Exposure & Focus
This might seem obvious to some but it is important to make sure we use the technical terms correctly. Also included here are some hints and tips if your camera doesn't always behave- even if using Automatic!
It is important to pay attention to the finer details in your images, while there may be areas of your photo that lack perfect exposure or focus make sure that the most important part looks the clearest. To do so you need to know what the photo is “of”- this concept comes up again when talking about composition.
It is important to pay attention to the finer details in your images, while there may be areas of your photo that lack perfect exposure or focus make sure that the most important part looks the clearest. To do so you need to know what the photo is “of”- this concept comes up again when talking about composition.
So... what do we mean by correctly exposed?
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To say a photo is “correctly exposed” usually refers only to the light level i.e. the brightness of the photo, and means that it is appropriate and accurate.
Sometimes people try to use the term ‘correctly exposed’ a bit loosely to talk about a well taken image. However it is better not to, as it will be helpful for the long term to link the idea of exposure and brightness in your own mind. I feel it's important to be clear about each term since mastering photography means juggling lots of concepts and settings. |
The word exposure is used a lot in photography stemming from the fact that in order to make an image the camera is opened up to let the view in, therefore exposing the film or sensor to light. Sometimes, but not often, the term ‘an exposure’ is used to mean a photo.You will hear the word exposure a lot when discussing shutter speed. |
Focus
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It is important to get the subject of your photo in focus. Most photographers use their camera on Autofocus nearly all the time and it generally works very well.
Sometimes autofocus takes a second to get right, so take your time pressing the shutter release button (the button that takes the picture). You might sometimes see a white beam of light come out the front of your camera - this is to help the camera “see” and focus correctly. One of the main reasons for the camera refusing to take a photo, is because it cannot find what to focus on, perhaps because it is dark. |
Tip: Focus is linked to distance, so for best results try to focus 1/3rd of the way into the scene. |
Auto
When in Automatic mode your camera will try everything to make your images correctly exposed and in focus.
This leaves you time to concentrate on choosing a good subject and making decisions about your composition.
This leaves you time to concentrate on choosing a good subject and making decisions about your composition.
