So, Your Photos Aren't Sharp? Here's Why.

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Attn: Forest Chaput de Saintonge
Rocky Mountain School of Photography
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Missoula, MT 59808
USA

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Do you feel like your images should/could be sharper? How many images from each shoot would you classify as blurry? Are you struggling to get that tack sharpness in your portrait, landscape, or product images?

In this video, we explore the main reason beginner and intermediate photographers struggle to get tack sharp images in all situations. Hint: it all has to do with shutter speed.

If your shutter speed is too slow, your camera will capture your movement as the photographer as well as the movement of your subject. This movement leads to images looking blurry and lowering your consistency of capturing crisp, sharp images.

Both learning how to control your shutter speed and learning some good benchmarks for the different subject matter you photograph is key to maximizing the percentage of sharp images that you shoot.

Watch the video for more!

[forestchaput]

Yes, my shirt is not ironed. I know it's "Ironic" that I'm talking about sharpness while simultaneously not looking the "sharpest." Anyway, thank you all for your comments, likes, shares, and subs. We really appreciate it! 😀

[georgecastro]

Young man I have been a professional photographer since 1980 and I have to tell you that is one of the best videos I have seen on how to get sharp photographs!👏👏👏

[carlmcneill]

This may have already mentioned in the comments but I would like to add one more thing. New photographers don't know to set their focus mode. There's one for stills and one for tracking moving subjects. Nikon and Canon call their single focus mode AF-S or One Shot. It will only focus your camera the one time when you press the shutter button. This is great for landscape when nothing is moving. It's the wrong mode to use for moving subjects. For moving subjects you will want to use AF-C or AI Servo. As long as your shutter button, or back button,
is half pressed/pressed, your camera will continue to track the subject until you press the shutter button. Back button focus is the best option to use because it disconnects the function of focusing from the shutter button. You can always keep your camera in continuous focus mode. If you have a still subject just press the button once. If your subject is moving you just hold the button down until you take the picture. Good video by the way.

[ro]

I always chose lower iso over shutter speed. Now I understand perhaps why I lacked sharper photos. Great practical info

[Sutterjack]

Great tips. I know it's a compromise, but I'll usually take a sharp image over noise. My tip I'll give I was actually told by another pro when shooting presentations/podium shoots - 125 shutter is bare minimum, Yes, in low light situations you sometimes have to push the ISO further than you'd like but it's worth it. I photographed some executives recently doing a presentation and I was seated so I said "1/60 is OK". Guess what? - when I previewed a few during the shoot I realized too many weren't sharp enough. When I pushed the ISO to give the one extra stop going to 1/125 the results were consistently better. Sometimes it is a game of inches - little things do make a difference.

[CDeeez]

Great points in this video. For a long time, I was scared of increasing my ISO because of the fear of noisier images, but I came to find out that it's almost always a small price to pay in comparison to an image that isn't sharp.

[carlosenriquez]

I am rewatching this video several months later and the shutter speed advise has improved the quality of my photos I still have work to do but absolutely helpful.

[iamdeancoulstock]

There's one thing I think that may have been good to mention in this video -> Depending on the angle that you shoot at, it's possible for the camera to autofocus on the subject's closer extremities, rather than their eyes or torso (or whatever you desire). It's most common in up-close shots, and I've been guilty in the past of shooting a session where some of the photos are OOF because the focus was on their nose or shoulder and I was shooting at a downward angle. An easy trap to fall in.

[iduvideo]

Forrest, I wish I had seen this video long ago. You've made it crystal clear. Its going to solve the problem for me. Thank you.

[forestchaput]

If you all want a video on the other (less common) reasons your images might not be tack sharp, let me know in the comments!

[ankekellerman]

You are the first person to really explain it that no one ever has and in a way I haven't understood before. This helps so much! I had these struggles with shutter and images not being in focus properly when I zoomed in the subject was blurry. Thank you so much!

[johnchilver]

Thanks for guiding me back to basics. After all my years you have made more sense on this important topic than I have ever experienced before. I hope I see better sharper images in future . I will also turn off the stabiliser and only use it as you have described.

[SThompsonRAMM_]

It was a fantastic video and really brought into mind what it means to be sharp over in focus.
Not only was this video clear, no pun intended, you come off as such a likable teacher that kept me watching the entire video. You have a new subscriber!

[vincentmcgee]

As a former photo instructor, who has given this lesson many times, Great Job!

[carladavies]

Thanks so much for all your great advice Forrest!
We are always learning from your expertise! So good to see you even if it is virtual! Parker and Carla

[streetlegal]

Good advice on shutter speed. I'm trying to use old manual lenses - so no stabilisation - so my strategy is to use Shutter Priority with Auto ISO with an upper limit of say 3200, as the old lenses have an aperture ring. Then I can keep my shutter speed at the high end and the ISO will compensate automatically. That gives me full control over shutter speed and aperture.

[hainsleyguthrie]

Simply the best, better than all the rest. I loved how you made something that sounds quite complicated sound so simple. Thank you and good luck.

[ivanjasper]

This was super helpful! I’ve been having issues with images being hit or miss with regards to images being sharp. I can’t wait to apply what I just learned from you.

[eightam]

There are more factors that can make photos unsharp.
The aperture:
Lenses are generally sharper two stops from maximum aperture. i.e. f5.6.
Stopping too far down (f22 or f32) will cause diffraction and loss of sharpness.
Exposure:
Especially with film, overexposure can cause a loss of sharpness.

[shireeshguru]

This the first video on taking sharp photos with dslr, that has truly benefitted me. Thanks...