Is recomposing ideal rather than changing focus point?

As a beginner in photography I’ve stumbled across several videos stating that the center point is the sharpest and most accurate point as apposed to the others.

I’ve seen many photographers take very quick shots and they always get the subject very sharp regardless of the location of the subject, sometimes I never see them change focus point and leaves me to wonder are they really recomposing the frame while keeping the camera on the center focus point?

I ask because during photoshoots I feel rushed when switching focus point just to get the subject where I want them in my frame while still being sharp. Aren’t you prone to unsharp images when recomposing?

Answer

As a beginner in photography I’ve stumbled across several videos stating that the center point is the sharpest and most accurate point as apposed to the others.

Not necessarily. Cross-Type autofocus points are better at their job and each model camera has more or less of these. A consumer grade camera may only have 1 cross-type in the center, but as you go up the food chain, you get more and more cross-type points available to you.

I’ve seen many photographers take very quick shots and they always get the subject very sharp regardless of the location of the subject, sometimes I never see them change focus point and leaves me to wonder are they really recomposing the frame while keeping the camera on the center focus point?

Maybe so, maybe not. I know that I've got the little joystick-like toggle button on the back of my 5Dmk2 configured to select the AF point at any time - so switching it is muscle memory. I use the custom function to assign autofocus on/off to the other button that's right there - so my thumb is already doing a lot of action back there.

But, let's say they are recomposing. If they're tilting the camera while recomposing, but also using a small enough aperture to compensate (widening the DoF), then they can essentially get away with it.

The other way to to recompose is to shift the camera instead of tilting it. For example, center-focus on the face and then keep the camera at the same angle and bend your knees to realign the shot. The distance to the focal plane remains the same - and it's possible these other photographers are recomposing with this technique as opposed to the tilt method.

I ask because during photoshoots I feel rushed when switching focus point just to get the subject where I want them in my frame while still being sharp. Aren’t you prone to unsharp images when recomposing?

Feeling rushed will go away as you get more experience and operating your camera becomes second nature. Recomposing using a tilt does change where the focal plane is, and yes, you risk the focus being in the wrong spot. Aperture can CYA here. But, if shooting wide open, and if recomposing, make sure you don't tilt the camera but shift it instead and you should be golden.