PLEASE HELP! Are the lenses focused on his face/will his face look clear?

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94pax94

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Name
Pavle
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Hello. My name is Pavle. I'm a young photographer. I have just started, so I'm a beginner so I'm still learning. Focus (that square thing) was set on this guy's body (stomach) and not face. What I'm trying to ask is if that (square) is on his stomach will only part of that body (stomach) be in focus or his whole body including his face? Will his face look clear and sharp or no? On some other pictures that I took of him, that same square was on his face, but his face wasn't even clear/sharp, it was blurry?! I am so confused. Can somebody please help me? I'm trying to compete in a competition, but I don't even know If any of this pics are good?! Also, sorry, English is not my first language. Thanks a lot.

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example p 3 6891.jpg


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Welcome to the forum.

Autofocus works differently in each camera and you will need to practice using it to get used to how it works and be confident that the subject will be sharp and in focus.

The “depth of field” that will be in focus reduces as the aperture gets wider so wide open at f1.8 needs more care with the focus than say f16.

In these examples it look like you used liveview. If so, use the magnifying glass button to zoom in to check focus before you take the shot.

Are these completion winning images? Unlikely, and to be expected as you’re just starting out. That said, enter the competition and who knows, maybe you learn something from the judges feedback.

Have fun taking photos and practicing.
 
The square shows the point of focus, anything the same distance from the camera will also be in focus, not just the area inside the square. While the face is outside the square it's near enough to the same distance from the camera to be passably sharp.
Ideally you want the focus on the face, most cameras allow you to focus on a face then if you hold the button half down it'll lock the focus for you to recompose the picture but keep focus. It does vary depending on setting though.
Many cameras also allow you to move the red square around in the viewfinder so it can be placed on the subject.
 
Looking at the info sheets you've got the following.

Focal distance is between 3.5m and 8.61m so you can be pretty sure that if his jacket was in focus, then his face would be.

None of the images look particularly sharp on the people, so I suspect that you were a little closer than 3.5m from your subject and therefore the actual focal point is further back in the frame. I may be wrong on this, as it's hard to zoom in to the images as they're quite small. Thinking about it logically, a 50mm lens on a 600d is broadly equivalent to a 80mm on Full Frame. To get a mid-shot in frame, maybe you were that far back

Other things to consider next time you shoot:

You've got quite heavy shadows across their faces - this can work if you intended to do this, but this looks accidental. Something to bear in mind that you can always ask them to move so this doesn't happen.

it's also possible that your camera and lens pairing aren't working well together. I used to have a 600D and a 50mm 1.8, and it was great to begin with, but the lens went 'off' after a while. It just never seemed to be as sharp as it was when I first got it.

Unfortunately you can't perform any microadjustments on a 600D (I know, I tried) so it would be worth checking your focus by using a tripod and downloading or buying a focus chart to check it.

Out of the three images, the guy in the maroon/grey jacket is the best
At least his position doesn’t look too awkward.
 
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There's tonnes to unpack here.
Firstly as above, do an AF test on the camera / lens combo - just to rule out equipment failure.
Then there's some technique issues. Live view is for when it's not convenient to hold a camera 'properly'. seriously, the AF system via the viewfinder is superior, you hold the camera much more stable, it's simply a better way of working. Then you're into selecting the best focus point, and try if possible to avoid focus-recompose.

Then there's the technicalities of image creation.
Ask yourself what's the dominant feature of the images you've posted? it's the cabbages. They're not even in focus but they're grabbing attention cos they're in 'the light', whereas your 'subject' is in a horrible mottled light that is doing nothing for your subject.
There's a horribly 'artsy fartsy' sounding phrase that some of us use that's the cornerstone of making successful photographs - learn to 'see' the light.
You might have heard that to 'photograph' is to draw or paint with light. That's both a scientific explanation of the process, but also informs the actual craft too, when you point a camera at something, you're not 'taking a picture' you're quite simply and also scientifically capturing the light bouncing off your subject. So you need to be aware of the light falling on your subject.
 
Phil V said:
There's tonnes to unpack here.
Firstly as above, do an AF test on the camera / lens combo - just to rule out equipment failure.
Then there's some technique issues. Live view is for when it's not convenient to hold a camera 'properly'. seriously, the AF system via the viewfinder is superior, you hold the camera much more stable, it's simply a better way of working. Then you're into selecting the best focus point, and try if possible to avoid focus-recompose.

Then there's the technicalities of image creation.
Ask yourself what's the dominant feature of the images you've posted? it's the cabbages. They're not even in focus but they're grabbing attention cos they're in 'the light', whereas your 'subject' is in a horrible mottled light that is doing nothing for your subject.
There's a horribly 'artsy fartsy' sounding phrase that some of us use that's the cornerstone of making successful photographs - learn to 'see' the light.
You might have heard that to 'photograph' is to draw or paint with light. That's both a scientific explanation of the process, but also informs the actual craft too, when you point a camera at something, you're not 'taking a picture' you're quite simply and also scientifically capturing the light bouncing off your subject. So you need to be aware of the light falling on your subject.
Click to expand...
Phil, do you say try to avoid focus recompose because there is more chance of missing accurate focus with that way of shooting?
 
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