There are two basic criterion for professional photographs: perfect focus and dead-on exposure. How to achieve them?
Exposure is a lengthy topic, and we will save it for another day. Let's focus on "Focus" today.
There are generally two types of subjects. Stationary Vs. In motion. On your DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex), there are several modes designed to realize proper focus for different subjects. I am a Canon user, and will take my 5D Mark ii as an example.
There are three focusing modes on a Canon 5D mark ii: ONE SHOT, AL SERVO, AL FOCUS.
ONE SHOT is used for stationary objects: portraits and scenery (waterfalls too, even if the water is moving) -- subjects that can hold still.
ONE SHOT means that the lens only focus once--when you press the shutter half way down. There is usually an indicating beep or/and a focus point lighting up in your view finder when the focus is achieved.
The benefit of ONE SHOT focusing mode is that it allows you to RE-POSITION and RE-FRAME your shot, if you CONTINUE to hold the shutter HALF WAY DOWN, until you re-frame the shot and push the shutter all the way down.
When is ONE SHOT good for? Suppose you are taking a picture for your friend, and are using your center focusing point.
First, you focus on your friend's eyes. (Quiz: Which part of the face should you focus on when taking someone's picture? Hint: Not the nose!)
Now the eyes are in focus, but the top third of the picture is the white wall behind your friend.
In this case, press the shutter HALF WAY DOWN at your friend's eyes, and KEEP pushing the shutter HALF the way down when you re-frame, UNTIL you include less of the wall and more of your friend in the frame, and then push the shutter ALL THE WAY down. (It sounds lengthy, but it only takes a second.) Ta-da! Now you have a much better image and a much happier friend.
What if your camera only has symbols for different modes, like a mountain, a person standing and a person skiing? Use the mountain symbol in shooting scenery, and the person standing symbol when taking a portrait. They should be variations of the ONE SHOT mode described here.
The difference between the two: the mountain symbol probably allows a greater Depth Of Field (things are clear from near to far), and the person standing symbol means a shallower depth of field (the focusing point is sharp and the background is blurry. )
Key notes: Try to avoid camera shake when re-framing, and LOTS OF PRACTICE.
Result: Be prepared for a lot of compliments on your improved photography skills!
Happy shooting!
Exposure is a lengthy topic, and we will save it for another day. Let's focus on "Focus" today.
There are generally two types of subjects. Stationary Vs. In motion. On your DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex), there are several modes designed to realize proper focus for different subjects. I am a Canon user, and will take my 5D Mark ii as an example.
There are three focusing modes on a Canon 5D mark ii: ONE SHOT, AL SERVO, AL FOCUS.
ONE SHOT is used for stationary objects: portraits and scenery (waterfalls too, even if the water is moving) -- subjects that can hold still.
ONE SHOT means that the lens only focus once--when you press the shutter half way down. There is usually an indicating beep or/and a focus point lighting up in your view finder when the focus is achieved.
The benefit of ONE SHOT focusing mode is that it allows you to RE-POSITION and RE-FRAME your shot, if you CONTINUE to hold the shutter HALF WAY DOWN, until you re-frame the shot and push the shutter all the way down.
When is ONE SHOT good for? Suppose you are taking a picture for your friend, and are using your center focusing point.
First, you focus on your friend's eyes. (Quiz: Which part of the face should you focus on when taking someone's picture? Hint: Not the nose!)
Now the eyes are in focus, but the top third of the picture is the white wall behind your friend.
In this case, press the shutter HALF WAY DOWN at your friend's eyes, and KEEP pushing the shutter HALF the way down when you re-frame, UNTIL you include less of the wall and more of your friend in the frame, and then push the shutter ALL THE WAY down. (It sounds lengthy, but it only takes a second.) Ta-da! Now you have a much better image and a much happier friend.
What if your camera only has symbols for different modes, like a mountain, a person standing and a person skiing? Use the mountain symbol in shooting scenery, and the person standing symbol when taking a portrait. They should be variations of the ONE SHOT mode described here.
The difference between the two: the mountain symbol probably allows a greater Depth Of Field (things are clear from near to far), and the person standing symbol means a shallower depth of field (the focusing point is sharp and the background is blurry. )
Key notes: Try to avoid camera shake when re-framing, and LOTS OF PRACTICE.
Result: Be prepared for a lot of compliments on your improved photography skills!
Happy shooting!
