For a long time after getting my first entry-lever Canon DSLR, I honestly didn’t know how to use the live view properly.
After a few years, when I got a little better at photography, I got a more professional camera that didn’t have the live view option. So it wasn’t until recently when I got another DSLR with a vari-angle screen, that I started to understand the benefits of shooting with live view. One of them is being able to focus very accurately and therefore getting extremely sharp images. This article by Bruce Wunderlich over at Digital Photography School gives you 4 tips for using live view to get tack sharp photos.
Focusing on the Eyes
For the most compelling portraiture and wildlife photography, the most important focus is on the eye(s) of the subject. Using Live View, it is possible to isolate the eye for either auto focus or a manual focus. This method is limited to images that are posed, or with little movement.
Focus Stacking
Focus Stacking is similar in principle to HDR. However, when doing Focus Stacking, images are captured with different parts of the image in focus, then combined in Photoshop to create an image with more depth of field than would be possible with a single exposure. This method is a useful tool when doing macro photography. Calm winds are a must to capture focus stacking images. Use Live View to accurately focus each image. Here is the step-by-step outline of the process:
- Set up your camera on a sturdy tripod (a must!)
- Frame or compose the image
- Turn on Live View
- Zoom the Live View in so you can adjust the focus of each image to different distances
- Use Photoshop to process and blend the stacked images
Manual Focus in Low Light
When photographing in low light situations, such as astrophotography, auto focusing often fails to provide a desirable result. Using Live View, in conjunction with manual focusing, can help obtain a sharp image. While in Live View, use the zoom to enlarge the subject’s image and then use manual focus to tweak the photo’s sharpness.
Focus on any point in your scene
Most newer camera models will have 51 or more focusing points. However, these points are clustered around the center of the image. In Live View, you can move your focusing point all the way out to the edge of the image.
Some cameras have more accurate focusing points than others. To find out about your camera model and how its focusing points affect the image sharpness, read this article.
If you’d like to know more about how the live view works and how you can maximize the sharpness of your photos by using the live view for focusing, we have a great video tutorial for you.
GO TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR THE VIDEO
Read the full article over at Digital Photography School.
Source: Digital Photography School
