Were you using auto or manual focus for that shot? (or does the digital rebel have manual override functions at all?) It's possible for autofocus sensors to be fooled, especially in fast-action shots where the subject isn't dead center. I don't know how exactly the digital rebel's auto focus sensors work, or how easily they can be 'fooled' in to focusing on the wrong thing. I use a manual focus camera, which makes focused action shots difficult. The best I can do in such a situation (I believe I have at least one action shot posted in my portfolio...it's not focused as well as I'd like, but it's acceptable, I think...) is pre-focus to the point in space where I anticipate the subject will be when I take the picture (timing is EVERYTHING) and stopping down as much as possible to allow for maximum depth of field, therefore making it more diffiuclt to miss.
Thank you so much for the honest critique. It does seem that he is a bit out of focus. I've had trouble making sure that the main subject in my action shots in in focus in the past. i continue to struggle with it, but hopefully I'll get it all figured out. Either way, thanks for looking.
A good shot. His pants are so light they almost blend into the sky, but there's not much you could do about that ("excuse me, but could you change into darker pants?"). It seems as if it is focused more sharply on the concrete to the right then the skater, who is further from the camera. If one follows the steps across, the parts which are closer appear to be more sharply focused. It seems reasonable to guess that the skater is slightly out of focus. It's still pretty well in focus (thanks in part to the fact that digital cameras have great depth of field due to their small sensors) but the focus could be better.
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