double glass opticphoto by beth forester photography

SELECTIVE FOCUS PORTRAIT TIPS

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SELECTIVE FOCUS TIP #1 : Hit the Sweet Spot every time

EXPERT TIP: BRACKET YOUR FOCUS

Bracket your focus. Even if a shot looks perfectly focused through the viewfinder or on the back of your camera, you might find it a little off when printed or blown up on a bigger screen. Compose your shot, focus it, and shoot – and then take the same shot a few more times changing the focus just the tiniest bit each time. Odds are, you’ll nail the focus on one of those shots.

on target

double glass opticphotos by holli true

near miss

double glass opticphotos by holli true

TRY THIS: SHOOT YOUR SUBJECT OFF CENTER

SELECTIVE FOCUS TIP #2: Frame your subject with dynamic blur

Placing your subject off center gives you more opportunities to make use of the blur’s best feature: framing your subject. It also follows with the compositional Rule of Thirds. Imagine 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines through your image. Placing the subject at one of these intersecting points created by these lines draws the viewer’s eye and attention.

double glass opticphoto by craig strong

Experiment with using the blur to suggest your subject in action.

TRY THIS: USE BLUR TO SUGGEST MOTION

SELECTIVE FOCUS TIP #3: Make a motion picture

double glass opticphoto by scott o. smith photography

Pay close attention to your subject’s eyes. Most Lensbaby portraits look better when both of the eyes are included in the sweet spot. At least one eye should be tack sharp to capture your subject’s personality and create a connection with the viewer.

EXPERT TIP: PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SUBJECT’S EYES

SELECTIVE FOCUS TIP #4: Find the windows to your subject’s soul

on target

double glass opticphotos by holli true

near miss

If you’ve been shooting with the f/4 that comes installed with your lens, try changing to the f/5.6 or even the f/8. This will increase the size of your area of focus and increase your odds of getting everything you want placed within the Sweet Spot.

EXPERT TIP: BRACKET YOUR APERTURE

f/4

f/8

double glass opticphotos by holli true

SELECTIVE FOCUS TIP #5: Cover your bases

double glass opticphotos by holli true

Place your subject in front of bright highlights and use creative apertures to add shape and texture to your background.

TRY THIS: USE CREATIVE APERTURES

SELECTIVE FOCUS TIP #6: Create a scene

double glass optic photo by sara patton