I’m writing this post under protest because I find it to be a distraction at best. I understand that as you’re learning, there is an urge to quantify things, but this isn’t the way. Here’s Ryu’s take.

Assuming you have modern gear, you will get better at tracking action and getting pictures in focus. Fixating on keeper rates misses the point of what we’re trying to teach here. You could sit on the same kinds of plays and shoot them the same way, and I promise you’ll end up with all of them in focus. I could shoot a quarterback dropping back to pass every time for an entire football season and get 99% of them in focus. But I don’t shoot like that, and I don’t recommend it. I want guys diving for passes and blocking punts. I want quiet moments in the midst of hectic sidelines. These things happen fast and other people are constantly getting in the way. I miss sometimes, but my hits are better than someone who’s shooting the same picture over and over again.

My best advice is to stop focusing on mechanics whether it’s AF settings, gear, exposure programs, and develop your eye. It’s the only thing that you have control over and the only thing no one else can take away from you.

Matt

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