Focus More on Focus

Unlike color balance or underexposure, which you can fiddle in post, you get only one shot at getting your focus right. Focus isn't everything, but it's close. Of all the things that impact the effectiveness of your shot, focus is at the very top of the list.

Focus isn't everything, but it's close. Of all the things that impact the effectiveness of your shot, focus is at the very top of the list. Focus is the point at which rays of light converge. Focus is not absolute and depends on a number of factors, such as the size of the aperture the rays of light are passing through, and the quality of the lens. Focus exists on a range, perceptible to the human eye, along a scale commonly defined from "sharp" to "blurry."

The acceptable amount of blur in an image depends on a number of factors. The light-sensitivity of the object the rays fall onto and the resolution of the output device are two primary ones. Additional factors include the rarity of the image (the Rodney King video would have sold if it were in perfect focus or not) and the expectations of the viewers (it's fine if your Uncle Bob has out-of-focus video of your wedding, but the videographer you paid must have perfectly sharp video).

We're going to take a look at what, exactly, makes focus happen and look further into how to make focus work for you.