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Top 10 Mistakes That Cause Blurry Pictures (And How to Fix Them)

20 Apr

The post Top 10 Mistakes That Cause Blurry Pictures (And How to Fix Them) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anne McKinnell.

top 10 mistakes that cause blurry pictures

“Why are my pictures blurry?”

It’s a common question, and one that doesn’t have an easy answer. The truth is that blurry pictures are caused by many factors – so if your photos are blurry, it’s often difficult to pinpoint the exact problem.

That’s why I wrote this article. I’m going to list the 10 main reasons why you’re ending up with blurry photos. I want you to carefully go through this list. See if any of the reasons stand out.

And then make the necessary changes!

Odds are, if you can address the problem, you’ll be taking tack-sharp images in no time at all.

Let’s dive right in, starting with the biggest reason why your photos are blurry:

1. Your shutter speed is too slow

A too-slow shutter speed is the number one culprit of blurry photos.

You might think you can hold perfectly still for half a second, but I assure you there are very few people in the world who can.

In fact, most folks can only handhold a camera down to the 1/160s to 1/80s range (though this can fluctuate, depending on the focal length of the lens, as well as the size, the lens technology, and the level of magnification).

When handholding your camera, remember this rule of thumb to avoid blur caused by camera shake:

Your shutter speed should be the reciprocal of your lens’s focal length.

So if you’re using a 60mm lens, your shutter speed should be 1/60s or faster. With a 200mm lens, use at least 1/200s. With a 400mm lens, use at least 1/400s.

(The longer your lens length, the more camera shake is magnified, so telephoto lenses require much faster shutter speeds.)

sharp pelican without blur
Using a 400mm lens, I selected a shutter speed of 1/400s to reduce the possibility of camera shake.

Some lenses and cameras have image stabilization technology built into them. Now, image stabilization usually allows you to slow your minimum shutter speed by around 3-5 stops, so you can handhold a 60mm lens past the 1/8s range. But you should always be cautious and take extra shots just to be sure.

What is your minimum shutter speed?

In addition to the reciprocal rule, it’s important to know your own personal minimum shutter speed.

You see, we all shake a little, but some of us shake more than others. So it’s good to know at what point camera shake becomes an issue for you.

Try this exercise:

Put your camera in Shutter Priority mode and take a photo at 1/500s. Then lower your shutter speed and take another image. Keep this going until you head all the way down to 1s or so, then pull up the images on your computer. Ask yourself: When does the blur become a problem? Personally, I rarely go below 1/125s if I’m handholding my camera.

2. Not using a tripod

sharp arches with proper depth of field

If you’re experiencing camera shake and you can’t use a faster shutter speed (due to low-light conditions), or you don’t want to use a faster shutter speed (because you’re purposely trying to blur something in the frame), then you need to steady your camera another way.

And I highly recommend using a tripod. It’ll keep your camera completely steady even as you dial in exposures of one second or longer. If a tripod is too inconvenient, consider a monopod, which is a more compact, flexible option.

Also, when you use a tripod, image stabilization is not necessary and may even be counterproductive, so it’s a good idea to get in the habit of turning any IS off when you put your camera on a tripod.

3. Bad camera-holding technique

For the best stability, practice the official photographer position:

Stand with your feet slightly apart, one staggered forward, and firmly planted to stabilize your body right to left and back to front. Support the camera with your left hand by holding the lens from underneath, and use your right hand to grab the grip and gently press the shutter button. Tuck your elbows tight to your chest and use the viewfinder rather than the Live View screen (holding the camera to your face will help keep it steady).

Some photographers even go so far as to listen to their breathing and heartbeat, taking care to fire the shot between breaths and beats for maximum stability.

photographer handholding camera with technique to prevent blurry photos
Proper technique when handholding your camera.

4. Your aperture is too wide

The size of the aperture determines the depth of field, which is how much of the image is in focus. And this has a direct effect on the sharpness of your photo.

When a lens finds focus, it locks onto a specific distance known as the plane of focus. So if you focus at, say, 15 feet, everything 15 feet away from the camera will have maximum sharpness, and anything in front of or behind that plane will start to blur. The strength of this blur effect – that is, the speed at which sharpness falls off – depends on the aperture.

If you use a wide aperture such as f/2.8, the depth of field will be very shallow. This effect is magnified by longer focal-length lenses. So if you use a telephoto lens and the aperture is f/2.8, there may be only a razor-thin sliver of the image that is in sharp focus. But if you use a small aperture such as f/11 or f/18, the depth of field will be larger. More of the image will be sharp.

desert landscape
Using an aperture of f/20, everything is sharp from foreground to background.

Choosing the right aperture depends on the type of image you want to create. But if you are trying to get everything in the frame as sharp as possible, try using a small aperture (produced by a larger f-number such as f/11 or f/22).

Note that a small aperture will let in less light, so you will need to use a slower shutter speed to compensate. See the first problem on this list!

5. Not using autofocus

These days, cameras are sophisticated. So let them do what they are good at! Cameras do a fantastic job of nailing focus, both with still subjects and subjects in motion.

Is autofocus perfect? No, and later on in this article, I’ll discuss a few times when manual focus is actually helpful. But generally speaking, autofocus is the way to go.

why are my pictures blurry? sharp vulture

6. Not focusing in the correct place

Even if you’re using the perfect handholding technique or a rock-solid tripod, if you focus in the wrong place, you’ll end up with blurry pictures anyway.

Focusing carefully is especially crucial when using a wide aperture (because you’ll have a razor-thin depth of field!). A slight miscalculation in the focus can throw the subject completely out of the focal plane, or give you a subject with perfectly sharp earlobes and blurry eyes.

Photographers often leave their cameras set to an auto AF-area mode – one that tells the camera to decide automatically what part of the picture should be in focus. Most of the time, modern cameras are pretty good at this, particularly if the subject is prominent in the frame. However, with more complex compositions, the camera can get confused and try to focus on the wrong thing. To specify the focal point yourself, switch to a single-point AF-area mode.

When you look through your viewfinder, you should see an array of little dots or squares laid over the display, like this:

AF point spread

These are your focus points, and they show you where in the frame the camera can lock focus. In single-point AF-area modes, you can use the camera’s direction pad to select one of these dots, and the camera will always focus on that point (and that point alone).

Note that, to tell the camera to focus, you would normally depress the shutter button halfway before pressing it the rest of the way to take the shot. This works pretty well, but cameras can be overly sensitive – if you press too lightly, the button may come unpressed and try to re-focus after you’ve already found your point of focus. If you press too hard, you might capture the shot before the focus is ready. And if you take multiple pictures in succession, your camera may try to focus again before each shot. For these reasons, some photographers highly recommend back-button focusing.

7. Using the incorrect autofocus mode

There are three main autofocus modes offered by most cameras. You should be switching between these modes every time you’re faced with a new shooting situation; otherwise, you’re bound to miss shots that you normally could’ve nailed.

Single-shot autofocus, called AF-S or One-Shot AF, is meant to be used with still subjects.

Continuous autofocus, called AF-C or AI Servo AF, is designed to track movement through the frame, so it works best when your subject is in motion.

Finally, there’s an automatic mode, called AF-A or AI Focus AF. This is likely the default setting on your camera. It reads the scene and determines which of the first two modes it should use.

cactus flower

8. Not using manual focus

While I’m a big advocate of autofocus, there is one particular time when manual focus comes in handy:

When your camera is on a tripod, and you’re using a wide aperture to achieve a very shallow depth of field.

If you want to make sure the most important thing in your frame is sharp, switch to manual focus. Then use the LCD zoom function to magnify the display by 5x or 10x. And make tiny adjustments to the focus until you get it just right.

You can also try manual focusing when shooting close-up subjects (e.g., a flower petal) or when photographing landscapes in the darkness.

9. There’s junk on or in front of your lens

A big smear on your lens is going to affect the clarity of your image.

And if you put a cheap plastic filter in front of your lens, that’ll degrade image quality, too.

So make sure your lens is clean. And make sure that all your filters are high quality. If you always shoot with a UV filter and you keep getting blurry pictures, try taking a few shots without the filter to see if the quality of the glass is negatively affecting your images.

10. Poor lens quality

Beginners love to blame their blurry pictures on their optics, though a bad lens is rarely the problem.

That said, lens quality can make a difference, and you’ll occasionally find lenses that are genuinely soft. And some lenses may be sharp in the center but get blurry around the corners and edges of the image, or sharp at certain apertures but slightly fuzzy at others. Every lens has a unique character that may or may not be useful to the type of work you’re doing.

It’s also worth noting that each lens has a “sweet spot” – a certain aperture at which it performs best. This is usually in the middle of its aperture range, around f/8 or f/11.

Fixed focal length lenses are usually sharpest, though it’s not always convenient to carry around two or three lenses rather than a single, all-purpose zoom.

buildings on the water

Mistakes that cause blurry pictures: final words

Well, that’s it:

The 10 most common reasons your pictures are blurry.

If you’ve been struggling with blurry photos, you hopefully now know (or can at least guess) the culprit! And you can make adjustments to get things looking sharp.

Now over to you:

Are your photos blurry? Did you figure out why? Which of these mistakes have you been making? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Top 10 Mistakes That Cause Blurry Pictures (And How to Fix Them) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anne McKinnell.


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Viltrox warns some of its X-mount prime lenses can cause damage to X-Pro3 camera bodies

13 May

Lens manufacturer Viltrox has issued a statement warning customers that a number of its X-mount lenses can damage Fujifilm X-Pro3 camera bodies.

The statement, seen below, notes that ‘it would be better not [to] use [the] Viltrox 23mm, 33mm or 85mm X-mount lenses’ with Fujifilm X-Pro3 camera systems, as it can damage the camera ‘due to the structural conflict [wherein] they will scratch a little bit against each other.

This information is backed up by reports on this DPReview forum post from Pete Richardson that notes his Viltrox 85mm lens rubs up against the lens release button on the X-Pro3 camera body, causing ‘the slightest mark on the edge of the collar surrounding the release button.’ The reason this only affects X-Pro3 camera bodies is that the lens release button sticks out ever-so-slightly further than that on the X-Pro2, as illustrated in this screenshot from CameraSize.com by DPReview reader DarnGoodPhotos:

Note how the lens release button on the X-Pro3 sticks out marginally further than on the X-Pro2.

If that is the case, the damage would be mostly cosmetic, but it’s probably best to avoid using the lenses with the camera unless you don’t mind scratching up either item.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Rogue drones cause chaos at London’s Gatwick international airport

21 Dec
Aircraft stands at the North Terminal — Martin Roell from Berlin, Germany CC BY-SA 2.0

London’s Gatwick airport has been in a state of perpetual disruption since Wednesday, December 19, after ‘rogue drones’ forced officials to close down the runways. According to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, the drones would reappear each time officials attempted to reopen the runaway, leaving the airport in a state of ‘chaos.’

Grayling explained to the press that officials were dealing with a ‘very serious ongoing incident in which substantial drones have been used to bring about the temporary closure of a major international airport.’

Gatwick was forced to ground flights around 4PM ET / 2100 GMT after two drones were seen flying in the airport’s airfield. More than 20 police units are searching for the individual(s) responsible for the drones, according to Reuters, and The Guardian now reports that Army officials have responded to aid with the situation.

Eurocontrol, the European aviation agency, at this time states that Gatwick will not reopen until 10PM local time at the earliest. Though police sharpshooters are on site, they were not authorized to shoot down the drones due to the risk of a stray bullet causing injury. Tens of thousands of passengers traveling over the holiday season have been impacted by the closure and more than 800 flights have been cancelled.

Gatwick airport chief executive Stewart Wingate has released a statement on the matter, saying in part:

Although not for today, these events obviously highlight a wider strategic challenge for aviation in this country which we need to address together with speed – the aviation industry, Government and all the other relevant authorities. It cannot be right that drones can close a vital part of our national infrastructure in this way. This is obviously a relatively new technology and we need to think through together the right solutions to make sure it cannot happen again.

Nations around the world have scrambled to develop regulations covering consumer drones and the potential risks they pose, including possible damage to commercial aircraft. Many countries have restricted the use of drones in the airspace near and above airports to avoid collisions during takeoff and landing.

Earlier this year, the University of Dayton Research Institute published a controversial video showing the damage a small drone caused to an airplane wing in a simulated environment. Though there haven’t been any substantial incidents resulting from drone-plane collisions, there was a helicopter crash earlier this year that may have resulted from a wayward drone.

A number of methods for deterring and capturing unauthorized drones have been developed, but few are in use. Existing methods include net-based drone take-down launchers and systems that disrupt a drone’s ability to communicate with its operator. No single, universal, rapidly deployable system has been developed, however.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos

09 Feb

While I agree that sharpness is a bourgeois concept, to become a better photographer you will need to learn how to take sharp shots. The key to capturing these sharp photographs is to learn about all of the pitfalls that can cause blurry photos. Once you know all of the ways you can make a mistake, the only thing between you and sharpness is your hand-eye coordination.

The 9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos

1. Back focus

Back focus is the bane of almost every photographer’s existence. This occurs when you think you are autofocusing on your main subject, but the camera misreads the situation and focuses on what is behind them instead, ruining the image. This happens primarily in situations where the focus is placed near an edge between your subject and the background.

Gowanus, New York Street Photography

The only way to fix this is to be aware of situations where it could happen. If you are photographing near an edge, be more careful, or lock the focus in a safer area before recomposing. Constantly pay attention to whether you think the focus is accurate or not, and if you have a keeper image, it can’t hurt to capture a couple photographs just to make sure the focus is correct.

2. Shutter speed too slow for shooting handheld

The rule of thumb is that your shutter speed must always be ONE divided by the focal length of your lens to offset handheld camera shake. So if you have a wider angle lens such as a 30mm, then you need a slower shutter speed of 1/30th of a second to guarantee sharpness. If you have a telephoto lens such as a 200mm this tip is even more important since you will need a 1/200th of a second to offset the shake in your hands.

Photographers shooting on aperture priority mode often get caught by this when they do not pay attention to their shutter speed, which can easily dip below the acceptable number.

The 9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos

Keep in mind that if you have a cropped or micro 4/3rds sensor, you will need to figure out your full-frame equivalent focal length to calculate the minimum shutter speed necessary. For example, if you have a cropped sensor with a factor of 1.5x, and you are using a 200mm lens – the minimum shutter speed required is:  200mm x 1.5 = 300 or 1/300th of a second.

3. Shutter speed too slow to freeze motion

To freeze motion you need to use a fast shutter speed. The number that I use is 1/250th of a second for people who are walking. Running and sports can be between 1/500th and 1/1000th depending on the speed, but it all depends on how fast your subject is moving. Make sure to pay closer attention to your shutter speed when photographing something in motion (especially if you shooting in Aperture Priority mode).

4. Not focusing on the eyes in portrait photography

The 9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos

If you are photographing someone’s face, particularly with a shallow depth of field and close up, the focus needs to be on the subject’s eyes (unless you decide otherwise due to creative reasons). The nose or the chin is not good enough – it needs to be on the eyes. I can’t tell you how many portraits I ruined early on where the person’s ear was sharper than their eye.

5. Not raising your ISO high enough

The 9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos

In situations when you are not trying to capture a shallow depth of field, raising the ISO is often a very good strategy, even up to 1600, 3200, or 6400 depending on your camera and the light. Raising your ISO will allow for a faster shutter speed to offset handheld camera shake and freeze motion, and for a smaller aperture so you can have a larger depth of field. The added grain/noise will usually be very worth the added sharpness in the scene.

6. Not stopping fully to take a photograph

The 9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos

This is my biggest pet peeve, and I see it done particularly when people are traveling and overstimulated by their environment. If you are going to take a photograph, make sure to stop yourself. Take a second to frame the photograph before you shoot it. If you capture a photograph while you are in motion, it will be slightly blurry unless you are using an insanely fast shutter speed.

7. Not cleaning the front of your lens

Smudges on your lens will reduce the sharpness and can ruin some of your photographs. Carry a lens cloth or use a thin soft t-shirt to clean it.

8. Missing the focus in dark situations

The 9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos

Your camera’s autofocus capability, particularly with entry-level cameras, will diminish significantly in darker places. Make sure to pay even more attention to where the camera is locking its focus, and try to look for white, shiny, or contrasty objects to lock the focus on. If all else fails, go to manual focusing.

Using a lens with a larger aperture (like the 50mm f/1.8) will help, as will using the center most focusing point in your camera. It is a cross-point type and as such is more accurate and can often focus better in lower light situations.

9. Tripod mistakes

When using a tripod, you want to make sure to never touch it while a picture is being taken. Even holding it to keep it steady will introduce blur. Use a remote shutter release or set your camera on a 2-second delay before you take the photograph.

The 9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos

Pay particular attention to your tripod when photographing on a windy day. The wind can also shake the camera and add some blur. To combat this, try to capture your photographs in-between wind gusts and even consider raising your ISO up so that your shutter speed will be faster. It is much easier to take a 10-second exposure in between wind gusts than a 30-second exposure.

Finally, make sure to turn your image stabilization off when photographing on a tripod. This might not matter with certain newer cameras, but it is always a good habit to get into. The stabilizing system has the potential to add minor vibrations to the camera when it is fully still.

You may also want to read: 5 Tips to Get Sharp Photos While Using a Tripod.

Conclusion

If you follow these nine tips you should be better equipped to avoid getting blurry photos. Do you have any other tips to add? Please post them and any questions you have in the comments section below.

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The post 9 Mistakes That Can Cause Blurry Photos by James Maher appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Blue Earth Alliance presents Collaborations for Cause 2016

31 Mar

Are you in Seattle in April? Come down to the Seattle Downtown Public Library, on Friday April 15th and Saturday April 16th 9 AM-4 PM, and join our friends the Blue Earth Alliance for Collaborations for Cause 2016.

This year’s Collaborations for Cause theme is “Innovations in Visual Storytelling for Impact.” It’s a rare opportunity for visual storytellers, writers, funders, non-profits, corporations and public agencies to join together as peers: to learn new strategies, tools and ideas to leverage the power of story and effect social change. As well as talks and seminars from photographers, filmmakers and activists, attendees can also pay for three one-on-one portfolio review sessions, at the show. Reserve your tickets from the link below.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Rebels with a cause: Canon EOS Rebel T6s / T6i First Impressions Review

06 Feb

Canon has just refreshed the top part of its entry-level Rebel series and it’s looking more serious than ever before. The Canon EOS Rebel T6s and its Rebel T6i sibling use the same 24.2MP APS-C sensor and offer a new Hybrid CMOS AF III system with sensor-based phase detection for improved live view focusing. We’ve spent some time with both models – take a look at a comparison between the models and our impressions on handling them. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Top 10 Mistakes that Cause Blurry Photos

10 Nov

Cedar Key

If your photos are not sharp, you are not alone! The most common question I get asked by beginning photographers is “how do you get your images so sharp?”

Blurry photos is very common issue with a whole plethora of possible culprits, making it very difficult to pinpoint exactly what the problem is. But if you go through this list of the top 10 mistakes that cause blurry photos, you will probably find the answer that works for you.

1. Your shutter speed is too slow

This is the #1 culprit of blurry photos. You might think you can hold perfectly still for half a second, but I assure you there are very few people in the world who can. When hand-holding your camera, remember this rule of thumb to avoid blur caused by camera shake – your shutter speed should be the reciprocal of your lens’ focal length – that is, if you’re using a 60mm lens, your exposure should be 1/60th of a second or faster. With a 200mm lens, use at least 1/200th of a second, and so on. Camera shake is magnified the longer your telephoto length, so wider angle lenses will suffer its effects much less.

Using a 400mm lens, I selected a shutter speed of 1/400th of a second to reduce the possibility of camera shake.

Using a 400mm lens, I selected a shutter speed of 1/400th of a second to reduce the possibility of camera shake.

Some lenses and cameras have image stabilization technology built into them – particularly with longer focal lengths. Image stabilization usually allows you to slow your minimum shutter speed by around three stops, meaning that a 60mm lens can now handle shutter speeds as low as 1/8th of a second without camera shake.

What is YOUR minimum shutter speed?

In addition to this rule of thumb, it’s important to know your own personal minimum shutter speed. We all shake a little, some more than others, so it’s good to know at what point camera shake becomes an issue for you. Try an exercise to find out: put your camera in shutter priority mode and make the same photo at 1/500th of a second and keep going slower and slower. Back at your computer, look at your images and see when you start to notice the blur. Personally, I don’t usually go below 1/125th of a second if I’m hand-holding my camera.

2. Not using a tripod

Sunset Arches

If you’re experiencing camera shake and you can’t use a faster shutter speed (due to low light conditions) or you don’t want to use a fast shutter speed (because you’re purposefully trying to blur something in the frame) then you need to steady your camera another way such as using a tripod or monopod.

When you use a tripod, image stabilization is not necessary and may even be counter productive, so it’s a good idea to get in the habit of turning it off when you put your camera on a tripod and turning it back on when you take it off.

3. Bad camera holding technique

For the best stability, practice the official photographer position: stand with your feet slightly apart, one staggered forward, and firmly planted to stabilize your body right-to-left and back-to-front. Support the camera with your left hand by holding the lens from underneath, and use your right hand to grab the grip and gently press the shutter button. Tuck your elbows tight to your chest and use the viewfinder rather than the live view screen, as holding the camera to your face will also help hold it steady. Some photographers even go so far as to listen to their breathing and heartbeat, taking care to fire the shot in between breaths and beats for maximum stability.

Proper technique when hand-holding your camera.

Proper technique when hand-holding your camera.

4. Your aperture is too wide

The size of the aperture also has a direct effect on the sharpness of your photo in that it determines depth of field, which is how much of the image is in focus from front to back.

When a lens finds focus, it locks in on a specific distance known as the plane of focus. If your focus is at, say, 15 feet, everything 15 feet away from the camera will have maximum sharpness, and anything in front of or behind it will start to fall into blur. The amount of this effect depends on the aperture.

If you use a wide aperture, like f/2.8, the depth of field is very shallow. This effect is emphasized with longer focal length lenses. So if you are using a telephoto lens and the aperture is f/2.8, there may be only a razor thin sliver of the image that is in sharp focus. If you use a small aperture, like f/11 or f/18, the depth of field is larger so more of the image will be sharp.

Choosing the right aperture depends on the type of image you want to create. But if you are trying to get everything in the frame as sharp as possible, try using a small aperture (a larger f-number such as f/11 or f/22). However, by using a small aperture you will need to use a slower shutter speed to compensate for the loss of light. See problem #1.

5. Not using autofocus

How good is your eyesight? Not great? Wearing glasses? You should probably be using autofocus. These days cameras are sophisticated – let them do what they are good at. Another thing to keep in mind is that your viewfinder should have a diopter on it. It’s a little wheel next to your viewfinder that allows you to adjust how clearly things appear when you look through it. It is particularly useful for people who should be wearing glasses but are not.

Black Vulture in Flight

6. Not focusing in the correct place

Even if you have a sharp, clear prime lens on a bright day, using a small aperture and a fast shutter speed with a low ISO, it doesn’t count for much unless you can get the camera to focus on the right spot. This is even more crucial when using a wide aperture, which can create a razor thin depth of field. A slight miscalculation in the focus can throw the subject completely out of the focal plane, or give you a portrait with a perfectly sharp earlobe and blurry eyes.

Often photographers leave their cameras set on auto-area AF mode, which tells the camera to use its best judgment to decide what part of the picture should be in focus. Most of the time modern cameras are pretty good at this, particularly if the subject is prominent in the frame. However, with more complex compositions the camera can get confused and try to focus on the wrong thing. To specify the focal point yourself, switch to single-point AF area mode.

f-spotWhen you look through your viewfinder, you should see an array of little dots or squares laid over the display. These are your focus points, and they show you where in the frame the camera is capable of finding focus. In single-point AF area mode, you can use the camera’s direction pad to select one of these dots, and the camera will always focus on that point and that point alone.

To tell the camera to focus, you would normally depress the shutter button halfway before pressing it the rest of the way to take the shot. This works pretty well, but can be sensitive – if you press too lightly, it may come unpressed and try to re-focus after you’ve already found your spot. If you press too hard, you might make the exposure before the focus is ready. If you take multiple pictures in succession, it will try to focus again before each shot. For these reasons, some photographers swear by the back focus button instead.

This is a button on the back of your camera, probably near your thumb. It might be labeled “AF-On” or simply “Fn”, and it might be set up by default or you might have to activate it in your camera’s menu settings, but it can be assigned to take over the autofocus function. When you press it, the camera focuses and won’t focus again until you press the button again. This way, you can re-compose and take shot after shot, and the camera won’t lose your focus every time you hit the shutter button.

7. Using the incorrect focus mode

There are three main autofocus modes that every camera should have. The first is single-shot focus, usually called AF-S or One-shot AF; it is meant to be used with still subjects. The second, continuous autofocus (AF-C or AI Servo) is specially designed to track movement through the frame, so is best to use when your subject is in motion. The third is an automatic mode, AF-A or AI Focus AF, and likely the default setting on your camera. It reads the scene and determines which of the first two modes it should use.

Cactus Flower

8. Not using manual focus

While I’m a big advocate of autofocus, there is one particular time when manual focus comes in very handy. When your camera is on a tripod and you are using a wide aperture to achieve a very shallow depth of field, and you want to make sure the most important thing in your frame is sharp, switch to manual focus and then use the LCD zoom function to magnify the display by 5x or 10x allowing you to make tiny adjustments to the focus to get it just right.

9. Junk on or in front of your lens

If you have a big smear on your lens, that is going to affect the clarity of your image. By the same token, if you put a cheap plastic filter in front of your lens, that is going to degrade image quality as well. If you always use a UV filter, you might want to try taking a few shots without it to see if the quality of your UV filter is negatively affecting your images.

Using an aperture of f/20, everything is sharp from foreground to background.

Using an aperture of f/20, everything is sharp from foreground to background.

10. Poor lens quality

This item is last on the list for good reason; it is the most common thing for beginners to blame their blurry images on, but it is rarely the real reason. Still, lens quality does make a difference.

Lens quality is determined by the materials and construction inside the lens itself, which is usually made up of several pieces of glass precisely aligned in order to focus, zoom, and correct for optical aberrations.

Some lenses are simply sharper than others or are better in different ways. Some lenses may be sharp in the center, but get blurry around the corners and edges of the image. Some are clear at certain apertures but slightly fuzzy at others. Some lenses cause colour fringing around points of contrast. Every lens has a unique character that may or may not be useful to the type of work you’re doing. It’s also worth noting that each lens has a “sweet spot” – a certain aperture at which it performs its best. This is usually in the middle of its aperture range, around f/8 or f/11.

For the sharpest image quality, fixed focal length lenses usually take the cake. It’s not always convenient to carry around two or three lenses rather than a single all-purpose zoom, but their simple construction makes even the cheapest prime lens crystal clear.

The post Top 10 Mistakes that Cause Blurry Photos by Anne McKinnell appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Photos for a Good Cause!

05 Sep

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s you, with your camera!

Photography is your super power, so why not use it for good?

Turns out there are tons of amazing organizations that need your amazing photo skills! Read about three of our faves, then get to helping.

Make the world a brighter place using nothing but your smarts and your camera.

Choose a Charity and Start Helping (…)
Read the rest of Photos for a Good Cause! (372 words)


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Adobe Password Resets Definite Cause For Concern

28 Nov

Adobe Password Resets Definite Cause For Concern

A guest article by Kevin Yank

As a digital photographer, you have probably used Adobe software (be it Photoshop or Lightroom) to manage, tweak, or publish your photos at one time or another. If so, chances are you’ve also received an email like this one in the past few weeks:

adobepasswordreset

Adobe is sending this message to just about everyone

If you’re thinking this might be cause for concern, you’re right. When I’m not out shooting photos with my trusty Panasonic GX1, I work on a site called Should I Change My Password, which tracks password security breaches, and I can tell you they don’t come much bigger than this one.

When we discovered the Adobe password database being shared among hackers earlier this month, we were stupefied by the size of the breach. Far greater than the 2.9 million customers Adobe had already announced were affected, the file contained the email addresses of over 152 million people. To give you an idea, the worst breach we had previously encountered contained “only” 34 million customer records.

How could Adobe be claiming only 2.9 million affected customers, you might ask? To hear Adobe tell it, most of the records stolen by hackers were “out-of-date”. Best as we can tell, if you gave Adobe an email address and password when downloading, say, Acrobat Reader ten years ago and haven’t been back since, Adobe figures that losing those details to hackers is no big deal. I beg to differ.

Besides the fact that you can pretty much guarantee every spammer worth his cut-price pharmaceuticals has now added your email address to his distribution list, the method Adobe had used to store your password has been discovered to be insecure. If you used the same password on multiple websites (and let’s face it—ten years ago, who didn’t?) your accounts on those other sites are now at serious risk. Particularly if you used a weak password (such as a date or an English dictionary word), or a password that someone else in those 152 million people might have also chosen (like a pop culture reference), you can pretty much assume hackers will be able to work out your password using the data that Adobe lost.

Pressure from sites like Should I Change My Password has forced Adobe to notify the full list of people in the database, which is why you and most everyone you know has now received an email from Adobe like the one above.

So, what do you do? Well, whether you have received an email from Adobe or not, you should check if your email address(es) have been compromised. Start by visiting Should I Change My Password, where you can check your email address against our database of breached addresses for free.

This is what you will probably see

sicmyp-adobe-check

Assuming your address (and likely your password) has been compromised, you’ll want to follow our 10-step guide (also free!) for what to do if your password has been hacked.

In short, don’t rely on Adobe to provide you with complete information about its own failure to protect your privacy and security. Adobe is in full damage control mode right now, and part of that is playing down the scale of the disaster. Think of the most important account you might have shared your Adobe account’s password with, and take the steps necessary to protect it now.


Kevin Yank is Avalanche’s technology guru. He has a wealth of experience building and managing businesses, and is a world-class developer to boot.

He might know every programming language ever written and types at a thousand words per minute. When he’s not at his computer, he’s writing books, helping to run Impro Melbourne, or playing the latest Assassin’s Creed.


Join us for a special event to discuss this issue!

Next Tuesday December 3rd at 2pm MST (Mountain Standard Time – convert to your time here) Darlene Hildebrandt, our new Managing Editor will be hosting a special LIVE Google Hangout to discuss the Adobe issue.

LINK TO THE GOOGLE PLUS EVENT – sign up to ask a question

Here are the details:

  • you don’t need any special software to watch us live just click on the link or watch it here when the time comes (the link will become a live YouTube feed)
  • if you head over to the actual event page you can RSVP to get a reminder notice when it’s starting
  • you can also watch it streaming live on the event page and ask questions of the guest panel

Some of the things to be potentially discussed are;

  • how has is effected you as a photographer?
  • how do you feel about it?
  • have you taken any actions?
  • have you contacted Adobe? What has their response been?
  • how do you feel about how Adobe has handled it?

These are things we will be discussing. Join us live to listen in and add your comments in the chat.

This is a highly volatile and sensitive issue and the discussion will be carried out in a dignified, respectful manner for all parties involved, including Adobe. Hope to see you there!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Adobe Password Resets Definite Cause For Concern

The post Adobe Password Resets Definite Cause For Concern by Guest Contributor appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Keith’s Just Cause 2 Multiplayer Experience – Just Cause 2 Multiplayer w/Keith Ep.8 – (Commentary)

13 Feb

If you enjoyed the video, please leave a like and a favorite for Just Cause 2 Multiplayer 😉 Hey guys, I’ve got onto Just Cause 2 Multiplayer when a spontaneous server announcement came up on Facebook and Twitter by the JC-MP Devs! Anyway sadly I didn’t get to record with Sean because he wasn’t online at the time of the server being up but I got a good 2 hours or so of Just Cause 2 Multiplayer recorded so hopefully you’ll enjoy those videos that I upload! Outro Music : OVERWERK – House (feat. Nick Nikon) [Monstercat Release]