How do I take sharper pictures?

Question

My photos often are blurry, even though i bought an expensive camera. What causes my blurred photos, and how can I fix the problem?

Answer 1

Students often come to me for help taking better pictures. they want sharp pictures, or feel like their camera won't focus correctly. There are a few common mistakes I see people making, but usually I ask them to take some photos first so i can observe what they are doing. Whether online, or in person, we can look at the process and results and see what's going poorly.

First, many people don't know how to "tripod" the frame of their body. Depending on your camera and how you are shooting, this may look different, but the idea is the same. Your body is constantly balancing, but with three points of s:

1. Move one leg forward toward the subject, and one leg away from the subject of your photo.
2. Then hold your camera up while keeping your elbow tucked against your body.
3. Gently squeeze the camera shutter button, instead of just pushing the button when you are ready.

These three steps will help you get sharper edges and photos and can also help you to shoot steady video, and I offer more helpful tips, PLUS I teach students to understand what the camera is doing for you, to help you take better pictures, find the right light, and process your photo shoot in Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.

Answer 2

There are lots of reasons why your pictures aren't sharp. I suspect the problem is either the focus or the lens. In order to get the picture you want you need to know what you want the camera to focus on and move the lens accordingly. The other likely option is that your camera might be dirty! It could be that the lens is dirty or the mirror, or something else entirely. Either way, best to keep your camera in shape!

Answer 3

In addition to Daniel's answer regarding how to "tripod your body to keep your camera steady, pay attention to shutter speed! Most of us have trouble holding a camera perfectly still at long, or slow, shutter speeds. Do some tests photographing something like text on a page using various combinations of aperture and shutter speed with the manual setting on your camera. Take notes, or use a digital software that will allow you to see the aperture and shutter speed when viewing the images on screen. Zoom in closely to judge the sharpness. You will find that shutter speeds above 1/60th second will yield sharper images than shutter speeds of 1/10th second and less.