how I get my photos to be super sharp

In this video I go over my tips to take sharper portraits in camera.

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[brittanicook]

I don't know if you will see this comment, but I watched this video right before a senior session and it was a complete game changer. I have been struggling with getting sharp images for some time now, so it was nice to see this "step-by-step" video. You are truly an amazing photographer, and I absolutely love and appreciate your videos!! Thank you!

[jakeconnolly]

For some reason if you don’t have an F1.2 - the reason is poverty 😅

[jaelon]

Been watching Jessica since 2012 when I first picked up my camera, can't believe how far she's come since then. I can say to this day she's still the same Jessica that I fell in love with over the mutual loving of photography. She's amazing and she rocks and she's the reason I'm the photographer that I am today. Shout out to Jessica!

[MrMackanno]

"If for some reason you don't have a 1.2". Really, REALLY?

[jarvishughes]

My tip: TAKE YOUR TIME!
If you're shooting portraits, you in no rush. Sometimes I'll go into live move and focus manually to MAKE SURE I get the crispiest photo.

[christophmunch]

1.Have a super sharp lens.
2. Focus correctly.
3. Done.

[dragonfist]

Why is it that the best shot of my shoot is the one that's out of focus? 😩

[Skelem]

Make sure you focus on the eye closest to the camera if the model is at an angle, also it's also a good idea to shoot at 2.5 to 2.8 to ensure focus, 1.2-1.8 or extremely shallow and very easy to miss focus. Also make sure your shutter speed is high enough, usually 1/100 of a second at the minimum for portraits. Once your aperture and shutter speed are where you want them adjust the ISO to ensure proper exposure, if necessary. One more tip, every once in a while during the shoot, zoom in on model's face on the back to check focus.

[peacecollectionlmc]

here's a tip! little bit of a hassle but it works!
another way to make sure your photos are tack sharp is to shoot in live view mode, use the zoom button on the body of your camera (i use canon) to zoom in on the eyes of your subject and focus on that and shoot!

[juanquispe]

Eminem:
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
A lens fell on his sweater already, 85mm 1.2's a fatty

[prestondibling]

Another tip that could boost your sharpness; Lenses never are their sharpest wide open. Id suggest trying to close down your aperture at least one maybe two f stops. Sharpness increases a lot especially on cheaper equipment like the 50mm 1.8. Shoot that lens at f2 or f2.2 and you will be a lot happier with the results!

[TheVideoVolcano]

The old school rule was to match the shutterspeed with the focal length + crop factor. Now it seems to be to set the shutterspeed double or more than that of the focal length. Even if you have to up your ISO, it's still better than a useless blurry picture. You can reduce grain, but blur is final.

[kevindiaz]

When did you get a mkIV? Not that it matters to me, just curious.

For sharp photos sometimes you have to stop down, depending on your lens. Look up what the "sweet spot" is online. It's pretty simple, you just google your lens and sweet spot. Sometimes it's wide open, more modern lenses are made to be that way. Some older builds, like the Canon 50mm F1.4, they get a little soft wide open, and you are better off shooting at a more narrow aperture for sharpness. This of course reduces your background blur, so it's a balance of what you want.

Also, for ultimate sharpness with ultimate blur, primes beat zooms, but that doesn't make zooms useless. Most 70-200mm F2.8 models are very good for portrait work, especially the Canon since it has no focus breathing. This means as you stand closer to your subjects the lens loses some of its focal length, so 200mm might be more like 130mm on some lens, but on Canon it is still 200mm. This is another thing you would want to know about your lens, and is easily found. If you don't do portraits exclusively and can only afford a few lenses, a 70-200mm F2.8 would be on any list I would suggest for serious use, and it makes a great portrait lens as well as just about anything else.

I also would suggest looking at macro lenses for sharp portraits (by this I mean ones that do 1:1 ratio for magnification). I know they don't always have the widest apertures, but they are designed to have sharpness at even the closest focusing distance, and as a result are jsut wickedly sharp for portrait work. They have the added benefit that they often are sharper than non-macros all the way to the corners! I use a Sigma 105mm F2.8 macro for really tight shots, ones where the face of the model will be close to the outer edges. At that range depth of field is more important than background blur, since there won't really be much background, so not having a super wide aperture is ok.

[chandlerperrer]

Honestly the best thing I learned from this was I can zoom into pics on my mark iv with my fingers I’ve been using the zoom button and that’s it wow so excited

[robstyles]

Also I'd like to add dont be afraid to stop it down a little. Alot of time you can get almost the results shooting at 1.8 or 2.0. I use a canon 50mm 1.4. I usually shoot it at 2.0 when I'm trying to get sharpest quality image

[HalkerVeil]

Single point auto focus on the part you want in focus, then recompose while holding your shutter button halfway down so it's locked. As long as you're not on a very narrow depth of field it will stay sharp. And don't rotate the camera, slide it parallel to your subject while recomposing.

[TheLumpRulz]

New to photography. Started taking pics with my 12 year old who got me interested. She definitely has a much better eye. Your videos are a huge help. So thank you.

[janinesequeira]

I love your photos... I want to become a professional photographer! You're such an inspiration. Thanks for posting this video! 📷❤︎

[sburgos]

Using the proper shutter speed, distance from the subject, focal length of the lens, f stop, how you hold the camera and enabling vibration reduction on your camera and or lens are all very important factors. After a nature shoot I did recently using a 500mm lens I have become obsessed with focus. I had some amazing shots that shine even more because the focus and I had some other shots that were ruined because I was more focused on capturing the moving subject in the right moment. I also learned that an f 5.6 when you are using a very long lens is not the same as using an f5.6 with a shorter lens, which was very surprising to me since I know that the closer you are to your subject the thinner the focus range will be. With long lenses however the depth of field becomes more shallow. I recently shot a concert for a friend of mine who is a director and a mutual friend who was present (VIDEOGRAPHER) suggested I lower my shutter speed when I expressed to him how the poor lighting forced me to shoot at iso3200 at which point I told him that I am shooting at that speed because the subjects are moving. Had I taken his advice I could have maybe shot at a better iso but almost every picture would have been blurry. So it's a give and take between all the factors you are facing during your shoot. If focus is your primary concern, and it should be, I would recommend studying all the ways the things I listed in the first sentence effect focus and in what circumstance you should focus on one or several of those factors more than the other(s).

[kevinh]

Thank you so much Jessica for your awesome videos. I’ve been inspired by your work to get back into portrait photography. I’ve learned to use Lightroom and have become creative with model poses. I was recently wondering about how I could get sharper photos and, coincidentally, you posted this video. Thanks again!