 Steve Ireland |
Wedding Photography: Getting the Focus Right I have a Canon EOS3 with a 35-90 USM Canon zoom lens that I use for weddings using Fuji NPH 400 ASA film. I also tend to use a tripod when practical. My question is this: whilst photographing 1/2L and 3/4 length people shots I aim to focus on the bride's eyes but quite often her bouquet is not pin sharp. I shoot at 1/125 and with 400 ISO up to f8 and beyond, so why is the depth of field in front of her eyes less than 6 inches (i.e., the distance differential between my lens and her eyes and my lens and the flowers)? Canon recently tested my lens and was OK. Camera is new. I am racking my brains for an answer - please help!!! My lens is not an L or IS, and I think the film is up to it; maybe I need new glasses! Many thanks to whoever takes the trouble to reply. Steve, Derby UK.
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Kerry L. Walker |
If you are shooting from up close, you may need a smaller aperture to increase the DOF.
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Justin S. |
Yeah, I'd suggest trying to use a smaller aperture. What you can do is use your DOF preview button (if you have one) to check the focus on everything in the shot. You might be able to focus on the bouquet and use a smaller aperture so she will come into focus also; I'd check with the DOF preview button before I released the shutter, though you don't want too small of an aperture and get distractions in the background. If you don't have a DOF button, you can stop down to the aperture you believe would work and twist your lens like you are taking it off but instead of removing it take a look through the view finder and the lens will have stopped down to that aperture. Hope this helped.
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John A. Lind |
Steve, Can you set the shutter to 1/60th? This will allow picking up more ambient light (twice as much) and will help keep background from being quite as dark ... not your question, but noted you are using 1/125th X-Sync. I'm wondering what your working distance is (camera-to-subject). I shoot nearly all the portraitures at f/5.6 and don't have this problem (using manual focus cameras) ... even with medium format (645) that has slightly less depth of field for a given aperture, working distance and lens with the same field of view. At short working distances, I start thinking about this at about 6 feet or less ... Kerry has made the correct suggestion: stopping down. When I do tight close-ups, I stop down ... the closer (higher magnification) the more I stop down. With people, it's rarely more than f/8 ... occasionally f/11, if I'm actually cropping some of the head. Left wondering if your AF is locking where you want it to ... or if it's changing as you compose.
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Steve Ireland |
Many thanks, Guys. To respond to John, my working distance would be approx 6 - 8 feet, I suppose, as I would be using about a 70mm zoom. I will try using a smaller aperture/slower shutter whilst being aware of background distraction. I haven't used the DOF preview button, so will do so if you think it will help. Many thanks for you all for the replies. Regards, Steve.
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Maria Melnyk |
Hey, no one mentioned how the bride is holding her flowers. If she holds them correctly, they are the same distance from the lens as her face, and will not be out of focus. The bride should hold the flowers at her hip right on her body. Try that with your fist. Isn't your fist on the same plane as your eyes? Also, is your bride turned to the side slightly? This is important. About that shutter speed - don't use 1/125; that's not for weddings or for any indoor use. 1/60 is better, but I use 1/30. The flash stops any movement, and 1/30 gives me 2 extra stops of background light.
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