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

• In addition to the cute traditional hand-bag style handles, there’s a strap so I can throw it over my shoulder
• The zipper is super chunky, super strong. I’m sot worried that it’ll bust while packed to the brim with my most valuable possessions
• It’s adorable (clearly!)
• The inner compartment separators are adjustable depending on what you want to pack in it and allows you to section everything off.
• When all my camera gear isn’t needed, I can just pack the little things I need and take this unassuming bag with me rather than my huge, often pretentious looking ‘professional’ rolling case.

There are a couple things I wish were different:

• I wish that the velcro for the compartment separators was stronger and stopped things from slipping underneath them into another compartment (like sneaky little batteries)
• I wish the outside decoration that stretches from side to side (the bit with the flower) was sown at the bottom so it could be a pocket.

{Conclusion?}

Of the many camera bags for women, I loved the look of this one the most. Everyone is surprised that it’s my camera bag and I can do my super hard job and still feel like a woman. The value for money is outstanding. It was so much more affordable than I thought it would be (in comparison to others). And if you’re in the UK like me, the exchange rate makes it even cheaper! But just know that you’ll have a customs charge for about £20 before Parcelforce will complete the delivery to you (because of the value of the item). Check out the Jo Totes website to find your perfect camera bag!

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.

Lightroom – One Willow’s Fairytale actions set. I used the action called ‘lavender sky’

Photoshop – Totally Rad action set ‘The Revenge’. I used ‘clareify’ and ‘select-o-sharp’ to paint on sharpness. I used ‘select-o-pop’ to juice up the grass a little

{CLICK HERE} for the video tutorial

EVERYONE KEEP THOSE SHOTS COMIN. SEND YOUR PHOTOS TO EH@ELIZABETHHALFORD.COM

If your photo has been featured on Reader Photo Friday and you would like to purchase digital copies for printing yourself, please get in touch. Digital files are only $25 each and 100% of these monies goes to Compassion International to help us edit out poverty for our little guy Victor.

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.

{Recipe}

First, I sharpened the edges with MCP’s ‘crackle’ action from The Quickie Collection. This set isn’t compatible with PS Elements.

Then, I used MCP’s ‘Eye Doctor’ which IS compatible with PSE (yayy!)

I then went into the MCP set called ‘Cover Model’ and ran the ‘Cover Model’ action (there’s also one called Urban Cover Model). I tweaked the resulting layers to customise it for this photo.

I then used the finger paint action from the Quickie Collection to make the yellow line more bold

Lastly, I ran an action from Totally Rad’s set called ‘The Revenge’ called ‘Select-o-Pop’ which I used to paint on pop on the road, his bike and his plaid shirt.

THANKS, MELISSA! EVERYONE KEEP THOSE SHOTS COMIN. SEND YOUR PHOTOS TO EH@ELIZABETHHALFORD.COM

If your photo has been featured on Reader Photo Friday and you would like to purchase digital copies for printing yourself, please get in touch. Digital files are only $25 each and 100% of these monies goes to Compassion International to help us edit out poverty for our little guy Victor.

In today’s consumer and professional level cameras, there are two types of sensor technologies. You have the oldie but a goodie CCD which stands for charge-coupled device. Then you have the new kid on the block, the CMOS chip, which is short for Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor.

Basically, they do the same thing, they convert light (the image) into an electrical signal, they just have a different method to get to the same destination. In fact, both image sensors are cousins to the solar cell.

On both of these sensors, you have millions of elements called photosites. For every pixel there is a photosite to collect and store incoming light into a “well”. So, for example, if you have a 6 megapixel camera, then there are at least 6 million photosites on your sensor.

CCD

A 6 megapixel CCD

The CCD chip was invented in the 1960′s, it has been well developed and used in videocameras, scanners, and fax machines for many years and for a time was the only type of sensor used in digital cameras.

How does it work?

When light is exposed to a photosite, each one builds up an electric charge in proportion to the intensity of the light. The charge from the photosites is collected one row at a time and eventually transferred to a device that converts the analog signal into a digital value.

CMOS

The CMOS sensor has been around since the 60′s too, but wasn’t developed until much later. The process to make one is very much like the manufacturing of microprocessors used in your home computer.

How does it works?

The collection of the light isn’t too different from the CCD chip. CMOS gets it’s name from the process used to convert the light energy to a voltage (electrical charge) and then eventually sent to an analog to digital converter.

What’s the difference?

CCD sensors images have less noise issues than CMOS sensors. Also, on a CMOS, each photosite has additional circuitry next to it, resulting lower light sensitivity. Instead of the light hitting the photo receptors it hits the transistors. To help counter this, CMOS sensors generally require additional chipsets to help optimize picture quality.

A big plus for the CMOS is that it consumes up to 100 times less power than a CCD sensor so you can get a greater amount of battery life; and because they are produced on the same production line as your computer’s silicon processing chips, they are cheaper to produce. CCD’s require special equipment and expensive processes to manufacture the chips.

As far as quality of the image, they both have great results. I couldn’t tell you which is a clear winner.

That’s all for today, thank you for reading and check back every Techie Tuesday. Please leave a comment or ask a questions.

Peter

Peter Pechacek is a photographer and filmmaker in Orlando, Florida. He is new to the blog and will be contributing weekly on Techie Tuesday