Don't we all have this problem?

[AlphaBjerke]

For me, this is one of the most important questions I have asked in a long time, and I am anxious to hear of the groups' solutions to a common problem.

I automatically compose the shot through the viewfinder every time. I don't think I could stop doing it if I tried; it is second nature.

But that presents a big problem: The AF focal points are not located in a place that is conducive to good composition! Of course, if an object is not moving, this is not a problem: just hold focus and recompose.

However, even if the subject is only moving a little--like candid shots of people at a wedding, for instance--you can often miss a good shot because the camera's focus points are in the center and you can miss a great moment while recomposing.

I realize that most DSLR's have multiple focal points, but to me these are more trouble than they are worth to switch back and forth to, also, they are still clustered around the center of the viewfinder, certainly nowhere near where they could be for the rule of thirds.

The following shot is for demonstration purposes only. I just want to illustrate clearly what I face when shooting sports (but not only sports).



See? I focus on the rider's face and it is smack dab in the middle of the frame. Even if she were on a miniature horse, I couldn't fit it in the frame in a way to make a pleasing image without cropping. (I realize that in this photo, even if there were a focal point higher up in the viewfinder, I still am too close to fit in the whole horse.)

How do big time sports guys solve this? Do they lock focus and pan for composition? I wouldn't think so, but maybe?

Do more expensive cameras have focal points in more composition-friendly places? I realize that the sharpest part of the lens is in the center and having focal points on the outskirts would be flirting with the least desireable area of the lens.

Maybe people focus at something other than the face when they are fairly certain that the focal plane and/or depth of field will keep the face focused? I know that in some sports photography they use a large aperture because I have seen the OOF backgrounds, so you would really have to be close on that focus.

Anybody got any good tips? This is really something that irritates me because I really try to fill the frame whenever I can and I like to compose on the fly.

Thanks, and I hope we can learn something in this discussion!

[kencaleno]

Simple: Just use central focus point and continuous drive mode, and continuous(servo) focus mode. Ken

[AlphaBjerke]

But Ken, how does that get my rider's head at the top of the frame in my example? I am using continues focus and continues drive. Unless I aim at her belly and hope that her face is still in focus (in this case it probably would be),

Maybe Jim Bryant will tell us how he does it.

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by AlphaBjerke

How do big time sports guys solve this? Do they lock focus and pan for composition? I wouldn't think so, but maybe?

They use a big time sports camera like the Canon 1D series, which has a huge number of autofocus points and a separate computer processor dedicated to tracking the subject as it moves between focus points, and calculating the expected distance of the subject at the time that the shutter would actually be open.

For those of us with lesser equipment, we have to learn to deal. Either use one of the off-center AF points or crop your photo to get the composition that you desire.

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by AlphaBjerke

I realize that most DSLR's have multiple focal points, but to me these are more trouble than they are worth to switch back and forth to, also, they are still clustered around the center of the viewfinder, certainly nowhere near where they could be for the rule of thirds.

Much easier with Nikon D300 51 focusing points:

Originally Posted by AlphaBjerke

Unless I aim at her belly and hope that her face is still in focus (in this case it probably would be),

DOF will get care of it.

[AlphaBjerke]

Originally Posted by LoveDSLR

Much easier with Nikon D300 51 focusing points:




DOF will get care of it.

Wow, it looks like I need a better camera! I love those focal points!

[old_tv_nut]

When shooting sports, you don't have time to carefully select which AF point to use. You need to set one (usually the center). Then, zoom out (or move further away - usually not a problem!) to include the whole subject, and, finally, crop the resulting picture for best composition. Trying to get both focus and zoomed-in off-center composition in a split second is just making failure more likely, IMO. I know someone who works for a large newspaper, and their technique is to use a wider than necessary lens so the editors can decide how to crop. You can do that for yourself and get a higher percentage of good results.