Portraits with punch
How to set up autofocus correctly to get the sharpest shots of people
Since the start of the autofocus age, photographers have become reliant on their camera to nail the focus on their subjects. As a result, I often see photographers blame their cameras for the lack of critical focus in their pictures. I think that, more often, it’s a case of inappropriate camera settings for the subject. We’re taking more shots than ever before and there are a lot of ‘not-quite-sharp’ pictures hidden on hard drives.
One of the most common causes of missed focus is the use of AI Focus mode. I wish that this was only available in the scene modes – EOS-1D cameras don’t have it for a reason. Use the right focus mode instead: if your subject is stationary then use One-shot AF; if the subject is moving then use AI Servo AF.
Secondly, limit the number of active AF points as much as possible. For portraits, a single point is enough; personally I use Spot AF if the camera has it. Single Point AF will not focus on the subject’s nose if you put it over their eye, while Spot AF ensures I can focus on the eyeball and not have the focus system decide that the ends of the eyelashes are the subject.
If you are in the habit of using the central AF point with the ‘focus lock and recompose’ technique, try moving to a different AF point in the right place instead, especially when working close to the subject. The centre AF point(s) are more precise only when using f/2.8 or faster lenses.
Use enough aperture for the subject and camera-to-subject distance. When shooting a headshot, like the one above, f/4 will not give enough depth of field for the nose and ears to be sharp, only the eyes. Don’t be afraid of setting ISO400, instead of sticking to ISO100; your shutter speed or aperture gains will outweigh any image quality loss you might expect.
Having more pixels requires that we improve our techniques. With the 30Mp EOS 5D Mark IV I need a little faster shutter speed than I use on the EOS 5D Mark III. The EOS 5DS/R needs the old handholding rule updating. It should be the reciprocal of twice the focal length, in my view, so a 100mm lens needs at least 1/200 sec for handheld photos.