by Susie Reed
Sedona AZ (February 12, 2012) – Today’s camera’s sophisticated features go a long way towards helping create beautiful images, but they can’t think and see for us. Sometimes camera functions, such as autofocus, are better left turned off.
Autofocus works well in most situations, but it can be problematic with close up photography. This is because with short depths of field often used at close range, camera sensors randomly select one of many focal points, which may not be the one you want. For example, you’re trying to zero in on a beautiful flower and the camera focuses on the leaves behind it instead… This can be frustrating and sometimes something photographers don’t even notice until they see their pictures after a shoot, when it’s too late to do anything about it.
To get around this problem, if your camera will allow, set your lens to manual when doing close up photography. Then focus the lens yourself by turning it and/or moving a bit closer or further away from your subject until it’s sharp in the way you want. After you’re done remember to set your lens back to autofocus so you don’t inadvertently go on shooting thinking the lens is focusing for you when it’s not. To find out how to turn the autofocus feature on and off for your camera, consult your manual.