Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
#canon #r5
Today I'm going to show you how I shoot at super wide apertures -- even F1.2 and nail the focus every time with the Canon R5 (adorama.rfvk.net/Rk5Qy).
First of all, why shoot at a wide aperture to begin with?
Mainly, it’s to get a narrow depth of field — you know, when the background is blurry and your subject is in focus.
This often leads to a more pleasing looking photo, as illustrated in the video here, you can see my first shot with the 85mm at F16 and then the second at 1.2 — that makes a heck of a difference!
The problem however is when you shoot wide open, you leave very little margin for error and what you focus on might not actually be in focus!
This requires a bit of skill and practice to master, or tools that help do it for you.
That’s why I really enjoy the new advancements of the Canon R5 that have crazy capabilities for focusing and ensuring that your subject is tack sharp while your background remains that buttery smooth out of focus goodness!
Here are my tips for shooting wide open (regardless of the camera you’re using)
1. Remember focal planes — at super wide apertures, micro movements of your subject can throw things out of focus. Your focal plane becomes very narrow and therefore you must constantly be hyper aware of how to direct your subject and where your focal plane actually is so they don’t dip out of it. This doesn’t just apply to your model, but how you choose to change your camera angle. Adjusting height, angle etc.
2. Distance matters — When shooting your depth of field, the closer to your subject the distance gets even smaller. So why does this matter? If you’re shooting very close to your subject wide open you again have to pay very close attention to your angle, their movement etc since you have a very slim margin of error for nailing focus.
3. Camera settings — It’s important to familiarize yourself with yoru cameras focus settings, as there are probably many. Experiment with these difference settings in order to find the focus setting that works best for your particular shoot. With the Canon R5 the focus and eye tracking makes this incredibly easier to deal with. The camera is doing the heavy lifting and hard work trying to nail the focus for me. I don’t have to worry about focus and recompose mess.
👇 So what do you shoot? Do you find yourself constantly shooting wide open? Is it a hassle to nail the focus? Drop a comment below and let me know!
📸 Gear used in this video:
✅ Canon R5: https://prf.hn/l/7oZobqW/
✅ Canon RF 85mm 1.2: https://prf.hn/l/KjNLVQy/
☀️ Speaking of natural light, be sure to check out my lighting recipe e-book that consists of 20 different natural light setups designed to spark your creativity, and have you outside making wonderful images in no time! Check it out here: https://lindsayadler.photo/natural-light-guide
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Portfolio: lindsayadlerphotography.com
Instagram: instagram.com/lindsayadler_photo
Facebook: facebook.com/lindsayadlerphotography
Twitter: twitter.com/lindsayadler
Education: learn.lindsayadlerphotography.com
--Photos shot with pre-production camera
Some of the links in this description contain affiliate links to partners.
#canon #r5
Today I'm going to show you how I shoot at super wide apertures -- even F1.2 and nail the focus every time with the Canon R5 (adorama.rfvk.net/Rk5Qy).
First of all, why shoot at a wide aperture to begin with?
Mainly, it’s to get a narrow depth of field — you know, when the background is blurry and your subject is in focus.
This often leads to a more pleasing looking photo, as illustrated in the video here, you can see my first shot with the 85mm at F16 and then the second at 1.2 — that makes a heck of a difference!
The problem however is when you shoot wide open, you leave very little margin for error and what you focus on might not actually be in focus!
This requires a bit of skill and practice to master, or tools that help do it for you.
That’s why I really enjoy the new advancements of the Canon R5 that have crazy capabilities for focusing and ensuring that your subject is tack sharp while your background remains that buttery smooth out of focus goodness!
Here are my tips for shooting wide open (regardless of the camera you’re using)
1. Remember focal planes — at super wide apertures, micro movements of your subject can throw things out of focus. Your focal plane becomes very narrow and therefore you must constantly be hyper aware of how to direct your subject and where your focal plane actually is so they don’t dip out of it. This doesn’t just apply to your model, but how you choose to change your camera angle. Adjusting height, angle etc.
2. Distance matters — When shooting your depth of field, the closer to your subject the distance gets even smaller. So why does this matter? If you’re shooting very close to your subject wide open you again have to pay very close attention to your angle, their movement etc since you have a very slim margin of error for nailing focus.
3. Camera settings — It’s important to familiarize yourself with yoru cameras focus settings, as there are probably many. Experiment with these difference settings in order to find the focus setting that works best for your particular shoot. With the Canon R5 the focus and eye tracking makes this incredibly easier to deal with. The camera is doing the heavy lifting and hard work trying to nail the focus for me. I don’t have to worry about focus and recompose mess.
👇 So what do you shoot? Do you find yourself constantly shooting wide open? Is it a hassle to nail the focus? Drop a comment below and let me know!
📸 Gear used in this video:
✅ Canon R5: https://prf.hn/l/7oZobqW/
✅ Canon RF 85mm 1.2: https://prf.hn/l/KjNLVQy/
☀️ Speaking of natural light, be sure to check out my lighting recipe e-book that consists of 20 different natural light setups designed to spark your creativity, and have you outside making wonderful images in no time! Check it out here: https://lindsayadler.photo/natural-light-guide
----
Portfolio: lindsayadlerphotography.com
Instagram: instagram.com/lindsayadler_photo
Facebook: facebook.com/lindsayadlerphotography
Twitter: twitter.com/lindsayadler
Education: learn.lindsayadlerphotography.com
--Photos shot with pre-production camera
Some of the links in this description contain affiliate links to partners.
