Uncover The Secret To Sharp Photos: Solve Blurry Images Now!

Why aren't your photos sharp? In this video, I'll cover all the reasons why your photos may not be sharp and how to solve it in the field.

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER - get the free Landscape Composition lite eBook:

THE POST PROCESSING COURSE:
Use the Coupon Code "MPIYOUTUBE" to get 15% OFF!

Get my Landscape Composition eBOOKs:

HOMEPAGE and PRINTS

Standalone PHOTOSHOP Tutorials, DISCOUNT CODE: “mpiyoutube” for 10% off:

Get my LOCATION maps:

MUSIC:

0:00 - Why your photos aren't sharp
0:47 - Low quality lens
2:00 - Kit lenses
2:29 - Aperture and sharpness
3:57 - f/22 and diffraction?
5:03 - Shutter speed and Image stabilization
5:42 - Tripod tips for sharpness
7:11 - Settings on tripod
8:01 - Sharpness is it important?
9:00 - Difficult case and more image stabilization
12:00 - Telephoto stabilization
12:39 - How to problem solve, what to be aware of
17:04 - Focal lengths influence on sharpness
18:04 - Focusing for landscape photographers

Affiliate links (I get a small commission for each sale without any extra cost for you) for MY GEAR and recommended gear:
My Landscape Photography Gear:

My B&H shop with my gear (and recommended):

Sony a7R3:
L-bracket a7R3 (Smallrig):
Sony 12-24 f/4:
Sony 16-35mm f/2.8
Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4
Sony 24-105 f/4:
Tamron 28-200 f/2.8-5.6
100-400 LENSES:
Sony 100-400 Lens Collar Shoe:
TRIPODS:
FILTERS:
SCREEN PROTECTOR:

BACKPACKS:
- Shimoda Action X50 and others, get 10% OFF with the code "IVERSEN10":
- Tenba Solstice 24L:
- Lowepro Pro Tactic 450W:

My recommended SD card:
PEAK Design Camera Capture Clip V3:
DJI Mavic 2 Pro:

My Vlogging gear:
DJI Osmo Pocket (newest version):
Micro SD for drones:
Manfrotto mini-tripod (new version):
Zoom H1 (new version):
RØDE lavalier mic 2:

Other stuff:

[hamsterneckliving]

I’m always amazed about little things I never knew about my own equipment. When you just switched to portrait by turning the lens with the lens collar… d’oh! I didn’t know I could do that. Oh my gosh!

[artjsta-foto]

Hello Mats,
I'm so extremely embarrassed... I've been taking pictures for, I can't even say it, for over thirty years and today I saw something in your video that made me delighted and at the same time incredulous. Whenever I've worked with a large lens, trying to shoot a portrait image has become very tricky. Because I always tilted the camera and ball head on the tripod. For reasons I can't explain, it never occurred to me that the screw on the lens is there to turn the camera and the lens around! Thank you so much for this heavenly
Greetings Juerg

[ijgdr]

You should have also mentioned that with wind, even if the camera is on a tripod, the camera strap can cause vibration and out-of focus situations, specially on long-exposures. I noticed you use Peak Design products. Their quick-connect system for camera straps is great, as you can quickly remove the strap while the camera is on a tripod (which I notice you do). I do the same as soon as my camera goes on a tripod (I keep the strap on my neck and loop one end through the other side of the strap, that way it is at the ready to reconnect and does not get dirty lying on the ground). I greatly enjoy your videos, thanks for sharing!!

[Loretta-plkm]

Okay, you just answered my question from a video you shared two years ago. It's great to know you still use the Tamron lens

[BenSussmanpro]

Great shooting tips! I only use tripods with thumb clamps.

[petemellows]

It’s so good that you did this video in the field, rather than in your studio. Great video for those that are struggling with focus.

[msingrey]

Good tips, Mads. I particularly enjoyed the skipping at the end. Really top-notch.

[ThorsteinBerg]

Good points here Mads. With regards to tripods, one thing that is often forgot is dampening. Here I'm talking about carbon fibre compared to aluminium. A carbon fibre tripod will be better with regard to get more sharper images as aluminium tripods is more prone to vibrations. Also getting spiked feet for the tripod will help anchor the tripod into the ground for more stability.

Silent mode will not giving you much if you use a dslr (with mirror). Here the tip is to either use mirror lock-up or if you don't have mirror lock-up, live view.

[robertwhitemoto]

Much of this I knew, but this is a great reminder. Keep teaching us !! Denmark is beautiful!

[charliejg]

Cool stuff Mads, beautiful scenery there alone made this worth watching. No skipping to the end! LOL! Have a great day!

[JaypeaFoto]

Lots of great tips, thanks for sharing.

[anthonyplancherel]

very useful advice as always!!! Thank you!

[Trish]

Thanks Mads, I turn the image stabilization off on my lens when using a tripod, but I never thought about turning it off in the camera. Great tip!! Thanks again!!

[alexmarnoch]

Could you talk more about electronic shutter versus mechanical shutter? The pros and cons, and when you would use one verse the other?

[danieldanahey]

Thanks for reminding us about tightening all the trip knobs.
I counted 5 things to tighten: the lens collar, foot plate, ball head, pano knob, tripod legs (of which there are actually 9). I have had pictures with movement, because a tripod leg was slowly telescoping downward under the weight of a telephoto lens, which I did not realize in the field. Thanks again Mads for a great video !

[jimbruton]

Mads, this was a very practical and good tutorial on getting sharp images when in the field. One thing I noticed was you weren't using a lens hood on your lens. Even in low wind conditions, a lens hood could affect sharpness by causing a little movement when it gets breezy.

[HR-wdcw]

WAtched this again... as a general rule I've heard that 2-stops down from wide open to about f/11 for most lenses is the general sweet spot (even f/8 to f/11, but in some cases you can get away with f/16). I woulid personally try to aim for f/5.6 to f/11 though personally as I've found most lenses, from more budget lenses to high-end lenses, are sharpest within this range, even if you use the 2-stop suggestion on fast lenses like f/2 lenses, I still wouldn't necessarily shoot at f/4 necessarily, but might consider f/5.6 or f/8 (as some fast primes only close down to f/16). The best thing you can do is to get a test chart and test your lenses against a sharpness chart and determine what focal lengths and apertures your lens is sharpest at (I would do this when you get the lens to make sure it's not defective, and definitely test it before your first outing, so you know where it is sharp, and where it perhaps is not as sharp and can be aware of this while shooting in the field -- it takes a bit of time at first, but can pay off in the long run as you'll know the characteristics of your lens(es)).

For the shutter, what I've done (and haven't quite fully mastered) is to roll your finger across the shutter release button, not just push it down. But roll your finger across it. This minimizes shake. It isn't as good as using a shutter release or the self timer, but it's better than just simply pressing straight down on the shutter button (either to focus and/or to fire the shutter). This is something i got from one of Moose Peterson's videos that's been helpful, but again, still working on it myself, but has helped in many shots.

For DSLR users, if your camera has a "mirror up" mode, wher it locks up the mirror before taking the exposure, take advantage of this especailly using a remote control. If your camera has something like exposure delay mode, you could use that too (some Nikon cameras have this, and Sony and Canon may have a similar feature, similar to the self timer but usually shorter intervals, like between 0.2s and 3s delays from the time the shutter is pressed).

[jasonlacey]

Excellent video, great reminders.. being there are so many, keeping one's nuts tight, is a very special tip indeed. Thank you Mads

[bkc]

Great information Mads. I would like to add that we have to be careful when shooting at longer exposures, even less than a second, that there isn't wind moving grass/leaves etc around in the image which would give the impression that the image isn't sharp. Even if the tripod is as steady as a rock, if the subject is moving a bit in the wind, it can look unsharp. So look at your scene and decide if your subject really is stationary first before deciding on iso/shutter speed.

[michaelstewart]

Many thanks for these practical tips, Mads. I particularly appreciate that you've drilled down to issues that confront many of us - like "where should I focus, " and "should I always turn off VR when using a tripod, " etc. Helpful stuff!