What Should You Do When Auto Focus Doesn’t Work?

How does auto focus work?

When it works, auto focus is great. Your camera gives you photographs that are clear with all the right spots in focus. When your camera finds an area where there are light tones next to dark tones it chooses that area to lock in the focus. This exact spot where the camera searched for focus is called a focal point.

So, what’s a focal point?

A focal point is a spot your camera uses to decide what should be in focus. Focus is achieved when these points find an area of high contrast and calibrates on this point. The cameras focal points are fixed, meaning they do not move around, however most cameras have many points to chose from. Some older cameras will only have one while some professional cameras have up to 45 focal points.

Are more better?

Yes more is better and no more is not better. Let me explain. When photographing a moving subject, like sports or event photography, additional focal areas are helpful because of the need for achieving fast focus. In situations where fast focus isn’t nearly as important as accurate focus, more points can actually impede accurate focus. What can typically happen is the highest point of contrast will be in the background of the image, causing the camera to focus on this spot, leaving your real subject blurry.

But, my subject is blurry still. Are all focal points the same?

No, they are not all the same. In most cameras the center point is the most accurate. The center point will often read the contrast on a vertical and horizontal axis, whereas other focal points will only read contrast vertically or horizontally, but not both. By using the center point in a higher contrast area, you can often insure your camera is focused on the right area. Other than the most expensive cameras, the majority of cameras will not let you choose the focal point.

How do you know if your camera is choosing the right point?

You can tell if focal points are causing a blurry photograph by examining the image. If there is an area of the background in focus, while your subject is blurry, then you’ll know that the camera chose the wrong focal point, and focused on the background. This is a problem, but it’s one you can usually fix.

Fix this problem with 4 simple steps

By simple I mean really simple. It’s almost exactly the same steps you already use to take a photograph.

1. Point the center point at a high contrast area of your subject. Eyes or mouth work well for people.

2. Push and hold the shutter button down halfway. This causes your camera to focus.

3. While the shutter button is still pushed down, you can then recompose ( a fancy word for moving the camera to make sure the right things are in the viewfinder)

4. Push the button down the rest of the way and take the photograph.

Taking a photograph has never been this easy

Okay, maybe this way isn’t actually easier, but it will lead to more images in focus.

Jason H. Crowe is a MBA graduate from William Woods University, a small business owner, and the CEO of Photography Marketing Guide.

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