How do you deal with composition vs focus points??

[savona]

Just would like to know how you do it.

Ok I thought I would get some input here from you guys and girls. I often like to shoot at a low aperture which as we all know limits your focused areas (very shallow DOF). So I was just wondering how everyone here deals with composition vs focus points? Its not always possible to drop a focus point on someones eye(s) and still get the composition you want. So do you shoot with focus points on the eyes and crop in post? Or do you focus and then recompose the shot in camera (which often for me leads to a mis focus).


For me manually focusing is not an option. I dont know if its my eyes or the focus screen on the 5d, I just cant do it.

[Adaptive]

I always always always try to focus on the eyes.
If i'm not up close on my subject and i'm shooting a fast paced event like a wedding I aim for things that are easy to lock on to like shirt collars, hair lines, mouth, nose. etc.... But that being said if I lock onto these things I'm not RIGHT UP on my subject either usually they are kinda far away and I'm not shooting wide open. just my .02 cents

[Walkabout]

Not sure about your Canon, but I set my focus to S (Single, rather than Continuous) on my Nikon and hold my shutter release halfway down to autofocus on subject, then while keeping it depressed halfway, re-compose and depress completely. Sounds depressing...yes?

[Adaptive]

...hold my shutter release halfway down to autofocus on subject, then while keeping it depressed halfway, re-compose and depress completely...

Sounds like a good way to get blurry images. Think about this for a second.
You lock focus on your subject then re-compose your shot and totally move your position....

If you're shooting at f/2.8 and you recompose you will get blurry shots 90% of the time or the part you wanted in-focus will not be in focus..
Unless you're shooting at 250th at f/11 at 200mm+ distance you're going to get blurry shots.


Maybe think of it in a different situation:
I am a surgeon, I have a knife in my hand, I see location where I am going to cut my patient.
Then I move and reposition myself and start cutting without re-focusing on where I'm going to cut.


just my .02 cents

[Walkabout]

I freeze focus on the part of the subject I want it at, such as the eyes, recompose holding that focus, and shoot...rarely get blurry images with that technique. When shooting at 2.8 ap, focal range is very limited so it's important to focus on the element you want first. Actually, and there is no "Re-focusing" as you say in your surgeon analogy, you are "retaining' your focus in this method, just recomposing the shot. You seem to have confused re-focusing with re-composing.

remember, by keeping the shutter halfway depressed, you are locking your focus, not losing it. You keep the part you want in focus this way, you are just changing the composition, NOT the focus. If you are getting blurry images 90% of the time doing this, you may be releasing the focus and trying to re-focus after re-composing? Not sure, mate...but it works for me 90% of the time, perhaps more. Thats what the button is set up for, so you can set focus and recompose.

[Walkabout]

"Think about this for a second.
You lock focus on your subject then re-compose your shot and totally move your position...."

Isn't that the point? To lock your focus on a subject, then re-compose (retaining that focus point) and shoot in the position you wish to?
And if a surgeon takes a focal point, where he/she is going to cut, repositions his arms, legs perhaps, even angle to the patient and still retains his eye on the focal point, didn't they just reposition themselves to a more pleasing position and still retain their focus on the subject?
Sorry mate, the surgeon was not a very good analagy to begin with, but even though, had to mention it's flaws.

Cheers...

[Adaptive]

haha yeah the surgeon thing was not a good analogy. hehe
I guess depending on how you do it, it's alright.
But most beginners will do it wrong so I just advise people not to do it.
If you've got it down the good.

Advantages
For cameras that take a while to focus and have some delay between pressing the shutter and taking the picture, this can help getting the right moment, because the camera will be ready to shoot when the shutter is half-pressed. Also if your camera has multiple focus points, the central focus point is usually the one with the highest precision. This way you can take full advantage of the precision. So basically if your camera isn't the greatest and has a slow auto focus this will help your camera catch the faster movements. Not a good idea to do this technique with stationary subjects.

Disadvantages
If you have very shallow depth-of-field, the rotation of the image axis during re-composing might be enough to throw the subject off-focus.


also here you go
Focus-Recompose sucks
http://visual-vacations.com/Photogra...pose_sucks.htm

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography...recompose.html

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/toptips/focus-method/

http://blog.duncandavidson.com/2008/...e-exposed.html
"When shooting in bright light with small apertures, this strategy can work just fine. However, when you shoot with wide apertures, focus and recompose can lead to poor results, even failure" (just like i said earlier)


Why risk it?
But I do understand, not everyone has 42 focus points like me.

[Walkabout]

Attachment 1043Well, there are always different methods, but I would never try to hold a student back from trying a method because they are beginners and "might do it wrong..."

fortunately, I am self taught and I never bought into "safe" shooting, I tried all sorts of methods and stuck with ones that worked, and still experimented. I'm more of a No Guts, No Glory kind of shooter rather than a "Why risk it?" type.

attached is an image I took about a year into this craft, shot with a Nikon 6006. I wanted the focus to be on the hawks eyes, but wanted the composition you see here...i simply focused on the eye (spot or center weighted meter, don't remember) held the shutter down and simply and quickly moved it to recompose the image with the tombstones somewhat centered. All the while focus locked on... I'm still shaking my head at what the complexity of this is, I've even used it in macro imagery with good results...so point being, Savona, use it as a method...no guts no glory...try it. Digital images are even cheaper than film, so worth the effort. It's a simple, easy method thats worked well for any student I ever had, but one of many, perhaps. Keep an open mind and never ever refrain from trying anything because it might be difficult or you might "get it wrong..."

The only "failure" in this craft, as in any aspect of life for that matter, happens when we don't reach further than what we are capable of. Experiment with your instincts, be bold, try to express your own identity and pay less attention to what others are doing.

[Adaptive]

Well I guess in my field there is no opportunity to "re-shoot" or say I'm sorry your pic is a little blurry.
If I take a second and miss the shot or get a blurry image I'm not getting paid, plain and simple.

That's an awesome hawk shot, should post in nature/wildlife section.
Was it really at the graveyard like that?

That is really awesome, looks like an immature bald eagle
Plus you have the american flag, graves in the background.
It's like a tribute to the veterans.

[LuisV]

OK..... wow.... seems like we are beating a dead horse here.

Focus and recompose.

You are typically displacing only a few degrees. There is no way in the world you will notice the minimal change (if it's even detectable) in focal plane distance to subject. Even if you shift your position slightly to breath.... lol.

Let's look at the worst case scenario. Long lens, full frame, small aperture, 10 feet to subject. Say 200mm, f/2.8 and Full Frame. Your depth of feild will be about 1.5 inches. However, your angle of view is 12 degrees. This would mean the most you would shift you composition from center is 6 degrees. You will not see the difference in distance and the shot will be dead on. If you are shooting a 50mm at f/2.8, same body, same distance, the DoF is 2 feet!

AF systems vary, but the truth is that you can focus and recompose without issue. If you have a moving subject, then you are going to have to rely on AF tracking. That has improved constantly over the years. Nikon and Canon both have awesome systems. I can tell you that the D3X is defiantely a step above the D2X and the I liked the D2X a great deal. These systems just keep getting better.