Avoiding distractions "Keep It Simple, Sam" - this motto is a favorite used by most photography lecturers. Basically, it is to remind the students once they have reached the stage where shooting excellent pictures is already second nature to them, the failure to simplify their pictures and eliminate all distracting elements will invite an unending list of criticisms from the experts. Once you have mastered this requirement, the tendency of excluding distracting elements in your pictures will come naturally. IXUS girl with an out-focus umbrella behind her This angle was shot from a lower camera viewpoint Soft images of foreground boats is distracting Sharper image eliminated it Using the autofocus system Just like getting incorrect exposure when the AF points are being aimed at the wrong subject matter, it is also easy to get softer or blurred images when one is not careful. This usually happens when one forgets which AF point was set in the first place, especially among EOS models with three or more AF sensors. These EOS models have been programmed to focus on the nearest subject to the camera if you let the camera decides the optimum point of focus by itself. Similarly, if you are shooting portraits vertically, make sure the center AF point has not been set. Otherwise, the subject's face will be out of focus while the body is sharp. A similar result will also occur if the One Shot AF mode is used for shooting moving subjects, like those of the motorcycle racers as shown in one of the two pictures below. AF point focused on the rider's leathers AF point aimed at the rider's face Blurred picture using One Shot AF mode Focus tracking using AI Servo AF mode Text and photos by Philip Chong Copyright 1999 by Canon Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 .