How to take sharp photos

Photo copyright by Amy K Roberts

Many people ask me if there is a secret to getting sharp photos. I often respond that it is a combination of a few factors. These factors include shutter speed, aperture and f-stop, using a tripod and distance to subject. These things work together to create a sharp image. Once you learn how to work these things together you can say goodbye to blurry images.

Blurry images can be caused by camera shake. Camera shake is the movement of the camera when you take the photo. You may have noticed that when you are shooting in low light, there is a little bit of blur throughout your image. This is due to the shutter speed slowing down and accidentally recording the movement of camera when you press the shutter button down.

There's an easy way to fix this. Blurry images due to camera shake are preventable. What you need is a tripod. In low light situations the shutter will slow down. It slows down so that you can capture as much light as possible. If you move the camera when the shutter is open your image will usually be blurry. If you hold the camera very still you will see that this problem may go away entirely. A great way to keep the camera still is to use a tripod. A tripod will prevent blurriness duty camera shake.

Shutter speed and sharp photos go hand-in-hand. The quicker your shutter speed is the less likely you are to accidentally blur your image. If you do not have a tripod then simply photograph your subject at a faster shutter speed. This requires using the camera in manual mode. Using the camera in manual is by far the best option because it gives you the most control. Remember, the camera doesn't take photos, you do.

Sharpness in photos is also attained by using the correct f-stop. Your f-stop is a numerical representation of your camera's aperture. Your lens determines what f-stop range your camera has. The higher the number f-stop means the sharper your photo will be. This is because it controls your depth of field. Depth of field means that area of your photo that is in focus. If you try and take a photo with something in the distance and you use a low f-stop number such as F2 .8, you will find that not everything in the scene is sharp. The best way to get good sharpness in your photos is to use the right aperture for the scene. The more that your subject is in the distance the higher the number you will need. The close your subject is the small the number you may use.

If you have a DSLR camera you will have the ability to interchange lenses. Interchanging lenses is a wonderful way to have more control over getting sharp photos. You will see that on the side of your lens there is a small switch or slider controls automatic or manual focus. If you find that the camera is unable to focus on your subject, due to low light or distance, you can always switch your focus to manual focus.

Let's take the example of photographing a subject at night time. Sometimes the camera will struggle to see the subject when you use auto focus. If there is not much light the camera won't be able to see what it is supposed to focus on. If you are able to see the subject well you can simply switch your focus to manual. Turn the focus ring on your lens to bring the subject into clear focus. You may find that you get a sharp image this way.

These are just some of the things that you can do to get sharp photos. You will find that the more practice you do the better your photos will look.

Come and vistit me at my website and learn more about how to create beautiful and stunning images with the simple click of your shutter button www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com

A Couple Of Really Great Ways To Use Flash In Portrait hotography

There are lots of ways to light a person for a portrait shoot. Light can come in many forms and none so portable than the flash. There is a trick to using flash. The trick is knowing about the colour of the flash, the output, proximity to your person and shadows.

There are many flash photography techniques you can use. In order to get beautiful photos with the flash you need to understand a couple of things about the flash and how flash photography works. These key things are the following:

Intensity (Brightness): The flash is pretty intense. It shoots out a short burst of intense light. This is called “output”. The final quality of your images depends greatly on the output of the flash. In other words the more intense or bright the light is the more it dilutes colour, washes out skin tones and can create high contrast.

Direction: The direction of your flash can make or completely break your portrait photo. If you use the flash at an angle, too close, then you create a high level of contrast. For portraits this may or may not work. As a result of firing the flash front-on you may just see shadows under the person’s nose, chin and cheeks. You may see the dark shadow of their body on the wall behind them.
Outdoor flash photography: The reason why we use flash outdoors is to employ a technique called fill flash. Some people call it flash fill. Whatever you call it, just know that it has a special purpose. It only has one purpose and this is it: to fill in shadows.

Using fill flash can put the right amount of light on someone’s face so that shadows are not as present. To do this you need a soft output. You need to be standing at just the right distance away where the flash is not too bright that will diminish colour from their face. What is the right distance? The more intense the flash output is, the further away you can stand. The less intense the output the closer you can stand.
The key to using flash in portrait photography is to create soft light. Portrait photography looks great when the light is soft. This is evident in wedding photography. The last thing we want to do is fire the flash up close in a brides face. Firstly people hate the flash in their eyes, and, secondly, it can ruin the photos.

Bouncing the flash:  A great technique you can use is to swivel the flash head to the ceiling. When you take the photo a lovely burst of light from the flash will hit the ceiling at a high intensity. It will then bounce off the ceiling. The reflected flash light from the ceiling creates a lovely soft light over your portrait. It’s a much nicer effect and such an easy technique. You can really only do this if you have an external flash.

On-camera flash techniques for wedding and portrait photography: If you only have an on-camera flash then try turning your output down to the lowest setting. In other words it’s better to try and fire a soft burst of light rather than an intense burst of light. Make sure you do not stand too close to the person. Fire off a few practice photos first with something around the house to see the effects of the output and distance.
Keep practicing with the flash. These flash techniques are easy to do and will become second nature the more experience you get. They are a lot of fun and you can create some beautiful results with them.