anneabc

Hi, I am posting a sooc image. It's out of focus. Here is my exif data. I used bbf, continuous focus in case one of the kids or dog moved. Can anyone tell me why the pic was not focused? I supposed I could have forgotten and left my finger on the bbf button and recomposed rather than locking it in. I don't remember. Speed too slow? ISO- 1250, 70mm, f9.0 and 1/250sec.
Frustrated
Thanks

Thanks for answers so far. Sorry, forgot to store original. Was using my 7-200 Nikkor lens, btw.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Please repost with "store original" checked.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Focus plane is behind.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

At 1/250 shutter duration, you had plenty of time to stop any action. I agree with Rongnongno, the image seems to be back focused. f/9 should have given sufficient depth of field for the scene. Do you specifically recall where you focused?

As Oddjobber mentioned, re-post and click the "Store Original" checkbox so we can see an enlargement of the image. Thanks.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

BBF isn't the issue. Dogs....what dogs? they obviously moved.... where did you focus is the issue and why did you try to capture so much background.

A tighter shot .....thinking about depth of field would have upped the F stop..maybe depending upon your lens....was your speed equal or more than its focal length/sec? Composition - Composition -Composition...Are you focussed at the nearest person and allowing DOF to capture beyond the Focal point or focussed on the furthest person to allow DOF to capture the nearest person. (Choice of apperture)

In a reasonably tight group with no 'foreward' movement... I would have used centre or matrix focus depending on what 'background' I also wanted. So probably that is what threw off the focus.
By coming in closer you could have chosen either the woods or the lake as a background. Kneeling down would have brought the people into 'the fore'. Rather than being less than half...of the total image.

without ticking 'download' we cannot help you by reading the exif data....nor look at pping sharpness (probably not in any case).

It is focal point and DOF that you need to concentrate/read up on.

have fun

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

When photos like this are shown and questions posed our answers are given in a sort of vacuum, if you will, of space as we don't know anything about the photographer or what occurred other than what was shared. So, do you know that the focus point in the camera can and should be moved by you? I've know photographers who, when starting out, did not know this. In this case your focus point may have been off significantly. Do you know to check in the camera viewfinder area to see if the camera says your scene is in focus? In Nikon this would be a small green light at the bottom of the viewfinder that tells you the scene is good-to-go, but of course this would only work out if the actual focus point was where you wanted it to be. With BBF you do need to lift your finger once you have set focus so just make that a habit but I doubt that was the case here as no one is moving so the focus most likely stayed the same even with your finger on it. Your settings appear to be fine for the subject. Hand-held? Were you stable? Were your arms locked into your body tightly to help hold focus? You might try snapping off multiple shots if you did not as sometimes this can help for a hand-held photo to ensure that one is sharp. Did you actually set your BBF to only the back button and not the shutter, check this in your camera. That's my thoughts on the subject.

anneabc

The dog is in the older girl's lap. He's black, so he's hard to see. I don't remember where I focused. I know I can move the focus points. I really didn't want to do that, but rather I wanted to lock in focus with bbf and recompose. I used the center focal point to focus. I use a d750 to shoot, btw. And the lens was a 70-200, not 7-200. I just guess I must have kept down the bbf button and recomposed. That's the only thing I can think of.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

With relatively static subjects, I would not have had continuous focus on. Just focus on the second person from the right and recompose. I restrict BBF for rapidly moving subjects: birds, cars, etc when I am panning.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

I'm curious- did you take more than one image and if so were they all out of focus? BBF does not refocus so if your first image was out of focus then subsequent ones will be as well (unless you refocus along the way).

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

As has been already stated, 1/250sec. is enough to stop motion in this case.
The focus is in the background. Most AF errors are operator's error.

RRS Loc: Not sure

I don't see anything in sharp focus. Do you have the ability to see what and where you focused? Why BBF, just move your focusing point. Were you shooting with a tripod. How did the other shots of this family shoot come out? I hope you shot several.

SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

It's difficult to respond without storing the original. Using what you posted, PS says that the sharpest area is to the left and behind the subjects.

If I were shooting this shot, I would have focused on the faces, manually. Autofocus usually works well, but its not full-proof, especially when theres a lot of fine detail in the scene. It would be better if you stored the original, but it appears to PS from this image that the camera decided to focus on something else.

(Download)

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Are you concerned because these people paid for the photo? Because otherwise you can just setup another meeting and retake it. You have received good suggestions. Follow them.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

PS: I’ll put this link here for you, this photographer uses natural light, but more importantly, look at her backgrounds. No clutter, no trees growing out of body parts. Composition is as important as sharp focus. Good luck!

http://ljhollowayphotography.com/

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

A general rule for portrates is to focus on the eyes. In this case I would have chosen your older daughters eyes, lock the focus, check my total DOF with focus peaking (Sony a99ll) and shoot. Depending on the lens used, you may need to go to F-11 or F-16 to get everyone in focus. Happy Shooting.