How To Get Tack Sharp Digital Photos

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How To Get Tack Sharp Digital Photos

Monday, October 6th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

There are many things that help make a picture spectacular, 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, intead of being soft or downright 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.If your camera has anti-shake technology like Vibration Reduction (VR) or Image Stabilization (IS) lens, this is the time to have it 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.Putting you camera against or on some readily available sturdy object will also 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.Taking several pictures in quick sequence should increase the chances of one of them being in sharp focus.

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.Like most photography equipment, better tripods cost more.Cheap tripods will help steady the camera, but not as well as a more expensive tripod does.To get the best results, you need to buy the best tripod you can.

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. They cushion your camera, helping to steady it and increase your ability to situate the camera to focus on the subject you want.

To improve your chances of a tack sharp photo even more, use a cable release instead of pressing the shutter.The movement from pressing the shutter may not seem like much, but it shakes the camera enough to prevent getting a tack sharp picture.

If you don’t have a cable release, the self timer will also work.This means when you press the shutter, the camera has time to stabilize before it actually takes a 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.This keeps the camera locked in the up position until after the picture is taken. That limits movement inside the camera.The shutter release button on the remote or cable release must be pressed twice to take a picture (surely you aren't pressing the shutter release on your camera after going to all this trouble 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.It may sound counter productive, but even after the camera is steady because of the tripod, the vibration control keeps looking for movement.If the camera isn't moving, then the vibration reduction can actually cause shaking while looking for movement.A good rule to follow is to keep these turned off when using a tripod, and only use them when you’re hand-holding the camera.

One last way to increase the sharpness of your pictures is to have good glass. The lens you use makes a big difference.You get what you pay for. A quality lens with good glass is expensive, but it’s worth it.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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