Video: Autofocus tips from an event photographer
Nailing autofocus is absolutely a make or break for event photography, and as Omar Gonzalez Photography explains, unlike things like white balance and exposure, it's not really something you can fix in post.
This practical video is fantastic as it really sets you up for getting consistent results with autofocus, regardless of whether you use a new or older camera. And that starts with understanding the ins-and-outs of your chosen cameras' AF system.
Some cameras and lens combos lend themselves better to AF-S (AF-Single) rather than AF-C (AF-Continuous), as this technology has evolved relatively quickly. Key is to field test your camera and lens heavily before the important shoots.
Test your images with moving subjects, static subjects and in varying lighting to get an understanding of how your setup performs.
Likewise, if you do use an older camera with slightly unreliable autofocus at wider apertures, zone focussing with narrower apertures can help you nail the shot - as Omar suggests, this can be done by setting your camera at something like f8 to f11, and then standing about 1.5 metres away from your subject.
In many cases the results will be sharp, although this becomes difficult indoors without flash.
His other advice is robust too - remember to take your time, take a step back and don't rush things, shoot in bursts to increase your chances of hitting focus, and when shooting groups of people, make sure you stop your lens down as your autofocus may target the person in the centre but leave the people on the edges out of focus.
We also liked his tip to limit your autofocus area as things get hectic - this might not mean the bride walking down the aisle, but could mean when you're say photographing a dancefloor and there's hands, limbs, people and all sorts of other 'distractions' moving in and out of your frame.
By limiting your AF zone to just the centre part of your frame, it increases your chance of getting the important part in frame.
There's a bunch more great tips in the video, including some handy advice for when it all goes wrong - so we suggest you watch to the end!
Cover image: Mike O'Connor