Opposite Viewpoint:
When would a blurry image be acceptable? Have you ever seen a poor quality image on the front page of CNN? When someone snaps a blurry picture of a volcano for the news and then runs for their life, here is an example. You can be assured this image won't be thrown out. If it was the only picture to tell the story it remains important. Sometimes the story in the image is so vital that the quality is dismissed. Some of the poorest quality closed-circuit cameras have put people in jail just by assisting in the investigation of the crime that took place. So you can see there is a time and place for everything.
Taking Photographs
(1 - The Evolution - Basic Focus)
- Basic Focus
- Focus on moving targets
- Shutter Speed
- Aperture
- Low Lighting
- Histograms
- Exposure
- Lightening Images! (low lighting II)
- Composition
- Technical Eval of Images
Like Groundhog Day, we all get to see events happen over and over again. We do this only once we've evolved past a certain point ourselves. Such is the case watching new photographers and their first camera. Everyone has to start somewhere and we each evolve at these talents. New photographers start with simple actions that eventually become a well thought out art form. The manual that came with your camera goes over its features but that isn't what we're doing here. We'll work backward, since few have the patience to suffer through often tedious books and manuals that cover hundreds of options. All these options are ones we have to evolve to appreciate. The approach will be to show the common pitfalls most of us fall into when trying to learn those numerous buttons and switches. We'll try to do this in an order that makes sense. Let's take this one step at a time.
STEP 1:
Get that picture in focus. After you take a picture it's extremely exciting to share with others. The fact you captured something in similar color and shape to your intended subject is an absolute rush. However, others may or may not get your excitement depending upon their own skill levels and expectations. The image below is of some attractive flowers but the lack of clarity would drive a more experienced photographer insane.
How do you get a clear image? The answers are many but here is where you start. As you snap the image, usually the "Automatic Focus" will engage when the shutter-button is half-way down. At this point the image should look much clearer in the view-finder or display. You can play with this by pointing at a subject and pushing the button just half way down. Even without taking the picture the auto-focus should clear up the view.
Often if what you are taking a picture of has many depths, then Auto-Focus will seem unsure and drift in and out. The very middle of your camera view is where most Auto-Focuses start. The very middle of your view-finder image will have a cross-hair or brackets to help you out. Put this part over the intended subject you wish most clear. Many cameras will have a green light or green bracket once the camera is in focus.
These flowers are in focus at the center
Be aware that if you are looking at something in the camera's view-finder, but the center and subsequent Auto Focus is elsewhere, then your intended subject will probably be blurry.
What if you want the target in focus but not in the center of the image? Most people hate the subject being in the "bulls-eye" center. We talked about how many cameras you click the shutter button half-way down for focus. When your subject comes clearly into view you can keep holding the button but slide the view point left or right and then finish taking the picture by pushing the button the rest of the way down. This type of shot may be helpful if you were taking an image of someone standing at the edge of a canyon but didn't want that person at the center of the image.
Another precaution to help avoid taking a blurry image is using a tripod. These three legged tools help assure the photographer's side will not be moving. All tripods are not created equal though. For about one hundred dollars heavy tripods are available. For about twenty dollars a flimsy tripod might work. However, dragging a tripod around may not always be practical. You can also place the camera on nearby surfaces and turn on the timer for shots so shake can be eliminated. On windy mountain sides you can strap a backpack or other equipment to the bottom of your tripod so that it is held steady. Remember that quality checks can be done right after taking the image. Preview the images on the digital display in back of the camera. Use the zoom-in tools to check for clarity of edges and near your focus point. In this way if you find a blurry image you may take it again there at the location.
Side Notes
On the digital SLR cameras you can turn off the autofocus. This can be a big help if you are taking pictures of say some wild bushes but the focus keeps drifting in and out and refuses to lock on. Turn off the auto focus (called AF) and then clearing it up by turning the focus ring on the lens itself solves this assuming your own eyesight isn't bad.
On my Canon Rebel-XT it allows a change of the lens completely by the photographer. Some of the lenses I've ordered for it were made by entirely different companies and produced many years ago. Since these older lenses don't have electronics to help them focus it must be done manually. In this case focus is a matter of turning the focus ring on the lens. This is done until the object at the depth I'm shooting for is in focus. For really fast-moving and close-proximity objects like birds soaring overhead, the manual focus can be a helpful option. We'll cover focus of moving objects next.
As another note there are other items that can interfere with your ability to percieve focus. There is what is called a dioptric adjustment knob on the more expensive digital SLR cameras. This small knob by the eye piece can act like a compensation for those who wear glasses. This means that if someone adjusts the knob for their own vision and someone with different vision comes along the view out the viewfinder eye piece is still going to look blurry. Now this doesn't change how clear the camera takes the picture but it might affect when you decide to push the button because you don't believe you are in focus. Be aware of this possibility.
Written Jan08 and updated Jul09 by - Tracy Lee Rose