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Have you ever noticed little black specks appearing in brighter parts of your photos? These are dust specks that have found their way on to the sensor of your DSLR. Although not a serious problem, I think they’re amongst the most infuriating things photographers encounter! So I’m going to provide an easy, step-by-step process for removing them.

Firstly, I’ll just mention that one very simple means of preventing dust from landing on your sensor in the first place is to angle your camera body downwards when changing lenses. Similarly, when a really good shot appears to have been blighted by the presence of these pesky blobs, just use the clone-stamp tool in Photoshop or Lightroom to eliminate them.

Cleaning Your Sensor, Step-By-Step:

1. First things first. Get an idea of what you’re dealing with by taking a test shot. The idea here is to create an image that shows any senor dirt at its absolute worst.You’ve probably noticed that sensor dirt is only visible against bright parts of an image, like the sky. It’s also exaggerated when the aperture is at a wide setting. So, find a plain white subject, like a wall or a featureless overcast sky, focus on infinity and select the maximum aperture. Take the shot.
2. Now it’s time to inspect the image. So upload it to your computer and open it on whatever processing software you use. Increase the contrast a touch to make things even clearer, before zooming in to 100%.This should give you a really clear idea of what needs to be done, and in what position some of the worst offending specks are.
   
3. In your camera’s menus find the ‘mirror lock-up’ option and turn it on. Sometimes this is called ‘sensor cleaning mode’ or similar. This causes the reflex mirror inside the camera body to swing up and remain open, exposing the image sensor.
4. The first tool you’ll need is a ‘bulb-blower’, which is a rugby ball shaped rubber air pocket with a thin plastic tube attached. Squeezing it causes air to be propelled at reasonably high pressure, and quite accurately, from the end of the tube.Remove the lens from your DSLR and hold the camera at a downward angle (this is important as it allows the dust to fall out of the camera). It’s not a bad idea to secure the camera in position on a tripod. Now carefully move the tube of the bulb blower towards the sensor, being careful not to make contact with any internal parts. Pump air for about 30 seconds to disperse any loose dust particles. Return the air blower to its pouch and re-attach the lens to your camera.
5. Now take another test shot, exactly as in steps 1 and 2. Has the air blower been successful? If there are no longer any visible dust specks, job done. If there seem to be a few very faint ones, you can decide whether it’s worth having another go with the blower (remember, your test shots show the dust particles at their very worst).Sometimes you’ll find that there are some truly stubborn marks which haven’t even moved position in the slightest. Often these appear with a slight ring around them and have been become attached to the sensor with more than just static. If you see some of these, it’s time for step 6.
6. To get rid of more stubborn marks, a sensor cleaning brush can be an effective tool. Select mirror lock-up (step 3) and position the camera at a downward angle, using a tripod if you wish to have maximum control. Take a sensor cleaning brush and carefully swipe it across the face of the sensor once.Don’t be tempted to go back and swipe it across the sensor again, for obvious reasons. The whole idea is to transfer the dust from the senor to the fine bristles of the brush. So once you’ve picked them up, remove the brush from the camera and blast air through the bristles with the air blower to clean them. Now you can return to the sensor and swipe the brush across it another time. When finished, return the brush to its storage box so that it doesn’t pick up any dust.
7. Now for another test shot (as per step 1). Inspect the image and decide whether further cleaning is needed (as per steps 2 and 5). You may well find that those really stubborn marks have still stayed put, in which case it’s time for step 8.
8. The last tool for cleaning sensors is a sensor swab, which comes with a special solution. Set everything up as before, with mirror lock-up on and lens removed. For this, it’s best to work sitting down with the camera body facing upwards for easy access.Apply a small amount of cleaning solution to both sides of a swab. It doesn’t want to be dripping or almost dry, but wet enough to budge stubborn particles. Swipe both sides of the swab across the sensor once. Use downward pressure (remember, you’ve already failed to get rid of these specks with an air blower and brush), but do treat it like the extremely expensive object that it is. Discard the swab and repeat with a new one.
9. Re-attach the lens and take another test-shot (as in step 1). You should find that even those dust specks that seemed to have put down roots have now been blasted away! Zoomed in at 100%, you should have a satisfyingly pristine sensor.
   
10. If it turns out that there are still little specks of dirt, you have a couple of options: a) Have another go with the swabs, this time applying a touch more downward pressure and using a bit more solution, or b) send your camera off for a professional clean.

There’s no need to be afraid of cleaning your camera’s sensor yourself. As long as you use the right equipment and are not heavy handed, you should rarely need to spend money on a professional clean. Personally, I tend to find that the air blower does the trick 90% of the time. Don’t forget the clone stamp tool either, which is an invaluable asset for rescuing dust-affected images.

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Josh Austin is a photographer based in the UK, with a particular interest in landscape, travel and street photography. When not out shooting he shares tips on digital photography through his blog Photography Art Cafe.

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