You’ve heard about how awesome DSLR cameras are or you got one as a gift, and you started taking photos of random stuff. Your kids are running around making cute faces or your pet is playing around and you take photos of them. You are excited, you can’t wait to see those beautiful photos that you took. But then you realize that most of your action-packed photos are blurry and not sharp. ARGG, you get frustrated and get angry at how bad DSLR cameras are or you think there’s something wrong with your camera.

Featured image: Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

But the truth is, photo blurriness doesn’t come from one problem, but from many. Most people new to photography come across this problem. This is because they lack the understanding of the fundamentals of photography.

In this article, I will discuss some of the mistakes amateur photographers make and teach you how to take sharp photos. It’s important that you learn from these techniques, as it’s impossible or very hard (depending on how blurry it is) to fix a blurred image.

1. Using the wrong focusing mode

Most DSLR cameras come with an automatic focusing mode (AF-A) set as its default mode. This is great for beginners but it is prone to selecting the wrong focus area. The camera reads the scene and then it determines where to focus. This is why sometimes your camera doesn’t focus where you want it to be because it’s “guessing” where to focus.

DSLR cameras come with three focusing modes. The first is single-shot focus (AF-S), which is meant to be used for still subjects. However, sooner or later you will realize that you’ll be using this focusing mode more often. Hence, for best results, keep this mode on 90% of the time.

The second one is called continuous autofocus (AF-C or AI-Servo) and is meant to be used for subjects that are moving, such as running kids, moving cars etc. Therefore, if you want to take sharp images of moving subjects then change your auto focus mode to AF-C/AI-Servo.

The third is the camera’s default; the full auto focus mode. This is useful if you just started photography but remember it’s prone to misfocusing since it’s “guessing” where you want to focus.

2. Your shutter speed is too slow

Slow shutter speeds are the number 1 culprit of blurry photos. This is because of how the camera shutter works. When you set the shutter to a slower speed, the shutter curtains open up and take some time to close down, depending on how slow you’ve set it up. Any movement that happens during the opening of the shutter curtains will allow the camera’s image sensor to pick up any movement, resulting in blurriness. The most common motion that the camera can pick up from slow shutter is handshakes. Even if you think you have perfectly steady hands, the image sensor will still pick up the micro shakes of your hands.

To avoid blurriness from holding the camera, then remember this rule of thumb. Your shutter speed should be the same or faster than the focal length of your lens. For example, if you are using a 50mm lens, then your shutter speed should be 1/50th of a second or faster. If you are using a 70-200mm lens, then your shutter should be 1/200th of a second or faster. Any lower and you might end up with blurry photos.

Moreover, taking pictures of moving subjects at slower shutter speeds will result in extremely blurry photos. Thus, when shooting sports, moving cars etc. then set your shutter speed to 1/300 or faster, depending on the speed of the motion.

3. Holding your camera the wrong way

We all have our ways of doing things and holding onto things is no different. Therefore, it’s best to study the best ways to hold your camera the right way. For example, it’s not recommended that you hold the camera with one hand, take a picture and then expect a perfectly sharp image.

The best way to hold your camera is to stand still, hold the camera by one hand and the lens by the other from underneath. Then tuck your elbows to your chest tightly and use the viewfinder. Don’t use the live screen, as holding the camera to your face will give it a bit of steadiness. Some professional photographers go as far as holding their breaths before taking a photo, to maximise stability.

4. Your aperture is wide open

Your lens’ aperture is basically the hole in the lens. This hole which consists of a diaphragm, controls how much light travels to the image sensor. It also controls the depth of field, in which can add dimension to your image by blurring the background, known as “bokeh effect”

A lens’s aperture works similarly to a human eye. The iris in your eyes which controls the size of your pupil either shrinks or expands when you move in darker or brighter environments. An aperture controls the amount of light that reaches your camera sensor, which is calibrated in F stops. The higher the F stop (ie F8), the less amount of light reaches your camera’s sensor, making it sharper. The lower the F stop (ie F1.8), the less sharp the image becomes but you get more background blur.

However, as you change between F stops, you need to also consider the shutter speed to get a correct exposed image. The only way to learn about all of these settings is to practice.

5. Your lens & camera are not calibrated properly

In order to get the best possible image sharpness, the camera and the lens must be properly calibrated by the manufacturers. They need to be calibrated due to the nature of the phase detect autofocus system that is present on all DSLR cameras. However, not every manufacturer is the same and most of the time you will get a lens that is not calibrated with your camera. You will notice this when your camera keeps misfocusing.

As cameras grow in megapixels, misfocusing becomes very noticeable. Hence, it’s important than ever to calibrate your lens with your camera. To do this, simply follow these instructions.

Conclusion

There are many factors that determine the sharpness of an image but I found these to be the most common issues. Photography is a long process of learning, so keep taking photos and keep researching. Remember, it’s you who matters and not what type of camera you have. Start small then move toward professional equipment.