 BetterPhoto Member |
How To Use AF For Small Group Portrait Hi, I recently got a Canon EOS300 camera with 28-90 and 80-200mm lenses. I used it so far for portraits with success. I tried to take some close-up photos of 2 people with the 80-200mm lens - where they fill up the whole frame - and I am having difficulty with the AF to allow both faces to be focused. (I used the AV progr., I wanted to have the background out of sight also.) Do you have any suggestions?
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
Well, you will need to calculate your DOF and then focus manually. Some of the more advanced cameras have a function that will allow you to feed in the near and far focus points along with your aperture and the camera will focus so the near and far are in focus at that aperture. If your's doesn't do this then you must do it manually.
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Bob Dumont |
Your autofocus should work in this situation, but here are some hints I hope will help: Be sure that both your subjects are side by side -- both the SAME distance from your camera. Remember that with people (and other animals) you should always focus on the eyes. (When you have to choose, the eye nearest your camera is usually best). Use focus lock (see your manual if you're not familiar with the term), then re-compose. Be careful not to focus between your subjects' heads because more than likely you'll be focusing on the wall or other background behind them, turning your subjects' faces into a nasty blur! Set your zoom at somewhere around 90mm- 105mm and move yourself (and your camera) in or out for the tight shot you were looking for. This range is the one considered most flattering for portraits. Longer focal lengths (like 200 mm), especially up close, can reduce depth of field excessively while wide-angle ones cause facial features to become grossly distorted. Take your first shot at around f8 and then try another at f5.6 and perhaps a third at f4. Remember that low f-stop numbers mean shallower focus. Process your film and compare the results. Finally, to blur the background (called selective focus) put some distance between your subject(s) and the background behind them. Never photograph a subject standing directly against a wall (it can cause the most unflattering shadows in your image especially with flash).
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Anand Madabhushi |
Noemi, As you desire to blur the background, please select aperture priority. Ensure that the background is quie far behind the subject. Select a focusing point. (page 38 of the manual) Focusing subjects not covered by the focusing points is the next step. (page 39 of the manual) This I feel should help. Anand
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