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Focus and Recompose Technique • Landscape Photography
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BY NASIM MANSUROV | 145 COMMENTS
LAST UPDATED ON NOVEMBER 13, 2023 • Portraiture
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When photographing with a digital camera, it might sometimes be impossible to
focus on the edges of the frame due to the limitations of the camera. To be able
to get around the problem, photographers can use a technique called “focus and
recompose”. In this article, I will go over the focus and recompose technique, VOTE
which can be quite useful when photographing in various environments – On Our Next Lens Reviews
whether shooting in low-light situations or composing your shots with the
subject in the corner of the frame.

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Image captured with the Focus and Recompose technique PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS
NIKON D700 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/320, f/1.8

I personally use this technique quite a bit when doing event and wildlife
photography. It saved me a number of times when the light conditions were PHOTOGRAPHY LANDSCAPE
extremely poor and my camera could not properly focus. It also works really well BASICS PHOTOGRAPHY

in situations where my camera’s focus points are only concentrated in the middle
of the frame.

Table of Contents WILDLIFE MACRO

1. What Recomposing Means PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

2. Why the Need to Recompose?

3. Focusing and Recomposing Methods
3.1. Single Servo Focus Method
3.2. Autofocus Lock Method
3.3. AF-ON / Back Button Method COMPOSITION & BLACK & WHITE
CREATIVITY PHOTOGRAPHY
4. Potential Focus Issues
5. Does Focusing and Recomposing Make Sense with Mirrorless Cameras?
6. Conclusion

What Recomposing Means NIGHT SKY PORTRAIT

PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
Before I talk about this technique, let me first explain what the word “recompose”
stands for in photography. When you take a picture, you carefully frame your
shot and place your subject somewhere in the frame before you take a picture. In
other words, you compose the shot. Recomposing simply means framing your
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
shot first (for example to acquire focus), then moving your camera to reposition PHOTOGRAPHY VIDEOS
your subject somewhere else in the frame.
UNIQUE GIFT IDEAS
For example, let’s say you started off by placing the subject in the center of the
frame and focusing on the subject’s eyes. Instead of having a boring shot with
your subject in the dead center, you could place the subject a little to the side
and end up with a much better composition. In other words, you are
recomposing your shot.

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NIKON D800E + 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 90mm, ISO 200, 1/250, f/8.0

Why the Need to Recompose?

Normally, most people do not bother with recomposing their shots when using
modern digital cameras. Many cameras, even the most basic entry-level models
come with a bunch of focus points, which are scattered across the viewfinder, as
seen in the below image:

When composing a shot, the easiest thing to do is typically to move the focus
point to the desired area of the viewfinder (where the subject is placed), acquire
focus and then take a picture. But therein lies a typical problem – the focus point
is often too small to cover the area of interest or it might not be where you want
it. Take another look at the above viewfinder – you are forced to place your
subject where the pre-defined 11 focus points are.

But what if you wanted more flexibility and if you wanted to move your subject
freely anywhere in the frame? Sure, higher-end cameras have a lot more focus
points to work with in situations like this, but they rarely cover the entire frame,
and even when they do, moving them might slow you down as well when
recomposing your shots.

In addition to this, if you’re shooting a DSLR, then the center focus point is
always the most accurate, as I pointed out in my article on taking sharp photos.
This means that when light conditions are poor, your only choice to get
acceptably sharp images might be to use the center focus point. If you have
done some low-light photography, you will relate to this, as I am sure you can
remember how the lens goes back and forth “hunting” for focus when using
corner focus points. Here is an image, which was shot in an extremely dark
environment:

NIKON D800E + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm, ISO 400, 1/100, f/5.6

The subject is tack sharp. I had to manually pre-focus on my subject with the
center focus point with the help of the camera’s AF assist beam (no other focus
point could get accurate focus), then I fired a flash behind the subject with a blue
gel to get the above effect.

So for these kinds of situations, being able to first focus and then recompose
your shots can make a huge difference. If the technique is done right, you do not
have to worry about too much post-processing and cropping just to get a better
composition – you can do it right using your camera and this technique.

Focusing and Recomposing Methods

There are several ways to focus and recompose your shots. Let’s go over each
method and look at its advantages and disadvantages. Please keep in mind that I
am assuming that your camera and lens are set to autofocus. The below
instructions will not work in manual focus mode.

Single Servo Focus Method

The first, and the easiest way, is to set your camera to Single Servo or “AF-S”
autofocus mode. When your camera is set to Single Servo mode, it will only
acquire focus once when you half-press the shutter button. While leaving the
focus point in the center, point your camera at your subject, lock focus by half-
pressing the shutter release button, and wait for the camera to confirm it (either
with a beep or with an in-focus indicator), then recompose and take a picture. If
your camera refuses to take a picture, it means that it is set to “Focus” release
mode. Just go to the camera menu and set it to “Release” in AF-S / Single Servo
mode and it should be able to fire no matter where you point it.

This method works great on most cameras, but it requires to have your camera
set to the Single Servo / AF-S mode. If you shoot with an entry-level Nikon DSLR,
then the default AF-A mode should also work great, as long as your subject is
not moving. If you want to be able to lock focus in any autofocus mode, see the
next method.

NIKON D3S + 50mm f/1.8 @ 50mm, ISO 250, 1/500, f/2.8

Autofocus Lock Method

Almost every modern interchangeable lens digital camera, including entry-level
models, comes with a button on the back of the camera that is dedicated to
locking the camera exposure and autofocus. On Nikon cameras, this button is
called “AE-L / AF-L” and you will find it on practically every camera model. By
default, the button is programmed to lock both exposure and focus, which would
work great for the focus and recompose technique.

Without worrying about which autofocus mode your camera is in, you simply
focus on your subject by half-pressing the shutter button, then after focus is
confirmed, you press and hold the AE-L / AF-L button on the back of the camera
while continuing to half-press the shutter. Then you recompose your shot and
take a picture (continue to hold both buttons). Doing this will achieve two things
– your exposure will get locked and will not change (which can be very useful
when photographing people in challenging light) and your focus will stay on the
subject.

NIKON D700 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 1600, 1/640, f/2.0

The only thing you have to make sure is that this button is actually programmed
to lock exposure and focus. On some camera models, it might not be able to do
both. On all Nikon DSLRs, the AE-L / AF-L is set to do this by default. However, if
the above method does not work for you, you might have to look at the menu
settings. See my “Nikon AE-L/AF-L button” article for more information on this.

AF-ON / Back Button Method

The last method, which I personally prefer over the first two, is to program a
button on the back of the camera to acquire focus – a technique known as
“Back-Button Focus“. By moving the focusing function of the camera to this
button, you eliminate the need to half-press the shutter button when acquiring
focus – the shutter button is only used to actually take pictures.

This works great for me because I do not have to constantly think about pressing
the Autofocus lock button or being in Single Servo mode. On top of that, I do not
have to keep half-pressing the shutter button, which I might accidentally trigger.
And it works great for focusing and recomposing your shots.

NIKON D700 + 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 @ 24mm, ISO 800, 1/50, f/5.6

Again, all modern DSLRs and mirrorless cameras can do this. If you have a high-
end digital camera, you might have an “AF-ON” button on its rear where your
thumb can reach it. The “AF-ON” button can be configured in the camera menu
to move the focus function to it.

First, make sure that you are in a single AF mode – you should be able to move
the focus points in your viewfinder. Next, go to the “Custom Setting Menu” ->
“Autofocus”, then find the menu item “AF Activation”. Change it to “AF-ON only”.
Once set, try half-pressing the shutter button – it will do nothing. But as soon as
you press the AF-ON button with your thumb, the camera will start acquiring
focus.

If you have an entry-level Nikon camera, it might not have a dedicated AF-ON
button. However, don’t be disappointed, because the same “AE-L / AF-L” button I
talked about before can be configured to do the same thing:

The setting is located in a different menu location. Go to the “Custom Setting

Menu” -> “Controls” -> “Assign AE-L/AF-L button” or to “Setup Menu” ->
“Buttons” and you will see an option that says “AF-ON”. Just choose that option
and press OK. Once done, test by half-pressing the shutter button first – it
should not attempt to acquire focus. Next, press the AE-L/AF-L button and the
camera should start autofocusing.

We go through many other camera brands in our back-button focusing article, so

make sure to check it out.

Once you move the focus function to this back button, here is how to use it:

1. Use the focus point selector and place the desired focus point on your
subject
2. Press the AF-ON / Back button with your thumb to acquire focus
3. Release the AF-ON / Back button to keep and lock focus where it is
4. Recompose your shot and take a picture

Potential Focus Issues

One thing you always have to keep in mind when using this technique is that you
mind end up with badly focused images when recomposing aggressively,
shooting at very large apertures and close distances. Remember, your focus
plane shifts when you recompose, so if you have a very shallow depth of field
and you are standing too close to your subject, recomposing too much could
result in a soft-looking / defocused subject.

If you cannot get a sharp image, try to keep the focus point as close to the
subject as possible and then recompose a little. Less shift means less change in
the focus plane. If you shoot with long-lenses over long distances, you do not
have to worry about this as much. Here is an example of the technique, where I
used the center focus point to focus on my subjects on the right (using the AF-
ON button), after which I recomposed the image to include the two models on
the left:

NIKON D3S + 300mm f/4 @ 300mm, ISO 400, 1/640, f/4.0

Does Focusing and Recomposing Make Sense with

Mirrorless Cameras?
Focusing and recomposing works well and I still use the technique myself when
shooting with DSLRs. However, modern mirrorless cameras make this technique
less important.

For example, if you’re shooting people, then you’ve probably heard that most
mirrorless cameras have excellent eye and face detection modes. This makes it
rarely necessary to focus and recompose if you’re shooting portraits or even
group shots. In fact, many of the higher-end mirrorless cameras have detection
modes for animal eyes and objects, which is much faster than focusing and
recomposing.

Mirrorless cameras have many more focus points and advanced AF systems that often obviate the
need for the focus and recompose technique. NIKON Z f + NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S @ 71mm, ISO
320, 1/125, f/4.0. © Libor Vaicenbacher

Mirrorless cameras also have more focus points distributed across the entire
viewfinder, and some of them have very intuitive methods for selecting these
focus points. Thus, it’s safe to say that using the focus and recompose technique
is not as prominent in the mirrorless realm as it was with DSLRs.

Still, there may be times where focus and recompose still makes sense. For
example, you may wish to lock onto a specific point in your shot, such as in a
landscape, without having to move your focus point. In these cases, sometimes
it’s still nice to do a quick focus and recompose, which still works quite well.

Conclusion
In many situations, the focus and recompose technique works very well as an
alternative to moving focus points. However, with more modern mirrorless
cameras, focusing and recomposing is often less necessary. I hope this article
was useful to you. Please let me know if you have any questions!

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TAGGED WITH: AUTOFOCUS, DSLR CAMERA, LOW-LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life,
based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the
leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops,
producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography
Life. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Read more about Nasim
here.

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145 COMMENTS Newest

jitu lohar
February 3, 2024 10:09 pm

thanks

0 Reply

Rouzbeh
August 25, 2022 10:14 am

Hello Nasim. Thanks for the many article you put up. I have an idea for you… How about
making a book out of all these articles!!! It would be a good book for beginners and all and all
the materials are at one place we can take them with us anywhere. Even a PDF would be
great so we can print them ourselves and write stuff on it. Thanks a lot. Best wishes

0 Reply

Amy Hale
February 4, 2022 12:53 pm

Thank you! You have been so much help. I am enrolled in Katelyn James’ lighting and
location course and needed some explanation on a few terms. I found you AND this article
covered Nikons which I have! (KJ uses a canon so I have to figure things out in Nikon terms
and options)
You also explain the differences in the entry level and high end cameras which is so much
help to me with an EL. I’ll definitely bookmark you and be back to read everything

0 Reply

GW DePauw
December 10, 2021 3:41 pm

Hello. Absolutely love all of your videos and articles. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know! I
have a question about AF-ON and metering for focus and recompose. How do you
recommend setting up the camera for that? I have a Canon R6. I’m using the default AF-ON
and set my shutter button to half press AE lock (while button is pressed). It might be just a
matter of getting used to it but wondered if you had a better recommendation. Thank you!!

0 Reply

Linda
March 14, 2021 12:01 pm

can you tell me why my Nikon D800 will not stay focused where I put the focal point when I
recompose it acts like the shutter is still trying to focus (I use back button focus) when I
review my photo it shows’ the focal point is where it fell when i recomposed the photo I’m
using a Nikon 50 mm lens I have tried to change the f stop but that didn’t make a difference.
I tried taking the same shot in live view and it appears to work better, the focus will beep
which it will not when looking through the view finder, but I don’t like live view, can you
please tell me what is wrong I hate to send it for repair just to find out it is my era

0 Reply

Mary Wilson
Reply to Linda April 11, 2021 8:23 pm

Did you get an answer on this – I have the same issue.

0 Reply

Spencer Cox Admin

Reply to Mary Wilson April 13, 2021 12:18 am

Is it possible that you have not disabled autofocus from the shutter button yet? On
the D800, you should find that in the Autofocus section of the Custom Setting
Menu. Go to AF Activation and set “AF-ON only.”

If you do that, autofocus is not going to trigger under any circumstances when
half-pressing the shutter button. Then you can focus using AF-On, take your
finger off the AF-On button, and recompose without worrying that the camera will
trigger focus again. Hope this helps!

0 Reply

Enrique
June 9, 2020 10:44 am

Very good article, I would like to know if you have any writing regarding the Wi-Fi connection
of the Nikon D850, I am trying to do some things with the Wifi but I am having certain
problems

0 Reply

Michael Przewrocki
Reply to Enrique June 27, 2022 1:59 am

Its about focus here.

1 Reply

R Kapoor
April 28, 2020 12:31 pm

Further, on cameras that have a touch screen at the back that can be set to focus on touch,
doesn’t the back button focussing (that is assigning a button to focus) become redundant?

0 Reply

Michael Przewrocki
June 27, 2022 2:00 am