Capture Sharp Digital Images – 10 Basic Things

Getting crisp, sharp and clean images is not painless even in digital photography. It’s the desire of every photographer to click sharp and clean images without any imperfections. And the major reason behind these flaws is the mistake to hold a digital camera which causes blur and imperfect pictures. Peek-a-boo in this Photoshop tutorial but before that let me tell you the causes for lack of sharpness.

·         Bad Focus: The most common causes of lack of sharpness in pictures are poor focus. Sometimes you take wide of the mark object in focus or focus on the wrong part of the object which leads to un-sharp images. And sometimes selected aperture generates narrow DOF or image gets clicked too hurriedly without taking the object in focus.

·         Moving Object: Objects in motion get captured which makes an image look hazy. It is mostly common when shutter speed is too sluggish so apt adjustment of digital camera is required while taking shots.

·         Camera Shake: Due to hand or camera shake, picture gets blur. It usually relates to shutter speed or how much your camera is at a standstill. Consider buying a tripod to purge off this problem.

·         Noisiness: Noise means small dots i.e. pixels come out in low quality images which make an image look grainy. Take a quick glance on its effect by going close to your TV and you can clearly see tiny dots.

To get sharp images, here is the rundown of 10 basic things. Other than these, Photoshop, a photo editing software is also an option to smarten up a picture.

Perfectly Hold YourCamera

Blurry images are a result of camera shake or hand shake. While clicking, many times your hands shake which shakes the camera. And this shake happens when the shutter is open for that split second which blurs the clicked picture. To wander off this hitch, invest in tripod and relish haze free and sharp images. And if not tripod, hold back your camera with both hands, rest against some solid surface and take the shot.

Tripods

It is one of the best solutions to trim down the blur effect from your images. You might feel that it’s not always pragmatic but trust me, it works great for me. And to your surprise, you can carry it around on travel so it is worth investing in.

Image Stabilization

Latest cameras and lenses are launched with IS technology which reduces camera shake to a million bucks. Image stabilization gives you a facility of extra two or three stops which means slower shutter speeds while holding a camera. But guys don’t confuse it with object movement as it only gives you control over camera movement due to slower shutter speeds. And it is also not ideal for nomadic objects. 

Focus

Perhaps, to get sharp focussed images is possible only when camera focus is perfect. Many of us rely on Auto focussing and assume that camera is always right while clicking shots. But at times, camera gets misguided due to the location of object which throws the object out of focus. And here the need arises to hit the shots by switching on to manual mode. Check the shutter speed of the camera and focus of the lens before capturing any shot. If you don’t feel it right, try again with the shutter speed and camera focus.

Lens of the Camera

Obviously, quality and pricing of the camera lens do matters. It has a dire impact on the sharpness of an image and usually, DSLR camera holders notice the difference. I own a DSLR and I was on a hunt to buy everyday zoom lens to get wide and telephoto zoom capability. I bought one satisfying both the requirements and was quite contented with its features except sharpness. Then I switched over to professional series’ lens and I just couldn’t believe my eyes. The difference was so clearly perceivable and I was amazed to get that lens. Now I can capture crisp and sharp shots which were not possible in the previous lens. Now I am so much in love with the sharp images gifted by the professional lens that it has a permanent attachment in my camera.

Check your Eyes

Poor eye sight is also one of the reasons for un-sharp images. You find it tricky to focus on the object if you have poor eye sight so I would suggest you to get your eyes checked. Wear glasses and you will see a significant improvement in every area especially in photography where focus is required. Some cameras have dioptre which equips you to make a little adjustment in your view finder. Dioptre is perfect for poor eye sight folks and located next to your view finder as a small wheel.

Clean the Camera

You might have observed that windows, mirrors, tables get grimy due to dust and become translucent from transparent. There is not enough room for light to pass through due to the grime.  And after cleaning, they become crystal clear. So same is the case with your camera lens. Make sure that it is free from dirt and smudges before clicking any shot or else it will badly impact your pictures.

 Lens Sweet Spot

Aperture ranges set apart the sharpness of images. Lenses have spots which are sharper than others. While shooting, pull back a stop or two and here you go with crisp and clear shots. Avoid keeping your lens wide open while shooting pictures and one of the best things you will get this way is sharpness in images.

Shutter Speed

To get sharpness in your images, shutter speed plays a major role. Obviously, the faster shutter speed will reduce camera shake and the more movement will freeze up. And as a result, object movement and camera movement, both of the blur get reduced in one go.

Choose Shutter Speeds as:

·         For 50mm lens length, shoot at 1/60^th of a second.

·         For 100mm focal length, choose 1/125^th of a second.

·         For 200mm focal length, go for 1/250^th of a second or faster.

ISO

It has to deal with the noisiness of the images. Larger ISO, faster shutter speed and smaller aperture will give you noisy shots. Use ISO up to the value of 400 for enlarged images with less noise and for sharp images keep ISO as low as possible.

Aperture

Aperture deals with the focus of your images. Depth of field gets increased when you decrease the aperture value (increasing the number – up to f/20). It means that the area you want to focus comes in the picture including close and distant objects. Set the values opposite (let’s say f/4) and both background and foreground will go out of focus so exactness in the images are required.

This is all about you can do to make your images look sharp and crisp. In digital photography, you have to do apt settings in your camera to get refined and dazzling shots. Holda digital camera perfectly and then click the shots to achieve desired results. To spruce up a picture a bit, use Photoshop and here you go.

DESCRIPTION: Explore some causes of un-sharp images and basic things to add sharpness in your images. Stay tuned for more tutorials on digital photography.

Aperture in Digital Photography – Holistic View

In today’s article, I would like to put Aperture in the picture as it is one of the most important elements of digital photography.  Auto Mode has always been the first choice of folks due to the fact that this mode automatically adjusts the camera settings. Now you can manually set the exposure of every shot you take with CameraISO settings and Aperture. Mastering the art of ruling over aperture makes you a professional and creative photographer. So turn your attention towards this article and read further to get a better idea on what exactly the Aperture is. Let’s explore. 

Definition of Aperture:

Aperture entails the notch in the lens. Image sensor grabs hold of the object which you want to capture when the hole opens up by pressing shutter release button. Size of the hole is decided by the value of aperture. Measurement of aperture is done in f-stops. Photography tips help you in taking lovely and fine shots so I am explaining here with an example. 

F-stops are measured like f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/22 and as you move onto the next stop, the size of the lens opening gets twofold or gets half. The same technique applies for the shutter speed so it is very constructive point to keep in mind. Augmenting one value and lessening another let the same amount of light to get in the lens.

Relation of Depth of Field and Aperture

Aperture depends upon the depth of shots. Large depth of field shows that most part of the image get nearer in focus no matter its close or far from the camera lens. An aperture of f/16 will take both the background and foreground in the below shot.

 

Whereas this image is shot with f/1.8 aperture so it is somewhat bleary if you watch it carefully.

 Take a look at this one with wider aperture of f/1.2. In this image you can clearly see that the background is completely fuzzy and only the foreground object is in vision. For your expediency, small aperture is small DOF and vice versa.   

Go experimental and take shots with different aperture settings to get the hang of it. This way you will see the results clearly and the techniques of grabbing hold of aperture.  

Photography Tips for Small and Large Aperture

Read this section very carefully as it can be of great help to you in understanding Aperture.

For Landscape Photography: Set the aperture value to small aperture (large number). When you click any shot, the whole image will be captured including background and foreground like hills, mountains or other sceneries.

Portrait Photography: To capture an individual picture where you want to be centric towards the object only and not the surroundings requires large aperture (small number). It is to throw the background out of focus to take the foreground in focus only.

To conclude, large apertures draws the attention of everyone as the object is clearly distinguished from the background and vice versa. Hope you find this article handy and valuable to enhance your knowledge.

DESCRIPTION: Get some know-how about how to use Aperture in digital photography. Check out these easy methods and here you go with your first shot beautifully taken with Aperture settings. 

Brilliant Photography Tricks for Notable Jewellery Images

Pictures taken in artistic manner absolutely look gorgeous and charismatic. But jewellery photography is something which acts like an eye-candy to the viewers and persuades them to buy the product. Moreover, if you want to beat your competitors then your e-commerce product photography should be very impressive and visually appealing. To make the pictures look sharp and crisp, learn some photography tips to shoot earrings perfectly:

First of all, images must render the artefact perfectly in an unequivocal way. Let us say, earrings are difficult to show in the picture in the way they are. It is due to the fact that while shooting, camera can shake resulting in deteriorating the whole look of the article. So the camera should be rock sturdy while capturing earrings and for this turn your heads towards Tripods. 

In addition, the camera that is not meant for macro photography is of no use as it doesn’t have the potential to add definition and elegance to the product. Usually, things like earrings look perfect when some model is wearing it as any potential customer can easily guess its size. And this is a challenge to get this task done with huge accuracy and perfection.

A little movement destroys the product’s look and causes it to look fuzzy. So guys if you are looking for earrings photography, read this section very carefully!! It will help you take fine and crisp shots.

·  Correct exposure, light situations and position of the earrings is very mandatory to take impeccable captures. Photograph is rendered useless if a slight movement is made from either the model or the photographer. 

      ·  Use head dummy to show the earring more natural and this is mostly used for far-away clicks. This is the case if you don’t have any model to pose for. 

     · Shoot down the earrings by laying them on a flat surface for more detailed look. But this method doesn’t produce perfect results as light and exposure problems may arise. To show the dangling or hanging earrings, get them suspended in some way to get unsullied results.

     · Now here the trick comes!! To make the hanging earrings look still, a small gauge of glass sheet is used behind the product which is not noticeable at all. A vertical sheet of glass is pressed together behind the product to bring to a standstill, if any movement and twisting occurs. Adjust the lighting accordingly to hinder the reflection from glass sides or it will ruin the shot. 

    · To add some color to the product, use a colored cloth behind the glass. But before pushing the shutter, make sure that you have checked all the lighting and exposure settings to capture a scintillating picture. 

     · I would suggest not using flash for jewellery photography. Rest depends upon your experience in this field, if you are an adroit photographer; it’s all your choice. Here you go guys!! Finally you have achieved the thing.

Are you happy with your shoot? I would love to have your comments and opinions on how it works for you. Good luck!!

DESCRIPTION: Follow these basic guidelines and make your jewellery or product photography look flawless and perfect. All what matters are correct lighting, aperture and exposure settings. Good luck!!

Discover Amazing ISO Settings in Digital Photography

Before moving further on to ISO settings, I would like you to seize a quick glance on its definition.

What is ISO?

In photography, ISO implies that how receptive an image sensor is. It follows the rule that an image has numbers and the lower the number is, the less receptive your picture is to the camera. Furthermore, the less receptive an image is to light, the finer the grain (noise) in the shots will be.

Higher ISO Settings:

You might have noticed that in darker areas, the shots don’t get captured gorgeously. And in this situation, higher ISO works well. It is due to the fact that shutter speed amplifies while clicking. Take an example of indoor sports event where the objects are mobile and you need to congeal the action in less light. But keep in mind that the shots taken in less light tend to have noisy look due to the high ISO settings. Take a glance at the images for understanding exposure of images to light:

You can unmistakably see that the left image is more crisp and beautifully shot whereas the right image is hazy and grainy. Reason behind the quality of an image is the difference between ISO which is 100 in the former picture and 3200 in latter. 

How ISO Works with Auto Mode:

Every individual captures pictures in “AutoMode” for hassle free clicking. Moreover, no one likes to change the settings every now and then. Auto mode robotically sets the ISO as per the light situations. Usually, the ISO is set to as low as possible for lovely shots.

Aperture and shutter speed gets brunt after you opt for ISO settings. Walloping the ISO to higher value equips you to click the pictures at small aperture and high shutter speed.

Before Choosing ISO:

·         Check whether the particular area is well illuminated.

·         How much noise is required in a shot?

·         Do I own a Tripod?

·         The object is mobile or at a standstill?

Areas which are well-lit don’t put gritty effect in the picture so low ISO value is perfect. Moreover, having a tripod and clicking immobile object goes well with low ISO.

Boast the ISO value for darker areas, grainy effect and itinerant object. Furthermore, augmenting the ISO value will enable faster shutter speed incarcerating lovely click.

Conditions where ISO needs to be augmented:

No-flash Zones: Lowlight areas where enabling flash can deteriorate the image quality.

Indoor Sports Events: To capture fast moving objects in low light situations, it becomes extremely mandatory to augment the ISO value.

Parties: Dance parties or birthday parties have very less light and pictures look dark. So rather than enabling flash, you can increase ISO to click funny and moody shots.

Now I am putting an end to this article, hope you enjoyed reading it. I will be back with some new interesting topic on photography. Till then, go experimental with your clicks.

DESCRIPTION: Digital photography is very interesting and you can play with different settings to put lovely effects in your pictures. Play with ISO settings and here 

Approaches to Hold Back Aperture and Shutter Speed in Entry Level Point and Shoot Digital Camera

Thanks for turning your heads again to get knowledge on one more interesting topic. Aperture, ISO and shutter speed are the key elements of digital camera setting which equips you to change them manually. But now the dilemma is that point and shoot cameras don’t offer this rider. But don’t worry as after reading this article, you would get more control over the camera settings. Let’s explore how:

Go for an Advanced Camera

It might seem knotty to upgrade your camera or buy a new DSLR especially when you have taut pocket. But to get more control over your camera settings, it is essential to go for new camera. If it doesn’t appeals you, then you can trick your camera by upgrading to another point and shoot camera offering you more control over its settings. Manually changing the settings to control aperture and shutter speed is perfectly achieved in modern DSLRs.

DSLRs offer you to add types of lenses and control elements such as ISO, exposure and white balance etc. Moreover, shooting in full manual mode gives fine and sharp clicks.

Modern point and shoot cameras come with manual settings so you guys can buy cameras with aperture priority and shutter priority modes.

If you don’t have the budget to buy a new camera, second point will work for you. Stick on!!

Trick your Point and Shoot Camera

No matter digital cameras are designed with auto mode which give you full control over aperture and shutter speed. And depending upon the type of click and light situations, camera captures the image flawlessly. So here you need to trick the camera with your sense of photographytips and tricks.

You must know that point and shoot cameras are equipped with shooting modes like sports, macro, movie, portrait and landscape. If you are an adept photographer, you can easily ploy the camera by using modes in diverse photography situations and triggering different settings. 

·      ·         Shoot in portrait mode if you want shallow depth of field for your click. This mode will set wider aperture to shoot an image with fuzzy foreground and background.

          ·         Landscape mode works well for smaller aperture where whole of the image comes in focus. It is used for wider depth of field.

      ·      To freeze fast moving objects, go for sports mode as this mode goes well with faster shutter speed.

          ·        Night mode is great for slow shutter speed but it disables the flash as well. Get the result you were craving for so long by choosing this mode as most cameras don’t automatically chooses this. 

Well, this is the case with controlling aperture and shutter speed by upgrading to a better camera or buying a new one. Get a bit more control over the camera settings and if you want to buy a new DSLR, then start saving funds now!!

DESCRIPTION: Control aperture and shutter speed by taking control over camera settings. Just go for up gradation or simply buy a new DSLR today and click perfect pictures. 

Shield Your DSLR’s Lens with Handy Cleaning Gears

DSLR is a long term and luxurious venture which needs a lot of maintenance if you want to relish it for years. Continual usage of DSLR put smudges and scratches on the lens and make it look dirty. It should be squeaky clean for scintillating clicks so it becomes exceptionally crucial to clean the DSLR’s lens. Read on this photography tutorial to know how to clean the DSLR’s lens. Take a sneak-peak:

      Use a UV or Skylight Filter: As the name suggests, it is a kind of filter which shields the lens from outer dust and dirt. It acts like a cover or cap which impedes the UV rays from reaching the lens and safeguards it from scratches. When you clean the filter, it doesn’t smash up the lens as it is not the lens which is getting spotless but the filter. High end filters are perfect for expensive DSLRs.

      Lens Cleaning Fluid: One of the most common fluids available in the market is lens cleaning fluid. It is a type of alcohol based liquid which wipes off the fingerprints or any other smudges and leaves no splashes or scratches on it. Just a drop or two works well to clean the lens and you just need to take a clean cloth to wipe the dust off.

    Cleaning Tissues: Tissues are a thin delicate paper which flawlessly cleans the lens. They can be disposed off after the usage but make sure that you don’t slip up face tissues as they can be harmful.

Cleaning Cloth: Other than cleaning tissues, keep cleaning cloth in your bag. Designed with modern microfiber, it is very soft to clean the DSLR’s lens. Unlike cleaning tissue, it is washable and serves multiple usages. Perfect to withstand oils, dust and dirt, it is cheap in price as well. Check that the lens doesn’t have any grind or sand on it which can scrape the lens if mopped off with cloth.

      Blowers: Blowers are just the right thing to clean the outer body of the lens. But they are not idyllic for the inner part as dirt can go within causing more damage to it. To use it, firstly compress it few times to let the dirt and dust get out.

     Brushes: Brush is a handy tool to wipe off any type of dirt and dust with ease. Buy one brush designed of soft camel hair to get sparkling lens. Or lens cleaning pen is also a great idea which has both a cleaning pad and a brush on either ends.

     Silica Gel: Keep some silica gel sachets in your camera bag and you don’t need any other cleaning tools. Moisture is absorbed by the gel which provides shelter to the lens.

All the above gears are extremely cheap which don’t make holes in your pockets. They can be bought in a kit from the local market or any camera store. Check the DSLRsetting from the manual if it needs any particular settings before clean-up.

The Last Note: Dot your camera towards the ground while shifting the lens and wrap up the intact process as soon as possible to circumvent grunge and dust getting in.

An Insight to Diverse Digital Camera Modes

In a survey conducted by me few days back on digital camera modes, I got amazing responses. And one of the most overwhelming responses to the finest shooting mode was Automatic mode. Novices as well as adept users of digital cameras suggested this mode the best which was a little surprising to me. But with this, I got an idea to put various camera modes in the picture for your knowledge.

I hope this article would be helpful for everyone who desires to access various modes in a digital camera. Three types of modes are at hand which are further subdivided into categories. Take a sneak-peak:

Automatic Modes

·         Automatic Mode: Auto mode doesn’t need any preface as it is clear from its name. This mode itself fiddles with the camera shutter, aperture, focus, ISO, white balance and flash and gives you the exceptional shots. Some digital cams equip you to countermand the option of flash and convert it to red eye reduction. It occasionally doesn’t come up to scratch to deliver right clicks due to the low light situations. But under this mode, you can hit upon some more apt modes to make it your preeminent shot.

·         Portrait Mode: When you toggle to portrait mode, the spotlight gets adjusted to the object only, keeping the background out of focus. The aperture gets larger and the object is the main centre of attraction in the shot. This mode works well when you yearn to get close to any object so as to take only the upper body in the shot.

·         Macro Mode: This mode is great to take close-up pictures and especially used to take flowers, insects or tiny things in the click. It’s recommended that you don’t elicit flash while clicking pictures in macro mode as it will not take the object properly in focus. Usually, digital cameras have the focussing distance ranging from 2 cm to 10 cm. 

·         Landscape Mode: It is exactly opposite to portrait mode wherein this mode sets a small aperture. The photography technique behind this mode is that when you click a picture, all the erstwhile things behind the object come in focus. The whole lot behind the object gets captured giving you a large depth of field. But make sure to take the shot with two hands (Here you can link the previous article where I have mentioned to hold the camera with two hands) to get flawless image without any hitch.

·         Sports Mode: Crafted to capture moving objects is what we call sports mode. Triggering to this mode can lend you a hand to capture people playing sports, wildlife, pets, cars and anything in motion. Pre-focussing a camera on scrupulous spot where you think the object will be, assists you to shot fast moving objects. 

·         Night Mode: Designed to click interesting and experimental shots is the idea behind night mode. Colourful and funny images can be captured with switching onto this mode. It works perfect for night parties where light is stumpy as it focuses more on surroundings rather than foreground. To get blur images for fun element, this mode is just what you want.

·         Movie Mode: Capturing videos is not everyone’s cup of tea and it needs photography technique if you want to shoot perfect videos. Extending a camera from still pictures to mobile ones is what we call as movie mode. It records sound as well as video and works great when you boast something wonderful to capture which will otherwise lose its charm in still picture. Furthermore, videos sit with more space if evaluated with still images. 

Semi Automatic Modes

·         Aperture Priority Mode (A or AV): It is semi-automatic mode wherein you are supposed to choose the aperture and rest of the settings are elected by the camera. Controlling the depth of field in a single shot is well achieved with this mode as you don’t need to bother yourself to control the shutter speed. Just focus on the stationary object and take the shot.

·         Shutter Priority Mode (S or TV): Opposite of Aperture Priority mode is Shutter priority. You choose the shutter speed and rest of the settings are selected by the camera. It works well with moving objects where you need to have power over the shutter speed to congeal the motion.

·         Program Mode (P): In some DSLRs, this option is additionally given with auto mode. It may be confusing to understand as there is a slight difference in both modes. Program mode makes you control more features like ISO, white balance, flash etc. which is not there in auto mode. 

Fully Manual Mode

·        Manual Mode: Now set up your shots and clicks as everything is under your control. All the settings like shutter speed, flash, ISO, white balance, aperture etc. are bendy and you can savour full control over your camera.

     I jotted down these digital camera modes to bring them to your sphere of your knowledge. Enjoy reading the article and I will be back with some more digital camera tips.