Focus on the Most Important Part of the Subject

Autofocus, often called AF, is a great feature on all digital cameras.AF really does help to ensure that your photo is properly focused most of the time.  This can be a challenge, however, when you are photographing up close.  Then the camera’s AF system may focus on the wrong part of the subject because there are so many places to focus on, all at slightly different distances. Whenever you have objects at varied distances within your photograph, you have the possibility of the camera focusing on the wrong object.

When you get close – and this is not just for close-ups – the area of sharp focus gets narrower. The actual point of focus becomes more obvious.  This means you must become more aware of where the camera is focusing and be sure that the important part of your subject is in focus.

The camera and its Autofocus have no idea what is or is not important in a photo.  Both simply find something they “know” can be sharp.  You have to tell the camera what is supposed to be sharp, and so you need to watch the focus points and notice which ones light up to tell you what is sharp.

In any portrait, formal or informal, the eyes of the person are the key part of that image.  They tell a lot about the subject, which is why they must be sharp.  If the camera focuses anywhere else, then your photo will be less effective than it could be.

With close-ups, there are many spots a camera can focus on, and they are all very close together in distance.  However, what can be sharp is limited because of the distance.  You may have to press the shutter to lock focus, in order to keep focus on the important parts of the photo.