Photography
as both a hobby and a profession is an incredibly popular art. You don’t have
to be a professional to take amazing images. Making top-notch photographs often
involves nothing more than a bit of practice on techniques. All you really need
is to take a little time mastering some techniques, while it often helps to
have good equipments.
First of
all, focusing is the basic technique you need to take better images. You can
simply use autofocus in certain situations, but it’s better to control the
focus by your own. While autofocus often uses the central focus point, your
targeted subject sometimes wouldn’t be in the center of your frame. So you need
to master focusing technique to produce sharp images on exactly the subject
point.
Figure out
how much focus points that spread out in a wide array around your camera frame
by looking through the viewfinder. It helps you to decide the focus point on off-center subjects. There are many autofocus points available on your camera
and they have different functions each other. Don’t set your camera to multiple
or automatic autofocus mode. Simply choose the single-point selection.
Depending
on your camera, the procedure for picking individual focus points may vary. If
you have Canon camera, just press the AF point selection button, then use the
selector on the back of the camera or rotate the input dial. You’ll see red
dots move around the frame when looking through the viewfinder, which mean the
AF point is currently active.
If you are
Nikon SLR user, different AF points can be highlighted by using the four-way
controller on the rear of the camera. But, make sure you have selected
single-point autofocus in the first place.
As noted,
different AF points spread across the frame. There is single AF point at the
centre, a pair placed below and above it, two at the right and left, and one
both the extreme right and left sides. When selecting single-point autofocus,
you can choose the AF point that exactly positioned on your subject. The most
accurate and sensitive is central AF point. Outer AF points can be used in
certain situations. Upper AF point, for example, is good for landscape shot.
When you’re taking a portrait shot and the main object of interest is slightly
off-centre in the frame, select the diagonal AF point. Edge AF points at the
far right and left sides, are good for soft focusing subject that’s extremely
off-centre the frame.
The main
disadvantage of using outer focus points is the lack of sensitivities when
comparing to center focus points. While it cannot exactly focus on the subject,
you should work harder to get sharp images as you wish. When focusing on low
contrast subject, the outer focus points have to strive focusing in low light.
If you’re
in the both cases, you can use a technique called focus lock. It’s a technique
where you use the active AF point to highlight the subject and lock the focus
distance by half-pressing the shutter release before taking a shot. If needed,
you can use a manual AF point where you manually focus the lens.
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