One of the things that many aspiring photographers struggle with is being able to take consistently sharp photographs. In this article we’ll look at some of the techniques that are essential if you want to take consistently sharp photographs.
You’ll have probably already seen some of these tips before but take tome to think if you use all of them every time you take a shot. If you really want to make a difference to the sharpness of the photos you shoot then making a small gain by constantly implementing in a few of these tips will help you achieve sharper results.
Use a tripod/monopod
One of the most common causes of ‘un-sharpness’ is camera shake. This is simply when your camera move while the lens aperture is open and the shot is being exposed. The most reliable way to ensure your camera is completely still is by using either a tripod or monopod. Which one you choose is up to you (check out our monopod v tripod article) but either will significantly reduce the risk of camera shake.
Keep the camera still
Unfortunately it is not always practical to use a tripod when shooting. If you are forced to shoot hand held you should still think about how to avoid camera shake and keep the camera as still as possible. If possible try and brace your shoulder, arm or camera against a wall or pillar to maximize stillness.
If bracing isn’t an option then try taking a few minutes to ensure your grip on the camera is as solid as possible. Joe McNally presents some really useful tips to avoiding camera shake by improving your camera grip in this youtube video.
Watch your shutter speed
No matter how solid your grip is you’re going to need to watch your shutter speed.
As a general rule make sure your shutter speed is equal to or quicker than the focal length you are shooting it. For example if you are shooting using a 100mm lens aim to have a shutter speed of at least 1/100 of a second, faster is possible. If you’re shooting at 50mm then don’t shoot slower than 1/50 of a second, and so on.
Don’t forget if you are using a crop factor camera you’ll need to scale up by the crop factor. For example if I’m shooting on my Rebel XSi / 450d with my 50mm lens then i’ll multiple the 50 by the sensor crop factor (x1.6) which means I’ll aim to shoot at 1/80 of a second or faster.
Of course the above is just a rough rule of thumb. If you’re shooting fast moving subjects such as wildlife or sports then you’ll want to select a much faster shutter speed in order to help you freeze the action and reduce motion blur.
Focusing
Don’t forget that just because you are using auto focus that your camera will always achieve perfect focus. Don’t be afraid to try manual focusing, with a little practice you can soon master the art.
Alternatively if you’re using auto focus then switch you camera to just use one focus point. This will enable you to focus exactly where in the composition you want to.
Clean Your Lens
Get in the habit of cleaning your lenses before you head out shooting every time. If you have grubby finger prints or dust on your lens you’ll struggle to take sharp photographs. Check out our article on cleaning lenses for some more information.
Find the Sweet Spot
You’ll probably notice over time that your lenses perform differently at different focal lengths and apertures when it comes to sharp focusing. For example my beloved 50mm f1.4 is at it’s sharpest around f2.
image by bitsofreality
Optical lens design is as much an art as it is a science. This means that all lenses will behave like this with differing ability to produce pin sharp images at different apertures and focal lengths. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as a lenses ’sweet spot’.
Not all lenses are the same and the sweet spots of different lenses will vary according to opinion and personal taste so take some time to experiment and find where your sweet spots are.
Post Processing
Of course post processing is always an option. It’s always best to get the picture right at the time when you shoot it however post processing software such as Lightroom and Photoshop provides you many different ways in which to sharpen photos after the fact. For an easy to follow example check out our Photoshop portrait sharpening tutorial.
Forget the ISO
Always aim to shoot with the lowest ISO setting you can get away with. As we’ve discussed before, increasing the ISO increase the digital noise in the final image which results in less sharp photographs. As the latest cameras get better at reducing noise at higher ISOs this is becoming less of an issue. However always aim to increase ISO as a last resort if you are struggling to get a fast enough shutter speed.
Image Stabilization
If you’re lucky to have any lenses with on board Image Stabilization (Vibration reduction on Nikon) be sure to switch it on. These technologies allow you to reduce the effects of motion blur and effectively get sharper images at slower shutter speeds.
Focus on the eyes
If you’re shooting portraits or wildlife make sure you focus on the subjects eyes. You can have 90% of your photo out of focus but if the 5% focus is on the eyes of your portrait subject then the whole image will look ’sharp’. This is particularly relevant when shooting at very large apertures such as f1.8 as the depth of field can be very narrow (sometimes only a cm or two).
To prove the point the above photo was taken using my iphone 4gs. The quality of the lens and size of the sensor is pretty pathetic compared to even a bottom of the range DSLR however because I focused on the eyes, which are nice and sharp, the photograph really works well.
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