Best camera focus techniques: 10 surefire ways to get sharp photos

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Back-button focusing

The usual way to focus a lens is to press the shutter release half-way down, but many cameras also have an AF button that can be pressed without the risk of pressing it beyond half-way and accidentally taking a few shots.

It is especially useful when using this back-button focus technique to photograph moving subjects that you press the AF button without locking the exposure settings until the point at which you want to take the image and press the shutter release home.

This camera focusing technique allows you to see the subject sharp in the frame and only take the shot when the composition or lighting is just right.

It also means that if something moves into the frame, another player when shooting sport for example, you can stop the focus from being adjusted by taking your thumb off the AF button, but continue to take photographs.

Back-button focusing is also useful when photographing subjects such as plants and flowers that move about a little in the breeze.

If the shutter button doesn’t control autofocus the camera won’t waste time attempting to focus every time the shutter release is pressed and you can wait until the subject is in the right position to take the shot.

PAGE 1: Manual Focus
PAGE 2: Single AF, Continuous AF
PAGE 3: Automatic focus point selection, Manual focus point selection
PAGE 4: Face Detection AF
PAGE 5: Focus and re-compose technique
PAGE 6: Back button focusing
PAGE 7: Hyperfocal distance focusing
PAGE 8: Focus stacking