Looks like a just missed focus

Wasn't getting any closer. Ideas how to better focus? Good equipment. Shooting in manual mode EOS R with new (to me) 100-400ii @400. ISO 5000 f5.6 1/8000. Image is slightly cropped.

have you looked into the Topaz Sharpen AI software? this seems like a good candidate for it.

okay 5.6 long tele shallow depth of field. The leaves are in focus and so is the eye. So you did not miss focus at all . At 1/8000 you could have halved the or quartered the shutter speed and stepped down the lens to f8 or better then you would have increased your DOP. getting more in the focus. A sharpener action would no help look at the leaves they are sharp. a more likely exposure for a slow mover would have been 1/500 at a lower iso and step down the lens. Look at review to see how narrow you can go with the aperture to low an aperture you get diffraction and that degrades the sharpness of the lens also do you use back button auto focus so you can point the lens better and achieve focus before you take the picture

dashotgun wrote in post #19100465
okay 5.6 long tele shallow depth of field. The leaves are in focus and so is the eye. So you did not miss focus at all . At 1/8000 you could have halved the or quartered the shutter speed and stepped down the lens to f8 or better then you would have increased your DOP. getting more in the focus. A sharpener action would no help look at the leaves they are sharp. a more likely exposure for a slow mover would have been 1/500 at a lower iso and step down the lens. Look at review to see how narrow you can go with the aperture to low an aperture you get diffraction and that degrades the sharpness of the lens also do you use back button auto focus so you can point the lens better and achieve focus before you take the picture

I agree.

Considering your DOF is less than 1", and you got the eyes, I don't see a missed focus shot at all. I do see a DOF issue, if you wanted the entire head in focus. Just shut down the aperture more next time.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I will continue to work on my methods. I was using back button focus and had it lined up on the eye. I guess the narrow DoF is what got me here.

Your post says you shot at 1/8000, but the metadata associated with your photo says it was shot at 1/800. Both seem excessive. I don't see why you couldn't have shot at 1/100 with that equipment and thereby gain a lot more DOF through a stopped down aperture.

I would go a bit faster, like 1/400th. A snake moves quickly.

1/400th, f8, and raise ISO if needed. A diffused flash would make all this even a bit better to, if these are the types of subject material being shot.

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As others have said, your focus looks absolutely perfect - right on the eye, which is exactly where anyone would want it to be. . I do not know why you said, "missed focus" in the thread title, when the focus appears to be perfect. . I mean, if you didn't want the snake's eye to be in focus, then what did you want to focus on instead?

If you wanted more of the snake in focus, you could have stopped down to increase your depth of field ....... but then that would mean that the leaf litter on the forest floor would be more in focus than it is, which would not make for a very attractive image.

If you wanted the snake's entire head to be in focus, then you could have moved more to your right and shoot from that angle instead, as then the part of the snake's head that the camera "saw" would all be on the same focal plane, more or less.

Often times, how much of your subject is in focus is just as dependent on the angle you shoot from as it is on aperture and depth of field. . A change in settings does not solve most problems with thin depth of field shots. . Camera positioning - the angle your subject is at relative to the camera - does solve many thin depth of field issues.

Here's a pic I took of a snake of similar size, with the same lens you used, at the same f5.6 aperture that you used. Because I shot from the side of the snake, instead of head-on or quartering in, the entire part of the head that the camera "saw" was in focus. . Unfortunately, I still didn't get a very good image, as my lens was fogged over badly due to the extreme Pennsylvania humidity.

Thanks for your comments. My title of missed focus seems to be more of depth of field issue as others pointed out. I will work on this and hopefully get a better shot next time I come across a friendly slitherer that is patient with me.

bradman11 wrote in post #19100715
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..... a friendly slitherer that is patient with me.
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I love that description!

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Good catch. Error on my typing. I was in the woods looking for birds and stumbled on this snake. Tried to play with settings while shooting and on the camera this seemed to be the best on a quick assessment. I didn't want it to slither away so I was making many changes but this image seemed to be the best that I took.

I love the look of the snake head on, that is a great shot, and with just a bit more DOF, it would be a nailed shot!