Can I use auto focus even if my subject isn't centered?

Can I use auto focus even if my subject isn't centered?

Mark Comon (Vice President, Paul's Photo, Torrance, CA) gives expert video advice on: How do I prevent getting the "red-eye" effect?; How can I take red-eye out of my photos?; How do I capture fireworks with my digital camera? and more...

With the advent of auto focus in the mid 1980's, most people forgot about focus as a creative tool on their camera and it's extremely creative. What's in focus is the subject; what's out of focus is not a subject of the picture. Most of today's automatic focus cameras have what we call a multi-point focus. The centre dot is used for focus, yes, but many of our cameras have the ability to move the focusing dot or to select an auxiliary dot for focus. So, the easiest way to get off centre focus is to select the dot as not in the centre, but to the side. If your camera doesn't have multi-point focus it's very simple to get off centre focus. You use what's called focus lock and this is on SLRs or on compact cameras. When you press halfway down on the shutter release, that locks the focus and you'll see a light or a symbol come on in the camera that tells you that focus is engaged and is locked in. So, as long as you press down halfway on the shutter release, you can lock focus wherever you want. I put the centre dot on my subject, and press halfway down on the shutter release. Leaving the shutter pressed halfway down, I then bring the camera back, frame it as I wish, and take the picture. That way you've locked focus on an off-centre subject.