How to focus clearly in snapshots. Focusing techniques for portrait photography

How to focus clearly in snapshots. Focusing techniques for portrait photography.

When the camera leaves the factory, it is set to the default configuration of continuously focusing when the shutter is pressed. If the camera is set to single-shot autofocus, all you need to do is activate the autofocus sensor, look into the viewfinder (assuming you only have one choice), and an important part of the scene is in focus, press the shutter button halfway to focus, and the lens will automatically focus on At this point. To take this picture, press the shutter button all the way. Most of the time though, you'll want to change the composition a bit. Keep pressing the shutter button halfway to recompose the shot the way you like, then press the shutter button fully to complete the shot. This focusing method is especially suitable for handheld photography.

This method is inconvenient or useless on a tripod, because you need to focus, compose the shot, and then lock the tripod head, which slows down the shooting speed. The bigger problem is that you need to keep the shutter button pressed. With most cameras, if you focus on what you think is a sharp focus point, such as a deer's eye, then recompose the shot, and then press the shutter release, the image may not be clear. The reason is that recomposing the shot may move the autofocus sensor, changing the focus point from the face to a point in the background. When you activate the shutter release, autofocus activates again, quickly bringing the background into focus while keeping the deer out of focus.

To avoid this possible problem, check whether your wired or wireless shutter release causes the camera to re-autofocus. If so, the problem is relatively easy to solve, just turn off the autofocus button before taking the exposure. Although the problem is easy to solve, it is also troublesome to turn the autofocus on and off. Your camera may (hopefully) have a better solution than what we discussed.

Red foxes often hunt mice and ground squirrels around our barn. This red fox has become so accustomed to us that it comes over when we call it. On the river bank, if you throw a small piece of meat, the red fox will quickly pounce on you, which is a much better photo opportunity.

Focusing techniques for portrait photography? Continuous autofocus

This mode is very suitable for tracking a moving subject, because no matter it moves closer or farther, the lens is always moving. Continuous autofocus. Usually continuous autofocus is on the camera body, perhaps a switch or a series of buttons. Continuous autofocus can also be activated by the shutter button.

For example, we used a 300mm telephoto lens to photograph a black and white vulture circling down towards a lion carcass in Kenya. Using the continuous autofocus function, when the vulture approaches, set it as the autofocus center, and then pan along with its flight path to keep the autofocus point on it. When it goes into the viewfinder, you press the shutter and you get a lot of pictures. Because the camera can automatically adjust the focus distance when the distance of the subject changes, the chance of taking clear pictures is greatly increased. Just be sure to use a shutter speed like 1/1000 second. Moving along with the subject requires continuous training to improve.

If the autofocus sensor sees clouds behind the subject, it will re-lock on the new target, and the vulture will be out of focus. When using a large lens such as a 600mm with an aperture of f/4 on a tripod, this tracking pan performs well. Such large and heavy super telephoto lenses are impossible for most people to hold effectively, so they need to be mounted on a tripod. Let's say you're photographing sandhill cranes in a wildlife preserve. Using a heavy tripod to support all the weight of the huge lens and gimbal head allows you to successfully balance the camera and lens on the head, so you can move in any direction without locking the head. When the sandhill crane approaches, aim at it to activate autofocus. Follow its movement trajectory and press the shutter at any time when you see a good composition.

I love photographing birds in flight. It's not difficult at all with a little practice, and the continuous autofocus will help you achieve sharp focus. There is also a common mistake that many people make here. Suppose that at dawn a swan flies towards you from the right of the reserve. But first they had to cross an area that was off limits to humans, so they had about 100 yards to fly before they came into camera range. Once the swans fly close, many people start tracking their movements with autofocus, which is a good idea. When the bird flies close, follow the bird's movement, see the appropriate composition, and press the shutter at the highest possible shutter speed to take the photo.

So, what’s the mistake? Human’s natural instinct is to maintain a balanced posture from the beginning to follow the flying birds. Unfortunately, as the swan gets closer, the shooting opportunities get better, but then you lose your balance, so it's difficult to maintain panning, panning speed, and maintain autofocus on the swan. Well, since you know where you plan to shoot, you'd better keep your body balanced at the point you want to shoot, and then turn your legs and upper body towards the direction of the swan. This way, you're a little off-balance at first, but as you follow the bird's movement, you're right back into balance when you actually start shooting.

Autofocus often places focus on the foreground of an object, such as the grass in front of this swamp rabbit.

Using manual focus, carefully adjust the focus to the bunny's eyes.

Many cameras have a series of autofocus sensors to help you maintain focus on erratically moving objects. This is called dynamic focus. It does have advantages, but I still prefer to choose a little focus (usually center focus) and then follow the movement of the subject to maintain focus.

Suppose you are photographing Canada swans resting quietly by the pool, and the camera is set to single-shot autofocus. Suddenly, the swan began to glide across the water, preparing to fly away. This is a rare opportunity to photograph Canada swans flying in all directions over the water. But if you're using single-shot AF, the bird can easily go out of focus because you don't have time to refocus or switch to continuous AF.

In Samburu National Park, I used the focus button on the back of my camera to photograph an East African Oryx standing under a tree. Since my camera was set to continuous autofocus, I kept the camera on its back. The focus control of the focus button allows me to automatically focus in time, so that I can take a picture of this running antelope that is quickly catching up with the large group.

Focusing techniques for shooting people? Back focus button

Like the problem encountered by the Canada Swan just mentioned, it would be easier to solve it if you use the back focus button that less people know about. Many cameras have a button on the back of the body that activates autofocus and turns off the shutter's focus function. Pressing the shutter button now simply activates the camera's metering function and starts shooting. This function is usually turned on in custom functions, but of course it varies depending on the camera type. On many Canon cameras, Custom Function #4 is used to control it. And the Nikon D70 is at #15 in customization features. Study your custom features carefully to find what you need.

Using the buttons on the back of the camera to control autofocus may sound inconvenient, but it will solve many autofocus problems. I set my Canon cameras this way almost all the time, and often set to continuous autofocus. This allows us to quickly enter single-shot AF or continuous AF. Next, let’s talk about its working procedures. Let's say you're photographing a waterfall. Aim at the most important part of the waterfall, activate autofocus, and then use the back focus button to control the lens focus. Once the focus is accurate, release the button and the focus distance will be locked, even if the camera is set to continuous autofocus. Now you can recompose the shot, press the shutter release button, or start time-lapse shooting, all without the camera having to refocus.

When shooting the Bighorn Elk Falls, the focus button on the back of the camera worked perfectly. In the viewfinder, only the middle autofocus is activated. Aim it at the upper right corner of the waterfall so that the sensor will see some white water and black rocks. Press the back focus button to confirm the focus point. Release the button. Recompose and shoot.

In the example of just shooting the Canada swan, you can set the automatic focus on the head of the swan, then use the focus button on the back of the camera to focus, release the button, recompose the picture, and finally shoot. If the swan starts to take off, just follow the flight path of the swan and keep the focus button on the back of the aircraft to control the shooting. Since the camera is set to continuously autofocus, this gives you the chance to get clear and sharp images.

Essentially, when you use the back focus button to start autofocus, you can quickly switch between single-shot autofocus and continuous autofocus. Another place to use the back focus button is in a low-contrast scene or somewhere with grass in the foreground. If you are in a low-contrast scene and focus on the most contrasting part, perhaps a tree trunk in dense fog, press the back focus button to autofocus and check whether the lens is in focus in the viewfinder. Release the button again, recompose the shot, and shoot. To take a picture of a lion staring at its prey in the grass, focus on the lion's face exposed outside the grass, press the focus button on the back of the camera to find the focus point, release the button, compose the picture, and you can take another sharp picture. . Once you get used to it you will find this focusing method to be very good. This is one of the best techniques we've used over the past 10 years.

One small drawback of this system is that the shutter button must be pressed at the same time when pressing the focus button on the back of the camera. Although it is easy to operate with practice, I admit that it is easier to set the camera to continuous autofocus mode and maintain shutter control. You can control the autofocus with one finger to complete the shooting. We choose this function when we only shoot moving objects.

Autofocus will perform well if you focus the active sensor on the top of a tree, and it will see the contrast between the tops of the pine trees and the dawn sky.