Digital Photography – Want To Capture Really Sharp Photos — Try These Techniques

We all want to get the best quality images that we can from our photo equipment. Of course, one aspect of the image quality is the sharpness of the image. Now, there are a number of techniques that can help ensure that you get the sharpest images possible. This article reviews seven of these techniques.

Tripod

When it comes to getting sharp images, the first place to start is with a tripod. A tripod provides a stable platform that holds the camera rigid — dramatically increasing the sharpness of the image.

Weights for the Tripod

A tripod is a good start. However, a tripod can be made even more stable by using some object to weigh down the tripod. This produces even sharper images. This is so important that many tripods have some type of mechanism at the bottom of the center post that was designed for hanging objects to add weight to the tripod. A simple way to take advantage of this feature is to carry a small net bag with your photo equipment. The bag can be filled with rocks, or other materials, and attached to the tripod. Even if a tripod doesn’t have such a mechanism, other methods can be used such as hanging a camera bag from the center column of the tripod.

Use a Shutter Release

Even a weighted tripod can’t always guarantee razor sharp images. The problem is that pressing the shutter causes vibrations that can cause a certain amount image degradation. Luckily, there is a way to solve this problem. A remote switch can be used to release the shutter without ever touching the shutter button on the camera. Some remote switches activate the camera shutter through a cable. Other remote switches activate the shutter wirelessly. In either case, you get a sharper image.

Use Mirror Lock Up

Even if the camera is set up on a tripod, the tripod is weighted down, and a remote switch is used, image quality can still be degraded due to vibration from the movement of the camera’s mirror when the shutter is released. This vibration is primarily a problem with shutter speeds between about 1/30 second and 1 second. This is easily solved by enabling the mirror lockup function on the camera. Once enabled, pressing the shutter button once swings the mirror out of the way. Pressing the shutter button a second time releases the shutter. This way, the mirror vibration dies out before the shutter is released.

Chose Your Aperture

Some apertures are sharper than others. The larger apertures suffer from aberrations that reduce sharpness. The smaller apertures produce diffraction that also reduces image sharpness. Consequently, the middle apertures generally produce the sharpest images.

Shutter Speed

While a tripod eliminates camera movement, the subject that is being photographed may be moving. Thus, a shutter speed that is high enough to freeze the subject movement should be used. This may require that a larger aperture be used in order to get the proper exposure

Selecting the ISO

Increasing the ISO will allow a higher shutter speed to be used in order to stop the movement of the subject.

In Summary

With these techniques, you have several solutions to improve your image sharpness.

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