Canon EOS 7D Mark II For Dummies
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Your Canon EOS 7D Mark II has lots of great features for any picture. There are lots of rules for composing photographs, and many of them can be broken. However, one useful rule says that when you’re photographing a person, she shouldn’t be in the center of the frame.

A photograph with your subject to the right or left of center is more interesting than one where she’s smack-dab in the center of the frame. You can easily focus on an off-center subject by following these steps:

  1. Compose your scene through the viewfinder.

    Move the camera until you achieve the desired composition.

  2. Move the camera until the center autofocus point is positioned in the middle of your subject.

    The only exception to this is when your subject is a person or animal. If you’re shooting a close-up, position the center autofocus point over the subject’s eye that is closest to the camera. After all, the eyes are the windows to the soul. If you’re photographing a group of people, place the autofocus point over the most important person in the scene, which, in the case of a family group picture is the patriarch, or in the case of a group shot of the people you work with, your boss.

  3. Press the shutter button halfway.

    When the camera achieves focus, the green dot on the right side of the viewfinder appears and the camera beeps. If the dot is flashing, the camera hasn’t focused on your subject.

  4. With the shutter button held down halfway, move the camera to recompose your picture.

    By holding down the shutter button halfway, the focus locks on your subject, even as you move the camera.

  5. Press the shutter button fully.

    The camera records the image.

About This Article

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About the book author:

Doug Sahlin operates a professional photography business specializing in event and portrait photography. He's shared his expertise on photo topics in Canon EOS 7D For Dummies and Canon EOS 6D For Dummies.

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