Understanding Focus Points
One of the most overlooked aspects when setting up a camera which also confuses many is understanding and selecting the "Focus Points". Every digital SLR camera made today has them and we all see them when looking through the viewfinder, but to get the most out of your compositions one must use them.
Almost all cameras when they are shipped from the factory have them set to their default setting which means the camera will pick a focus point for you. This means the camera will usually lock onto something that you don’t want resulting in a missed shot. This becomes more important if you are working with a limited depth of field or if you are working in a low-light situation. If you change the setting so that you can select your focus point, your images will improve dramatically.
Using my 24-105mm lens, I had very close access to an outdoor music event that provided some very unique images. One of the images I especially liked is when I used a very shallow depth of field and instead of placing my focus point on the drummer I instead placed it on the drum. Had I of not of manually selected my focus point, the camera would of selected what it thought it should of been and I would of never of had gotten the unique shot I had in my mind.
Sometimes the unexpected opportunity will present itself so being ready and adapting is essential. The shop owner of a cigar store agreed to allow me photograph him while he lit up a Cuban cigar, so I quickly threw on my 15mm fisheye, placed my camera in portrait mode and selected the top focus point since I wanted his face and eye in crisp focus which was especially critical since I using a small depth of field.
Tracking fast moving subjects such as these Laughing Gulls on the beach is one of the more difficult subjects to photograph. Speed, unpredictable movement and timing is critical here so by using the center focus point to track my subjects is the secret here. Since the center focus point is the most sensitive focus point and also being that it is in the center of the field of view it makes it easier to track your subjects.
I cannot stress this point enough, so I’ll say it again... Select your focus point yourself! When looking at a camera that interests you, see how easy or difficult it is to change those points. The easier the better, for when you are in the heat of the action, the last thing you want is to have difficulty changing those points, thus missing the shot.
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