I recently saw this question on a photo forum, and thought I would talk about it since it’s a common and frustrating problem. Also see the companion PPS podcast on getting clear images.
Whether people shoot Canon, Nikon, or anything else, the question is the same. What do people do to get those tack sharp, vivid, beautiful images? There’s not one magic formula but here’s some good tips to get you rolling. At the end you can post your own tips, and you’ll even find a free Photoshop action down there to help make your shots a bit more vivid.
- 5. Depth of field Thoughts
This can be easily overlooked, and is crucial. Let’s say you have a len’s that goes down to 1.4 or 2.8. This means that at those settings you get a lot of light, but the depth of field (focus) will be shallow. You can certainly get shots like this, even without a pod and on the go, and have them come out great. It just takes some practice. Don’t get discouraged when some of these are blurry. If you focus on a person 6 feet away who is slowly moving towards you, they might be blurry in the time it takes you to press the shutter.
One solution is to raise that aperture setting to 5 or higher. That will help give you more DOF, but will also require a slower shutter speed. Sometimes that shallow effect is good however, so to help you get it, take lots of shots and then pick the best ones. When you can, use a tripod help keep that camera still, and remember the focus will be shallow at those low aperture settings. If you want someones eye’s to be in focus, then you need to set the focus point right on their eye and nowhere else. Practice makes perfect.
- 4. Some quick Shutter Speed tips
Another big factor is shutter speed. the rule of thumb is that if your shutter speed is less than the length of your lens, then it’s too slow. IE 100mm lens = 1/100 of faster. Faster than that is good, and slower is also possible. You have to know your camera, and get a feel for what you can do. I’ve gotten clear shots of moving race cars using 100mm focal length with 1/30 sec or less, by simply following the movement. That doesn’t happen every time, and can be tricky. But again practice brings it around.
Watch that shutter speed, and learn to hold that camera solid against your face, especially when in low light without a support. If you can use a flash in low light do that first, and then then try the shot without it. This way you have the sure fire success shot to fall back on if the creative shots don’t work out like you planned.
- 3. Movement at it’s best
Movement of the camera can have a huge effect on your images. Holding the camera solid does not mean it should not move when you want it to. If your subject is moving, then follow it’s path with your lens. Even at 1/500th of a sec, a shot of someone jogging by might not be clear if you hold the camera still. Yet when you hold that camera firm and pan along, that same person can be tack sharp at 1/60th. Again practice makes perfect so play around with motion and learn how it behaves. Sometimes you may even want a blur on a certain are. With practice comes control.
- 2. The Lens is your eye
There is truth to the saying “You get what you pay for” That 18-55 lens that came in your kit might get you some great shots. But when it comes to lenses, you lose image quality by saving $$ and that’s all there is too it! This is especially true at longer focal lengths. I’m not saying you should automatically buy the most expensive lens you find. It pays to read reviews and see what others are saying about any gear you buy. Just remember that it’s not really the body you shoot with, it’s the lens in front of it. A 500.00 Digital Rebel can take the same shot that a 10000.00 EOS 1D can take.
Time for an example. Some it was a few years ago that I discovered the true value of a great lens. People kept telling me it was all in the glass and I don’t think i truly believed it until I tested it myself. I had a Tokina 24-200 zoom lens that I really liked. It served me well, and I got some great shots from it. But I kept thinking… “Why aren’t my images tack sharp?” I finally broke down and spent some real money on lenses. Below are the results I found back then, when I took sample shots to compare.
AMazing huh! Bear in mind that I’m not bashing Tokina. I got some good shots from it, and it was only 300.00 lens. vs the 2000.00 Canon lens. Also the Tokina was a few years old and the Canon’s were brand new. Owning an OEM lens won’t help if it’s still a cheap lens. The point is that I got what I paid for. A top of the line lens is worth the money if you want the best image you can get. And though its doesn’t sound as exciting as that new camera body that just came out. It will give you much more!
- 1. Sharpening can make life POP
Last but not least is the post production work. Sharpening can really help make your pictures POP, and often when you see a shot that makes you go… WOW THATS SO CLEAR, sharpening had a hand in it.
The thing to remember is that sharpening is not an excuse to be lazy. While it might make a poor picture acceptable, it will never make it great. A great shot starts out great, and is made better by post production tools like sharpening. Try taking your photo into Photoshop, or some other editor and just start playing with the sharpen tools. Don’t overdue it! Add some smart sharpen, or unsharp mask. Just enough to make it POP a bit.
You can also get actions for this. As you know I sell Photoshop effects actions and Lightroom presets over at Seim Effects, but here’s a freebie I made for you that helps your photo’s POP by using sharpening and a few other tricks. It’s called Visual Razor and it might just help you out.
In closing let me say one thing. Practice makes perfect. Spend time with your gear and it will give back to you. Gavin Seim
Good tips mate. Love this article.
Hope you dont mind if I feature this article in a forum.