The camera wasn’t one I generally used. In fact, it was a rental, and it was driving me and Steven absolutely crazy. We couldn’t figure out why some shots would fire, and why some would. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, and I was kicking myself for not noticing it BEFORE the wedding of one of my best friends. But you know what? We never figured it out. I assumed that the camera just wasn’t working properly. It wasn’t until almost a year later that I finally realized what was going on – it was the FOCUS mode of the camera!
Maybe once upon a time I knew about the focus modes, but my camera settings are generally always the same so I haven’t played with that in years! But now I know – for most cameras (and I’m going to talk about Nikon cameras specifically because that’s what I use myself) have different auto-focus modes.
Now, I use back-button focus (here’s a super-duper old post of mine that explains what that means) but there is still an “auto-focus” that takes place when I use it. What I mean is that I’m not manually focusing my lens for each shot by moving the focal ring that is ON the lens itself! For Nikons, here are the three different focus modes (whatever mode you use will be displayed on the screen below your shutter speed):
AF-A, AF-S, AF-C.
Here’s how I remember them:
- AF-A // auto-focus- automatic. This means that the camera will decide if it needs to use a single point to focus, or if it’s going to readjust the focus regularly. I don’t recommend using this one because it can really hang you up when it comes to taking a photo because it’s trying to decide if the subject is moving or is still. Remember that issue I was talking about earlier? This is what was going on. So, when my friends were dancing at the reception, the camera was struggling to decide which focus mode to use!
- AF-C // auto-focus continuous. This means that the focus is going to continually move with the subject. This is GREAT for processionals, recessionals, people or kids running toward or away from you! So, once you lock that focal point on subject, even it if moves, the focus is going with that subject instead of staying in one place.
- AF-S // auto-focus single. For this mode, what you do is you put the focal point where you want it, and that’s where the focus will be, even if you recompose your camera using back-button focus. I use this mode on my camera almost exclusively. I only use AF-C if there’s a ton of movement that I’m trying to track in the photo!
There are a ton of other things that go into keeping a photo in focus, but knowing which mode you’re in is a really important start! So, I encourage you to look in your manual, figure out how to change this setting and then play around with it! I practiced using AF-C a lot with Lily – I told her to just run towards me a zillion times while I took photos, haha. For Canon cameras, I think the abbreviations have the format of AI-servo. I’m sorry I can’t be more help than that in regards to a Canon!
I hope that this can be of help to a newer photographer, or even a more seasoned photographer like me! haha.
Linda is a Boston-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com. To sign up for the monthly newsletter full of encouragement and real life, click here!
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