4 replies to this topic

[Candyb22]

My fiance and I will be going on vacation soon so I'm trying to learn how to use the self timer to capture images of us together.  I practiced on this a bit yesterday and the pictures were ok but I don't feel like the focus was as sharp as I'd like.  I would also like for the background behind us to be in focus too because we will be in front of some nice buildings.

 

I was shooting in aperture mode with the self timer selected.  I would focus on him with single point focus and AF-S, then recompose the shot a bit so that I could fit into the picture and step in.  Am I doing this all wrong?  I wouldn't be surprised if I was.  Any tips would really help. 

 

I'm using a Nikon D3100 with the 18-55mm kit lens.

[Adam]

As long as you use a small enough aperture, you should have enough DOF for a sharp background.  However, the re-composition may affect what's in focus.  I would recommend to avoid re-composing and just leave enough space for yourself.  You can change the focus point easily via live view

 

Another tip is to use a wide-angle lens, as this will allow you to crop later on in case it wasn't exactly they way you wanted it to begin with.

[Rontography]

Buy a cheap remote. Much easier to deal with than a timer.

[deano]

i use the Nikon wireless remote, a $20 item I think.  It does the job well.

[etphoto]

My fiance and I will be going on vacation soon so I'm trying to learn how to use the self timer to capture images of us together. I practiced on this a bit yesterday and the pictures were ok but I don't feel like the focus was as sharp as I'd like. I would also like for the background behind us to be in focus too because we will be in front of some nice buildings.

I was shooting in aperture mode with the self timer selected. I would focus on him with single point focus and AF-S, then recompose the shot a bit so that I could fit into the picture and step in. Am I doing this all wrong? I wouldn't be surprised if I was. Any tips would really help.

I'm using a Nikon D3100 with the 18-55mm kit lens.

Try manual focus when shooting using a timer. F11 with any focal length with the lens you mentioned should do the trick. With using aperture priority mode I am curious what the shutter speed your camera is using. Your focus issues might be shutter speed is too low its picking up movement. Hard to tell with no samples.