What is the first thing that draws your attention when you look at a grizzly bear photograph, or at the snapshots taken of your child? The life of an animal or bird, or even a person, is found in its eyes. The eyes of the subject are magnetic and attract our attention immediately. Whether you shoot wildlife or people you focus on the eyes of your subject. If your subjects eyes are in focus the rest of the image will appear in greater focus - even if it's not. Our mind overrules what we see and we are left with an impression of greater sharpness - hey, it's true.

One of the great mistakes we can make as wildlife or portrait photographers is to "zone" focus the camera - placing the focusing grid on the largest part of the subject without regard to its eyes. In the case of photographing wildlife - say an adult bull elk, this focusing habit can put the eyes of your subject more than 18 inches out of exact focus. Of all the places on an animal or bird the eyes will show the lack of sharp, clear focus the most. This can be worsened when you are shooting your prime lens "wide-open", at its largest aperture setting - thus decreasing relative depth-of-field even more. I don't want the side of a bear or elk sharp, I don't want the chest or shoulder of a portrait subject sharp - I want the eyes sharp.

As time has gone by and I've become a more experienced wildlife photographer I find myself framing photographs in terms of focusing grids and eyes. I've learned to rapidly change the focusing grid in order to guarantee its placement on the eyes of my subject. Modern digital cameras provided many focusing grid locations but adjusting the active grid when needed can be difficult to learn. At greater distances this isn't as much of a concern, or if the animal is not eyes-on to the camera. But in every other situation the eyes come first. When I'm editing newly shot wildlife or portrait images the first critical issue is to weed out those photographs that don't provide the sharpest eyes. Publishable wildlife images or printable portraits mean sharp eyes first. Practice changing the focusing grid location until you can do it without thinking about it - then you will be shooting like a professional!

For more information on Brent Russell Paull, you can visit his website