Common problems
Why are my photographs blurry?
“Blurry” describes the result, not the cause. Fixing it becomes much easier when you work out whether the camera moved, the subject moved, the focus missed or the sharp zone was too narrow.
The short version
- Inspect the subject and background separately to identify the type of blur.
- Set shutter speed for both your hands and the subject’s movement.
- Place the focus point deliberately and check whether depth of field is sufficient.
First, identify the pattern
Zoom in on the photograph and look at a stationary detail as well as the moving subject. If everything has a similar directional smear, the camera probably moved. If the background is sharp but a person or animal is blurred, the subject moved. If another part of the scene is crisp, the camera may have focused in the wrong place.
Also check the shutter speed, aperture, ISO and focus point if your software shows them. Those clues are more reliable than changing several settings at once and hoping.
Camera shake
Camera shake happens when your hands move during the exposure. As a starting point, try a shutter speed at least as fast as 1 divided by the focal length: around 1/200 second at 200mm. Use a faster speed if your camera has a very high-resolution sensor or your technique is unsteady.
Bring your elbows towards your body, support the lens, breathe gently and squeeze rather than jab the shutter button. Image stabilisation can help with your movement, but it cannot freeze a moving subject.
Subject movement
People rarely stay as still as they feel. About 1/125 second is a useful starting point for a posed person, 1/250 for walking, and 1/500 to 1/1000 for faster action. These are starting points only; speed, direction, distance and your intended result all matter.
If the photograph is too dark at the faster shutter speed, open the aperture or raise ISO. Intentional motion blur can be beautiful, but accidental motion blur usually comes from allowing the camera to choose a speed that is too slow.
Missed focus and the wrong focus mode
For a still subject, use a single focus point or a small area and place it on the detail that matters—usually the nearest eye in a portrait. For a moving subject, continuous autofocus and tracking are more suitable than locking focus once.
Give the camera a clear edge with contrast. A plain wall, low light, a dirty window or a foreground object can confuse autofocus. Take control of the focus area instead of letting the camera select from the whole frame.
Depth of field is too shallow
At a wide aperture and close distance, the zone that appears sharp can be only a few millimetres deep. One eye may be sharp while the other is not, or the camera may focus on a nose instead of an eye. Use a higher f-number, step back slightly or arrange people at a similar distance from the camera.
Remember that increasing the f-number reduces light. You may need to raise ISO to keep a safe shutter speed.
A quick rescue checklist
- Decide exactly what must be sharp.
- Choose a shutter speed fast enough for the subject and the focal length.
- Place a small focus area on the important detail.
- Check that the aperture gives enough depth of field.
- Raise ISO if that is what makes the other choices possible.
- Take a test frame and inspect it before the moment has passed.