Life changing. That’s what our challenge this week for Project 52 is turning out to be. Not that a focusing technique is truly life changing, but it’s certainly going to make a huge difference in the way I shoot. I have wanted to try out Back Button Focusing (BBF) for a while, but it’s a pretty major change, and I needed some motivation and some pals to try it with. Our Project 52 group decided to do it together. It is going to take many more hours of practice to perfect it, especially with moving targets, but it has already made a huge difference in achieving dead-on focus.
Essentially it means separating the focus from the metering and shutter function. You program your camera to move the focus control to the back AF-ON button, leaving the shutter function free to just meter and fire the shot. The results? Much better focus accuracy and consistency. No longer does one button have to do it all.
These blogs were instrumental in figuring out BBF:
http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=690&f-a-q-back-button-focusing
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2286
It will definitely take some time to get fully comfortable with this new technique, but I know it’s going to make a huge difference in my photos.
I love this shot of Beatrice – wearing her school uniform, with her winter coat slouched off her shoulders as she so often does now, her big-girl teeth which have finally come in after so many months of a gaping-wide hole, and her loosely braided hair. My sweet girl. Getting so big.
Happy Sunday to you all…
ISO 400
f/4.0
1/400
by gwendolyn waite
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