The Digital Photography Book: The step-by-step secrets for how to make your photos look like the pros'!

Chapter One

Pro Tips for Getting Sharp Photos

If Your Photos Aren’t Sharp, the Rest Doesn’t Matter

Taking super-sharp photos is really important to us as photographers, but just knowing that some photographers live and die by the sharpness of their images can be a huge advantage to you. For example, the next time you’re at one of those glitzy photography parties where the place is packed with celebrities, the champagne is flowing, and DJ Tiësto is spinnin’ labels on the turntables, try this: casually walk over to one of the photographers standing around bragging about their latest gallery showing and say, Hey, I caught your show at the gallery, and I must say, I really admire the fact that you didn’t let it bother you that so many of the images were soft. During that short sentence, you’ll see that photographer’s smile slowly turn to a look of horror, then of disgust, and then finally, shame (oh, the shame!). You can almost count the minutes before you see them sneak away on their cell phone, posting their gear for sale at bargain prices. That is how crushing it is to hear that one of your images isn’t in sharp focus (even if you weren’t at their gallery show, and their images actually were sharp, this is just another fun aspect of being a photographer, which is crushing the hopes and dreams of other photographers). It’s like that saying: The only thing two photographers can agree on is that the third photographer isn’t any good. But I digress. I think you can see from this real-world example (taped live before a studio audience) that having your images crisp and sharp is a vitally important thing to you, to me, to everyone. That’s why we freak out when we learn that getting sharp shots isn’t about buying a new lens, but of course, we only learn that after we just bought a really expensive new lens some guy on the Internet said was super-sharp. The fact is that there’s a lot more to getting sharp shots than buying a new lens. In fact, you can get really sharp shots with the lens you have, but if you stop buying lenses, the lens industry will come to a grinding halt, which is kind of a pun, but the long and short of it is this: don’t expect subsequent chapter intros to have as much to do with the chapter topic as this one did, which isn’t really all that much. It’s an anomaly. The rest, well, they’re pretty whacked, so semi-enjoy this one while it’s here.

Seven Things You’ll Wish You Had Known . . .

(1) Here’s how this book works: Basically, it’s you and me together at a shoot, and I’m giving you the same tips, the same advice, and sharing the same techniques I’ve learned over the years from some of the top working pros. When I’m with a friend, I skip all the technical stuff, so for example, if you turned to me and said, Hey Scott, I want the light to look really soft and flattering. How far back should I put this softbox? I wouldn’t give you a lecture about lighting ratios or flash modifiers. In real life, I’d just turn to you and say, Move it in as close as you can to your subject without it actually showing up in the shot. The closer you get, the softer and more wrapping the light gets. I’d tell you short and right to the point. Like that. So that’s what I do here.

(2) There are extra tips at the bottom of a lot of pages and sometimes they relate to the technique on that particular page, and sometimes I just had a tip and needed to fit it somewhere, so I put it on that page. So, you should probably at least take a quick glance anytime you see a tip box on the bottom of a page—ya know, just in case.

. . . Before Reading This Book!

(3) Sometimes you have to buy stuff. This is not a book to sell you stuff, but before you move forward, understand that to get pro results, sometimes you have to use some accessories that the pros use. I don’t get a kickback or promo fee from any companies whose products I recommend (rats!). I’m just giving you the exact same advice I’d give a friend.

(4) I wound up making you some video tutorials. Some of the post-processing stuff for some of the shots is kind of hard to explain with just text, so I made some videos for you that show exactly what was done. Luckily, none of it is hard—you’ll be able to do every single thing I teach you because the videos are all simple, clear, and step by step. I use Lightroom a lot (it’s my main tool), but sometimes I have to use Photoshop (if you’re a Photoshop Elements user, you won’t be left behind—nearly everything I show in a video can also be done there, too). Also, if you use Photoshop’s Camera Raw plug-in (instead of Lightroom), that’s okay because Lightroom has Camera Raw built right in (it has the same sliders, in the same order, that do the same exact things). I put up a webpage with all the videos and links to any gear I mentioned, and this was all created expressly for this book, and exclusively for you, my awesome, awesome reader and new best friend in the whole wide world. Here’s the link: http://kelbyone.com/books/dpbook2020 (but turn the page because you’ve still got few more important things to go!).

Two More of Those Things

(5) If you’re shooting with a Sony, or Olympus, or Fuji digital camera, don’t let it throw you that a Canon or Nikon camera is pictured. Since most people are shooting with a Canon or Nikon, you’ll see both (although I shoot primarily Canon cameras and lenses these days), but either way—don’t sweat it—most of the techniques in this book apply to any DSLR or mirrorless camera, and even many of the point-and-shoot digital cameras, as well.

(6) WARNING: The intro page at the beginning of each chapter is just designed to give you a quick mental break, and honestly, they have little to do with the chapter. In fact, they have little to do with anything, but writing these quirky, off-the-wall chapter intros is kind of a tradition of mine (I do this in all my books), but if you’re one of those really serious types—I’m begging you—skip them because they’ll just get on your nerves. By the way, if you somehow are into these quirky chapter intros, I made an entire eBook of nothing but my favorites compiled from all my books, and it’s called Buy This Book of Chapter Intros Even Though You Won’t Learn Anything. One hundred percent of the profits from the sale of the eBook goes to support the Springs of Hope Orphanage in Kenya, which is an orphanage that was built from the ground up with the gracious support of people who read my daily blog and take part in my annual Worldwide Photo Walk. You can find it on Amazon for the Kindle or on Apple Books. You’ll really dig it (or hate it with the passion of a thousand burning suns), but either way, you’re helping some orphans so you still get lots of good karma and, in the end, everybody makes out (stop snickering! You know what I meant).

One Last Thing

(7) Keep this in mind: This is a show me how to do it book. I’m telling you these tips just like I’d tell a shooting buddy, and that means, oftentimes, it’s just which button to push, which setting to change, where to put the light, without all the technical explanations. I figure that once you start getting amazing results from your camera, you’ll go out and buy one of those tell me all about it camera or lighting books that goes into all that technical stuff and you’ll learn terms like chromatic aberration and lens diffraction and hyper focal distance. I truly hope this book ignites your passion for photography by helping you get the kind of results you always hoped you’d get from your photography. Now pack up all your gear, it’s time to head out for our first shoot.

Getting Tack Sharp Starts with a Tripod

There’s not just one trick that will give you the sharp photos the pros get; it’s a combination of things that all come together to give you tack sharp shots. (Tack sharp is the term pro photographers use to describe the ultimate level of sharpness. Sadly, we aren’t the best at coming up with highly imaginative names for things.) So, while there are a number of things you’ll need to do to get tack-sharp photos, the most important is shooting on a tripod. In fact, if there’s one single thing that really separates the pros from the amateurs, it’s that the pros shoot on a tripod very often (even in daylight). Yes, it’s more work, but it’s the key ingredient that amateurs miss. Pros will do the little things that most amateurs aren’t willing to do; that’s part of the reason their photos look like they do. Keeping the camera still and steady is a tripod’s only job, but when it comes to tripods, some do a lot better job than others. That’s why you don’t want to skimp on quality. You’ll hear pros talking about this again and again, because cheap tripods simply don’t do a great job of keeping your camera that steady. That’s why they’re cheap. If at any time, when you’re carrying around your tripod, you say to yourself, Man, this big tripod is a pain in the butt, then you know you bought the right one.

A Ballhead Will Make Your Life Easier

Here’s the thing: when you buy a pro-quality tripod, you generally get just the tripod (the legs part). It often doesn’t come with a tripod head affixed like the cheap-o tripods do, so you’ll have to buy one separately (by the way, this ballhead thing isn’t necessarily about getting sharp images, but it is about keeping your sanity). Ballheads are wonderful because with just one knob they let you quickly and easily aim and position your camera accurately at any angle (which you’ll find is a huge advantage). Best of all, good ballheads keep your camera locked down tight to keep it from creeping (slowly sliding one way or the other) after you’ve set up your shot. Like tripods, a good ballhead isn’t cheap, but if you buy a good one, you’ll fall in love with it and keep it for many years. The one shown here is my favorite budget-priced ballhead. The Oben BE-117 is small and lightweight, but surprisingly sturdy, and it’s only around $85, which is a steal compared to my all-time favorite ballhead, which is the Really Right Stuff BH-40 Ballhead. It costs around $415, but I’ve probably had it for 15+ years and it works just as great as it did the day I bought it. It is the Ballhead of the Gods, mostly because only mythical Greek gods can afford it.

BREAKING THE RULES

So what do you do if you can’t use a tripod (e.g., the place where you’re shooting won’t allow tripods)? In this case, if there’s plenty of light where you’re shooting, you won’t have to worry about it—just shoot in aperture priority mode and your shutter speed will be so fast (probably at least 1/1000 of a second) that you’ll still get a sharp shot because your shutter will be only open for . . . well . . . 1/1000 of a second.

Don’t Press the Shutter Button Itself

Okay, so now you’re lugging around a tripod, and your photos are looking much sharper. Not tack sharp yet, but much sharper. What will take you to the next level of sharpness? Not touching your camera. Believe it or not, when you press the shutter button, it moves your camera. It shakes it just enough to keep your photos from being tack sharp. I know, it sounds like a little thing, but it’s bigger than it sounds. Because of this camera shake issue, you need a way to take a shot without actually touching your camera, and luckily there are lots of ways to do this. You can buy a wireless remote fairly inexpensively for most cameras or you can go old school and buy a cable release. It’s a shutter button that connects to your camera with (wait for it . . . wait for it . . . ) a cable. They start at around $8 (like the Vello Remote Switch you see above, which is what I have), so they’re also inexpensive and time-tested (no fancy wireless connectivity needed). It doesn’t matter which method you use, as long as you use one of them to remove that camera shake you get by physically pressing the shutter button.

Forgot Your Cable Release? Use a Self Timer

If you don’t want to spring for a cable release (or wireless remote), or if you’re out shooting and forgot yours (which has happened to me on numerous occasions), then the next best thing is to use your digital camera’s built-in self timer. I know, you normally think of using this so you can run and get in the shot really quickly, but think about it—what does the self timer do? It takes the shot without you touching the camera, right? Right! So, it pretty much does the same job of keeping your camera from moving—you just have to wait about 10 seconds (that’s usually the default). If you hate waiting (I sure do), then see if your camera allows you to change the amount of time it waits before it shoots. I’ve lowered mine to just two seconds (see the menu above). I press the shutter button and then two seconds later, the shot fires (I figure that two seconds is enough time for any movement caused by my pressing the shutter release to subside).

Stop Camera Shake by Shooting Wirelessly

Another option, if you’re shooting on a tripod and want to avoid any camera shake, is to download your camera company’s free phone app and take your shots wirelessly right from the app. Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Sony, Olympus—they all have free apps that can press the shutter release wirelessly for you, so there’s no camera shake whatsoever. Since most cameras these days come with a built-in wireless feature, setting it up is a breeze. Also, using an app to wirelessly fire your camera comes in handy when you have your camera down low (maybe on the ground), or in a hard-to-get-to place (like behind the bride at the altar during the ceremony), and most allow you to see a preview of what the camera is seeing and give you the ability to change your camera settings right there in the app.

Don’t Raise Your ISO When You’re on a Tripod

When you’re shooting on a tripod, even in very dim or low light, don’t increase your ISO (your digital equivalent of film speed). Keep your ISO at the lowest setting your camera allows for the sharpest, cleanest photos (for most cameras today that is ISO 100, but depending on your make and model, it could be as low as 50 or 64). Raising the ISO adds noise to your photos, which affects sharpness, and you don’t want that (of course, if you’re hand-holding and have no choice, like when shooting a wedding in the low lighting of a church, then increasing the ISO is a necessity to get your shutter speed high enough so you don’t get blurry images—more on that on the next page. But, when shooting on a tripod, avoid high ISOs like the plague—you’ll have cleaner, sharper images every time). One more thing: you want to use your camera’s lowest native ISO and that would be a number, not a letter. So, if below ISO 100 you have something like L1 or L2, still stick with ISO 100, its cleanest native ISO.

Secret Weapon for Sharper Hand-Held Shots

If you’re shooting hand-held outdoors in the middle of a sunny day, chances are your shots are going to be pretty sharp. Since there’s so much light, your camera’s shutter will only be open for a fraction of a second (literally like 1/4000 of a second), getting all the light it needs to make the photo quickly. At super-fast shutter speeds like that, even if you weren’t perfectly still, you’d get a sharp photo. However, in low-light situations (like in a church, or a restaurant, or at sunrise or sunset), way more light is needed, so the shutter has to stay open longer—maybe a full second or more (depending on the light). And, if there’s any movement, you’ll get a blurry shot. That’s why we love to shoot on tripods—there’s no camera movement whatsoever, even if your shutter is open for two minutes. Of course, there are situations where shooting on one would be impractical or not allowed. So, how high a shutter speed would we need to get sharp shots hand-holding? I’d say around 1/125 of a second. If your shutter speed falls below that, chances are you’re going to have a blurry shot. How do we make sure our shutter speed doesn’t fall below 1/125? We turn on our secret weapon: Auto ISO. But, we don’t just turn it on, we set Auto ISO’s minimum shutter speed to 1/125, so no matter how low the light, our camera will make certain we have a shutter speed of no less than 1/125. It does this by raising your ISO high enough to where you get a shutter speed of at least 1/125. But, doesn’t raising your ISO add some noise to your photos? Yes, it does. But, if you have a choice between a sharp shot that has some noise or a blurry shot, you’ll take the sharp shot every time. It’s a trade-off, but a decent one. Also, for this to work, you need to be shooting in aperture priority mode, which I recommend nearly all the time anyway (see page 20).

Tuck in Your Elbows for Sharper Shots

Another technique for getting sharper photos when hand-holding your camera is to steady the camera by holding it with your elbows tucked in toward your body. This helps anchor the camera to your body, keeping it steadier, and giving you sharper photos. This is an easier change to make than you’d think, and once you see the results, you’ll be glad you did it.

SHOOT AT YOUR LENS’S SHARPEST APERTURE

Another trick the pros use is, when possible, shoot at your lens’s sharpest aperture. For most lenses, that is about two full stops smaller than wide open (so the f-stop number you use will go higher by two stops). Now, this isn’t true for all lenses, and if that’s not the case with your lens, you’ll find your lens’s sharpest aperture by keeping an eye out for which aperture your sharpest images seem to come from.

Turn Off Vibration Reduction (or IS)

One thing lens manufacturers have done to help us when we are in situations where we have to hand-hold our cameras in low light (where our shutter speed would drop so much that it’s likely our photos would come out blurry from us moving the camera while the shutter is open) is that many lenses today have built-in stabilizers. Think of them as mini-gyroscopes that literally steady any movement for us, and they actually work wonders. They have slightly different names depending on which brand you use. Nikon calls theirs VR (for Vibration Reduction) and Sony and Canon call theirs IS (for Image Stabilization), but they all do essentially the same thing: they stabilize the lens from any movement, so you get sharper shots. This only works for hand-holding, not when you’re on a tripod, but if you wind up hand-holding in low-light situations fairly often (for example, you’re a wedding photographer, shooting in dimly lit churches), look for lenses that have some type of a built-in stabilization and you’ll come away with sharper and way less blurry shots. One more thing: if your lens has VR or IS, and you are shooting on a tripod, turn the VR or IS feature off. These lenses look for vibration. If they don’t find any, they’ll go looking for it, and that looking for vibration when there is absolutely none can cause (you guessed it) some small vibration.

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