Things you need to know about focusing
Are you struggling with getting your photos in focus?
Before we begin, I need to let you know that I don’t know everything about focusing, but I do know everything on the subject one needs to create amazing-looking photos.
Every photo we take needs to include one perfectly sharp element, so it’s essential always to have something in the composition to focus on.
The following three tips will help you get your subjects in focus in all your photos:
ONE//
SELECT “SPOT” FOCUS MODE
Please root out your camera’s manual to find where the focus settings are in your camera. Once found, select “Spot”.
Most cameras are set to multi-field (or a similar name, depending on the camera’s make).
I’m not keen on this setting as it lets the camera decide which element in the frame will be in focus.
Multi-field DOES NOT mean that multiple objects are in focus. A camera can only lay its focus to one distance. If the elements in your composition are spaced at varying intervals, then only one of them will be in focus. If they are in a row, then they’ll all be pretty much in focus, but this is rarely the case.
THE ONLY WAY THE OBJECT OF YOUR DESIRE WILL BE IN FOCUS IS IF YOU set up the focus in YOUR CAMERA TO make THAT EXACT SPOT sharp.
And that’s only possible when selecting “SPOT” focusing.
TWO//
ARE YOU FAR ENOUGH AWAY?
Depending on the lens you’re using at the time, if you’re too close to the thing you’re focusing on, your camera either won’t be able to focus or will take the photo regardless of whether it was in focus or not. You’ll be in for an unpleasant surprise when you upload your pictures to your computer only to find them blurry.
The rule of thumb is to be roughly the same distance in centimetres as your focal point is in millimetres.
So if you’re using a 70-300mm zoom lens and you zoom in to 200mm, you’ll need to be two metres away from the object for the camera to be able to focus and capture the main subject sharply.
THREE//
SELECT AN OBJECT WORTH FOCUSING ON. IT SHOULD BE ONE THAT YOUR CAMERA’S SENSOR CAN GRASP
Your camera won’t be able to focus on things that are too smooth, too light or too dark. The object needs to be rough or contrasty for your camera to focus. Try focusing on a blue sky or the inside of an empty shoe box in semi-darkness. Your lens will start pumping backwards and forwards, and you will be unable to focus.
How to focus
Look through the camera’s viewfinder and decide which element in the scene you’d like to include in the frame.
Toggle the joystick on the back of your camera to move the spot focus point to cover the thing you want in focus:
For demonstration purposes, you’re seeing this on the screen and not through the viewfinder (you’ll maybe also note how wobbly I am when focusing - this occurs less when the camera is held firmly in front of your face.
3. Press the shutter button halfway down to focus.
4. Take the shot.
Your camera may not have a toggle feature. In this case, please look for "set focus" in the camera manual's index. You may have to set the focus by tapping the rear screen in the place you want the sharpest.
Did you enjoy these tips? They’ll help you turn motifs and scenes into professional and stunning-looking images. Leave a comment below and let me know how they helped you.