Sucky focus photographer : )

[Hhepp]

I'm still working on the raw class so I don't know how to do all the raw processing just yet but I'm also having focusing issues.  I don't know if its actually me focusing poorly or some other setting I'm not doing properly.  Can you help me yet or should I finish up the raw class first?  I tried the noise removal link but I can't tell up from down on the noise yet  (hoping I'll learn that better in the raw class ?) 

[Damien Symonds]

May I see one?

[Hhepp]

Sure.  This doesn't have noise removed as I can't figure that out yet.  I can tell it's not focused properly but I get a lot of images like this.  I'm unsure if I'm just missing the focus and need more practice with that or if I have some other problem.  Shot with Nikon d860, iso 64, 1/200, f/2.  135 mm nikon lens.  Thank you for any advice.

[Damien Symonds]

Oh gee, it's really really close.  You only missed it by a fraction.  If you'd chosen an aperture a bit narrower than f/2, you would have been fine.

f/2 was never going to work for a subject walking towards you.

[Hhepp]

It’s not terrible? I feel like it’s awful. 

[Hhepp]

I don’t know why I asked that. You wouldn’t just say that. Maybe I just don’t know what decent focus looks like at a farther distance from the subject and I’m expecting eyelashes at this distance. Would this be worth editing or trash it?  Should I see eyelashes at this distance?

[Damien Symonds]

Sorry I wasn't clear.  Yes, the focus is not good.  You can't use this photo.

But see how her sleeve fabric texture is perfectly focused?  That's what I mean by "you just missed it".  Your focal plane was very very close.

[Damien Symonds]

35 minutes ago, Hhepp said:

Maybe I just don’t know what decent focus looks like at a farther distance from the subject and I’m expecting eyelashes at this distance. Would this be worth editing or trash it?  Should I see eyelashes at this distance?

This is an excellent question.

https://www.damiensymonds.net/2010/08/what-you-see-when-you-pixel-peep.html