We always talk about not having to "trust" the editing programs or "I'll fix it later" or even "I'll re-frame at home." Why a good image is conceived in your head long before pressing the shutter button. Then you make it come true through your camera, whatever it is, and through intuition, technique and photographic eye you get a result, which should look a lot like the image you had in your head before pressing the shutter It seems like a simple exercise, but the truth is that the challenge of imagining or conceiving an image and then making it a reality is more difficult than it seems, especially since the conditions external to us are not always ideal. For example the perception of light you possess as a human being is not the same as a camera can capture; your eyes tolerate and “understand” the contrast, the light and the colors much better than any camera you ever get to know ever do, or your eyes focus and blur with perfect skill, be sunny, cloudy, or in a room dark Luckily or unfortunately, the cameras are not even remotely as perfect as our eyes. Unfortunately because their shortcomings will cause our images to be irremediably recycled bin meat and luckily, because if our camera did everything for us, there would be little room for passion or improvement in us, don't you think? And since the best way to solve a problem is to prevent it from occurring, we will try to avoid one of the worst mistakes with which, as a photographer or photographer you will find yourself along your path: unfocused photographs (wrongly understood ).
LEARN THE TYPES OF AUTOFOCUS AND WHAT THEY ARE FOR
Just as there is life beyond the automatic mode of your camera, there is life beyond the autofocus that your camera brings default when you buy it. Probably, whenever you have a digital camera, you will have several options of types of focus , which we will normally choose depending on the movement or the absence of it in what we intend to photograph. Therefore, the first step is to know the focus modes that your SLR camera has, for which I recommend you take a closer look at the focus section of your camera's manual . Knowing the features of your camera (How many focus points does it have ?, What types of autofocus do you have ?, What is the focus area and how do I use it?) Will help you avoid most of the most common focusing errors photographic. If concepts such as "type of focus, focus area or focus points" escape you, I recommend this article before proceeding , which explains point by point how to configure your camera under the parameters we have discussed.USE MANUAL FOCUS WHEN NECESSARY
We cannot deny that all advances make our lives generally more comfortable, and those that photographic technology offer us were not going to be less But these advances are not always valid for all situations. We have already commented previously that the type of approach is mainly determined by whether the subject to be photographed is moving or not. The same happens when choosing between automatic and manual mode. There are many situations in which manual mode is the most effective :- Reflections where it is difficult for the camera to focus.
- Low light scenes (dark interiors or night photography).
- Macro photography .
- Low contrast scenes where the focus is lost because nothing stands out above the rest by color or texture.
- Landscapes .
DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR CAMERA FOCUSES?
THROUGH SHUTTER
In principle, and so pre - set default cameras often focus automatically to the shutter depression to about half of its travel. This is probably the system that you know and have become accustomed to. While keeping the shutter pressed halfway, the focus is maintained at the point you indicated. From here you usually shoot or re-frame to your liking. However, a slight movement of what you intend to photograph, will cause it to lose focus , or a slight movement of your finger on the shutter, to lose focus and you should refocus or simply do not notice and take the picture With the wrong approach. It is also possible that you miss some unwanted photo, or that when working with small depths of field a slight framing destroys the focus ... In short, you can survive with this system, in fact you probably already do, but I show you one that, although it will need you to get used to it, is infinitely betterTHROUGH THE BACK BUTTON FOCUS OR BACK FOCUS BUTTON
On the back of your SLR and normally designed to handle it with your right thumb, we usually find an AF-L button on Nikon or AF-On on Canon whose function is focus lock. By activating this button, you will set the focus and it will not change until you decide. It is very useful for situations in which the distance between you and what your photographs do not vary and therefore, neither does your focus. By not having to constantly focus between frames and frames, taking pictures is much faster, and in all of them you will also ensure that you have a correct focus. You can also forget that the camera is accidentally triggered while trying to focus, or that it is refocused by an involuntary movement of your finger over the shutter.UNLINK FOCUS AND SHUTTER
It is true that not all cameras have this option, but some SLRs do. When unlinking the shutter focus, you specify each of the buttons for their respective functions avoiding the failures associated with sharing functionalities. Again I advise you to take a look at the camera manual if you have not already done so, it is very likely that you are missing not only useful functions to improve your focus but for taking pictures and adjustments in general.A GOOD ALLY; THE TRIPOD
When we look for a perfect approach, any small variation can cause us to lose focus, especially if we work with small depths of field. If what is presented to you is a static scene (landscape, architecture, gastronomy, product, etc.) and you want a perfect approach, the ideal would be to work with a tripod to avoid slight movements that can affect the loss of focus on your image.AND FINALLY ... DO YOU KNOW LIVE VIEW?
If you have Live View or live view, do not hesitate to use it to ensure that the focus is correct and accurate immediately and without waiting to see the "error" focus on your computer screen. This system allows you to see exactly what will be captured on your sensor either because the camera lifts the mirror (in cameras of one sensor) or through autofocus by contrast (in cameras of two sensors) showing you the live image. It also allows you to enlarge (up to 10 times) the image through the "magnifying glass" symbol normally located on the back of the camera to make sure you're getting the focus and detail you expect. And if you still want more, through Live View, you can not only see the focus, but also check the exposure and even the histogram . As you can see, there is a lot of theory regarding the approach, take a look at the article, the manual of your camera, configure it well and learn to know it, and from here, practice , because practice is the only way and the easiest to assimilate any type of content . Really And you know, if you liked it, you found it useful and you think that someone else may be interested in solving your focus problems, share it on Facebook, Twitter or Google+. Thank you very much, as always .