How to Take Sharp Digital Images

Here’s a list of 10 basic things to think about when shooting to get sharp images

1. Hold Your Camera Well
A lot of blur in the photos that I see is a direct result of camera shake (the movement of your camera for that split second when your shutter is open). While the best way to tackle camera shake is to use a Tripod (see below) there are many times when using one is impractical and you’ll need to shoot while holding your camera. use both hands, keep the camera close to your body, support yourself with a wall, tree or some other solid object etc.

2. Tripods
Regular readers of this site will have seen my recent series on tripods and know that I’m a big fan of them as a way to reduce shake. While not always practical, the result you’ll get when you do go to the effort of hauling one around can be well worth it.

6. Image Stabilisation
Many cameras and lenses are now being released with different forms of image stabilisation (IS) which won’t eliminate camera shake - but can definitely help reduce its impact. I find that using IS lenses that it will give me an extra two or three stops (ie I can use slower shutter speeds but 2-3 stops) when hand holding my camera. Keep in mind that IS helps with camera movement but not subject movement as it allows you to use slower shutter speeds (not good for moving subjects).

7. Focus
Perhaps the most obvious technique to work on when aiming for sharp lenses is focussing. Most of us use ‘Auto Focussing’ with our cameras but don’t assume that the camera will always get it right. Always visually check what part of the image is in focus before hitting the shutter and if it’s not right try again or switch to manual focus mode. This is particularly important if you’re shooting with a large aperture (small depth of field) where even being slightly out can result in your subject being noticeably out of focus.

8. Good lenses

9. Get your Eyes Checked

10. Clean equipment

Lens Sweet Spot
Lenses have spots in their aperture ranges that are sharper than others. In many cases this is one or two stops from the maximum aperture. So instead of shooting with your lens wide open (ie where the numbers are smallest) pull it back a stop or two and you might find you get a little more clarity in your shots.