Focus On Focus

[tlc]

Have you downloaded the software that came with your camera? Have a quick look at your pics in zoom browser - you can click on the "show auto focus points' on the top tool bar - this will show you the focus point on the photo and might help.

No I haven't done that, I have just been importing to LR. Might pop it on and check it out.

[kja]

Yup, you got it.

One reason you may have problems getting all four pups with all eyes in focus is that they are not in the same plane. Remember focus is 1/3 in front and 2/3 behind the sweet spot. To find the sweet spot, use the depth of field calculator and plug in your distance and lens. The closer you are, the shallower the depth of field will be at any aperture. To combat you'll need to stop down so you have a bigger range in the sharp zone - but then you trade off light and smooth blurry backgrounds.

[tlc]

That sounds so technical and basically all went over my head. :laugh: Im getting there.

Anyone look at the pics I posted or did they get lost on the first page? Do they look ok?

[huga]

tlc, I only ever use single spot focus too. With your question about whether just having the focus point on one dog will mean that only that dog is sharp, what you're doing when you use a single focus point is telling the camera at what distance from you it should start the focus from rather than picking an object to be in focus, if that makes sense? So if you used the first dog's eyes as the focus point and that dog's eyes are 4.43 metres from the camera then the camera will know that it needs to apply whatever depth of field you've set starting at 4.43 metres. Anything that falls within the range covered by your aperture setting at that distance will be in focus which means that if you use a shallow depth of field like f2.8 the camera will only make a very narrow range in focus which means all the dogs in the row would have to have their eyes at exactly 4.43 metres from the camera to be in focus. If you choose a larger depth of field like f8 then the camera with make a much wider range either side of 4.43 metres in focus, which will mean all of the dogs are in focus even if their eye aren't all exactly at 4.43 metres. If you select multiple focus points on your camera that doesn't mean that what each point focuses on will all be in focus at the same time. It means that you're telling the camera that you're happy for it to choose any one of those focus points to decide what distance the camera will start applying the depth of field from and you may end up with it choosing a target that isn't what you would have chosen if you were using a single focus point. If that's not clear let me know and I'll try to explain it a different way.

Great tip huga! When I was doing my selfies it never even occurred to me to auto focus first and then switch to manual. I don't trust my judgement focusing manually so I was trying to auto focus using a remote that was attached to the camera (and with a very short lead I might add!) once I was in front of the camera. What freakin' nightmare that was! I like your way much better and shall have to remember that if I give the selfie project another crack next year. :)

Fantastic explanation - you are good with words, I suck at trying to explain stuff

And yes, the manual method has been the best so far. But I am up to week 31, so there has been a lot of trial and error!

[tlc]

Snook, thanks thats very clear and I understand that perfectly! Why is it that I don't feel I had this much trouble with my Nikon which I have been using since 2007, admittedly I didn't shoot in manual modes much and probably never used the camera to its full potential. Perhaps the Canon is just a little more complicated and gives so many more options. Can't wait to get my new lens to try out too, Ive tracked it and it is in OZ and in transit, it says the 6th for delivery, I live in hope that it might come tomorrow.

[tlc]

Huga is right Snook you do have a very good way of explaining stuff, did you learn through reading? playing with the camera? a course? other?

Your selfless have been great Huga, I absolutely loved Terra Niks selfless too, she was doing one every day, I can't remember what thread then were in or if she is doing them any more, I haven't seen her around for a while, I think she is busy being a doctor now.

[kja]

I think you're also paying attention to if your images are in focus or not :)

If you select multiple focus points on your camera that doesn't mean that what each point focuses on will all be in focus at the same time. It means that you're telling the camera that you're happy for it to choose any one of those focus points to decide what distance the camera will start applying the depth of field from and you may end up with it choosing a target that isn't what you would have chosen if you were using a single focus point.

[tlc]

I did a course a couple of years back and it was kind of helpful although the guy who was the teacher was very basic, which was a little disappointing, I did get a bit out of it but it was only 6 weeks and two hours a week, he talked a lot about older photographers and techniques and touched a bit on photo shop, we did a bit of practical stuff which was helpful but I am similar to what you have mentioned, mail learning by reading and playing. The course I did if I remember rightly was Cert II in visual arts. They have had the Cert IV here at tafe too, Not sure how much it is, I should look into it, I was going to do it after the last one but it didn't suit my work hours so I let it go by the wayside. I think Id rather do a more complex photography course but its hard to work it around work. We work on a rotating roster and while mostly my hours stay the same sometimes they change. Anyway that book sounds good might see if I can get a copy.

I just dug out the old folder from the course I did and it was module one "Apply techniques to produce digital images" It was a 40 hour course so clearly more than 2 hours a week for 6 weeks. :laugh: how soon we forget, it was 4 years ago!

Edited August 2, 2012 by tlc

[tlc]

I think you're also paying attention to if your images are in focus or not :)

Thats a good thing yea? or do you mean I'm over thinking the whole thing, I feel like I am. :laugh:

[tlc]

Bryan Petterson has a lot of books, they look great!

[kja]

LOL maybe you are a little, but we all do a bit with new toys! I meant that you're noticing things now that you may not have been noticing before.

Try not to get overwhelmed. Start with getting nailed focus in the simplest setting and work from there. Without controlled focus, photos are mostly junk.

[tlc]

Ok will do, I need some new subject material. my next days off I might find something different to shoot!

[tlc]

We did touch on the basics and it was explained how to use the camera in Manual Mode but there wasn't enough of it, and not enough practical stuff with being able to ask questions etc, although I still learnt a lot more from it than I know before I did the course.

I wasn't sure about adding this photo here or in the other thread but It probably applies to both. There is an old catholic Church near us that I have tried to shoot previously without much luck, I stopped there on my way home last night and had another go,

This is really exactly what it looks like,

exif

hand held

ISO 1600

f1.8

1/80

[Are You Serious Jo]

Your focusing has definitely improved. If I were you I'd stick with spot focusing (I also use spot metering for animal shots) and practise getting the eyes, holding the shutter halfway and recomposing. It's too hard to try to get toggling right while you are learning and trying to remember all the other things. One of the best ways to learn editing is by photoshop magazines, especially better photoshop techniques.

The church looks quite good for handheld. Looks like it needs a bit of a contrast boost and maybe up the saturation a little. Also, do you sharpen at all? Pretty much every digital picture needs it. I use the high pass method: do all editing then duplicate the final layer (ctl, alt, shift, e will give you a merged layer on top of all other layers without actually merging) then go filter - other - high pass, you'll see the amount of sharpening on the grey bits, then change mode of top layer to either overlay, soft light, hard light or vivid light. is much better than the unsharp mask.

[tlc]

I mainly use LR for editing and basic stuff in PS like removing things. I alwsy used to use unsharpen mask before I had Lightroom but never went back to it after Lightroom. KJA mentioned (can't remember which thread it was now) contract and clarity and I also use sharpness in LR.

I edited the curch quite a bit, it had a yellowy hue to it which seemed a bit unnatural. The way it looks in the shot is really the way it seems to look in real life.

[colliepaws]

tlc - that's a beautiful old church..

Reverend Jo - thank you for the sharpening tips. I've been using unsharp mask but I'm going to try your method with my next photo. :)

[Are You Serious Jo]

Yep, even if you use the clarity slider you still have to do a resharpen if you've reduced noise.

[kja]

When I was talking about the clarity and contrast sliders in Lightroom it was not in reference to sharpness as is dealt with in the sharpening (final) stage of editing - whether you use the high pass or any one of a million other methods. Sorry if there was confusion - they are not the same things.

[Are You Serious Jo]

Ahhh, ok, I know nothing of lightroom, I heard clarity and immediately thought of camera raw :laugh:

[tlc]

So in lightrooom, if I use the clarity and contrast sliders among others, what slider do i use to sharpen? Is it quite simply the sharpening slider under the detail section or do I then need to take the photo to PS and do it there? Which is what I used to do with unsharpened mask, but now I just use the sharpen tool in lightroom. All of a sudden it all seems so complicated! :laugh: You guys have been looking at my photos for years wish someone had of told me earlier they were all crap!!