Manual focus

Here are some occasions where you should use manual focus

1. Focusing in low light

In low light conditions the camera can really struggle to find the subject and to focus on it. Autofocus can really become annoying when your camera keeps searching for a point to focus on. Especially when you have to be fast and you could mis the moment. That’s why I use manual focus for all my night photography.

2. Low contrast

The same goes for low contrast images. When your subject lacks contrast or it has the same tones as your background the auto focus system of your camera may have trouble to focus quickly and correctly. Also here manual focus is the best way to go.

3. shooting through obstacles

When shooting a flower amidst other vegetation or an animal behind wire meshes the autofocus will select the nearest object and you will mis focus. Whenever there is some kind of obstacle between you and the subject you want to focus on, manual focus is the best and easiest choice.

4. capturing out of focus images

Sometimes you just want the main subject out of focus to capture the mood of the scene. When you want the subject to be blurred your only option will be manual focus.

5. close up or macro photography

When shooting macros or close ups you want your focus point to be spot on. The slightest mistake in focusing will result in an image where you missed focus.

6. creating HDR or panorama images

When shooting HDR and panoramas you dont want to change your focus point between every single shot. No you want the focus to stay the same, otherwise it might ruin the end result. You want all images to have the same element in focus.

In the beginning manual focusing can be challenging. And sometimes you might doubt your focus. The real trick is to do it quickly without any hesitation.