Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/04/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Eric asked: >I think my brain is edge seeking and the obvious edges are the side of the >head compared to background. I find it tough to lock in on eyes. I tried a >ground glass screen and that was a minimally helpful. >> >>I often shoot a 50mm lens at f5.6 >> >>Tips?<<< Hi Eric, Bottom line? Practise, Practise, Practise, Practise, Practise and then do it several thousand times more!! When you're sitting watching the idiot box and a commercial comes up, practise focusing on all kinds of "HIGHLIGHT POINTS about the room no matter where or what!" As soon as a commercial comes on screen look about the room for a highlight, camera comes to eye and you focus, camera down look for another highlight point no matter how small. It's a no brainer, see highlight, camera up, focus and do this until you're all most sick and tired of doing it. As far as the eyes go? 99% of the time there is a highlight in the eye! Surprise! And all that practising you've been doing between commercials, you did do it, didn't you? I mean I'm not telling you this for the good of my health, hell I've already done it some many multi-hundreds of thousands of times! ;-)... So now you've practiced and you're as fast as all get out putting those two little highlights together in the viewfinder, the eyes become a piece of cake. Focus on that highlight! It's that simple and at 5.6 you should have enough depth to cover yer sweet buns even if you miss a tiny bit. HOWEVER! If you practised, you did didn't you? ;-) Yeah I believe you. You will rarely miss by going for the highlight in the eyes!. Focusing on highlights constantly doing it with all kinds of locations and situations even when you are not taking a real photograph will improve your handling ability and it'll just be "on the eyes, click and sharp!" ted