr. T from Platypod for introducing us.

Join commercial, portrait. fine art, and arial photographer Brett Schauf and me as we talk about how he captures his stunning images of classic warbirds, like the B-29 Doc. Brett shares his passion for capturing dynamic lighting and vibrant colors, whether in landscapes or mid-air. He also provides insights into the technical aspects and creative process behind his aerial shots. Join us for a conversation that offers valuable tips and inspiration for photographers at all levels, on this Behind the Shot.

Websites: brett.photo | tjstudios.com

Travis Heying: travisheying.com | @theying

One of the things I love about the podcasting world is the instant camaraderie you sometimes feel when talking with other podcasters. It’s hard to explain the connection you get when you have something creative in common with someone, but it’s a pretty cool feeling. So, when a few months back I got a text from Kersten Luts, of the ‘Camera Shake Podcast‘, to see if I wanted to join him and Dave Clayton, of the ‘He Shoots, He Draws Podcast‘, for a joint podcast I answered with a quick “YES PLEASE!”.

Their idea was that we do a show on podcasting – a casual chat about how we got started, the ups and down, and why we still love doing our shows. We would record the show as a video, even though He Shoots, He Draws is normally audio only, and then we would each release the same show, on the same day, on each of our podcasts. I loved the concept as soon as I heard it, and the chance to do a show with these two friends made it even better.

I have had the honor of being on both Kersten’s and Dave’s podcasts. I was the guest on Episode 93 of He Shoots, He Draws, and I have been on the Camera Shake Podcast twice, for Episode 134: How To Take Great Music Photos,  and on Episode 178 talking about how to Instantly Improve Your Photos, plus I was recently on Kersten’s live streamed Coffee Time.

For today’s show we went pretty long, it’s tough to stop when you’re just having a fun chat with friends about a topic you love.

Join podcasters Kersten Luts of the Camera Shake Podcast, and Dave Clayton of the He Shoots He Draws Podcast, as they join me for a joint show – available on all of our shows – talk about podcasting, poor audio, the Royal Family, and birthdays, on this Behind the Shot.

Website: kerstenluts.com

Website: camerashakepodcast.com

Website: itsdaveclayton.com

Website: heshootshedrawspodcast.simplecast.com

The photographers I am exposed to by doing this show never cease to amaze me. Recently, my buddy Ian Spanier told a friend of his that he should be on the show, and gave him my contact info. At that point, Jason Gardner reached out to me, and when Ian, who has been on the show a few times himself, suggests someone I need to pay attention.

Jason is an interesting photographer. He has galleries on his site for Editorial, Events, Personalities, and Lifestyle, and the work is fantastic. Honestly, there were a few of his lifestyle images I really wanted to cover on the show, and hopefully we get to revisit that subject one day. For this show though we look at a project Jason has been working on for years, a lot of years.

For over 15 years, throughout 15 countries, Jason has documented the ritual and festival of Carnival, focusing on traditional, folkloric, and community celebrations. The resulting images, which are the subject of his second book, We the Spirits, and a window into how humanity, worldwide, celebrate life, tradition, and folklore. Photographs from We the Spirits were displayed in the exhibition Costume and Masquerade: at the Stadhaus in Ulm, Germany, and the project was selected to be exhibited at the Mois de la Photo OFF Photography festival in Paris, and that’s just two of the many exhibitions that Jason’s work has been displayed at, and in fact the images from We the Spirits will be on display again for an exhibition at Ted and Nune Studio, Street Hastings-on-Hudson, NY from April 6 – May 19.

With a client list that includes Con Edison, HBO, TED Talks, Dassault Systèmes, Electrolux, Grand Central Station, Samsung Corporation, N-Y Historical Society, Freshworks, Ogilvy & Mather, Direct TV, Pfizer, Big Brothers Big Sisters NY, and Human Rights Watch, it’s no wonder Jason has seen the success he has. Seriously, go check out his Lifestyle / Editorial work, or his Personalities gallery. So good.

Getting back to that term “Visual Anthropology”, Jason describes it this way:

“In my practice, I document visually various aspects of a culture, and how it is celebrated, both venerating traditions and looking forward.

I am interested in what constitutes cultures and most especially how they are celebrated, from honoring traditions to envisaging the future. By focusing on cultural manifestations such as music, dance, festival, and spectacle, as well as symbols, street art, glyphs, costumes, or shrines in a closet, I capture the intangible, visually translating the symbolic connections of what might not be visible at first glance.

Placing my photographic practice within the framework of Visual Anthropology, I hope to tell stories by focusing on cultures, traditions and practices which often happen behind the public’s view. I capture things that build up to define the cultural milieu and community’s regional identities. I look for that ineffable moment of transformation in a ceremony, the traditional song or costume epitomizing regional pride and identity, a symbol representing a culture, these all combine to reflect the culture.

I wish to reveal some of the diversity of the spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional landscape of a community. Making the connections among the various manifestations, to show their relationship with each other, and how they interlock, helps to form my view of the culture I am documenting. These displays of culture are significant, to me, in that they represent one of the more profound ways that humans can express themselves.”

And I think all of that comes through in his work.

Join documentary photographer Jason Gardner and me as we talk about his “Visual Anthropology”, and as we dissect one of the images from his travels documenting the ritual and festival of Carnival throughout 15 countries, on this Behind the Shot.

Website: jasongardner.net

We the Spirits: jasongardner.net

Ted and Nune Studio, Street Hastings-on-Hudson, NY: tedandnune.com

Roberto de la Torre: roberdelatorre.com | @rober.delatorre

I never used to go to photography conferences. It’s not that they didn’t interest me, it’s just that none of them cover my genre of music photography. WPPI is all about weddings and portraits, and while Imaging USA seems to cover a bit more, it doesn’t go anywhere near concerts. Still, a few years ago I went to WPPI with a friend, to cover it on the show, and I found out that I didn’t care what the conference covered. What I enjoyed the most was meeting other photographers after hours to talk shop. Since then, I have been to all but one WPPI, and a few of the old Photoshop World conferences – which I really miss.

That is all to say that no matter what you think of conferences, the networking side is almost always worth the trip. This past January I decided to try out my first Imaging USA, partly because it was in Louisville, KY, the home of the Bourbon Trail. The conference, for me, was a huge success. I was able to hang out with some old friends, and meet a few new ones, like today’s guest. While at Imaging I stopped by to say hello to my friends at the Platypod booth, and while there I met fellow Platypod Pro Lenworth Johnson.

Lenworth is a commercial fashion and beauty photographer based in Houston, TX, and originally from Jamaica. We talked a bit at the conference, and I browsed through his site, and knew right then I needed to get him on the show. My original thought was to cover one of his amazing fashion or beauty shots, since that’s what he’s mostly known for, but that would have been obvious. Instead I decided we should focus on a tangential part of his work. Lenworth also shoots fashion related product photography, like perfumes and makeup, and I have never really had that genre on the show before.

The challenges of product photography are quite varied, from holding highlights on reflective surfaces, to subject separation and color accuracy, and Lenworth tackles these challenges so well I thought he could help you and I get a better sense of this difficult subject matter.

His work has been honored with multiple awards:

2019 Guru Awards Photoshop World Award

As a KelbyOne instructor, Lenworth teaches a few classes, including Fashion & Beauty, lighting, and getting published.

Join commercial fashion and beauty photographer Lenworth Johnson and me as we talk about his fashion and beauty work, and as we dissect his product shot of Chanel makeup, on this Behind the Shot.

Website: lenworthjohnson.com

KelbyOne: KelbyOne.com

Mary Bel: marybelphotography.com | @marybelphotography