How to Ensure Tack Sharp Images: Your Secret Formula Inside…

The best lighting in the world will not help a poorly focused photograph

Before you can begin to understand how to take a tack sharp photo, you need to know how an out of focus photo is created in the first place.

Nailing focus is arguably the most important technique to learn when practicing photography. If you can’t control your focus, nothing else matters.

When it comes to out of focus images, there are three main factors:

Your camera moved (operator error!)
Your subject moved too fast for your camera settings.
You mis-focused

Now that you know WHY your photos end up out of focus, here is your secret formula for tack sharp photos:

1) Minimizing camera shake

Camera shake is extremely irritating and can ruin an image that is perfectly focused and exposed. It results in “smeared” images that otherwise would have been keepers. To minimize camera shake, which is caused by you moving the camera inadvertently as the picture is being taken, follow these suggestions:

Hold your camera properly, with two hands.
If you need to, use a tripod or monopod. Although many times this won’t be possible, sometimes it’s inevitable.
Photograph when you’re ready and steady. Let your camera lock focus before pressing the shutter button all the way down.
A good rule of thumb is to never have a shutter speed less than the focal length of your lens. So if you are using a 50mm lens, never have a shutter speed less than 1/50. If you’re on a cropped frame camera (like the Canon 7D that I use), you need to multiply that number by 1.6. So the lowest shutter speed I can use with my 50mm lens should be no lower than 1/80.
Play around with your camera and your lenses to learn what you personally can handle in terms of low shutter speeds. If your lens has image stabilization, you’ll be able to go lower. Some people have steadier hands than others

2) Shooting fast moving subjects

When your subject appears as a blurry streak through your photo, but the rest of the image is sharp and properly exposed, it means your shutter speed is too low.

This next set of images, I asked Wesley to simply jump up and down. My shutter speed was set to a way-too-low 1/80. These are the resulting images…when you get images like this, it means your shutter speed is too low.

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Many times photographers will compromise their shutter speed before raising their ISO levels. I’m here to nip that in the bud.

If you are trying to freeze motion, you need a high shutter speed. Now, if you’re photographing fast moving children, I suggest a shutter speed at least 1/200. I’ve learned that I cannot obtain tack sharp image with anything lower than 1/200. When I’m outside, I’ll raise that up even higher, to 1/400.

Ensure your shutter speed is high enough. Raise your ISO before lowering your shutter speed.

3) Controlling focus

If you’ve never played with the focusing systems on your camera, then the default autofocus is probably still set on your camera. This means you are letting a machine read your scene and decide what is most important. (Psst, you are smarter).

Ever had this happen? Your background is super clear but your subject is a blurry mess. This is almost always because you mis-focused, and focused on the background instead of your subject.

By mastering control of your focus points, you tell the camera where to focus, and don’t let the camera decide for you!

Typically your camera will choose the object closest to it and/or the zone of highest contrast within it’s focusing range. This is how you end up a sharp nose and blurry eyes, or a sharp background and a blurry subject.

If you only learn ONE system on your camera – let it be how to control your focus points.

Read up in your camera manual how to change your focusing system from Automatic AF (AF-A) to Single Point AF (AF-S). This is not to be confused with manual focusing!! The camera is still focusing for us, we are simply telling it where to focus!

4) Choosing the correct focusing mode

Most cameras will have a minimum of 3 focusing modes. One mode for stationary objects (One Shot), one mode for moving objects (AI Servo) and a “smart” mode (AI Focus) that can essentially flip between the two other modes when needed. If you’ve never played around with the focusing modes on your camera, it’s likely your camera is still set to the “smart” mode.

Both Nikon and Canon have excellent tutorials for each of their cameras.

Very briefly, here the main differences between the modes:

One Shot modes will lock focus once. If your subject moves, too bad. They could end up out of focus if you subsequently snap the picture anyways. On some cameras, this mode won’t allow you to actually take a picture if the camera cannot obtain acceptable focus.

Servo modes will lock focus and then track the subject, as long as you hold your focus-lock on (within reason, of course). They search for motion in your scene – they expect it. They can even try to compensate for motion that isn’t there. (Been there, done that). Servo modes will normally let you take a picture, even when focus hasn’t been achieved.

Smart modes try to make an educated guess. They remain in one shot mode until your subject moves. Then they switch over to Servo (the mode for motion). Typically you cannot take a picture unless your camera can lock focus, much like One Shot. On a Canon camera, this is called AI-Focus.