News flash: not every focused subject has to be smack dab in the center of the frame!
this was definitely news to me!
but before we dig into this topic, let me give a quick disclaimer.....like i said in last week's post, i am as amateur as you can be when it comes to photography and cameras. i may say things that aren't exactly like a real photographer would put it, but i hope that what i say can help a few other newbies to feel brave enough to take the camera off of auto and experiment and learn new things about photography.
Ok, with that disclaimer before us….let’s get started!
1.
Setting up (the “Nitty Gritty” so to speak)
a. Here are the parts of the camera that will be used to focus
focus points
(what you see when you look in the viewfinder)
b. for the photos below, i used my camera {Nikon D3100} in A (aperture priority) mode (which is close to manual, but not totally).
c. You can set some things like:
i. Focus mode:
1. AF/A--automatic
2. AF/S—single-servo AF—for stationary objects
3. AF/F—full-time servo AF—more moving objects or video
ii. AF-Area mode: (this is for viewfinder, not live view mode)
1. Single-point AF—focuses on a single point (hence the name)
2. I really have no idea what the other modes do—don’t ask me!
iii. And aperture (mine was at F5)
2. Focusing and taking a picture—using viewfinder, not live view mode
Here are two methods that I now know how to use when focusing on something that I don’t necessarily want in the center of the picture. The pioneer woman has a good post about focus points that I found in my research. There are most likely fancy names for each method….but I don’t know them—so we’ll go with what I made up!
Here’s some examples of what I mean about choosing different focus points:
focus on the geese:
focus on the leaves:
focus on the hay bale:
The aperture has something to do with the blurred background, but that mystery is for another Friday, my friends.
So here's what you do to choose different focus points (or at least what i did):
a. Method 1: “Move Camera-Hold Focus”—{don’t you like my very scientific names}
i. Put/keep red focus light in the center of the picture frame
ii. Move camera so that the red dot is on the object you want to focus on
iii. ½ click the shutter release button (this locks the focus on that object, even if you move the camera)
iv. KEEP shutter release ½ down and MOVE the camera so that the picture is framed as you want it
v. Push the shutter release the rest of the way down
b. Method 2: “Hold Camera --Move Focus”
i. Push shutter release button ½ way down
ii. See red dot
iii. Move the red dot using the multi-selector arrows until the red dot is on the object you want to focus on
iv. {side note: if you want to get the red dot back to the center push the OK button}
v. Take the picture
and now it's time for our week in review photos:
friday:
saturday:
sunday:
monday:
 |
| focused on his eyes |
 |
| focused on eyes |
 |
| focus on the vase |
V.
 |
| focus on the toaster |
thursday:
 |
| focused on Sister's eyes |
(the link party will be up until next thursday so you have time to post and link up even in the next couple of days)
3 comments:
Great photos, you are a master photographer in training :)
Agreed.. you got some great shots this week! I can tell you are getting better at using that new camera of yours!
I love the messy face picture. Adorable!
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