Tack Sharp Digital Photo Secrets

The most important ingredient for a fantastic picture is for it to be in sharp focus.Even with the best subject, lighting and color, a picture can be reduced to ho-hum status by blurring.

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.This is the time to have your camera's anti-shake technology such as Vibration Reduction (VR) or Image Stabilization (IS) lens 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. Alternatively, lean or lay your camera or lens on some readily available sturdy object to 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.The series of picture will increase the chances of at least one being tack sharp.

Tripods For Better Focus

There’s no getting around the fact that it’s easier to get a tack sharp photo using a tripod.There's no way you can hold a camera as steady as a tripod does.Tripods are like other photography equipment, and the quality is usually connected to how much you paid for it.Cheap tripods are helpful, but won't hold the camera as stil as a more expensive tripod does.Buying the best tripod you can reasonably afford gets the best results.

The more expensive tripods don’t come with the head attached.You must buy it separately, but that gives you the chance to pick out what you like.A quality ballheads are a good investment for your tripod, as it will keep your camera firmly in place so the picture stays sharply in focus.

If you’re somewhere that carrying a tripod just won’t work, beanbags make a nice cushion for cameras in these settings.Beanbags cushion your camera, increasing your ability to move it to just the right position and keep it steady while you get a well-focused shot.

To improve your chances of a tack sharp photo even more, use a cable release instead of pressing the shutter.There's enough movement when pressing the shutter, though it may not seem like much, to keep you from getting a well-focused picture.

If you don’t have a cable release, the self timer will also work.Although you press the shutter, the camera has time to stabilize and steady before actually taking the 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 limits the movement inside the camera by locking the mirror in the up position until after the picture is taken. This means to take a picture, you will have to press the shutter release button twice on your remote or cable release (you’re not going to all this trouble and pressing the shutter release on the camera 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. That may sound counter productive, but when you’ve stabilized your camera with a tripod and other methods, the vibration reduction keeps looking for shakes/movements.Vibration reduction can actually cause some shaking looking for movement that isn't there.The best thing to do is use the automatioc vibration controls when hand-holding your camera, but keep them turned off when using a tripod.

One last way to increase the sharpness of your pictures is to have good glass. The lens you use makes a big difference.Like so many things, you get what you pay for. A quality lens with good glass is expensive, but worth it.Consider it an investment in great photography.

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.

Who Needs A Light Meter?

Lighting is important for a good picture in any type of photography.How much light is in a picture will have a great affect on both the looks and the emotional feel of the photo.When a picture is brightly lit, it has a more cheerful feel to it than a picture that is darker and may seem gloomy at worst, or mysterious at best.

Traditional photography captured the light by impressions on chemicals, while digital photography uses pixels to capture light.When natural lighting is available, that's great. But sometimes you don't have enough natural light for a good picture.Sometimes there isn't enough available light, and you need to use artificial lighting.

How Much Light Is There?

While you can see for yourself to some extent how much light is available, to get precise measurements you need a light meter.A light meter and a flash do different things.A light meter will tell you how much light is reflected, but does not actually provide any light.

A handheld light meter will measure the light and was once a standard part of any serious photographer’s equipment.Digital cameras now days have a built-in light meter, so you can look through the eyepiece and see how bright the picture will be wihout having to use a light meter.The automatic flash is set off by the camera's built-in light meter when it's too dark for a good picture.

Histograms Instead of Light Meters

Also, with digital cameras, it’s not so important to have a light meter because most have a histogram.In similar fashion, a histogram shows how light or dark a picture is.

If you don’t have a histogram on your camera, or just don’t want to fuss with it, the simplest method is to take a picture and review it to see how it looks, and if it’s too dark or light, adjust by adding more light or lowering the amount of light.

The perfect lighting is there. Just practice lots, have patience, and you'll find it.