The Keys to Sharper Images
Derek Smith • 23 January 2021
Like every other photographer in this lockdown pandemic world that we currently inhabit, we long to be travelling, and taking photographs. Deeply saddened by the high Coronavirus mortality rate, and infections, it’s sometimes hard to be motivated to take photos, especially in this lockdown situation, where photo opportunities are limited.
Nonetheless, I believe that it’s important to be out as much as possible, with our cameras, making the most of whatever opportunities arise. The snowdrops are out now, and sunrise, sunset photos make great subjects, you only have to see the weather watchers photos on the television weather forecasts.
So, how do we improve the photos that we do take? Composition skills are certainly one avenue to explore, but today I want to discuss the topic of sharpness in our images. The key elements to sharp images are focus, depth of field, and shutter speed.
Focus
The first point to remember is that cameras are very clever, but not mind readers, the auto focus on the camera needs to be guided to the correct focus point. For portraits, and animal photography use the smallest focus point and focus on the eyes, S-AF will be the best camera setting for posed photos, you may need to switch the focus mode to C-AF, or AI Servo for moving subjects, and possibly with a slightly larger focus point, or even a small group of focus points. For landscape photography the focus point is determined by the hyper focal point. However, the easier method is to focus a third of the way into the scene, because camera focus is sharp at the focus point, a third of the way in front, and two thirds of the way behind the focus thus ensuring a sharp foreground, and background. For macro photography the rule here is not to get too close to the subject, as the depth of field reduces as you get closer to a subject, so stay back, and crop into the image during post processing. When using manual focus, use whatever aids your camera has; focus peaking, or magnification to ensure the subject is in focus.
Depth of Field
Controlling the depth of field in an image is relatively easy if using the aperture priority mode on the camera. Portraits with a shallow depth of field and blurred background can be obtained by opening the aperture to f/2 to f/4 in natural light. For wildlife f/5.6 to f/6.3, landscape photography will require stopping the aperture down to f/7.1 to f/14. These aperture settings are dependent upon the available light, the lens, and camera used. Be aware that a lens opened wide open may not be sharp in the corners of the frame, and exhibit darker corners, called vignetting. Conversely, a lens stopped down f/16 to f/22 might give softer images owing to an effect known as diffraction, where not all the light rays are directed onto the sensor. Lenses will often be sharpest at a particular aperture setting usually around the range f/4 to f/8 this is known as the “sweet” spot of the lens.
Shutter Speed
A rough guide to the best shutter speed for handheld photography is to match the shutter speed to the focal length of the lens, with a 50mm lens 1/50, 300mm lens a faster speed of 1/300. Now, starting off the camera settings in Aperture Priority mode and fixing one of the exposure triangle parameters leaves the photographer with only the ISO adjustment to obtain the correct shutter speed, and exposure. Most modern cameras will happily shoot up to ISO 1600 without any noise issues. The type of scene that will need care with shutter speed will be: wildlife, sports, and children, moving water, and windy conditions causing moving flowers, grasses, and leaves.
Looking at this tree reflection image, taken a few days ago, I have set the aperture to f/7.1 (ideal for micro four thirds camera landscape photography) ISO200, shutter speed 1/100, with these settings the hyper focal length is 2.71m ensuring sharpness from front to back. The lens used was my walk around favourite the Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 (35mm full frame equivalent), on the Olympus PEN E-PL7.
For the nuthatch image it was a very different scenario, using the Olympus OM-D E-M5 lll, and the M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8, with the x2 convertor. Setting the aperture to f/6.3, and ISO1000, the resultant shutter speed of 1/250 was sufficient to capture the bird at a full frame equivalent focal length of 600mm. The 5 axis image stabilisation of the Olympus camera really does pay dividends for handheld wildlife photography.
Stay safe, and enjoy your hobby.
Nonetheless, I believe that it’s important to be out as much as possible, with our cameras, making the most of whatever opportunities arise. The snowdrops are out now, and sunrise, sunset photos make great subjects, you only have to see the weather watchers photos on the television weather forecasts.
So, how do we improve the photos that we do take? Composition skills are certainly one avenue to explore, but today I want to discuss the topic of sharpness in our images. The key elements to sharp images are focus, depth of field, and shutter speed.
Focus
The first point to remember is that cameras are very clever, but not mind readers, the auto focus on the camera needs to be guided to the correct focus point. For portraits, and animal photography use the smallest focus point and focus on the eyes, S-AF will be the best camera setting for posed photos, you may need to switch the focus mode to C-AF, or AI Servo for moving subjects, and possibly with a slightly larger focus point, or even a small group of focus points. For landscape photography the focus point is determined by the hyper focal point. However, the easier method is to focus a third of the way into the scene, because camera focus is sharp at the focus point, a third of the way in front, and two thirds of the way behind the focus thus ensuring a sharp foreground, and background. For macro photography the rule here is not to get too close to the subject, as the depth of field reduces as you get closer to a subject, so stay back, and crop into the image during post processing. When using manual focus, use whatever aids your camera has; focus peaking, or magnification to ensure the subject is in focus.
Depth of Field
Controlling the depth of field in an image is relatively easy if using the aperture priority mode on the camera. Portraits with a shallow depth of field and blurred background can be obtained by opening the aperture to f/2 to f/4 in natural light. For wildlife f/5.6 to f/6.3, landscape photography will require stopping the aperture down to f/7.1 to f/14. These aperture settings are dependent upon the available light, the lens, and camera used. Be aware that a lens opened wide open may not be sharp in the corners of the frame, and exhibit darker corners, called vignetting. Conversely, a lens stopped down f/16 to f/22 might give softer images owing to an effect known as diffraction, where not all the light rays are directed onto the sensor. Lenses will often be sharpest at a particular aperture setting usually around the range f/4 to f/8 this is known as the “sweet” spot of the lens.
Shutter Speed
A rough guide to the best shutter speed for handheld photography is to match the shutter speed to the focal length of the lens, with a 50mm lens 1/50, 300mm lens a faster speed of 1/300. Now, starting off the camera settings in Aperture Priority mode and fixing one of the exposure triangle parameters leaves the photographer with only the ISO adjustment to obtain the correct shutter speed, and exposure. Most modern cameras will happily shoot up to ISO 1600 without any noise issues. The type of scene that will need care with shutter speed will be: wildlife, sports, and children, moving water, and windy conditions causing moving flowers, grasses, and leaves.
Many dedicated sports photographers will choose to shoot in Shutter Priority mode, or even Manual exposure mode, but for the vast majority of photographers Aperture Priority mode makes camera settings easier to understand.
Looking at this tree reflection image, taken a few days ago, I have set the aperture to f/7.1 (ideal for micro four thirds camera landscape photography) ISO200, shutter speed 1/100, with these settings the hyper focal length is 2.71m ensuring sharpness from front to back. The lens used was my walk around favourite the Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 (35mm full frame equivalent), on the Olympus PEN E-PL7.
For the nuthatch image it was a very different scenario, using the Olympus OM-D E-M5 lll, and the M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8, with the x2 convertor. Setting the aperture to f/6.3, and ISO1000, the resultant shutter speed of 1/250 was sufficient to capture the bird at a full frame equivalent focal length of 600mm. The 5 axis image stabilisation of the Olympus camera really does pay dividends for handheld wildlife photography.
Stay safe, and enjoy your hobby.
Reflections
Photo By: Derek Smith
Nuthatch
Photo By: Derek Smith
Louth Photographic Society
Our AGM was held last night; it was a productive evening with all the Society Officers re-elected for the forthcoming year. A big thank you to Peter Cory who has stood down from the Committee, Paul Twomey has been nominated in his place on the Committee. Following the AGM, the cups, and trophies were awarded to members with the highest points scores in the competitions.
We held a PDI Competition last night with the categories of “Local Events”, (the “Local” designation applies to any photograph taken within a 25-mile radius of St. James Church, Louth) and “Open”. Our own Graham Harrison was the judge for the evening, and he did a sterling job of selecting the top three highest placed images in each category. All the results of the competition can be viewed on our Competition webpage. I want to take a moment to praise the work of our Competition Secretaries, Dave Turner is the Print Secretary, he collects, collates the submitted competition prints, and produces the score sheets, he also submits club entries into the LPA Fosters competition, and the LPA Battles for members. Harry Kerman is our PDI Secretary, he receives submitted digital images usually via WeTransfer, collates the entries, produces the score sheets, and presents the images on the competition evening, as he did last night. Our Society would be much poorer without the hard work and dedication of these two individuals. It would be a real help to both Competition Secretaries if you could pay attention to the titles of your submitted entries, in the topic categories a judge must be guided by the title, as well as the image to evaluate whether the image meets the topic criteria. Our next PDI competition has the topic of “Seasons”, carefully choose both the image and the appropriate title to help the judge. It seems a shame to put a lot of hard work into taking a photograph, editing the image, and submitting the entry, only to lose points because your image did not meet the criteria. I would also encourage you to join our outings in June, it’s where we can socialise, and learn from other members how to use our cameras and gain some composition tips. This photo of an Orb Weaver spider taken at Chambers Farm Wood, from last year, is an example of what can be achieved on our outings.
Good Morning All Last week at the club Derek Smith kindly organised a studio night for us all, it was a very successful evening with Derek providing all the lighting, backdrops, and booking the model. Thank you, Derek, for all your hard work organising the evening. This week, Wednesday 30th April, we are holding a local PDI competition, with the categories of "Local Events" and "Open", you have until midnight tonight to get your entries to Harry. The local is always judged by members and this week you have yours truly judging. The following week it is that time of year already when we hold our AGM and presentation night. If any members have trophies to hand in, this week please. The week after the AGM it is the first monthly PDI competition of our new competition year, Seasons and Open, you can begin sorting out your entries for that one as well now and send them to Harry after this Monday to avoid confusion. Regards Graham
Our “Studio Night” was held last night, this is an annual event, with a model being on hand for members to practice portrait, and fashion photography. This year, I wanted to try something a little different, with two sets positioning a model at one end of the room for the fashion shoot, and another set for portraits at the opposite end of the room. I tried booking a male model, and a female model for the shoot with a casting call on my usual modelling site, initially gaining interest from one male model, but unfortunately, he had to drop out. Re-advertising the shoot, yielded a female model from Rugby, and a male model from London. Where were all the Lincolnshire models? I pulled up a list of Lincolnshire models, and directly messaged several, without any response, until just 3 days before the event a female model under the name of Dahlia_Void (Megan) from Grimsby, responded and the “Studio Night” was on. Our very own talented Paul Rudd agreed to model for us, and both models did a superb job. I believe that the “Studio Night” was a success, with members seemingly able to take some excellent images of both models. Importantly, there didn’t seem to be a lot of waiting around for members to take their shots, and the models appeared relaxed. Megan was a little star, being very patient while we pointed cameras at her.
As a photographer, do you have a “style”? That’s a question that I’ve struggled with over many years. However, now that I think over what it is that makes me a photographer, I realise that being out with my camera brings me a lot of satisfaction, and none more so than working with models. My “style” if you can call it that, is encapsulated in what I call my “walkie / talkie” location shoot, which I’ve embraced for the last six years. I arrange to meet up with a model, male or female in a location, it may be a town, city, nature reserve, or a park. We walk around the location, chatting away until we find a suitable spot for a photo, I take a couple of photos then move on to the next location. The idea of this type of shoot is not to create the “picture perfect” portrait, but rather to capture a moment, some part of the model’s character. Travelling light, one camera, one lens, no reflectors, no lighting, just natural light, and a natural background. This “style” is perhaps more akin to street photography, but with a dedicated model. Here’s a sample of some of my favourite images from my “style” of photography.
Good Morning All We have just come back from a week in Northumberland, staying at Newbiggin by the sea. I took plenty of coastal photographs including many of the area's wildlife. Last week while I was away it was the monthly print competition. There is a blog on the website as well as all the results on the competition page. I really just need to congratulate Dave Turner who won both the subject and Open competition. I am not sure if Wednesday night's studio evening is going ahead yet but will let you know. Entries for the local competition, Local Events and Open need to be sent to Harry by midnight next Sunday. We judge this competition in house; I am happy to judge one subject if anyone else would like to judge the other subject? Regards Graham
We held a print competition at our meeting last night with the categories of "Curves" and "Open". Our judge for the evening was the very competent, and accomplished Diane Seddon. Diane gave excellent critique of the prints, and one of the main themes that Diane highlighted was the presentation of the prints, siting print sizes, mount sizes, mount colours, and more thoughtful cropping of images selected for printing. Definitely food for thought, and addressing those issues will improve members points scoring in future competitions. All the prints submitted into this competition were of a very high standard, however, it was Dave Turner who swept the board with 1st, and 2nd placing in the "Open" category, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placing in the "Curves" category, it was a well deserved placing with some stunning prints. The Competition page of our website has been updated with the full results. Thanks to Diane Seddon for judging the competition, and Dave Mann for the refreshments.
Dave Turner, and I attended the LPA Fosters Challenge at Nettleham. The judge for the competition was Sue Wilson from Clay Cross. Axholme took first place with 19 points, Grimsby 2nd, and Cleethorpes 3rd. Louth was awarded 13 points, consisting of: Damselflies Mating – Graham Harrison 4pt Saltwick Bay – Tony Gaskins 4pt The Thinker – Keith Rossington 3pt Muted Swan – Harry Kerman 1pt Pier Number 9 – Dave Turner 1pt It was an interesting competition with some amazing images, a big thank you to Dave Turner for selecting the prints and submitting our entry into the competition.
Good Morning All Last week at the club member Chris Birchmore took us back in time with old photographs and a very interesting talk on one of Louth's old shops Platts stores. Platts stayed traditional for many years but as like most of the old shops eventually disappeared along with it's upside down sign. There is a blog on our website as well to look at. This week, Wednesday 16th April, we will hold our Print competition with the categories of "Curves" and "Open" to be judged by Diane Seddon of Cleethorpes. Harry is also now taking entries for the local PDI competition, with the categories of "Local Events" and "Open". Regards Graham
Our member Chris Birchmore gave an illustrated talk last night titled "The Shopkeeper and his Assistant". Chris related details of his family origins, and family history in Louth, in particular his connection with Platts Provision Store in Eastgate. It was a very interesting talk which evoked many memories with those members who had themselves been raised in Louth. Many thanks Chris, the preparation, and talk was excellent.
