Ask Jim

from Photo Insights May 2022

Creating Art out of Motion

Every month, Jim will answer a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine. If you have a question you’d like Jim to answer, please drop him a note at photos@jimzuckerman.com.

Q: Jim . . . If you look closely, the head of this pelican isn’t sharp? What should the focus point arrangement be in a situation like this to hold focus on the bird? Samuel Gold, Knoxville, Tennessee A: If you’re photographing birds against a white or blue sky, I turn all my focus points on. The rationale being there is nothing on which the camera can lock focus except the bird. Here, the trees in the background change things. For most birds in flight, I prefer a center cluster of focus points consisting of 9 or 15 points.§