The Best Ways To Get Sharp Pictures
Posted on October 17, 2008
Filed Under Camera Problems, Canon Problems | Leave a Comment
There are lots of ingredients to making a spectacular photograph, but the most important is for the picture to be in sharp focus. Even the slightest blur takes away from the picture, no matter how good the subject, lighting and color.
Photographers have somewhat varying opinions on what constitutes a tack sharp picture, but generally, a tack sharp photograph has good, clean lines.The picture will have clear definition, instead of being blurred.
There are several things you can do to increase your chances of getting that coveted tack sharp picture.
Hand-Held Digital Photography Tips
If you’re hand-holding your camera, brace your arms against your sides to help steady the camera.If your camera has anti-shake technology like Vibration Reduction (VR) or Image Stabilization (IS) lens, this is the time to have it turned on.
You can also lean against a wall or tree or whatever sturdy object that’s handy, and help keep yourself and your camera steady.Another way is to lean or lay your camera on some nearby sturdy object to help steady the camera.
Steadying your camera by hooking the strap under your elbow and wrapping the rest around your forearm will also help stabilize the camera and hold it steady in your hand.
Getting those tack sharp photos while hand-holding your camera can be difficult, so to increase your chances of getting that perfect shot, use the burst or continuous shooting mode on your camera to take several shots at once.Taking several pictures in quick sequence should increase the chances of one of them being in sharp focus.
Tripods For Better Focus
There’s no getting around the fact that it’s easier to get a tack sharp photo using a tripod. You just can’t hold the camera as steady as a tripod will.Like lens and other things in life, with a tripod you likely get what you pay for.Cheap tripods are helpful, but won't hold the camera as stil as a more expensive tripod does.Buying the best tripod you can reasonably afford gets the best results.
The more expensive tripods don’t come with the head attached. You have to buy it separately, but that means you get to choose what suits you best. To get a sharp photo, buy a quality ballhead that won’t let your camera slowly slide to one side.
If you’re somewhere that carrying a tripod just won’t work, beanbags make a nice cushion for cameras in these settings.Sitting the camera on a beanbag will steady it and help you get a sharp picture. It also helps in positioning the camera to get the angle needed for your subject.
To improve your chances of a tack sharp photo even more, use a cable release instead of pressing the shutter. It may not seem like much, but the movement from pressing the shutter will make the camera move enough to prevent getting those tack sharp photos.
If you don’t have a cable release, the self timer will also work.Although you press the shutter, the camera has time to stabilize and steady before actually taking the picture.
More Advanced Digital Photography Secrets For Sharp Shots
If you have a digital SLR camera, there are even more ways to make sure your camera stays steady while taking pictures.
The first is to use mirror lock-up.This locks your camera's mirror in the up position. Then when taking a picture, the mirror won't move until after the picture is taken, so there's less movement in the camera during the picture taking process. This means to take a picture, you will have to press the shutter release button twice on your remote or cable release (you’re not going to all this trouble and pressing the shutter release on the camera are you?). The first press lifts the mirror and the second press actually takes the picture.
The second method is to turn off the Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization.It may sound counter productive, but even after the camera is steady because of the tripod, the vibration control keeps looking for movement.When there isn't any movement, the vibration reduction can acually cause some shaking while looking for movement.A good rule to follow is to keep these turned off when using a tripod, and only use them when you’re hand-holding the camera.
One last way to increase the sharpness of your pictures is to have good glass.It makes a considerable difference which lens you use.It’s expensive to buy a quality lens with good glass, but you get what you pay for. Think of it as an investment in great photos.
Use as many methods as you can to steady your camera, and you’ll have a much better chance of getting those lovely tack sharp photographs.
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