The 5 Mistakes You Must Fix To Avoid Blurred Photos

The evil of blurred photos is a "disease" that every photographer, professional or amateur, often suffers and against which it is advisable to take the necessary precautions.

A blurry image can be something intentionally sought at a certain moment, but usually, a blurry photo is synonymous with a bad photograph. So we will try to correct this situation and achieve sharp images.

Following the simile of the disease, in today's article, we are going to see what errors make our images get infected with this disease and some "vaccines" or tips to avoid it. Do not miss them.

# 1 Wrong Choice Of Focus Mode

Focus modeAutofocus in our photos has improved significantly in recent years and makes it a great tool in the hands of photographers.

However, it is not enough to leave the autofocus and trust that everything will be fine. It is important to determine in each situation the type of automatic or manual focus to rely on.

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We will fundamentally distinguish between the following types:

AF-C (Nikon) or AI Servo (Canon), for moving images.

AF-S (Nikon) or One Shot (Canon), for images where the subject is not moving.

AF-A (Nikon) or AI Focus (Canon), for images where there is no movement, but there could be.

Manual, for situations where autofocus may not work properly.

Every situation has an appropriate focus mode, so choosing the right one is essential to achieve a properly focused image.

In addition, there are also two other concepts related to the focus mode, such as the focus area and the type of priority (to focus or to press the button), which make this topic useful for an entire article. So I recommend that you read Which Approach Mode to Use in Each Situation to delve into the subject and make a suitable choice.

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# 2 I'm not respecting the minimum focus distance

Sigma 17-50 - Focus DistanceLet's suppose that we are avoiding making the first mistake (choosing the wrong mode), but no matter how hard we try to focus and achieve a sharp image, we fail.

There is something that we must always take into account to achieve correctly focused images and that is the respect of the minimum focus distance. A distance that marks the minimum limit from which we can focus.

Unless you are working with a macro lens, this distance will never be less than 20-25 cm. Although it depends on the focal length, the higher the focal length, the greater the minimum focusing distance.
The minimum focus distance can be seen in the instruction manual, searching for it on the Internet or on the lens itself, since many lenses usually incorporate an indicator of the distance to the focus plane (the lower of these values ​​will be the one that defines the minimum distance focus).

For example, my Sigma 17-50mm f / 2.8 has a minimum focusing distance of 28cm (or 0.93 feet), below which it is not possible to focus, and if we try we will get a blurry image 

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# 3 There Is Not Enough Contrast On The Focused Subject

ContrastThe operation of your camera's focus system is based on the contrast between the different surfaces that are part of the focused plane.

If the subject we are trying to focus on does not have the necessary contrast (for example, a blank sheet of paper, a smooth wall, or a blue sky), our focusing system will go haywire and will be unable to focus.

In this type of situation there are only two possible solutions:

Look for another point in the scene that is on the same plane and has higher contrast, to try to focus on it. make use of the manual focus mode, through which you decide the focus plane. Although without a contrast reference it will also be very difficult for you.

There would be a third option and it consists of the use of a pointer, or another element to place on the scene to highlight or mark the focus plane, adjust it in the camera and, once the shot is ready, remove it and then take the photograph. Although this is only valid if you have enough time and the possibilities to do it.

# 4 I'm Using Too Shallow Depth Of Field

Depth of field depending on the desired result, we may want to use a really small depth of field to focus attention on the subject in focus and avoid distracting the rest.

However, this reduction in depth can cause other elements that we would also like to keep in focus to be seen outside of it. Or that, with small focus errors, not even the focus plane ends up appearing completely sharp.

Therefore, using a suitable depth of field will also help you avoid blurry images. You will have to weigh the appropriate settings of aperture, focal length, and distance to the subject, to adjust to the appropriate depth.

Remember that the depth of field depended on these three parameters, so it will be essential to adjust the depth and achieve images in which all the elements you want coming out sufficiently sharp.

If you add a back or front-focus lens or body defect to a reduced depth of field, you can forget about a sharp photo, so you must take into account not only using a correct depth but also ensuring that your camera's focus system works perfectly.

# 5 I'm Moving The Camera At The Moment Of The Shot

Holding the camera much as we avoid the previous four mistakes, there is a basic mistake that we should not fall into. Perhaps it is the easiest to achieve, but it requires practice and some mechanics when shooting. It is about the way we hold the camera and how when shooting we reduce the vibration or movement to which we subject the camera.

It is important to position your feet properly, have a balanced position, your elbows close to your body, control your breathing, and hold the camera firmly. You have all these tips and a few more in this article on the proper way to hold a camera.

However, no matter how good you are at controlling these movements, you must also bear in mind certain limits: normally it is advisable to shoot at an exposure time lower than the inverse of the focal length used. For example, if you are shooting with a 50mm, never shoot with an exposure time longer than 1/50 sec.

Some corrections can be made to this rule, such as the following, although it can be a good starting point:

If you use lenses with a stabilization system, in many cases you can gain more than 2 steps. Being able to shoot with a 50mm at 1/10 sec. without fear of shake (although if there is movement in the scene you will not be able to correct it :))

With the new sensors, increasingly dense, the safety speed has to be increased and I would dare to say that to guarantee that there is no jitter, with a 50mm and no stabilization system involved, you should use exposure times of 1 / 75 sec or less. This is at least my experience with my D7000.

What Errors Do You Think We Need To Correct To Get The Maximum Sharpness In Our Photos?

So far the 5 errors and the 5 ways to remedy them that I consider most important to achieve sufficiently sharp images. Although I'm sure there are many more.

Why don't you help me with # 6, # 7, and ...? You can also tell us about other solutions that you have found for any of the errors mentioned or any other advice, doubt, or recommendation related to the subject.

But above all, you know, from now on you have no excuse not to prevent more blurry photos from ending up in your gallery.