10 surefire ways to get your sharpest-ever photos

By Phil Hall    

Master focusing with your camera

Tip 1. Manual focus

Although nearly all modern digital cameras can focus the lens automatically (the Leica M9, Leica M9-P and Leica Monochrom being notable exceptions) they also allow you to focus manually instead.
Manual focus is a particularly good option with macro photography because many cameras struggle to lock onto very close subjects and the lens ends up hunting (moving in and out of focus) every time the shutter release button is depressed.
It's far less frustrating to switch the camera (or the lens) to manual focus and do the job yourself.
What's more, Live View technology makes manual focusing very easy because it is usually possible to enlarge the image on the screen so that you can see the precise spot that you are interested in, and then adjust the focus until it is perfectly sharp.

Tip 2. Single shot autofocus

Often abbreviated to single autofocus or single AF, this camera focus option sets your camera to focus when the shutter release is depressed half-way and to keep the lens focused on the selected subject until the shot is taken and the button is released.
If you need to refocus you have to lift your finger off the shutter button and then depress it a second time.
Single focus mode is useful for static subjects such as still life and landscapes.

Tip 3. Continuous autofocus

When this camera focus option is selected the camera will continue to focus the lens as long as the shutter release button is half-pressed, or the AF button is pressed.
This makes it a very good option when photographing moving subjects because the camera will continuously adjust the focus distance as the subject moves round the frame.
Advanced cameras such as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and Nikon D500 have options that enable you to specify which AF points the camera will use to track the subject as it moves about in the frame.
Some even allow you to specify how quickly the camera should respond to changes in subject distance to avoid the subject going out of focus when a stadium pillar, for example, momentarily blocks the view.
When using continuous AF it's usually best to set the starting AF point manually so the camera knows what the target is before it starts to track it.
If you like shooting sport or fast action then make sure you check out your camera's continuous AF options.

Tip 4. Automatic focus point selection

When you are focusing automatically you need to have the active AF point over the subject in the viewfinder to get it sharp.
Broadly speaking, there are two ways of selecting the AF point using this camera focus technique.
The easiest is to let your camera decide for you and use the automatic AF selection point option.
In many situations the camera will do a decent job and this is a useful option when you don't have much time to get the shot.
However, your camera will usually try to focus on the closest object near the centre of the frame and it's not usually very good at pin-pointing smaller subjects or fine details. For this reason it's often better to set the AF point yourself as we did with the shot above.

Tip 5. Manual AF point selection

Setting the AF point yourself gives you the maximum level of control over where your camera focuses, and it's a good option for landscape, still life and portrait photography when you have time to operate the necessary camera controls.
Setting this camera focus option is usually done by pressing the AF point selection button and then using the navigation controls to select the AF point you want while you look through the viewfinder. If you've got a touchscreen, you can simply tap the area where you want to focus.
Once you reach the AF point that is over your subject, you're ready to focus and take the picture.
In some cases you may be able to set the navigation controls to select the AF point directly without the need to press a button beforehand, but this can be at the expense of their usual shortcut functions.

Tip 6. Face Detection AF

This popular camera focus option is a form of automatic AF point selection found on most compact and compact system cameras - and even some DSLRs in Live View mode (when the image is composed on screen).
It works by recognising face shapes in the scene and then prioritising the focus towards them.
Refinements on this camera focus system include Smile Shutter, which triggers the shutter to fire when the camera detects that the subject is smiling (it doesn't work with every smile, but it can be very effective), while more advanced systems can focus on a specific eye for really precise focusing.
Some cameras can also be set to recognize particular faces in a crowd and focus on them. This is a very useful option for photographing your children at parties or events when they are surrounded by other kids.
When Face Detection AF is activated you'll notice boxes appearing around peoples' faces on the camera's LCD to show that they have been recognized. Half-pressing the shutter release brings the faces into focus ready for the shot to be taken.
As you might imagine, Face Detection AF is extremely useful at parties and social gatherings when you want to get lots of people pictures.

Tip 7. Focus and recompose technique

Although most digital cameras offer a collection of AF points so that you can select the one that sits over your subject, there may not always be one exactly where you need it.
In these instances the camera 'focus and recompose' technique comes in very handy - and it can be quicker than selecting an AF point even if there is one over your subject.
Imagine, for example, that the central AF point is selected, but your subject is off to one side of the frame. All you need to do is move the camera so that the AF point is over the subject and half-press the shutter button so that the lens focuses.
Now, with the shutter button still half-pressed to keep the focus locked, recompose the image so that the subject is where you want it in the frame and press the shutter release home to take the shot.
This also a useful focus technique to use in low light, as the outer AF points tend to be less sensitive than the central one.
When using this camera focus technique, it is essential that the camera is set to single AF mode. If it is set to continuous AF, the camera will refocus the lens on whatever subject is under the active AF point when you recompose the image.

Tip 8. Back-button focusing

The usual way to focus a lens is to press the shutter release half-way down, but many cameras also have an AF button that can be pressed without the risk of pressing it beyond half-way and accidentally taking a few shots.
It is especially useful when using this back-button focus technique to photograph moving subjects that you press the AF button without locking the exposure settings until the point at which you want to take the image and press the shutter release home.
This focusing technique allows you to see the subject sharp in the frame and only take the shot when the composition or lighting is just right.
It also means that if something moves into the frame, another player when shooting sport for example, you can stop the focus from being adjusted by taking your thumb off the AF button, but continue to take photographs.
Back-button focusing is also useful when photographing subjects such as plants and flowers that move about a little in the breeze.
If the shutter button doesn't control autofocus the camera won't waste time attempting to focus every time the shutter release is pressed and you can wait until the subject is in the right position to take the shot.

Tip 9. Hyperfocal distance focusing

This is a popular camera focusing technique that is designed to get the maximum amount of a scene sharp at any given aperture.
The traditional way of using it is to focus on the subject and then use the lens' depth of field scale (or a tape measure and depth of field tables) to find out where the nearest acceptably sharp point is.
This point, where the depth of field starts in front of the focus point, is known as the hyperfocal point.
Once the hyperfocal point is found/calculated, the lens is refocused to it so that the subject remains sharp and greater use is made of the depth of field. 
The popularity of zoom lenses and consequent loss of depth of field scales has made it harder to apply this technique precisely, but you can still measure or estimate the focus distance and use smartphone apps such as DOF Master to tell you the hyperfocal distance.
Alternatively, you can rely on the principle that depth of field extends roughly twice as far behind the point of focus as it does in front and focus approximately one third of the way into the scene.
Hyperfocal distance focusing is popular in landscape photography and whenever you need lots of depth of field.

Tip 10. Focus stacking

Focus stacking is a digital technique in which several images taken with different focus distances are combined into one image that is sharp from the foreground all the way through the background.
Although it can be applied to landscape photography, it is especially useful for macro photography because depth of field is very limited when subjects are extremely close.
With the camera firmly mounted on a tripod, take the first shot with the nearest part of the scene in focus. Then, without moving the camera, refocus just a little further into the scene and take the second shot before focusing further in again.
Repeat this until you have a shot with the focus on the furthest part of the scene.
Now all the shots can be combined to create one image that is sharp throughout. This can be done manually using any image editing software that supports layers - Photoshop Elements is fine.
But it can also be done automatically using software like Combine ZM, which is free to download and use, or using Photoshop's Photo Merge function.

 

Lens Hoods - Why, When, and How to Use Them

Punk’s lasting influence showcased in Stonington photography exhibition

By Mary Biekert

When photographer Sheila Rock came to London in the 1970s, she arrived just in time to capture on film the seminal moments that would come to define punk music as a cultural movement: she was there when The Clash held one of their first performances at the Institute for Contemporary Arts in 1976; when Pretenders founding member Chrissie Hynde shredded the guitar during their first band practices; when young London punks, with buzzed haircuts, went to those underground shows; and when a young Billy Idol was first coming onto the scene as part of Generation X, before he recorded “Rebel Yell” or “White Wedding.”
“It was everyone’s formative time. And no one knew what they were doing,” Rock says in an interview in Setra Artes Gallery, the new Stonington-based art space opened by Monika Agnello that is currently hosting a show of her photos. “No one was famous. No one had any money, and yet a whole movement was created that was individual.”
“None of us had any idea what it would become,” she says.
From Bowie to The Clash

Sid Vicious, bassist/vocalist of The Sex Pistols (Sheila Rock)

Rock, who recently relocated to the Stonington Borough after living in London for the last 40 years, is a well-regarded photographer who has dabbled in everything from fashion to portrait photography over her decades-long career. Her work has been featured in London’s now-defunct Face Magazine, British and German Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Time Magazine, and Rolling Stone, among many others. A number of her portraits are held in London’s National Portrait Gallery, and she has displayed exhibitions of her work globally. Her photographs showcasing London’s punk scene were her first experimentation with the art form — an explorational moment in her then-budding career where she keenly captured a portrait of the time in all its uninhibited abandon.
Though Rock initially moved from Boston to London in 1970 after growing up in Chicago, she briefly left London in the early ’70s to travel with David Bowie during his first U.S. tour promoting both “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” and “Aladdin Sane.” Her husband at the time, Mick Rock, now a famous music photographer, was documenting Bowie, allowing Sheila to be part of his entourage.
It was through this experience that Rock says she was introduced to rock and roll and the idea of “trying to push the envelope out about other creative disciplines.” Bowie’s musical style, though categorized as glam rock, paved the way for punk’s inception through his groundbreaking sartorial choices and stage performances, she says. “He didn’t just play guitar. He wore flamboyant clothes, and he was experimenting with his own sexuality. He was miming on stage. … No one was doing that at all.”
So when she stumbled on The Clash in 1976, she felt a striking energy similar to Bowie’s.

"The Clash, Young Sinner" taken by Sheila Rock in 1976. From left, bassist Paul Simonon, vocalist and guitarist Joe Strummer and vocalist and guitarist Mick Jones. (Sheila Rock)

“I remember when they played at the ICA,” Rock says. “And I thought, ‘Whoa, this is different. This is exciting.’ There were all these people walking around wearing these clothes that no one else was wearing and that they made themselves, which is what punk has become famous for.”
Inspired by that sort of overdrive energy, Rock stayed after the show and met guitarist and vocalist Joe Strummer who then introduced her to the band’s manager, Bernard Rhodes. Rock later arranged to take photographs of the band in their office/rehearsal space.
“That was when they were still dressing themselves, before they hired a stylist,” she says, commenting that their shirt patterns paired well with the posters on the wall. “It seemed to be provocative, and so I just shoved them in a corner and positioned them.”
“But I didn’t really know what I was doing,” she admits. “… On my contact sheet, I have pictures of Joe more in the corner. So I must have, at some point, decided to draw him out more. (Photography) is something where you need to be sensitive to the mood. Or sometimes it’s just an accident. You could be standing next to something, and you go, ‘Oh, stand here.’”
Reminiscing about the scene
Naturally, Rock started mingling with other players in the “very small” scene. She reminisces about her friendship with Billy Idol, for example, and her memories of Siouxsie Sioux, lead singer of Siouxsie and the Banshees (whom she photographed several times, showcasing the singer’s evolving style).
She remembers Pretenders frontwoman Hynde, whom Rock describes as someone “obsessed by rock and roll” even when she didn't know how to play guitar.
“When I met her, she worked as a Saturday girl in the (clothing) shop Sex and was doing one-off articles for the (New Musical Express). She wasn’t singing yet at that time … but she is now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
She also remembers photographing Debbie Harry, lead singer of Blondie, explaining that, after quickly photographing Harry on the roof of a building, she asked if the singer would have time for another photo shoot later that week. Harry agreed, and the two planned to meet in Rock’s London apartment.
“She had brought a bunch of clothes and happened to have a leopard-print dress that matched with my leopard-print curtains,” Rock says. The results are striking portraits of a blonde bombshell on the precipice of stardom.
“Everyone was just a young kid, just showing off and exploring themselves,” she continues. “And I was doing that, too, through my photography.”

 

 

Columbia should not abandon analog photography

 Mike Rundle

 

When I began taking photos, I shot digital. When I learned how to make photos, I shot film. 

Film taught me to appreciate photography as more than just capturing frames of action. Photography is an art form. I hoped to continue learning that art at Columbia in a way that would help me understand the medium’s history. When I arrived, I found a keyboard, a mouse and Adobe Creative Suite.

Columbia often feels like a trade school: “here is how to do this” vs. “here is how to make this.” Students should be given the chance outside the History of Photography course to learn how and why images are made.  

I do not claim to be an expert on photography, analog or digital. I am speaking from experience in collegiate photography programs with vastly different mentalities. When I attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, the curriculum started with methods in viewing images, followed by analog photography processes. Digital photography was on the back burner and hardly present in the classroom. Students were required to learn the rules before breaking them.

The argument in favor of teaching film photography is echoed nationwide. The renowned photography program at the University of Southern California’s Roski School of Art and Design puts antique processes at the forefront of its curriculum. A description of its introductory program states that “basic 35mm-camera functions as well as black-and-white analog procedures are the main technical emphases of the course.”

Craig Stevens of Savannah College of Art and Design argued in American Photo Magazine that film photography makes students more deliberate in their image-making.

While Columbia still offers film and experimental photography courses, the majority of the program is based on digital.

I am aware of the costs that may prevent schools from teaching analog photography programs. The equipment necessary to build and maintain a functioning darkroom is expensive, not to mention a standard roll of film costs about $9.

If the program is too costly, Columbia could teach only the philosophy of analog photography.

Giving students a 1 GB card and telling them to come to class with 36 images could eliminate film costs. Teaching restraint when making images could lead to better photos and fewer missed shots. Teaching patience and self-control when culling images could give students a better body of work.

In the same vein as any technological process, photography has evolved quickly and considerably in its short existence. Perhaps Columbia is ahead of that evolutionary curve and made the right decision in consolidating darkrooms. Even though digital photography continues its industry takeover, I would still take that sweet smell of stop bath over the blue light of my Mac.