Focusing Your Camera

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Whether you are a hobbyist photographer or a pro, it is important to maintain focus on the subject. Without proper focus, an image will misrepresent the meaning the artist is trying to convey or ruin the image entirely. There are several things I think about every time while focusing in on the subject of my images. 

Determine the Subject. The first thing I do is figure out what I want to focus on. I want all of my images to create a story or communicate some type of message. It’s important to pick something to focus on that will convey a certain message to your audience. If I am taking a picture of a landscape, I choose an interesting point of focus and make sure that there aren’t any elements surrounding my subject that will distract from it. If there are distracting elements that I cannot do anything about then I usually try to blur out the distraction. If the subject is a person, I almost always focus on the eyes. 

Using Your Focus Points. If you have a camera that has more than one focus point, there are several options available to you when focusing your camera. While looking through the lens, move to a point that is closest to your subject before hitting the shutter. This will allow you to get the best focus on what you are photographing. Do this when you encounter fast moving subjects like small children. In addition, you can also use the center point to focus on your subject and then recompose the shot after the focus has been locked. I prefer this method especially when I have slow moving subjects or still objects.

Keep Subjects on the Same Plane. When photographing more than one person or subject, it is important to keep each subject on the same plane. What I mean by this is to have both individuals and items aligned side by side or vertically.  This will help you to avoid keeping one of the subjects more focused than the other.

Avoid Camera Shake. Shaking your camera-even slightly-is so easy to do. Using a tripod greatly reduces the camera from shaking. If you are like me and either don’t like using a tripod or have fast moving subjects, plant yourself by locking your legs into a wide stance before pressing the shutter.

There are many other things in addition to this list that can lessen the odds of out-of-focus pictures. I tried to narrow down the top four (in my mind) that would be the most helpful to those of you that struggle with focusing. Remember, this is something that takes a lot of practice! Don’t give up if you are facing this dilemma when shooting. At times, we all struggle with focusing issues! 

Till next time, 

Lisa

Image source: http://photography.about.com/od/camerabasics/qt/Autofocus-Points-What-Are-Autofocus-Points-On-A-Camera.htm