There are lots of ingredients to making a spectacular photograph, but the most important is for the picture to be in sharp focus.Just a little blur makes a picture second rate, no matter how good the subject.
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.This is the time to have your camera's anti-shake technology such as Vibration Reduction (VR) or Image Stabilization (IS) lens 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 idea is to lean or lay your camera on some handy 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.The series of picture will increase the chances of at least one being tack sharp.
Tripods For Better Focus
There’s no getting around the fact that it’s easier to get a tack sharp photo using a tripod.A person just can't keep a camera as still and steady as a tripod does.A tripod is like other photography equipment, and you get what you pay for. A cheap tripod will help, but won’t hold your camera rock steady like a more expensive tripod will.To get the best results, buy the best tripod you can reasonably afford.
The more expensive tripods don’t come with the head attached.It must be bought separately, but that gives you the opportunity to choose what you like best.Buying a good quality ballhead for your tripod will help you get sharp photos by keeping your camera from sliding.
If you’re somewhere that carrying a tripod just won’t work, beanbags make a nice cushion for cameras in these settings.A beanbag will cushion your camera, and help keep it steady. The beanbag also increases your ability to situate your camera to focus on your subject.
To improve your chances of a tack sharp photo even more, use a cable release instead of pressing the shutter.There's enough movement when pressing the shutter, though it may not seem like much, to keep you from getting a well-focused picture.
If you don’t have a cable release, the self timer will also work.It means that although you press the shutter manually, the camera has time to stabilize before actually taking hte 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.The camera's mirror is locked in the up position. Thus when you take a picture the mirror doesn't move until after the picture is taken, and that limits the movement inside the camera. 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.Though it sounds counter productive, once a camera is stabilized with the tripod and other methods, the vibration reduction keeps looking for movement.Vibration reduction can actually cause some shaking by looking for movement that isn't there.The best thing to do is use the automatioc vibration controls when hand-holding your camera, but keep them turned off when using a tripod.
One last way to increase the sharpness of your pictures is to have good glass. The lens you use makes a big difference.Good glass in a quality lens doesn't come cheap, but like so many things, you get what you pay for.It's 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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