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AF Meter Work Around
If your AF meter problem is due to a monochrome subject or one without enough contrast for the meter to read it properly, you can set the focus manually. Take a measurement of the distance from your camera to the subject. If this is impracticable, you can estimate the distance. The further away the subject, the less critical the measurement. Switch your camera from auto mode to manual mode. This should disable the AF meter and permit you to set it. Find the manual focus menu on your camera and set the focus to match the distance to your subject. When you take your shot, the subject should be in clear focus. The focus will remain constant until you either change it or return to auto mode. Consult your camera manual for details. Be aware of depth of field; if you are shooting with a wide open aperture, your subject may be the only thing in focus due to reduced depth of field. To avoid this, you need to open the aperture, light permitting.
If your AF meter is having trouble reading an object close up, such as a flower, try turning on the macro feature, if your camera has one. When using this feature, experiment with the AF before moving to manual mode by depressing the shutter part way from slightly different positions. Often just moving an inch or so to the left or right, forward or back, will help the AF meter get a read and you can shoot the photo. If you still have trouble getting the subject in focus, turn on manual mode, measure the distance to the subject and manually set the focus. If this still does not work, you may be closer than the minimum distance allowed for your lens, usually around one foot.