A. GREAT question! I most often use ‘AF point expansion’ and change the zones continuously using the quick button available on the 7D (see the end of this post for more about that).

Focus is really the most confusing thing I’ve had to learn about my camera. There are SO many factors to achieving perfect focus and this can get really confusing. Lens quality, camera shake, motion blur, focus points, MF, AF, AI SERVO, One Shot AF. All of these can be highly confusing for new camera users. All of what Im about to explain is using my knowledge of the Canon 7D but the principles are the same for most other cameras that have the abilities of the 7D.

{Auto Focus Modes}

Ok so first I’m going to explain the different modes available when you’re shooting in manual.

The screen on the top of the camera looks like this:

If you press the button on the top, that makes all the other numbers on the screen disappear and leaves the DRIVE speed lit and the FOCUS MODES lit. You use one turning wheel (the small one) to adjust one and the bigger wheel to adjust the other. Since I mentioned it, the different ‘drive’ modes determine if you do one click shooting, high speed continuous (holding the shutter button down and shooting up to 8 images per second) or slow speed continuous. Ok so the focus modes. ‘One Shot’ (as seen on the screen above) is good for non-moving or slow moving subjects. You press the shutter halfway down to focus and then the rest of the way down to shoot. The next option as you turn the wheel is called AI Servo. AI stands for ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and this mode uses mathematical algorithms to predict the movement of the subject you’re tracking. I always have my camera in this mode because I’m usually chasing kids around. While holding the shutter halfway down and tracking a moving subject, you’ll see the little focus point squares jumping around allover the screen as the focus continually changes. Press the shutter down the rest of the way when you’re ready to take the shot.

{Focus Points}

Now to the original question about focus points. When you’re shooting in Full Auto, your camera will be using all of the available focus points to auto focus your shot. This can make for wonderfully sharp photos, but you lose all control over what is and isn’t in focus. If you manually select your manual focus point or select which auto focus points to use, you have more control over your image. The first step to accessing this part of your manual settings is to view your screen like this and toggle to the arrowed area:

When you click this box, you are presented with 5 different focus point options. The first is ‘Manual Selec.: Spot Auto Focus’:

In this mode (see the photo left) you use the small and larger turning wheel to move the focus point around on the screen. Then when you are shooting through the viewfinder, you will see a little box in the chosen location. You can then be sure that whatever that spot is focused on is what will be sharp as a tack. This mode is useful for adults who aren’t running around, portraits where you want to be sure that the focus is on the eye or whatnot. Also useful for product photography or photographing the same thing over and over. For photographers like me, I would be most likely to use this for those baby head shots, sharp as a tack newborn shots of the feet with everything else out of focus, etc. And if you’re a strictly 1/3rds guy or gal, you can set your spot to accommodate for that. This mode isn’t useful when you don’t have control over what you’re photographing because there’s no telling where your subject will be from one moment to the next. If you are a total control freak and HAVE to know what spot is in focus AND you have lightening fast manual settings skills, you can constantly change your focus point.

The second mode is called ‘Manual Selec: Single Point Auto Focus’. This works exactly the same as the above explanation for the first mode which is similarly named. The difference is that Single Point AF has a slightly larger area of focus. So where the above mode (SPOT point AF) can produce pin-sharp results, it can be very hard to maintain focus between pressing the shutter half-way and all the way. Use this Single Point mode if you want to manually select your focus point but have a bit of an easier time achieving it. See the first mode explained above to see how Single Point AF mode is useful. Please note that focus points can be changed mid-shooting. See the end of this post for how to do that.

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The third mode is called ‘Manual Selec: AF point Expansion’. Manual AF point expansion is such a useful mode. It allows you to manually choose any one AF point to be the primary focus, but also makes additional surrounding points active, useful for sports photography and other moving subjects. This means that you can focus on the middle of a portrait subject’s face while also knowing that the area around is also focused. In this mode, you do still need to use the wheels to choose where the points of focus will be placed.

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The fourth mode is called ‘Manual Select: Zone Auto Focus‘: This Zone AF mode is only available on the 7D. It allows you to select a cluster of focus points (middle, left, right, upper, lower). This is a great option for most types of photography and is great for a beginner who is concerned about poorly focusing an important shot.

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The fifth and last option is called ‘Auto Select: 19 point AF’. This is the mode used by the camera when in full auto, although as we see here, it’s also available to us when shooting in manual. This allows the camera to use any of the available 19 focus points to focus on what IT thinks is the subject you’re photographing. This can be tricky for more creative photographers and I wouldn’t recommend using it if you want to have total control over your images.

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{Some stuff I think you should know}

I so so with that everyone reading this shot with a 7D like me. I hate that I’m sharing information that might not be exactly the same for every reader. But if you know your settings and your camera’s inner brain pretty well, you should be able to find most of the options I’ve spoken about within your camera’s settings menus.

So here are a few cool things I’ve discovered about focus points and my 7D.

Changing your focus points while shooting

While you are shooting through the viewfinder, you can move the focus points you’re using without going into the menu. You very simply press this button and then move the focus point around with your turning wheels. Easy!

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Checking your focus after you take the shot

In the main menus, there’s an option to display a red square on the main point of focus when viewing your images on your camera’s screen. This way, I can take a shot and quickly look down to be sure that the focus is where I wanted it. You can access this by selecting menu –> navigate to the second blue icon —> AF point display –> enable. Again, this makes a red square display at the main point(s) of focus when viewing the image on the camera’s screen.

Please use the comments below to ask any questions on this topic and I hope this has been helpful!

Some more really massively helpful information on this topic:

• All about The Canon AF system from the Canon education website
• A great video I found on YouTube showing you all about the 7D

making the most out of the 18-55mm lens

Today’s question(s) really need to be broken down because there are many questions encompassing the one topic so here goes!

I’m curious about the investments required and the timeline to make those investments, in order to build and improve my photography, whether for business or even just for pleasure. For example, I just got the MOST BASIC DSLR (Canon XS Rebel).

Oh that’s a great camera! Seriously, the best wedding I ever did was on that camera. There are many advantages to having a more advanced body (I use a 7D) but really and truly, it’s the glass that makes the biggest difference. And the know-how to use your camera to the best of your ability.

I have the kit lens (18-55), a zoom lens (75-300) and I bought the 50mm 1.8 prime. I also bought 2 filters. I have a tripod and a monopod.

The kit lens is ok but I found that lens in particular has faults especially extreme barrel distortion when used at 18mm. The 75-300 is the lens that every newbie buys when they want to go telephoto. I did it too :) I think it’s the illusion that we can actually use it at 300mm that is the biggest selling point (that and the very low price of ones like Sigma). I was immensely disappointed with this lens because I shoot primarily kids & families and you can’t really use this lens at 300mm well. No matter what, there were problems with this lens and the very high min aperture you can achieve with this lens limits you to using it outside only. Then when I wanted to go prime and try 50mm, I bought the 1.8 too! The focusing was noisy and slow and I just generally hated it. Then I made another mistake. I invested in a collection of primes (24mm, 85mm, 50mm) and found myself chasing kids around while weighed down with a satchel of lenses and missing shots because I was fiddling with them. The only zoom I had was the kit 18-200mm which I found way better quality than that other popular kit lens the 18-55. But still, the low light possibilities were extremely limited.

Then, I discovered the L series lenses which are the creme de la creme of Canon lenses and the reasons are obvious. The quality when you jump from regular lenses to L series is instantly noticeable and I would never ever go back. I sold my primes (not my 50mm 1.4) and bought an L series 24-105mm and I haven’t taken it off my camera since. It’s pin sharp (seriously…still can’t believe the clarity and sharpness) very fast at chasing kids around and it has a beautiful IS system to stabilise the image when your hand isn’t so still. The low(ish) f/4.0 aperture means I can shoot indoors pretty well (the IS means you can lower your shutter speed by two levels lower than you would normally be using without experiencing problems so the not-so-amazing f/4.0 is ok).

In short? If I had it to do over, I would avoid all those primes and experimenting with cheapies and have bought the L series straight off the bat. I would have saved so much money. That said, I have learned SO MUCH about lenses, focal length and my personal preferences through my journey and now I’m here telling you. So it was win-win!

But what about external flashes? And remote triggers? And an external hard drive for my images? and reflector disks? And, obviously, more lenses? Specialty lenses (like fisheye)? Ultra wide angle?

Personally, I think at least a mid-range external flash (like a Speedlite 430ex) is essential. You’ll need light at times and pop-up flash is a huge HUGE no no in my books. Remote triggers are great for slow speed landscapes and times when you don’t want to touch & shake your camera. I’ve never found any use for them whatsoever. External hard drive or any other way of storing your images in a second location is essential if you don’t want to lose them. And they’re pretty cheap these days. I have a portable 320gb LaCie and a permanently attached 1tb LaCie hard drive. It gives you peace of mind so you can sleep at night. Alternatively, you can just back up to disks now and then or use an online back-up program but both these options end up costing a lot and taking loads of time. Reflectors? Love them but never actually use them. You need someone to hold it and then they move and just frustrate me. I just work with the light and if I wish there had been a bit more fill light in an area, I usually just Photoshop it in using MCP’s free Touch of Light action. Specialty lenses? I would buy one if I found I needed it. And if it’s for a one-off occasion, you can rent one! In the UK, I would use Lenses for Hire to hire online.

If I were you, I would stick with your camera body, invest in a versatile L series lens and just run run run on in your skill. I’m starting to actually disdain the epic and ongoing fight for bigger and better equipment. I just want to be a great photographer. I feel that I have the equipment I need now and I’m at peace with that.

Q. “Referencing the four-light set up, do you have to sync them (strobes) with your camera, or is it an always on source of light, that you don’t have to worry about? When I look at the pictures of strobes, all those buttons are the back, seem a little intimidating.”

A. Oh firing those babies is dead simple. To the top of your camera, you attach a radio trigger. Then you attach the other radio trigger to one of the nearest lights. Because the speed of light is split-second fast, when the one light you triggered goes off, it triggers all the other lights to fire immediately. This is called ‘slave’ and it happens because the strobes have little light receptors on them for that purpose. Any strong flash can trigger the strobes to flash. Another way you could fire them (I would only fall back on this if something happened to my radio trigger) is to attach the Speedlite to the top of my camera and make sure it’s pointing directly at my nearest strobe. The flash should trigger that strobe which will then trigger all the others.

Sometimes, you have to trouble shoot why the lights aren’t flashing. And often, it can be something like you have them set up so that the light receptor (slave thingy) is facing away from the other lights.

The outside ring is the flash and the inside bulb is the modeling lamp

As far as there always being a ‘source of light you don’t have to worry about’, yes, these lights have ‘modeling lamps’ which are continuous light source. You can choose to have them on or off. I have them on because 1.) you can see where the light is falling which will help you set them up and 2.) having a continuous light source for portraits is important for the eyes to look the most flattering because then the pupils stay small which is the most flattering.

The most costly part of having these lights is the cost of the modeling lamps. Those bulbs cost about £20 each and they fail me often. This is probably due to the fact that my set-up is mobile and I often pack away while the lights are still hot.

Now as for the buttons and dials on the strobes. The back of the unit looks like this:

I hope that’s everything you wanted to know. Everyone please feel free to post further questions on this topic in the comments section below.

Thanks for your questions everyone and keep ‘em coming to eh@elizabethhalford.com.

Q. After trying PS Elements and not really loving it, not even a little bit, I have been trying Lightroom as per your suggestion to another reader last week (or was it the week before) when asking about what editing program to use. I am still learning tons, but I have a few questions:

Can I download actions in Lightroom (I guess they are called Presets) the way they can be downloaded into Photoshop?

A. No. Presets for LR are a totally different file type than PS. And MUCH easier to install. You can download some free ones here to try out you just install them easily from within LR (no need to go searching for the folders in your hard drive) like this:

Q. Is there a way to select just one area to work on like, highlighting the eyes or sparkling up the water or making one element look more vibrant?

A. Yes it’s called the adjustment brush. There’s a tutorial of me using it here.

Q. Is Lightroom intended to be an editing program that can stand alone or is it intended to be used in conjunction with Photoshop? It looks as though it has many awesome elements, but not even close to the number of possibilities of Photoshop.

A. Lightroom is a deeply layered program. You have to take time to get to know it – there are soooo many more possibilities than meets the eye. I read some excellent posts on DPS that helped me discover just how stand-alone Lightroom actually is. They are:

• 10 Objects you Didn’t Know could be Dragged, Clicked or Opened in Lightroom
• 8 Steps to Crafting Images in Lightroom

The best way to use this blog as well as sites like DPS as a storehouse for information you’re after is to use the search bar. Both our sites have a search bar where you can type any keywords you’re after. Type ‘lightroom’ in my search bar and you can see everything I’ve ever posted about LR. Alternatively, you can just browse the categories in my menu bar.

Thanks for your questions everyone and keep ‘em coming to eh@elizabethhalford.com.

A. In my white seamless photos (like the one to the right) I use a white vinyl roll by Elastolite. But this requires a heavy duty support system and a four-light set up for lighting. If you’re talking about natural light photography using a backdrop (exe placing a newborn infront of a window for lighting and using a black cloth) you will get wrinkles you just have to know how to edit them out in Photoshop. If you send me an image you think is bad because of the wrinkly backdrop, send it to me for Reader Photo Friday I’d love to show you how to take care of that problem!

Thanks for your questions everyone and keep ‘em coming to eh@elizabethhalford.com.

A. As unappealing as it is, sometimes you’ve got to use a flash indoors. You don’t want to risk missing the shot altogether. Even with a very fast, wide open aperture lens, sometimes you have to use a flash. Here are a few things you can do:

• If you’re in a smallish place like a home, the best thing you can do to spread the light naturally is use a LightScoop. They’re super cheap and super effective.
• When using an external flash attached to your hot shoe, you can aim it at a nearby wall to bounce the light. You can also get extension cords where one end is attached to your camera and the other end to your flash and you can hold it out away from your camera at any angle you want. The cord is a coiled one and only stretches a foot or two. You can even get soft boxes to attach to your flash. They’re big, but the light is much more flattering.
• You can use your flash off-camera if your camera has the capability to wirelessly trigger the flash. Then you can have an assistant hold it somewhere else or use a tripod. Or even plant it on a table or something.
• For a wedding, just think quick. The first dance takes a few mins so take a couple shots with the flash facing them and a few pointing the flash in all different directions. This will help you learn how the light behaves for the most natural results. And remember that although not all the shots will be worthy of your website, your clients probably won’t be scrutinising your work the way you do. They’ll just be happy you caught the moments.

As for editing a flash photo to look like a non-flash photo, it can’t be done. Flash completely alters the atmosphere of a photo. Although I’ve found that making a photo B&W can cause the flash effect to be lessened.

Thanks for your questions everyone and keep ‘em coming to eh@elizabethhalford.com.

A. Well first I guess I’d tell you that the Photoshop programs are vastly different from Lightroom. In Photoshop, you basically open a photo, edit it and save. In LR, you import images into the program which means you can come and go, open and close the program, and your photos remain as you left them without the need to save. Very important for us busy moms who don’t always get one session done at once. Also, you can use LR to sort your photos, edit them, batch edit them and so much more. If you don’t have PS, you can edit your images entirely in LR without ever using another program. And if you want to work with textures, you can just get PSE cheaply for that purpose. I’d definitely go with LR. And don’t forget that if you’re a student, a teacher or you volunteer for a charitable organisation (like a church) and you might use the program to benefit the organisation, you can buy the programs from the Adobe Education store for a fraction of the price.

Thanks for your questions everyone and keep ‘em coming to eh@elizabethhalford.com.

Q. How do I name my photography business? Some photographers use their own name, some use a brandname. How do I choose?

A. Well, no one can actually answer that for you, but I can tell you what are, in my opinion, pros and cons to both options.

{Using your name}

To name your photography business after yourself (exe: Elizabeth Halford Photography) is a brave step. You’re putting yourself right out there and backing every single photo, every interaction with your name.

Pros

• Using your name is personal and friendly
• It makes your name into a brand. It makes YOU a brand. And you can bring all of your personal flare into your business.
• I had far less let-downs when I was shooting under the name Elizabeth Halford Photography because people knew I was a real person. It was just me and they were aware of the human element. Now that I’m shooting under the name Glacier Cake, I think people think I’m some big business who won’t notice if they don’t show for their session. This is easily remedied, of course, by requiring session fees up front.

Cons

• Your name is attached to every single image, every single interaction and, unfortunately, every single disappointment. You won’t make everyone happy every single time. They should be rare, but there will be unhappy customers from time to time and your name will be attached to that.
• You may find it hard to separate the real you from the brand you. Your business persona is a professional one and, for me anyway, I feel at times that the working me is an alter ego. But it’s hard to separate the two when they have exactly the same name :)

{Using a Brand Name}

Pros

• You can build a brand which can become so much larger than just you. You can hire and send out other photographers (like a sub-contractor) or sell your business someday for big bucks
• If you’re the shy type, you can hide behind the strength of your business and feel less sheepish about quoting prices and chasing up invoices.
• On that note…if a client requests something I just can’t provide because it goes against my business model or ethos, I can simply say “I’m not able to do that” and that makes more sense when they know I’m involved in a ‘proper’ photography business and it isn’t just me with my name on a business card. There’s something strong about it.
• People like brand. They like logos and the like something memorable. I named my photography business ‘Glacier Cake’ before I realised that in the UK, people don’t seem to know what a glacier is as much as we do in America. I really don’t get it. My name confuses people. But I stuck with the quirky name and now, people remember it. If you’re confident that what you have is a good name, the public will be too.

Cons

• I think the biggest con to not using your own name is the loss of personal touch and intimacy. You have to be able to pull off a brand name without acting needlessly corporate. If it’s obviously just you, don’t plaster ‘we’ allover your website. Be honest and open about how many people are working in your business. Personally, I can smell fake big-business a mile away and it’s just stupid. It makes the person look insecure and dishonest.
• People can find it easier to let you down for appointments, meetings or session dates. They may forget that you’re just a real person working hard. Require session fees upfront.

{How do I do it?}

For me, I’ve kinda gone with both. ‘Elizabeth Halford Photography’ is the teaching, blogging, skype-conferencing me and ‘Glacier Cake Photography’ is the weddings, studio, bespoke sessions me. You could have one name you work your general business under and then use another name for your high end, bespoke, luxury photography dealings.

Thanks for your questions everyone and keep ‘em coming to eh@elizabethhalford.com.

So take a look at this lens. The brand has been photoshopped out, but it’s a Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. The 17-55 is the focal length. When it’s at it’s widest, it’s a 17mm lens. At it’s longest zoom, it is 55mm. And of course, it can be anything in between. The Φ77mm  tells you the filter thread size for the end of the lens if you want to add a filter. The aperture is then listed as a ratio. On this lens, the max aperture no matter the focal length can be fixed at f/2.8 so it’s written as a ratio: 1:2.8. Some lenses might have a different max aperture depending on if you’re using it as it’s widest or longest and those would be two numbers like: “1:4-5.6″.

And this is a ‘nifty fifty’. Canon’s 50mm f/1.8. To the right, you’ll see a macro symbol and 0.45m/1.5ft is the minimum focusing distance achievable by the lens. So that tells you that if you want to use it to take a macro shot of a flower, for instance, you need to be no closer than .45m or 1.5ft from the object.

Thanks for your questions everyone and keep ‘em coming to eh@elizabethhalford.com.

A. Oh good thoughts here! All of the tips I thought of fit either scenario:

• Make sure the window/mirror is clean. Especially on mirrors, smudges that you don’t notice will show up in your pics
• When taking a photo of someone in the mirror, actually focus on their reflection as you would when normally taking their photo
• Don’t use any sort of flash. This makes for bad reflections.
• Make sure you’re not in the photo

That’s about all I can think of. Anyone else got great tips for our reader?

Thanks for your questions everyone and keep ‘em coming to eh@elizabethhalford.com.