Can someone tell me why this is happening?

[SuzanneCarey]

Hey guys! I posted this same issue a few weeks on a different forum. Its about taking formal shots at a wedding. I am getting frustrated b/c I am not 100% happy with the results of the formals. Okay, the last time this happened, I was handholding for the formals...which I know is not the best method. So for this last wedding I got me a good tripod and I purchased the remote cable for my 20D.

I loved using a tripod b/c I could easily move around and come right back to where I was, focus, and shoot.

I am just not sure why I should be seeing this amount of "blurr" in the pictures...especially with using a tripod and the remoted cord. Is it were I am focuing the darn thing or something?

Here is teh EXIF data on this image. Its a 100% crop of the picture I took. Please forgive the noise, I did not run anything on it yet b/c I wanted you to see the unaltered example.

20D
Tamron 28-75mm
Tripod & cable release
550ex flash
omnibounce
ISO 400
Shutter Speed: 250
f - 8.0
focal length: 33.0mm

There were only 3 more people in the shot...so its not like it was a HUGE group. I would think 8.0 would be good enough...but there is where my mistake could be.

Thanks in advance for your advice. (PS - all the other pics turned out GREAT! I just have issues with the formals)

Suzanne

[Maureen Souza]

Suzanne... it does look like the whole photo is out of focus. If it was one area, we could blame it on you ( :) ) but when the whole photo looks like that, it might be the camera or the lens might need to be calibrated. My Tamron is sharp as a tack.....

[SuzanneCarey]

Hi Maureen...thanks for the vote of confidence! I have to say that in close range...the Tamron is sharper. Now it may be how I am focuing. I push the remote cord halfway down, it focuses (beeps and I see red squares) and I then push it all teh way down. I just don't see how it could not be foucing correctly, especially at 8.0. but like I said, that could be my mistake in thinking that.

Okay, I had to post 2 of my favs to "redeem" myself. Really, the others were great. These are 2 of my personal favorites. Any feedback, critiques welcome!

Thanks!

Suzanne

[mbze430]

are all the shots with the problem are indoor in low-light situation?

[SuzanneCarey]

Hi mbze430, that is just about right. For instance, if they stepped up closer to the camera and more of the flash hit them, it is not as bad. Like the ones during the ceremony, just fine. It does seem to be when they are farther from the camera and the lighting is not as good.I think is weird to see so much noise at only 400, but that could be due to low light.

[dannym]

Suzanne, Have you tried setting a single focus point on the camera. I've had some of the same focusing problems in low light with my 10D and setting a single point helped some. I'm still not completly satisfied. Also found that shooting in RAW mode and then sharpening with "Raw Shooter" helped more than anything. Good luck, I hope you get it worked out.

Edit: You don't have the camera set on AI Servo mode do you? If it is the focus keeps jumping around. If you do, set it to single shot mode. Just thought of this after posting the above.

[DavidEB]

It looks like the close-up of the guy is a small crop and the bride shots are full-frame, which makes comparison difficult.

I would guess that the camera is set to using all the focus points, and is picking one particular point as the highest contrast to focus on, but that particular point is not the same distance as the main subjects. In other words, the camera thinks the main subject is something other than what you think it is.

Pick a single focus point and focus on the main subject. In a group try to set all subjects the same distance from image plane. The focus point might not be at the center of the image in a group picture, so you have to focus and re-compose. I've been using CF4-1 on my 20D and it simplifies re-composure after focusing.

There's also a techinical nit-pick issue called "nodal point" which seems not to matter with normal focal lengths.


good luck,

[SuzanneCarey]

Hey guys, this is good stuff. Exactly what I needed. Thanks so much for your help on this.

Danny, yes I have camera on one shot and I did notice the 2nd batch of formals after the wedding were a tad sharper b/c I shot those in RAW.

David, I need to explore further what you are saying b/c I am thinking this is the key issue. Yes I do have it set to all focus points.

Pick a single focus point and focus on the main subject.

So in the case of the example of the groom, should the focus point have been on the groom only? Would the other subjects have been in focus as well?

In a group try to set all subjects the same distance from image plane.
Sorry don't mean to sound dumb...but can you give me more info on this? :)

Another dumb question, what is the CF4-1? I got that one now. Did some searching and realized what you meant. So sorry. I have not used custom function as of yet but I am looking into that one. thanks!

I do think my issue has been I am letting the camera focus willy nilly where ever it found a focal point. But like you said, what it sees as the focual point is not what I am seeing as focal point.

Thank you so much for your time in this. I really need to get it all figured out. Would manually focusing help?

Suzanne

[DavidEB]

Suzanne --

If you have a group of people, it's easier to get them all in focus if they are lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, all in one plane, with the line to the camera exactly 90 degrees to the plane of the people. See the top half of the illustration -- the blue camera takes an in-focus picture and the red camera takes an out-of-focus picture. If it's a large group the people on the edges are a little further away from you than the ones in the center, and you might want them to step just a bit forward.

If you have two lines of people (second half of illustratio), or if your camera angle is a little different from perpendicular (red camera in first half), then you have to figure depth-of-field, which is not always feasible in low-light indoors settings. Also if you're shooting flash, the exposure changes with distance, so the people further away look darker.

So, line up your subjects, focus on the eyes of the center person, re-compose (move camera to get everyone in shot), set exposure and shoot.


good luck,

[SuzanneCarey]

Thanks David! You are the BEST for giving me such detailed instructions. :) I will put your knowledge to good use! :) Thanks again.

Suzanne

[markubig]

Another dumb question, what is the CF4-1? CF4-1 lets you use the * as your AF button and then you can half-press the shutter to set your exposure. Basically more control, as you can set your AF, meter on something else and then recompose your shot . . .or vice-versa (meter-then-AF).

Another cool one is CF13-, which allows you to use the little "joystick" to choose which AF point you want to use. I am always changing AF points to choose the best one for the picture/subject. . . this one is a little tough when you have the battery grip and are shooting in portrait position, as it's a long reach for your thumb. To be honest, because I love using this CF so much, I've stopped using my grip so that my thumb is always in reach of the "joystick"

I usually try to set the AF point that is over my subject's face/eyes to ensure that their face is sharp.

For group shots, if I know what my DOF is, I usually try to put the AF point on the face of a person who is 1/3-1/2 into the DOF. I thought I had read something that whatever your DOF is, 1/3 in front of the focus point and 2/3 behind the focus point is what's sharp/in focus. Can anybody confirm this??? or was this something that was made up in one of my dreams?

Anyway, that's what's been working for me, so far. Good luck!

BTW . . . those bride pictures are gorgeous! http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif

[Croasdail]

On the topic of DOF... you mentioned you were shooting f8. Just a couple of things you might want to try here... first pull your subjects further away from the backgound, i.e. the curtins in the back. Then open up so that just the group and a little in front is in focus. By pulling the people away from the way and decreasing the DOF, you can get rid of some less then desirable backgrounds - just like you would in a portrait shot. In the example you showed above - you would have ended up with a more defuse gold background then the drapes. Just an idea - doesn't always work for group shots because they get too big - and sometimes the background adds to the story of the event. The other two are great - I see why you like them... cheers.

[Maureen Souza]

Sorry I was so long getting back on this Suzanne. Here is a simple rule and easy to remember: Aim for the whites of their eyes! I always use the eyes for my focal point. The pictures of the bride are wonderful!