Lesson Info
37. Point of Focus
Lessons
Buttons, Dials and Switches: What This Course is All About
03:37 2Setting Up Your Camera
05:25 3JPEG or RAW
03:11 4Compression
01:38 5Menu Settings for JPEG Shooting
05:19 6Module 1 Summary
01:42 7Applying White Balance
03:41 8Using White Balance Creatively
01:19Auto White Balance
03:07 10Module 2 Summary
01:31 11Controlling Exposure
01:23 12F Numbers
03:06 13Lens, Aperture, and Shutter Speed
03:32 14Exposure Modes
01:48 15Too Little or Too Much Light
02:34 16Manual Exposure Mode
01:37 17Aperture Priority Exposure Mode
02:23 18Module 3 Summary
01:40 19ISO in Practice
01:16 20ISO and Noise
05:03 21An Acceptable ISO
01:23 22Module 4 Summary
01:29 23Metering Modes
03:06 24The Light Meter
02:11 25The Bucket Test
02:12 26How To Read Tonality
02:32 27Being Creative With Tone
01:14 28Exposure Compensation
01:35 29High Contrast Lighting
03:39 30Histogram
02:06 31Highlights Alert
01:32 32Never Underexpose
04:16 33Digital Exposure Mantra
01:25 34Module 5 Summary
02:57 35Focus Modes
01:23 36Autofocus
02:59 37Point of Focus
02:35 38Depth of Field
02:41 39Hyper-Focal Distance Focusing
02:51 40Focus Tracking
04:19 41Manual Focus
01:57 42Predictive Focus
01:03 43Summary
02:32 44Buying Lenses
05:00 45Summary
01:45 46Quality of Light
01:32 47Direction of Light
01:52 48No Such Thing as Good Light
02:00 49Final Word
02:52 50BONUS - In Conversation with Art Wolfe
07:11 51BONUS - The Source of Creativity
06:34Lesson Info
Point of Focus
The obvious thing to focus on is the subject. But this raises the question. What is the subject? And while the subject, maybe the obvious thing to focus on, it's not always the right thing. For example, when photographing people or animals most of the time is critical, the ISA sharp because it's through the eyes, we make an emotional connection with subject. So when I'm photographing wildlife, I have to be attentive to the exact position of the focus sensor, making sure it's trained on the eyes and not, for example, on the chest or the nose. This becomes even more important when using a telephoto lenses, because increased focal length means reduced depth of field. The same approach applies in portrait photography. A great portrait reveals the character of the person being photographed through the eyes. If the eyes aren't sharp, the connection is lost because, as I explained, in Less and three of the third module, human beings focus their attention on objects at a sharp, and we ignore o...
bjects that a blurred If the eyes are blurred through poor focus technique, we ignore them, and we lose that all important connection. Moving away from wildlife animals and people in a landscape or cityscape. Everything in the image space may be the subject, which means everything needs to be sharp. In this instance, the focus point needs to be set on the point that gives the most depth of field very roughly 1/3 of the way into the frame. This is a technique known as hyper focal distance focusing, which I explain in detail in less and five of this module moving subjects need even more thought, because you have to anticipate what's going to happen, not just react to what is happening. For example, in this scene, a meta Faulcon re center photographing an eagle owl in flight. Now I know from experience that when the hour takes off, it will immediately drop towards the ground. If I position the out in the middle of the frame using the center a F point when it takes off, it will immediately drop out of the frame. So instead, I position the bird in an upper corner of the viewfinder. Setting one of the outlying focus senses is the active sensor. Now, when the hour takes off, it drops into the frame rather than out of it. and focus tracking kicks in To keep it in focus, you'll find out how to best use focus tracking in less than six. So it's important when focusing not to just point and shoot. Be attentive to which part of your subject or seen where sharpness is critical and make sure the active focus sensor is trained on that specific point.
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Ratings and Reviews
mark jacobson
What a marvelous course! What a marvelous teacher! When I went to college, my father would always ask me about my professors, more than the courses themselves. He was passionate about learning and although too busy with earning an income to go beyond an undergrad degree, continued to read 50 books a year. I still remember how he'd get almost visibly excited when I'd tell him about some special professor who taught with such enthusiasm and, more than just passion, evident delight and joy in the subject. 'Ah they're the best, son. How wonderful you have such a teacher." Well, he passed away decades ago but if he were still around I'd get a kick out of telling him about Chris Weston, the 'Prof' of this course. He's one of the very special ones: a teacher who's loved and lived his vocation--his avocation--since he was a boy--and still is as excited about it now as he was then. The result: a course that seems to be more a labor of love--of pouring far more energy and thought into the details then one typically finds in these courses--than anything else. Bravo Chris! I'm already on to your next one.
user-6402bf
Chris is an amazing instructor who dissects theory giving amazing analogies that bring concepts to life. I have rarely been able to sit through most video course for more than a half-hour but watched this one from beginning to end. A good refresher course if you've been away from the camera for awhile or there are some concepts that still illude you. I highly recommend this course and look forward to watching his others. Thank you for the clarity and great explanations.
Sky Bergman
This was an amazing class. I have looked at a number of basic photography classes. This one was by far the best I have seen. Chris is an exceptional teacher. He breaks things down into digestible information and then inspires you to be creative. Thank you!
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