STEP BY STEP CAMERA AND LENS SETUP

Learn how to get started with zone focusing

01 in a busy Location

Any public place can become a bustling and dynamic street spot, so head to an area of high people traffic such as a city centre. It’s best to use an unobtrusive prime lens (and even better if it has a marked distance scale on it). First, set your lens to manual focus.

02 camera Settings

Switch your camera to aperture priority mode, start with an aperture between f/5.6 and f/11 and set an ISO of 400. You can tweak both of these variables later if your shots are too light or dark. Have the strap on your shoulder so the camera rests at your hip.

03 calculate focus range

If your lens has a marked distance scale, use it to determine the focus range and twist the lens barrel. If your lens doesn’t have markings, use an app such as DOF Table to calculate the distances. You just need to input the aperture and focal length of your lens.

04 Shoot, review and edit

Stand in place so that any passing subjects fall within the range of focus, then fire the shutter when your intended subject enters the zone of focus (for us, about 2 metres away). If you narrow the aperture for a wider focus range, remember to readjust the lens too.