3 Easy Things You Can Do To Increase the Sharpness in Your Photos

We’ve all been here. You know that feeling when you start looking through the photos you’ve just taken and the excitement creeps over you. These are awesome, you think!!

But wait…you zoom in and , oh. a bit blurry. Then the next one…soft focus. And again…just not sharp and crisp. Even that super cute one you got where they are both smiling and looking at the camera at the same time- you know then one- the money shot. Yup, you missed focus in that one too. That happy feeling just starts sinking.

I’ve been there too. I still miss focus every so often (not as much as I used to, but I’ll admit, it does happen). I knew very early on that focus was not something that could be compromised. You’ve got to nail it. And you realize that too, otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this right now.

Looking back, I know the three things I did that really made a big difference with the focus, sharpness and clarity of my photos. I so wish I would have known sooner. But now, you will!

 

1. Upgrade the kit lens. 

I didn’t ?have a ton of money to upgrade, but I knew that kit lens just wasn’t cutting it. So I researched, I asked around. I’d heard great things about the 50mm 1.8 lens and guess what- it wasn’t a lens that costs thousands of dollars. It was reasonable for me at right around 100 bucks. It might be a good one for you to start with to. You can read the review on the 50mm 1.8 here.

So I took the plunge and invested. And you know what. Everything I heard was true. Buying that lens was the first thing I did that made me dramatically see a difference in the sharpness of my photos. (So good in fact, that I eventually upgraded to the 1.4-also well worth it!)

 

2. Switch to Full Frame

When I started really focusing on portraits I was using my Dad’s old Canon rebel series camera- I’m pretty sure it was the the Canon xsi, and I’m pretty sure they don’t make it any more. After awhile I realized I was outgrowing that camera. I wanted it to do more, do you feel that way? If you do, it might be time for an upgrade. Now, I don’t think you need to go out and get the most expensive top of the line camera out there (I don’t use the most expensive or even the newest model Canon out there), but when I switched from a crop sensor to a full frame, I noticed a big difference with the sharpness of my photos.

 

3. Get Intentional

To get sharper pictures you have to slow down and think about your shots. You can not just press the shutter and wish that you’ll get something that comes out looking good. When I stopped taking 1000 pictures each time I was out and hoping one would be clear, I saw such a difference in the focus of my photos. So slow down, take your time, think about your settings, think about the placement of your subjects. By simply slowing down and getting intentional with my shots I noticed a change in how clear my photos became. Now you try it, get intentional.

 

 

And that’s it! Those three things are three things I did that made the biggest difference for me. Now if you still struggle, I have a few more points here on how to get sharp focus in your photos every time that might help you out too. 

What do you do that helps you nail the focus in your photos? Tell us in a comment below, so we can all get clearer with our photography!

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