Understanding light is a concept that makes a good photographer, and an even greater skill to master is knowing how to recreate different light effects in the studio . Using lighting accessories like off-camera flashes or strobes, and studying how to trigger them from a different position than on top of the camera, will give an overall different aesthetic to Continue Reading
The post 6 Main Studio Lighting Methods to Master for Your Portraits appeared first on Photodoto.
Over the last month we’ve been launching our brand new Landscape Photography Post Production eBook – Loving Landscapes. As part of that launch we offered Early Bird buyers the chance to go in the draw to win $ 1500 towards new gear.
Today we drew that winner and let her know of her win.
The winner is – Sue Hunt!
Congratulations Sue – we’ve emailed you with details!
Thanks to everyone for your feedback on our eBook – we’ve never had so much positive feedback on an eBook.
Here are just some of the reviews!
While our competition is now over the great news is our eBook is still available for purchase. Grab yours here today.
The post The Winner of Our Loving Landscapes Prize Draw Is…. by Darren Rowse appeared first on Digital Photography School.
If you’re in the market for an ultra portable robotic tripod head that pans and tilts and is super easy to setup, you’ll be wanting to take a look at the Syrp Genie. The guys at Syrp have done their Kickstarter backers proud with a solid product that looks as good as it performs.
While it can’t pan and tilt at the same time, the Genie has a little trick up its sleeve to add an extra layer of motion control to its arsenal.
When you want to put the Genie on to a slider you won’t need any extra motors or cables to get things moving. The Genie comes complete with the linear accessory which utilizes a thin yet strong rope which you attach to either end of your slider. The motor inside the Genie will then pull the unit along the slider to add production value to your video recordings or time-lapse footage. You could even put the genie on a skate board or cart and then attach the ropes to trees or fences while it pulls itself through your scene.
While this might not be the most advanced method of motion control, you’ve got to love the sheer simplicity of the Genie, and with its built-in battery it really takes up very little space in your camera bag. If you’re off on a long haul flight and don’t relish the idea of packing lots of complex toys, you’ll appreciate the compact form of this device.
I was really impressed with the build quality of the Genie and its accessories. The packaging was like something you’d expect from Apple and everything has a solid, ruggedness about it that feels reassuring. I had some problems with the battery on the first unit that I received so Syrp promptly replaced it and the second unit had no problems with the battery lasting as advertised.
The Genie is about as easy as it gets. Time-lapse photographers will love the presets and how the time calculations are adjusted based on your input. The interface is really easy to navigate and pretty intuitive. I only had to refer to the manual on a couple of occasions. Setting up a panning shot is pretty easy but I found the tilt shots more of a challenge to get things lined up with the horizon and also struggled a little with the ball head that Syrp kindly included. Once you’ve done it a few times it gets easier.
My first impression of the ball tripod head that Syrp included was that it might not be up to the job. After putting it to some serious stress tests it turned out to be a very sturdy little head that can handle a lot of weight and some hefty abuse.
The infra red transmitter stalk is a really cool addition for time lapse photographers who don’t fit into the Canon/Nikon mold and can’t connect up to the Genie with a cable. The IR transmitter plugs into the Genie and then sticks out of the side like one of those gooseneck desk microphones. The idea is that you point it at the IR receiver on your camera and it triggers the camera for time lapse shoots. I shoot with a Sony A7R so this was essential for me. I just wish the IR transmitter was a couple of inches longer so that I didn’t have to strap it to my lens with an elastic band. Anyway, it works and is much easier than fiddling about with a long IR cable.
The rope that you use for linear motion on sliders is really good quality and you can order different lengths to suite your needs.
I found the tech support from Syrp to be pretty quick and effective. When I had any big problems they jumped on it quickly and were patient when I was just being thick and didn’t get how things worked. I get the impression that even if I wasn’t a writer for dPS, I’d still get taken care of well.
This is a tricky one and it really depends on your needs. Currently priced at $ 890 USD, the Genie cannot pan and tilt at the same time. It can only pan, tilt or slide. There are other robotic ‘motion control’ heads out there that offer more functionality for around the same price, but it’s kind of unfair to compare the Genie to more advanced units because they don’t have the built in battery and they require motor accessories in order to slide. With that in mind your decision to buy the Genie might come down to its two greatest features – simplicity and portability.
Here’s some quick and rough test footage that I shot with the Genie straight out of the box. Please watch at 1080p.
I am a confessed pixel peeping perfectionist. A snob of the worst kind when it comes to image quality and the finished product of a shoot.
My main use of the Genie was for shooting time-lapse sequences and I have to say that the results I got were not as smooth as I’ve had with other devices on the market. I don’t know if this can be fixed with a firmware update or if it’s down to a mechanical limitation of the Genie design. That being said, whether or not my obsessive ‘buttery’ motion requirements would make much of a difference once a finished video is butchered by the compression ogre from Vimeo or YouTube remains to be seen.
I suspect that for most time-lapse and video shooters, the motion of the Genie will be more than sufficient. I’m just a picky bugger.
All in all, the Genie is a really cool product that I feel is ideal for time lapse beginners and budding cinematographers. When you factor in the portability and the ease of use, the Genie comes in at a very fair price point with excellent build quality. Time-lapse shooters that are looking for something more advanced will have to spend a little more to move up to the next level of production value. I give the Syrp Genie 4 out of 5 stars.
The post Syrp Genie Robotic Tripod Head Review by Gavin Hardcastle appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Bad Weather Photography Equals High Impact Photos
Remember those days when you looked out your window and wished that the weather was better so you could get out and take some fantastic photographs? Do rainy, windy, stormy days stifle your photographic ambitions? I’ll give you five reasons why bad weather is not all doom and gloom for photographers.
The things that keep most people indoors on bad weather days are the very things that have creative photographers heading for the great outdoors. Grab a rain jacket, brave the elements AND take your camera – these can be the best times for photography to capture something memorable.
Let’s look these five reasons to appreciate bad weather, and what they can offer you for photographs that get that second look.
Clouds can be brooding, moody and sinister – a great backdrop for photographing old buildings, new skyscrapers, and trees. While you’re out in the storm, also think about shooting just the clouds by themselves, to create a “cloud bank” of images to use as drop-ins for compositing with other images. Clear blue skies are pretty boring in most photos. With your catalog of cloud shots you’ll never have a bland sky photo again.
Low hanging clouds can add a really mysterious quality to your images. Think black and white photography when considering ways to take advantage of clouds. You can use post-processing techniques to accentuate the various layers of the cloud formations to add even more drama to your images.
In this shot of a storm moving in over the Bugaboo mountain range, I used Google Nik Silver Efex Pro and the Structure setting to add tonal definition to the clouds to create atmosphere.
Windy days provide you with all you need to make excellent motion studies for long exposures – tall grasses flowing like waves, tress swaying wildly, leaves trembling and dancing full of motion. Waves on lakes become whitecaps, perfect for those milky long exposure waterscapes.
Even though still photographs capture a single moment, you can achieve great impact when you capture the residue of motion in a single frame. High impact daytime long exposure photographs need movement to be successful, and when the wind is blowing, things are moving. Capture this in a single frame and you have an instant “wow” shot.
Use a neutral density filter to slow your shutter so that it captures the motion created by the breeze. Use a tripod for your wind shots to make sure that whatever is not moving in your image stays nice and sharp. The contrast of solid and fluid is a powerful creative technique.
Rain is awesome for artistic and creative photos.
When it’s wet outside, colors become deeper, richer and more saturated. This provides you with a way to look at the great outdoors in a “different light.” Observe how flat and lifeless colors appear on an overcast day. But add some rain and the colors really pop!
Rain photography gives you hundreds of subjects for creative artistic photos using reflections and ripples in puddles, lakes and other water bodies. A wet rainy day gives you macro photography opportunities, by providing you with drops, ripples, and rivulets, perfect in the flat, even light of a rainy day. Use rain streaks on windows as art effects to make high impact abstract images.
Gently falling snowflakes in photography can add an additional element of emotion to add more impact to your images – who hasn’t felt a little shudder in the blustery cold? It can be used to create a sense of realism in a photo, especially in street photography.
Heavy falling snow adds an instant texture to your images. Colors appear softer, and less vibrant as they compete with the white of the flakes. I find it adds an instant painterly effect to most images – especially those with lots of natural colors.
Fog – moody and high impact scenic shots, great for storytelling, and it can be used as a “backdrop” to hide distracting backgrounds to isolate your subject. I especially like fog photography because it adds an instant pastel effect to your images, which can make for stunning fine art photography.
If you’ve endured the rain and the wet, chances are you’ll be rewarded handsomely for your efforts and patience. You’ll have captured some rare and uncommon moments that most people never attempt. Because luck favors the prepared mind, you may also get really lucky. You’re outdoors, you have all your gear, and you are shooting. In amongst all those dramatic bad weather photographs you capture, you may find something truly wondrous in the very next frame.
If you have any questions or comments please leave them below, and do share your bad weather stories and images as well.
The post 5 Reasons Why Bad Weather Days are the Best Times for Photography by Alex Morrison appeared first on Digital Photography School.
This little photo story was originally posted in my old paddling blog on April 14, 2007.
A deer skull on the shore of Horsetooth Reservoir
I had an unusual photo stop when paddling my Thunderbolt kayak on the Horsetooth Reservoir this afternoon. Somewhere on the west shore near Quarry Cove I found a deer skeleton. I spent more than half an hour photographing it. Now, I understand better Goergia O’Keeffe’s fascination with animal skulls which she used to collect and paint when living in New Mexico.
All pictures were shot as usual with Pentax Optio W10, but I would really love to have there my DSLR camera with a tripod.
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Related posts:
– Winter Paddling with Sea Wind Canoe on Horsetooth Reservoir
– Winter Paddling with JKK Supernova Kayak on Horsetooth Reservoir
– Fisheye Lens Perspective for Paddling?
Food photography is arguably one of the most challenging types of photography out there. Like painting, you start with a blank canvas and build. Layer upon layer, you construct the photo until you reach the perfect balance of reality and art.
Everything in the photo is a decision. Every piece is perfectly placed by the photographer.
Starting out is frustrating, I know. You’re the chef, stylist, and the photographer. Once you reach technical proficiency with the camera, what’s next? I have been, and in a lot of ways still am, in that position. So, how do you improve your food photography beyond the basics? You work on the story.
Whether it is an after-party from the perfect cocktail, or the homemade roasted chicken recipe on the farm, like all photography, you’re telling stories.
Some shoots are more complicated stories than others, and it may sound like a lot of work, but it’s really not. Here are five quick tips you can use to seriously improve your food photography and tell better stories.
There are really only a few camera angles in food photography that you see again and again, but you need to make the one you choose, a conscious decision. Where you place the camera will affect the type of story you’re trying to tell.
Think of the food beforehand. Its size, shape, height and what is unique about it. Then place the camera where you think best highlights these qualities. Some dishes look great when you shoot from right in front of the food, and others are best suited when the you are looking down from directly above the table. Take a look at the cupcakes below; their spiralled and delicate toppings really stand out when shot from in front, yet the viewer doesn’t even see the size or shape when photographed from above.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to see all the ingredients and beautiful shape of these salmon tacos when shot from the front, so the shot from above was definitely the way to tell this story.
When shooting from the front of the food try to keep a great foreground and background to play with. Use these empty spaces to tell more of a story. Surround your main dish with ingredients and props that relate to the food. Ingredients, sauces, oils, and cooking utensils could indicate how the dish was made.
Tins, jars, herbs, glasses, fabrics and linens could speak about the origin of the dish or the season in which it is served. Placing a few of these in the foreground and background will definitely elevate your story and give it depth.
The props in this image of baklava bring more to the story. The viewer has a sense of place that describes the Arabic origins of this delicious sweet.
Light is king, and acquiring a few tools to help you control it will bring your food photography up to the next level. Poor use of light will ruin your story and immediately turn off your audience. So making sure light doesn’t distract will help out your food photos big time.
Direct natural light can give really hard and defined shadows like beneath the lemon cake on the left. Where those shadows are softened in the image to the right, with a little help from a cheap diffusor.
Placing a diffusor between the window and your table is first on the list. When working with direct sunlight, a diffusor (or even a thin white bed sheet) will greatly improve the quality of light. Softening those hard, dark shadows and bright highlights caused by direct sun light.
Using white and black cards really gives you control over the shadow areas. A white card was used to brighten up that lemon frosting on the left, but if you prefer more contrast than grab a black card and you’ll get an image like the one on the right.
Next up are white and black cards. You can make these yourself using foam core boards, bought at any craft store. Size them to fit your needs, using white cards to bounce light into shadow areas, revealing important details, or black cards to make shadows stronger for more contrast.
Nothing really changes between these two images except for a black card that was used to stop light from hitting the background, making sure the cake was the brightest area of the photograph.
Here is a little secret, when working with natural light. I call it, blocking (sometimes also called “gobos”). Sometimes that pesky natural light will fall on your background or props, causing them to be as bright or even brighter than your subject.
Since the viewer will always look at the brightest spot in your photo first, if it’s not your subject, it can harm your story. You can use your black cards to block light from hitting areas that will compete with your subject. This is also a very important technique for creating darker, low-key styled images.
Here is the final image, with a diffusor softening the window light, a white card to fill in the shadow on the lemon frosting and a black card to block the light on the background.
With all these props and ingredients in the frame, how will we ever get the audience to look at our subject? Well, bring on the trusty techniques of composing with lines and layers. You can use props or ingredients to create lines and layered effects in your images. This is a compositional technique used by photographers to lead their audience’s eyes to the main subject.
You can use various props to create lines. Like this spoon, which forms a nice line, directing the viewer straight to the bowl of baked peaches and ice cream.
Since shooting from above always gets you more graphic images, there are plenty of chances to create some great lines here as well. Some could be quite literal like this cutlery leading to the round of Brie – or more abstract, like how the knife and pomegranate seeds create lines, framing our subject.
Composing images with layers is always a winner. This Brie, shot from the front, is set in the middle of various props and two large out of focus areas. This creates a layered effect, sending your eyes straight to the star.
This is my personal favorite. I love hunting for props, backgrounds and tableware to put in my images. This little tip was also the first big mistake I was making when I was starting out. It’s great to have props that are colorful, but if you’re not careful that colorful prop can easily upstage your food, and grab all the attention.
When placing items into your food images, try selecting neutral tones, something that makes the food really pop against it. Selecting a neutral background like this black metal tray and baking paper, amplifies the bright red strawberries and rhubarb inside these Crostatas, making them really steal the show.
Do you photograph food? Do you have any additional tips to share with us? Please add your comments below.
For more food photography tips, try these articles:
The post 5 Tips to Seriously Improve Your Food Photography Techniques by Skyler Burt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Today you are going to come ride along with me as I shoot head shots for a client in San Diego, California. I was hired by a company to create simple head shots of their instructors in the San Diego area.
There is a very big market for head shots and quite a few people want them shot on a white infinity backdrop. There are many ways to do this but I’m going to take you along on a shoot with me and show you how I do it:
Step by step how to do a head shot on a white background
It’s a giant roll of paper – thats it! I used an 8-foot long roll in ‘alpine white’ color. Again, it’s just a big white roll of paper. When properly lit, this roll of paper gets ‘blown out’ or overexposed, so it appears as a perfectly white void on which your subject sits/stands in the middle. This white void makes the viewer focus on your subject rather than a cluttered background.
As you can see in the animated GIF below, I start by finding an open area at least 8 feet wide. This is easier to set up with two people, but on this corporate shoot it was just me.
To make this easier to set up by yourself just lay the roll of paper on the ground and position the light stands on either side of the end of the roll of paper at their lowest height. Make sure the paper is set to unroll from underneath the back of the roll ,and not over the top and front of the roll.
When you pull from the back of the roll the natural curl of the paper will let the paper roll straight to the floor then curl toward your camera into the room. This will provide a smooth curved transition from the vertical roll of paper into the floor and toward you so the background and floor will appear seamless. If the paper is pulled from overhand when it hits the floor it will want to curl backwards toward the back of the room. This won’t create seamless transition as you pull the roll into the room.
Run the cross bar through the center of the paper roll – the cross bar will stick out about 2 inches on either side of the roll. The cross bar has 2 slots at each end and the light stands have two vertical screws. Lift up the roll and place these two slots into the two vertical screws and then screw in the included wing nuts to secure the roll onto the light stands.
Now that we have the paper roll secured on the light stands at their lowest height, it’s time to raise it up. The light stands have two sets of clamps and two sets of vertical poles that raise up. With two people you can simply raise the paper roll at the same time to the desired height and lock the clamps down to secure the paper roll at your desired height. With only one person you have to slowly raise one side, then the other, until you get the roll to the desired height. Check out the GIF below and try not to laugh at the CEO jumping in during setup.
Now that we have the bar to the height we want it, we can unroll the backdrop. I always keep little clamps on each end of the roll to keep it from unrolling on its own. Unclamp the little A-clamps on either side of the paper roll and slowly pull the roll down. If you don’t pull slowly the roll can gain momentum, unroll really fast, and go much further than planned! Since we were only doing head shots I just pulled the backdrop down to the floor. Once the roll is at the desired length clip the A-clamps back in place to keep the roll from unrolling further on its own like you see below.
The way to make lighting easy is to light in layers, one step at a time. In this case I’m going to light the backdrop first. Once I get that done I’m going put a subject in front of the backdrop and light them separately. Once that is lit correctly we are ready to rock!
Now that the backdrop is set up properly we want to light it so that it appears solid white. I placed an Alien Bees 1600 studio strobe 3 feet away from the backdrop on the left side and angled it to shoot across the backdrop. The light had a reflector on it to contain the direction of the light. This will make the light rake across the middle of the backdrop to light it up white.
I set my camera to f/8 aperture as it’s a good middle ground depth of field to start. The studio lights will give me all the light I need so I set the ISO low at 200. I then set the shutter speed to 1/160 which is the maximum shutter speed sync my camera allows. In this room a 1/160 shutter speed is fast enough that none of the lights on the ceiling would register – essentially I’m killing any ambient light in the room so the only light that shows up in the photo is from the studio strobes.
I take a guess and set the studio strobe light at 1/4 power. I do a quick test at f/8, ISO 200, 1/160 shutter speed and get this:
Looks pretty good to me! You can see the area closest to the light is perfectly blown out white, but as you move to the right the light is becoming weaker and the white backdrop appears more grey. Because the light is weaker on the right side it’s also showing the wrinkles in the paper. Because I’ll be placing people several feet in front of the light stand and zooming into the middle of the backdrop I’m not concerned with the right side of the backdrop. If I were shooting a wider shot I would add another light on the right side of the backdrop to light up that side, but that isn’t necessary for this shoot.
Now that we have the backdrop dialled in it’s time to light the next layer – the subject. I place an Alien Bees 800 studio strobe to the right of the backdrop, about six feet in front of the first light. I put an umbrella on the light which spreads the light out (diffuses it) as it passes through the umbrella and gives it a nice, soft appearance. I set the light at 1/4 power, at a 45 degree angled downward, and raised to about 8 feet high to test it out.
I step in front of the backdrop like the goofball that I am and get this:
The backdrop still looks good, but I (the subject) am overexposed. This means the umbrella light is too strong. I reduce the power from 1/4 power to 1/8th power, have the CEO grab two nearby Nerf guns, step back in for a test, and get this:
Looking much better!
The light hitting the white background is bouncing onto the back of the subject and wrapping around his body too much. To correct this I need to move the subject a few feet toward the camera so the light bouncing off the background falls off before it reaches him. When I do this I also need to move the umbrella light the same distance toward the camera to keep the same exposure.
I also want more room to the right to compose my subjects so I move the umbrella light two feet camera-right, and one foot toward the camera. I then have the subject move two feet camera-right and one foot toward the camera so the background light won’t reach the subject as much. I take another test and get this:
This looks great to me. The background layer is blown out white, the subject layer is properly exposed, and as a bonus just enough light is bouncing off the backdrop to give some backlighting to the subject. Here is a closer crop to see what we are working with:
The only thing I should do to improve this is have the subject turn his body to face the umbrella so there isn’t so much shadow on the camera-left side.
The client wanted simple head shots of their instructors for use on their website profiles. I had the subject stand in the same place, square up their shoulders to face the umbrella light, and smile. You’ll notice that the umbrella placed up above the subject and pointed down at 45 degrees leaves a nice catch light (the white reflection of the light) in the top right corner of the subject’s eyes. When you can place a catch light at the ten or two o’clock position (like on an analog clock) in the subject’s eyes it brings them to life. Here is what we end up with:
To keep everything consistent, place some tape on the floor where you want people to stand. I didn’t have any tape with me but I did have an extra umbrella. I simply placed the umbrella at a diagonal angle and told the subjects to place their toes against the umbrella. This squared them up with the light so each portrait was consistent.
Overall it was a very quick setup, shoot, and breakdown. We shot 45 different instructors in about 45 minutes! Once everything was dialled in we just photographed one instructor after the next. The shoot was fun, the client was happy, and the instructors loved their head shots!
Did this post help you and did you enjoy seeing some behind-the-scenes info on real client shoots? If so sound leave me a comment below. If it would help I’d love to start sharing more live client shoots to show everyone how they come together!
The post Step By Step How to Do a Head Shot on a White Background by Mike Newton appeared first on Digital Photography School.
The Internet has brought an influx of photo contests. It seems like every blogger, photographer and “momtog” is putting up a photo contest. As a serious photographer, how can you know which ones to submit to, and if you do choose to submit to one, how to maximize your chances of winning? Here is everything you need to know about Continue Reading
The post The Ultimate Photographer’s Guide to Photo Contests That Are Worth Your Time appeared first on Photodoto.
The longer you shoot, the larger the repertoire of subjects and assignments you photograph becomes. You start off photographing flowers in the garden, your neighbour’s dog, your sister’s kids, your friend’s wedding and then before you know it you’re doing product shots for your friend’s new company. All this happens over time and there is one pretty fundamental skill that must remain paramount throughout out your process, properly focused images. Sure we’ve all been there, we’ve all taken that shot once in while which is slightly soft (a polite photographer’s term to describe out-of-focus images). But, it’s a great shot so we keep it anyway, even tho we would still have preferred it to be tack sharp.
In focus images have been one of the most fundamental rules of photography right from the dawn of the craft. In the early 1900s it was a craft in its own right, but in the 1960s Leica introduced a rudimentary autofocus system that changed everything. Since then, autofocus has developed dramatically and it’s no longer a feature on cameras, it’s a given.
So, bringing autofocus up-to-date you have a few options to choose from in your modern DSLR. Those are some of the features I will cover in this article, along with when to use them. Both Canon and Nikon have very similar settings, albeit incorporating different technologies the results are very similar. There are also other brands like Sony and Olympus etc., that also follow suit, but here I will be discussing the four main focus modes in Canon and Nikon.
This image above was shot utilizing the AF-S (Nikon) or One Shot (Canon) autofocus mode on the camera. Here I focused on the models eyes and then recomposed my image so that she was over to the left of the frame, allowing for more space in the image in the direction she is looking.
First off, you have the mode that’s probably been around the longest – Canon’s One Shot and Nikon’s AF-S. Both of these will do pretty much the same thing. This mode is predominantly used for stationary objects like model shoots (most of the time – more on when not to use it for model shoots later) and anything that doesn’t require your subject to move around too much in the frame. You half press the shutter in this mode, and then you can recompose the image. For example, you focus on the model’s eyes, then recompose to put her on the left hand side of the image. This autofocus mode will get you through most situations.
Next we have the step up from the single focus to Canon’s AI Servo, and Nikon’s AF-C modes. Essentially what this setting does is to continuously track your initial focus point and readjust the focus accordingly. This setting is ideal for moving subjects like active children, and pets that are constantly on the move.
Finally out of the autofocus settings we have Canon’s AI Focus, and Nikon’s AF-A. Both of these settings actually leave it up to the camera to decide which is best out of the other two focusing modes to use. In this mode it will either choose to continuously track your chosen subject should it decide to move, or focus lock if you would like to recompose. In theory, then I needn’t of bothered explaining the other two settings as surely this is the best of both worlds? Not quite. I personally have tested this mode a fair amount with stop-start subjects and although the camera does a good job of keeping up with them it’s always more accurate to use continuous focus mode. The same also goes for its ability to determine when a subject has stopped and when to focus lock for recomposing. Personally I never use this mode as although it has the best of both, it also has the worst of both.
Image above taken with an 85mm f/1.8 prime lens using manual focus. Shooting in manual focus negates the need to recompose and loose focus in autofocus modes.
So, although I have just covered the three basic settings here very briefly, there is, of course, a whole of host other technological advancements in autofocus that I haven’t covered. I know Nikon has extensive, matrix and 3D autofocusing features. As well most modern DSLR have incorporated the “back button autofocus” which also helps with focus locking. But going over all of that is not the purpose of this article.
The last focus mode I wanted to cover and one that is rarely used is the Manual focus mode. This mode strikes fear into the heart of nearly all modern photographers and that’s simply because they’ve probably never used it. Do you ever need to use it? That is something that only you can decide and is probably based on the type of photographs you take. If you only ever take portraits of energetic kids or fast paced sports, then autofocus is probably always your go-to mode. If however you shoot still life, architecture, landscapes and other detailed, relatively motionless subjects, then manual focus is probably a good way to go.
There are a few reasons for this. Landscape photographers will want to find the hyperfocal distance of their scene to maximize the amount of in-focus points (depth of field) in the image. This is based on an equation so autofocusing on a specific object is not always the way to go. Still life photographers will usually have their camera locked-down on a tripod so they will not want to focus and recompose once they’ve set up the shot, so it’s just far easier to focus manually. There is also another reason to want to use manual mode on some cameras and certain situations, and that was the catalyst for this article.
This version of the image was shot using the autofocus mode AF-S/One Shot, and meant that after I had focused and recomposed the shot, the model’s eyes were left out of focus.
I recently purchased an 85mm f/1.8 prime lens, and I wanted to test the lens out and see what the sharpness was like at f/1.8. I predominately only photograph models so I set up my test and went about taking some shots at f/1.8 using my usual AF-S/One Shot autofocusing mode. When I got my shots back to the computer to take a look, I was surprised to see that most of them were very soft. It took a few minutes to realize my error and since then I’ve adjusted how I shoot with these parameters.
Here you can see that the selected focal node is still situated in the middle of the viewfinder even though I have elected the outer most one when shooting in the portrait format.
I haven’t done a lot of very shallow depth of field shots up until this point so I hadn’t seen the now exaggerated results of my
poor focusing technique previously. At f/1.8 you have a very, very shallow amount in focus (depth of field). For example, a head shot with the eyes in focus, the tip of the subject’s nose will be out of focus. For the test I was photographing the model at 3/4 length and shooting up at her so my camera height was probably about her waist height. I was about 6 feet (2 meters) away from her and I was focusing on her eyes with my focal point in camera then recomposing my shot to capture the 3/4 length crop. The problem with most cameras is that although they have a lot of focusing points, they’re all clustered in the centre of the viewfinder so even though I chose the outer most focal point I still have a dramatic amount of recomposing to do.
The diagram above clearly illustrates what’s actually going on when you recompose an image after focusing in AF-S/One Shot autofocus mode. The actual part of the image that was in focus, is now out of focus.
This isn’t normally a noticeable problem when recomposing at f/16, but at f/1.8 that dramatic shift in the focal plane means the resulting image is very soft around the model’s eyes. As I recomposed it actually repositioned my focal point further back behind the model, meaning the back of her head and hair were in focus but not her eyes.
There aren’t too many ways around this pesky little issue, especially as you may not notice it on the back of the camera’s little screen. One thing that did resolve it though was by switching to manual focus. I could then compose my shot and manually focus on the model’s eyes, resulting in a fantastically sharp image where I wanted it to be sharp.
Granted there were a few things conspiring together here to really exaggerate the issue. Firstly, I was shooting at f/1.8, that’s always going to rely on critical sharpness. Secondly, I was down low shooting up. This always exaggerates the focal plane shift when recomposing and lastly I was stuck with limited focal nodes. There are many technical reasons why modern DSLRs don’t allow focal nodes towards the edges. A lot of smaller frame cameras like the mirrorless, APS-C and micro 4/3 cameras all have selectable focal nodes covering the viewfinder, but alas, DSLR technology isn’t there yet. Until it is, it’s a good idea to be aware of what’s going on in autofocus modes on your camera, and be prepared and ready to switch to manual focus when required.
Good Luck!
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