A beast called "Manual Focusing". I need help.

[dan marchant]

You are clearly learning how to isolate part of an image by using the aperture/depth of field, which is a good thing.

However, I think you need to give more thought to how you use that creatively. You should also pay attention to how you frame your shots.

Shot one - the sole of the shoe that is in focus has been cut off at the bottom which feels messy/unsatisfying.

Shot two - you have a large out of focus bag sticking into shot in front of your subject, which is distracting. This would look better if you moved the camera fractionally to your left so that there is less of this bag showing.

Shot three - basically the same problem. You have a big shoe at the front of your shot that is out of focus. Because there is so much of it in shot it is distracting. In addition the shoe you are focusing on is hidden away in a jumble of other shoes and isn't clearly visible.

[cyracles]

Thank you for your valuable input Dan, looking back now at the pictures, you are absolutely correct. I have read several articles on composition but i still don't seem to get it fully. Some tips you use personally for several subjects may be very helpful for me here. How do i make story-telling frames? Thank you.

[dan marchant]

I have read several articles on composition but i still don't seem to get it fully.

It is just a matter of practice. I still take shots where I make compositional errors because I don't always check properly before pressing the shutter.

One way to help you learn would be a simple printed check list. Go out to shoot test shots and use the check list to remind yourself what to do. Eventually you will learn to do these checks automatically without the list.
1. Have I identified my subject,
2. have I identified how I want to show the subject by framing it.
3. Have I identified how I want to use the camera (shutter speed/aperture) to creatively represent the subject,
4. Have I worked out how to set the remaining camera settings to get a proper exposure (while still allowing me to make my creative choices),
5. Have I checked the image composition - objects in front/behind the subject that may be a distraction. Areas of bright light (especially in the upper corners of the image). Are there stray objects sticking into the edges of the shot that may distract,
5. Have I looked at alternative compositions (camera higher, lower, left or right) which may improve the image or may eliminate any of the above problems.