Oh me, oh my! It has been ages and ages since I posted a photography tutorial to my blog. Well, it was April 20 when I last did, to be exact. And I’m finally posting another one for you today. To be honest, I hesitate to call my posts tutorials, though. With the use of that word, the implication is that I’m a learned scholar who knows what she’s doing. I’m not and I really don’t. But I’ve spent the past five years dabbling around with my cameras and learning as I go the best I can.
Far be it from me to keep the little kernels of knowledge I’ve picked up along the way to myself! I know from reading all of your comments and emails that many of you are interested in photography, too. And, with the continued drop in prices of digital SLR cameras these days, it is becoming easier for more and more folks, who perhaps never originally dreamed of becoming photographers, to get their hands on a nice piece of equipment. Exploring this art form has been one of my favorite hobbies in the past handful of years as well.
Today, I bring you a tutorial all about focus. Often, I get readers asking me how I get my photographs so crisp and clear looking. Well, there is not one simple answer to that. Part of it is the lighting I use (only natural light from a window or outside!), another is the lens I have on at the moment, part of it is how I edit my photographs after I take them, but the first and most important way I get clear photographs like this one I took of our only daughter is what I’m going to discuss with you today.
This technique involves using your camera’s auto focus and focus points to get a super clear shot to begin with. This tutorial applies to anyone with an SLR camera. Those of you with point and shoots only will have to sit this one out, I’m afraid.
I usually, but not always, shoot in auto focus mode (as opposed to manual). The first thing you are going to want to do in order for this tutorial to make sense is locate on the side of your lens a small sliding button that moves between AF and MF. This tells your lens if you will be focusing it yourself (manual focus) or if you’ll be using the camera’s help (auto focus). Slide your lens to AF.
Now, look at the top of your camera. Do you see the round dial that you can turn to select different shooting modes? If you’re newer to photography, you may still have your camera set to that glorious green rectangle or green image of a camera indicating automatic shooting mode. Leaving a camera in its fully automatic shooting mode is a very common way that beginning photographers sometimes get led astray. In a completely understandable fashion, some of you might have assumed that by putting your expensive, fancy DSLR on automatic mode and shooting away, that your pricey piece of equipment should know exactly what to do. After all, that’s what you bought it for, right?
Well, not exactly.
Digital SLR cameras can be the pathway to awesome photography, but they are only as good as the person behind the lens. Yeah, that’s you! So let’s talk about getting the most out of your camera by having it help you get crystal clear photographs. Most digital cameras have a series of pre-set focus points that can help you focus on your subject. Look on your camera for a button that has a symbol that looks something like this on it:
This is a set of focus points. You don’t need to press this button yet. We’ll get to that in a moment. Let me just explain what these points are and how they work first.
Your camera likely has an array of anywhere between 3 and 45 focus points, seen when you look through your viewfinder and press your shutter button partway down in order to focus on your subject. My camera has 9. I’m not convinced that more focus points is always better. I typically only use the same focus point for all of my shots. You will also be able to select either one specific focus point or all of the points at once.
Selecting one point will make your subject crystal clear at exactly the spot where you position that point. When shooting portraits of people, for example, I use my camera to select one focus point and then point that focus point right on my subject’s eye.
Like this:
As I said, I almost always use my camera to select one focus point when shooting. However, there may be a time you select all of the focus points at once. When you do this, your camera will automatically without any help from you, “guess” where to focus. It will probably choose more than one spot to focus on. This might be a good setting for huge crowds of people or landscapes. Since I rarely shoot either of those types of shots, I prefer to keep one point set. After all, if I let my camera pick one automatically (as, just so you know, it always does when you have the green dial set to fully automatic mode) and I’m shooting a person, there is a pretty good chance one of the points will not end up on my subject’s eye. And what is a good portrait of a person if their eye is not in focus!?
Well, unless of course you’re shooting a photograph of a person and you specifically don’t want the eye in focus, like this shot of Stellan’s newborn foot:
So, how do you set the focus point on your camera? Glad you asked.
The method for changing which focus point is set is different for every camera. Your camera’s instruction manual will tell you exactly how to do it on yours. But, if you’re anything like me, you either hate instruction manuals or can’t find yours (or both!). Typically, the ability to manually choose your focus points is only available in aperture-priority (called A or Av), shutter-priority (often marked as Tv or S), manual (M) and program (P) mode.
So, set your camera, using the round dial at the top, to one of these above modes, and not to the fully automatic (green rectangle or green camera) or subject (picture of portrait, action, landscape, close up, etc.) modes. You will first need to make sure you have set your camera to one of the correct exposure modes before you will press the button on your camera to activate the focus point selection.
Is that done?
Okay, now find the focus point button on your camera again. As I said earlier, it will have an icon on it that might look like this:
Go ahead and press this button this time.
Looking at your camera’s display screen, you will see all the focus points. Most cameras will light up the point the camera is set to. Or, it may turn one point red. Either way, you’ll know that is the specific point your camera is currently set to focus on. Your camera probably has uses the focus point in the middle of the viewfinder as the default setting. This is fine if you always want the subject to be in the middle of your photograph. But if you know anything about composition, you’ll know that it is usually more pleasing and interesting to have the subject you are shooting away from the center of the photo.
If this is your plan, you’ll want to have a different point light up, and not the center one.
To do this, after you hit the focus points button and you see one point lighting up, you can change the active focus point by using the four direction buttons on the rear of the camera. You know, the ones with little arrows pointing either up, down, left or right. By hitting these directional buttons, the focus point your camera is set on will change. The active point you have selected at the moment will likely appear on your rear LCD screen and also will be lit up as you look through your viewfinder. As you scroll through all of your options, you’ll see that you can set any one of your (in my case, 9) focus points to be the one that your camera will use, or you can set them all. You know they are set to be all on (in which case your camera will do its best to guess for you where you want to focus…I wouldn’t recommend using this setting very often) when all of them are lit (or, in my camera’s case, red).
Now that you’ve chosen a point you want to use, you can look through your viewfinder and take a picture! Here is one that I shot of Nuggey blowing a huge, puffy weed out on our property recently:
I set the focus point to the far left. See the one that is red? When I shot him, I looked at Nuggey through my viewpoint, pointed that focus point on the weed itself, since that is what I wanted in clearest focus, and shot!
Pretty straightforward, huh? Yeah, MckMama, but what if you want to focus on something that doesn’t line up directly with any of the focus points, no matter what you chose!?
Super question. If that is the case, you can still get a clear shot by using a steady hand and this technique:
Set a focus point. Look through your viewfinder at your subject. Set the selected focus point on the part of your photo you want in focus. Press your shutter button partway until you hear a little beep or a click.
Now your lens is focused on what you just pointed the focus point at, almost no matter what you do with your camera now!! So, just keep your finger on the shutter button, pushed halfway down still, and slide your camera over (and/or up or down) to compose your photo however you want. Now, click!
Even if the focus point is no longer on, say, the eye of your subject, the eye will still be focused since you initially set the focus there!! So this is how I typically shoot. I have one focus point set. I look through my viewfinder, quickly find whatever it is I want to focus on, press the shutter halfway, and then before my subject has a chance to move (this takes practice and patience…you’ll get lots of dud photos that you’ll have to trash, but you will be able to get some awesome, clear as crystal ones, too!) I slide my camera over to how I want the whole photo to look and click!
The important thing is: After you’ve depressed the shutter button and focused on something, you may move your camera up or down, left or right, but you may not move it closer to the subject or further away! If you do that, you focus point will no longer be in focus. Also, you will want to finish clicking the focus button as quickly as you can, since your hand and your subject will probably still be moving slightly.
This technique is easier when you are shooting something that isn’t moving or you are using a tripod.
However, I enjoy using this technique with children and objects in motion because I love a challenge! I get such satisfaction when I manage to grab those hard to capture moments.
And now you can, too!!
Question…I have a Sony a300….and can’t find that button….???
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/DSLRA300.pdf
Thanks! This really helped me!
LOVE this tutorial. Such good stuff in here for DSLR newbies – and oldies. Great stuff, thanks.
Thank you! Now, would you mind sharing the lens you used on the photo of Stellan and the weed? Also, the settings?
This was a great help-thanks!
Your inner teacher is showing.
Awesome tutorial! Thanks.
That’s really helpful – thanks for the tips!
Thanks, I have so much to learn!
http://www.retrohousewiferemix.blogspot.com
I so needed this tutorial! I have had my camera for over a year…and no I did not read the manual. I had no idea that you could change the focus with the four arrows!!
Hi Jennifer,
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Very timely, McMama. I’m in the process of moving on up from a “point and shoot” to a SLR. Don’t be too impressed. Those are the only terms I know at the moment!! I keep writing down which camera I think I want and promptly losing it. Basically, I think I need a Canon Rebel something or other. Since you have nothing else to do other than take care of MSCs, hay bale garden, cook, clean and gestate, perhaps you might make a suggestion? I won’t be critical if you don’t. Instead, I’ll continue to be grateful for your tutorials!!
Best,
Bonnie
Brillant!!! Really! My best friend and I have been taking a photography class and not once has our teacher gone into this at all. This totally makes sense and I’ve been playing with it, but not really know what it does. This was a great help and I can’t wait to play more!
HELP!!! I just need to shadow someone who can take me step by step. Any volunteers? haha. JUST KIDDING. well, sorta.
I always forget to set my settings, esp WB, and with small children, I’m not quite sure how to juggle or manage all the settings. Am I thinking it’s harder than it is, or is it just that I need to spend a ton more time behind my camera? I did take a film photog class in college, so I’m not completely clueless, it’s the switch to digital and all the settings that go with it that throw me. I’m almost always in AF, and like manual settings so I can set the aperature. (Love bokeh!!!!) But with white balance, lighting, and continual adjusting of shutter speed, why would you bother with the focus point when you can do the half shutter depress and slide thing? (Which is what I have done before. Never occurred to me to change it, actally, lol) Wiouldn’t that just save time by decreasing the amt of settings you need to change? I would be more concerned about losing shots of the kids. (I have the xTi, btw)
you can actually set your white balance to AWB and then control your ISO and shutter speed. If you have Photoshop or LR you can adjust the WB there. Check your AF Drive and change to AI Servo if you have moving kids. The best advise anyone ever gave me was to Read My Manual
I do have PS Elements but haven’t figured out how to do a dang thing on it (and fixing WB would be a good thing since I have lots of pics with that prob. ugh). Why doesn’t THAT (PS) come with an instruction manual. lol I am a firm believer in reading the directions. I started with my camera, but it’s a big book, so I only got 1/2 way thru. 4 kids don’t give me much free time. oh well. Thanks on the AF Servo tip. I’ll have to try that. That’s one of the things I haven’t gotten around to learning about yet. So much to learn that sometimes it’s overwhelming. At least I already understand aperature, DOF, shutter speed and ISO.
I just took a look at your Kenyan photos again. I don’t know if I’m morbid or messed up for doing so. But my godbrother and I were having this huge arguement over the fact that I thought he was stuck up cuz he is “rich.” (Petty I know, I know.) Of course, he completely disagrees that just because the thought of wearing hand-me-downs abhors him, he’s “just regular.” After looking at those photos and praying a bit, we both decided we are very, VERY rich.
I just have one question, actually about photography. Is M, A, S, and P supposed to be in B & W??
dude. do you have any idea what kind of face i make when i see you pop up in my visitors panel? like this super shocked face, then i look behind myself, then forward again, point at me chest and mouth “me?”
ME??
seriously… my heart rate jumped several BPM.
can’t wait to pry my camera out of the hubster’s hands. i’ll test out that little focus thingy.
thanks for taking the time to explain it so carefully.
Thanks for the easy to understand tutorial. I am trying to learn how to use our Sony DSLR, beyond the auto everything.
The miracles of modern technology – I want a cool new toy like yours!
I know what a HUGE following you have and I would like to ask you to pray for a very special little girl who is not doing well at all right now. Please visit her website and send prayers her way. http://ashleyadamsjournal.blogspot.com/
Awesome tutorial. Makes me really, really, really wish I had more than my cheapest deal I could find point-and-shoot. =) Oh well.
I so want a cool camera.
Wish I had time to read this earlier (like days earlier!) I have to use the newspaper’s SLR to take pics at a political debate tonight…wish me luck that I get good shots without “knowing” this camera!
I just got a Rebel last week and this tutorial really helped me understand those blinking lights:) Thanks!!
I’m guessing you don’t shoot with a flash, but how do you get such good lighting indoors of your kiddos? I’m new to photography and this is something I can’t get with there being motion in the pictures. But I hate those horrible shadows behind subjects when you use a flash indoors!
This is a question I’ve always had, too!!!!!!!!!!!! I can NOT for the life of me figure this one out
She said that she always places them by a window – somewhere where the natural light is streaming in.
Bump up your ISO and this is where using the right White Balance comes in handy. When lighting is really bad, I use a Speed Light and bounce the light off (just not directly at the subject). It takes tons of practice but it is really a great hobby.
Don’t forget to check your Exposure Compensation/AEB if you think your pictures are too dark / too light…you can control lighting with this feature too. It’s often overlooked.
Check out the Lightscoop. Promise you’ll like it! One of my fave camera accessories ever! Good luck!
I have been so thrilled by how simple {and passionate} your photography tutorials are…we just bought a Rebel and are LOVING capturing gorgeous shots of our kids…and food…and vegetables…and grass…just because they suddenly all look so fabulous on camera {I’m odd like that}! Thanks for this…was wondering how to change the focus point!!
I am SO glad you posted this. I haven’t exactly mastered the Rebel yet. I am just so used to hearing how great my pics are based on following the rule of thirds, getting on level, shooting at different angels, caring about shadow, that I have gotten by. Thanks for putting in my terms!
very nice tutorial. I have an OLD XT, so I only have 7 AF point and it drives me batty. I literally drool when I go to Best Buy and shoot with the 7D. 21pt AF? Be still my photographer soul.
I can’t wait to try this out at home tonight with my camera. I plan on getting the camera out and going along with McMamma as she walks through the process. I am super excited about getting some great pictures of my fur-babies. I only have basset hounds to take pictures of no little kiddos, but they always make for some interesting photo shoots. Thanks McMamma for sharing your tips.
Every time I see your pics I have the urge to run out and buy a DSLR. I have the best possible P&S canon out there (G11) but it just doesn’t match up to those SLRS, unfortunately. Maybe someday. I suppose by the time I actually DO get one, I’ll be an expert from reading your tutorials.
Thanks!
What a GREAT tutorial!!! I love it!! I did the steps on my camera while reading through, and it worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes me so happy
Thanks so much!
Well, if I had a good camera and could do photography, I would have found this very helpful. Nice post!!
Thanks mckmama for the awesome tutorial! I tried to click on thr other tutorials and thr links didn’t work anymore. Just wanted to let you know
Yup, that’s what I do also. i set the iso first, then set to aperture mode, then focus my one focus point on the eye or whatever, continue to hold it down and move the camera over to compose the whole shot.
You did a great job of explaining it! It took me a while to figure out this is the best way to get clear of people. I still struggle, but the good shots are awesome!
I can’t wait to try this out. I am at best an amateur DSLR user and have taken a Digital Photography class but you learn so much at once it’s hard to take it all in. I loved this tutorial and looking forward to trying it out on my kids. They are very much use to me taking their picture and are more than willing to be cooperative participants. Thanks again for taking the time to put this together. I read your posts every day but don’t usually comment but I love keeping up with your family. Good luck with McFlurry.
great post! I was going to post a link to the Canon Digital Learning Center on how to use focus points, but I can’t find it. I can only find my back button focus link… Basically, the smaller circle button on the back helps set the focus points, but you have to set it to that function. I’m using a 50D so I don’t know if it’s the same on the entry level Canon dSLRs.
LOVE your photography tutorials!! You have helped me so much and I just adore photography!
Ok I feel like a ditz, but I don’t see that focus button on my Canon Rebel. Is it the button on the very top right? Where is it on my blasted camera? I don’t see anything like what you posted..
Me either! Thanks for asking…. I have the same Cannon Rebel and I searched and searched for how to change the focus setting.
When you click on one of the modes (Av, Tv, M, or P) the screen like MckMama showed with all the little boxes going around in a circle show up inside where you look to take the picture. Mine lights up the focus point at the 1:00 position. I am just trying for the life of me to figure out how to change that focus point now.
If anyone has help for us – That would be great! Got the new camera for our anniversary/birth of a baby and I still have little to no clue how to use the functions.
Hi – i’m going to try to help – try. I have the Canon Rebel XT, and I am 99% sure that the button you want to use is on the top right of the back of your camera. its just a small button and it is a square with 5 dots in it, in the shape of a cross almost. Once you follow MckMama’s steps you’ll see the little buttons light up red, just like she said. Hope that helps!! And hope that I am right, but it seemed to work for me.
And then you use the arrow keys of the main circle to change the position of the focus setting.
On the back of your camera, on the top right, there are two buttons side by side with magnifying glasses. The one on the right is the AF-point button. You can move the point of focus around with it and do it while you’re looking through the viewfinder or looking at the screen.
Forgot to say that when you press that button it will take you to the AF-point screen and you can move the focal point using the circular group of buttons on the middle bottom. The instruction manual with your camera explains it all much better than I can.
Thanks!!! That rocks! I just figured it out and now I am snapping the pics away to figure out how it all works. This is great!
I thought that might be it!! Thanks
So for a family of say 4, are you really selecting one focus point or letting the camera pick it?
heather
My 16 yr old daughter would love to be a photographer as a job in the future. What kind of SLR camera should I get for her to start out with, learn on and use for several years?
When I was 19, my parents purchased me a Canon entry level SLR (the XT Rebel to be exact) which served me very well for 5 years until I was able to upgrade to the 50D myself. Any of the Canon entry level SLRs are pretty great and should serve her well as a learning tool. Pair it with a few nice lenses (can often be way more expensive than the camera, but, there are some pretty good cheaper options out there) and she will be off to a great start.
Feel free to email me if you want more help. holly@innovativeimage.org
Awesome tutorial! Can’t wait to practice on my own four little subjects. Wouldn’t it be cool if your readers could post the pictures they got after trying out one of your tutorials somewhere? Just a thought!
thanks! I was just wondering about this very thing.
Thanks so much for that great tutorial!!!
Thanks for sharing! We upgraded to a DSLR in March and I am love learning all the techniques that it takes to get a good photo!
Awesome “tutorial”! I’ve had an SLR camera for a little over a year now…maybe longer…and still haven’t figured out all the quirks, bells & whistles. While most untrained eyes say my pictures look great I can always see there is something missing. Something “professional”.
I try to read the manual, but it’s so darn frustrating!
So, this totally rocks! What a huge help & in words I understand!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
Yay! I love your photography tutorials – and this is the first one that actually applied to me, since I recently (finally!) got my first DSLR. I’ve already dabbled in setting my focus point, etc, but this helped a bunch! Thank you
Now I need a lesson on how to shoot completely in Manuel
I’ve got Aperture and Program figured out…and Shutter priority sort of 
Whoops, Manual!
Thanks, MckMama! I’m always taking pictures of really clear backgrounds, instead of my kiddos!
I can’t wait to get my camera out when I have a little time to read & do the hands on with my camera… THANKS for sharing your tips!!!
That’s exactly what I do too! My life changed when I learned how to manually choose focus points, and I’ve never gone back.
Thank you so much, MckMama for this wonderful tutorial!!!! I grabbed my camera and went right along with you as I read your easy to follow instructions! It makes me want to go out and challenge myself too. Maybe my boys will humor me as I find some dried up dandelions for them to blow on. Your focus on those pictures were amazing–definitely frame worthy! I have taken a few photography classes online from some fellow bloggers and they have never made it that easy to understand. My FOCUS points were always messed up! I usually shoot in AV or P mode and always in AF(someday I hope to take the time to shoot in Manual) but as you know, with kids, there isn’t always time to set up the perfect settings–you just have to shoot!
Thanks again–I love when you post your tutorials-you will help a lot of people with this one I think!
O boy!! I love how you “cater” to the begging of your readers for photography help. You’re just super nice like that, aren’t you?
I really appreciate it. I think it’s nice that you “help” us like this 
Love the tutorial! I have started working with changing my focus lately and have gotten some really great shots!
Hope you have a great day today!