Why photos are not sharp

When this happens switch to manual focusing, and continue to use the Live View mode. Zoom in as far as possible and find either the brightest star, or a horizon point in your image that has the maximum amount of contrast.

Your focusing problems are probably due to one of these somewhat rare cases! If the subject is backlit, using a wide aperture might make the subject less sharp depending on how well your lens controls light. Issues like fungus, haze more common in older lenses stored in humid climates like South East Asia , or even cheap optics inside the lens may scatter the light across your subject, an issue known as flaring.

You can find information about colour fringing by looking up the lens on sites like dxomark. Is your camera front focusing or back focusing? One of the main issues with DSLR cameras is that the cameras use two sensors: one just for focusing, and one for capturing the image.

This means that the camera can snap into focus really fast, but some lenses — especially third party lenses — may be imperfectly calibrated for the camera, resulting in imperfect focus. On most cameras, yes, you can fix your own focusing issues!

And the process is simpler than you might think! Y ou can test this by putting three objects, like batteries at an angle, placing your camera level with the objects on a tripod about 10 feet away further for longer focal lengths , and taking a photo of the middle object with the aperture wide open. Use this tool to find the right distance for your camera and focal length. People living in smotheringly hot climates such as deserts can actually get out of focus images for a completely different reason.

The reason for this is because the lens elements physically change when exposed to heat, making the point of infinity focus different than in colder climates. The last reason your image might not be in focus is if you have a decentered lens. If you don't need the full height of the tripod only extend the thicker leg sections and don't pull-out the centre column to get the best results. Just touching a camera mounted on a tripod can be enough to set it wobbling a little and this can make your images soft.

Fortunately, it's relatively easy to resolve the problem with a remote release. Remote releases come in two forms, wired and wireless. As a general rule wireless remote releases are more expensive but more effective than wired ones. A wired release has to be connected to the camera and any movement of the cable, perhaps as result of it blowing in the wind or you moving it, can transfer to the camera and soften the image, so take care how you handle it.

One downside with wireless remote releases is that they usually work via infrared light and this can make them trick to use in bright sunlight. Remote releases are especially useful when you want very long bulb exposures because they avoid you having to press the camera's shutter release button throughout the duration of the exposure. If don't have a remote release to hand the camera's self timer can be a good stand-in as it triggers the shutter to fire after the vibration from pressing the shutter release has died down.

However, DSLRs can actually create image softening vibration themselves because the action of the mirror flipping up to allow the exposure is enough to start things wobbling. Mirror-slap is more of an issue with some cameras than others. Some have a more dampened mirror movement, which makes it less problematic, for example.

However, if you want to get the full benefit of all those pixels on high-resolution cameras like the Nikon D you need to go the extra mile and use mirror-lock up mode. When mirror-lock up mode is selected the first press of the shutter release on the camera or a remote release lifts the mirror. Then, when any vibration resulting from the mirror movement has died down you press the release again to trip the shutter and take the shot.

It doesn't matter how rock-steady the camera is, if the subject is moving the image will be blurred. If you're shooting a moving subject and you want it sharp rather than blurred the shutter speed has to be fast enough to freeze the movement. Although it's a good idea to avoid raising the sensitivity setting when you're shooting landscapes and still life subjects, it's often essential when shooting sport and action.

It's also worth remembering that a little bit of noise is usually preferable to a badly burred image. Modern cameras can really make life easy for you, setting the focus point, exposure and white balance automatically to deliver great images.

However, they are not infallible. Camera shake, for example, could be the result of a number of factors - a slow shutter speed, not using a tripod, windy conditions even when using a tripod , or simply having hands that are a little on the shaky side.

The same goes for bad focusing. There are a variety of issues that could cause poor focus, including being too close to the subject, having your focus point in the wrong area of the image, being too quick on the trigger and taking a photo before the lens focuses, or having a depth of field that's too shallow for the subject to be nice and sharp.

But the great thing about sharpness is that there are a lot of ways to combat these problems so that you can create an image that is tack-sharp. Let's have a look at a few of the best solutions to the problems outlined above. And don't worry - they are all solutions that beginners can handle! That's because instead of depending on your hands, arms, and body for support - all of which move no matter how hard you try - you can put your camera on a tripod that isn't moving around.

Better still, you can enhance a tripod's ability to get a sharp image by improving its stability:. Sure, using a tripod can be less convenient, but if your images gain sharpness, that inconvenience is worth it, is it not? Get the scoop on other benefits of shooting with a tripod in the video above from Adorama TV and Mark Wallace.

If you find that you're in a situation in which you can't use a tripod, your best bet is to learn how to hold your camera in such a way that you maximize its stability and therefore maximize your ability to get the sharpest photos. That means you need to use both of your hands to support your camera - one firmly grasping the camera grip and the other underneath the camera and lens to lend it additional support.

What's more, if you bring your elbows into your chest, you can form a sort of a tripod with your hands, arms, elbows, and your chest working together to keep your camera still, just as you can see above. There are plenty of other ways to keep your camera still. Check them out in this comprehensive tutorial.

A lot of cameras and lenses today come with an image stabilization feature that won't eliminate blurry images, but it can certainly help. This is especially true when you have to hold your camera because image stabilization can get you an additional two or three stops of working room. That means that you can use a shutter speed that's two or three stops slower than you could normally use, and do so without worry of added blurriness due to camera shake.

When used in combination with a solid grip on your camera, image stabilization can make a great deal of difference in the level of sharpness of your photos.

As I noted in the introduction, a lack of sharpness can be due to the aperture, shutter speed, or ISO settings. In the case of aperture, if your depth of field the area of the image that's in sharp focus is too shallow, you might find that your subject isn't sharp, as seen in the image above. The problem with using a smaller aperture is that it restricts the amount of light entering your lens, which requires a slower shutter speed or a higher ISO.

But when you slow the shutter speed, you run the risk of getting images that are blurry because of the movement of the subject. Naturally, to avoid a blurry subject that's moving as seen above , you have to use a faster shutter speed. But, the faster the shutter speed, the larger your aperture or the higher the ISO will have to be.