More Q & A. : ) Just one question for today, this one from Karen.
Q: My question goes back to the lenses that you use. I have recently purchased a 50mm 1.4 lens and have achieved the results I hoped to achieve with babies and still subjects. However, I'm the mother of a 2 1/2 year old (like yourself) and have a harder time achieving focus with those busy toddlers at larger apertures. Do you use those larger apertures for those on the go or could you make a suggestion about what range to use for those types of subjects?Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and expertise!
A: I've used both the Canon and Nikkor 50 1.4mm and they are both fantastic. But yes, it can be tricky to work with the lens at wider apertures. Toddlers can obviously run in and out of the plane of focus quickly and, if that plane is narrower (i.e. your aperture is wider), it will be harder for you to achieve sharp focus. If you want the plane of focus to be less narrow but you still want some nice bokeh, you might want to try your aperture at 2.8 or 3.2 and, when you start getting the focus you want, open up wider from there. You also might try continuous focus or AI servo with those toddlers if you are not already. With that said, I do shoot toddlers wide open and I've gotten faster with the shutter and catching them right when they pause for a split second. You can always expect out of focus photos with quick subjects at any aperture, so don't be afraid to overshoot a tad for those speedy little ones. Hope this helps. Thanks for checking out the blog!
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