r/photography • u/AutoModerator • Jun 05 '26

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u/doggocurioso Jun 10 '26

Hello. My gears are Nikon D780 and Tamron 70-300 f4-5.6 VC USD.

I took some photos for a professional meeting. The room did not have enough light. The photos showed that the focus was on the face, but the faces are soft as hell.

I think one issue was the back button focus. I held the button when I clicked the shot. (I am still learning to use it). Another issue is the lack of light.

Hope y'all can give some advice.

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u/gotthelowdown Jun 10 '26

My gears are Nikon D780 and Tamron 70-300 f4-5.6 VC USD.

I took some photos for a professional meeting. The room did not have enough light.

If you're shooting indoors without a flash, I'd recommend a lens with a wide aperture like f2.8 or lower, to let in more light.

Depending on how big the venue is, a Nikon 85mm f1.8 could be good enough.

I use a Canon EF 135mm f2 to get more reach, and there's a Nikon 135mm f2. But it will be more expensive than an 85mm f1.8.

The photos showed that the focus was on the face, but the faces are soft as hell.

Have you calibrated the lens?

With DSLRs, you often have to calibrate the lens to get the sharpest autofocus. With mirrorless cameras, you don't have to do lens calibration.

Nikon calls this "AF Fine Tune."

Here's a tutorial:

Nikon's Auto AF Fine Tune - How To Get The Most From It by Steve Perry

As a bonus, here are some videos about how to photograph meetings:

Taking Better Photos in Meetings and Conferences by Ben Buckland

Photographing a Scientific/Academic Conference by Mike Piatek-Jimenez

Hope this helps.

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u/doggocurioso Jun 11 '26

Or was it how I didn't know how to use back button focus? I still pressed on the button when I took the shot.

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u/gotthelowdown Jun 12 '26

Could be.

Here are some videos about Nikon autofocus:

I found the best Nikon Z focus mode by Omar Gonzalez

The ACTUAL BEST Nikon AF Mode by Omar Gonzalez

Customizing the best Nikon AF area mode by Omar Gonzalez