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Focus
Regardless of how good a photographer
you become, focus will always be one of the two most important things
(the other being exposure) that you control on any camera.
Though sharpness is important, the real issue is whether or not what is in or
out of focus looks intentional. This means that just because something is blurry
doesn't make it a bad picture.
What makes an image less successful (not bad)
is if your viewer is thinking, "hmmm, I wonder why that is blurry".
If your viewer is thinking this way, they are no longer looking at the image
for the reasons you took the image (subject, light, composition, etc.) and thus
are distracted by your technical ability and not your artistic ability.
There are many ways to use blur and sharpness to lead the viewers eye or clarify
a meaning, but first you need to master the half-press.
The Half-Press
All cameras utilize the half-press
for auto-focus and exposure. By pressing the Shutter release
button halfway down, you instruct your camera to look for areas
of contrast to focus on, as well as figure out the right amount
of light to expose properly.
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It may take a while to get used to it,
but eventually you will stop accidentally taking random pictures
by pressing the button too far.
Once you press the button half-way, the camera tries to achieve focus based on
your camera's focusing pattern, assuming autofocus is on. Some cameras only have
the center area to use for focusing, while some can have 9 or more (rebel xti).
If your camera can't find focus due to no contrast (sky) or low light, it will
either continue to fight you and waste your batteries, or it will give you an
icon telling you that you need to do something different to take this picture.
If your camera can achieve focus, then a confirmation light (usually a green
dot) or an icon on your LCD (usually a green dot or a hand) will tell you that
the camera has focused on something and is ready to take the shot.
If you can change the area your camera focuses on, then you can set it using
your menus (Nikon D40 is called focus area display) or you may have a dedicated
button on the back of the camera.
In dark situations, you may have an auto-focus assist beam that fires a beam
of light when the camera is going to use flash, but can't achieve focus. This
works pretty well with close subjects, but not at all with far away subjects.
It also kills your battery quickly, which is why you usually have an option to
turn it off.
Many cameras have the ability to manually focus as well. You normally have to
be in a manual or partially manual mode to be able to use it, but it allows you
to focus precisely where you want to and will tell you in feet or meters how
far away the subject is.
Tips to help you get better focus:
1.) Review the image using your play button, and zoom in to see if you actually
did achieve focus. Everything looks good small, so make it larger or you will
be dissappointed later.
2.) Set the camera down. Tripods are great, but most people don't just happen
to have one with them at all times. In these cases, set the camera down or brace
it against the wall. You will be surprised at some of the cool angles this will
give you also.
3.) Try not to use digital zoom.
4.) If you have bad eyesight and you have a difficult time looking through the
viewfinder, try using the diopter if your camera came with one. It is a little
dial on the side of the viewfinder that works like the "cheaters"
eyeglasses you find at the drugstore for reading. Just turn it until you can
use the viewfinder without your glasses =)
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