This week's tip is... Focus on the eyes!
People have asked me how I get the subjects' eyes so sharp in my images. The answer is simple: Focus on the eyes. If you are shooting with your camera set on auto-focus, make sure when you're looking through your view finder that you see the little red light show up on at least one of the eyes. You may have to move your camera and try different angles until you see that it has picked up on one of the eyes its self. This leads me to another challenge...
If you feel comfortable (because you have read your manual not one, not two, but at LEAST three times), I *highly* encourage you to practice choosing your focal point manually. By manipulating your focal point you can manually place the focal point on the pupil of the subject's eye. By doing this you are much more likely to get the focal point you want and the sharpness you desire.
I anticipate a few questions could arise from this tip so I'm going to try and nip those before you even have to ask :)
1. What setting should I have my camera set on to adjust my focal point manually? Although 'Program' (P for Canon) is not the only setting that will allow you to do this, it's the one I recommend. Until I learn how to shoot 100% in manual, I'm sticking with P. I'm one of those who sticks with what works. It works so I'm sticking.
2. Whose eyes do I focus on if there is more than one person in the picture? It depends. (Oh why did I give myself such a complicated question, haha) If I want one person to be the focal point of the image, obviously I choose that person's eyes. However, if I want a group of people to be in focus I usually just switch to auto-focus and allow my camera to do the thinking for me. While in auto-focus I do make sure my camera picks up on someone's eye. Sometimes if I have two people side-by-side I'll just choose one of their eye's, randomly. If they aren't side-by-side (different depths-of-field) then I don't choose one over the other because I don't want one person to be in focus while the other is blurred. Wow, I hope that makes sense.
3. Do you always choose the eye as your focal point with taking portraits? Yes! :)
4. How did you figure that out? Although I'd love to take credit for figuring out the importance of focusing on the eyes all by myself, I have to thank Jasmine Star for that little tid-bit. She always has such great pointers.
As always, I have included a few photos to support my tip. Check out all those beautiful eyes!
If you feel comfortable (because you have read your manual not one, not two, but at LEAST three times), I *highly* encourage you to practice choosing your focal point manually. By manipulating your focal point you can manually place the focal point on the pupil of the subject's eye. By doing this you are much more likely to get the focal point you want and the sharpness you desire.
I anticipate a few questions could arise from this tip so I'm going to try and nip those before you even have to ask :)
1. What setting should I have my camera set on to adjust my focal point manually? Although 'Program' (P for Canon) is not the only setting that will allow you to do this, it's the one I recommend. Until I learn how to shoot 100% in manual, I'm sticking with P. I'm one of those who sticks with what works. It works so I'm sticking.
2. Whose eyes do I focus on if there is more than one person in the picture? It depends. (Oh why did I give myself such a complicated question, haha) If I want one person to be the focal point of the image, obviously I choose that person's eyes. However, if I want a group of people to be in focus I usually just switch to auto-focus and allow my camera to do the thinking for me. While in auto-focus I do make sure my camera picks up on someone's eye. Sometimes if I have two people side-by-side I'll just choose one of their eye's, randomly. If they aren't side-by-side (different depths-of-field) then I don't choose one over the other because I don't want one person to be in focus while the other is blurred. Wow, I hope that makes sense.
3. Do you always choose the eye as your focal point with taking portraits? Yes! :)
4. How did you figure that out? Although I'd love to take credit for figuring out the importance of focusing on the eyes all by myself, I have to thank Jasmine Star for that little tid-bit. She always has such great pointers.
As always, I have included a few photos to support my tip. Check out all those beautiful eyes!
Happy shooting!
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