How To Find Your Lens’ Sweet Spot: A Beginner’s Guide to Sharper Images

A Post By: Dena Haines

Are you tired of blurry images?

It’s time to learn how to capture sharper images by finding your lens’ sweet spot. This will give you more confidence, save time, and help you take better photos.

In this article you’ll learn:

• How to find your lens’ sweet spot (for sharper images)
• Why you should shoot in Aperture Priority mode (and how to use it)
• How to perform a test to get your sharpest image every time
• How important is your lens’ sweet spot? Notice the difference
• In the above images of the clock, the one on the right is sharper. Look closely at the words and at the leaves behind the clock. The f/9 image is sharper throughout because it was shot in my lens’ sweet spot. The f/3.5 one was not.

  First, take a look at your lens

  In this beginner’s guide, we’ll use an entry level zoom lens as our example. Most kit lenses (the basic lens that comes with a DSLR) generally shoot their sharpest at the mid-range aperture settings. To determine the mid-range of your lens, you’ll need to know its widest (or maximum) aperture setting. It is located on the side, or end, of the lens and will look something like this 1:3.5-5.6.
  For example, here it is on my Canon 18-55mm zoom lens.This means that when my lens is zoomed all the way out, its widest aperture is f/3.5. When zoomed all the way in, its widest aperture is f/5.6.
  The rule to finding that mid-range sweet spot, is to count up two full f-stops (aperture settings are called f-stops) from the widest aperture. On my lens, the widest aperture is f/3.5. Two full stops from there would bring me to a sweet spot of around f/7.
  Use this chart to count your f-stopsThere is some wiggle room in the mid-range, so anything from f/7 to f/10 will capture a sharp image. Once you know the mid-range of your lens, you can do an easy test to get your sharpest image. To perform the test you’ll need to shoot in Aperture Priority mode.

  Take control with Aperture Priority Mode

  Shooting in Aperture Priority allows you to choose the aperture setting you want, which gives you more creative control than Automatic mode. By controlling the aperture setting, it’s much easier to get a sharp image, and because your camera still chooses the ISO (if you are set to Auto ISO) and shutter speed automatically, it’s very easy to use.
  You’ve probably heard that apertures like f/16 and f/22 are best for keeping everything in focus. While that can be true, focus does not always equal overall sharpness. Choosing a mid-range aperture will give you sharper images throughout. You can improve them even further by reducing camera shake with a tripod and a remote shutter release (or your camera’s self-timer).
  Here’s an example of how shooting in your lens’ sweet spot will give you sharper images.
• In the above split-image, the f/9 image is sharper than the f/22 one. The needles and shadows are not as soft or blurry as in the f/22 shot (look at the crispness and sparkles in the snow too).

  Switching from Automatic to Aperture Priority Mode

  To take your camera out of Automatic and put it in Aperture Priority, just turn the large Mode Dial to Aperture Priority. This is what that looks like on my Canon (on Nikon and other brans look for the A).
• Automatic mode is the green rectangle; Aperture Priority mode is the Av (or A on a Nikon). Once your camera is in Aperture Priority mode, turn the smaller Main Dial (shown here on the top of my Canon) to choose your f-stop.
• 
  
• As you turn that dial, you’ll see the f-number changing on your screen. In the next picture, it’s set to f/9.5.

  Perform a Lens Sweet Spot Once you have your camera set up on a tripod, performing a sweet spot test only takes a couple of minutes. To begin, put your camera in Aperture Priority mode, then compose your shot and take a photo at varying apertures. Start out with the widest, then click that main dial a couple of times (to the right) and take another. Keep doing that until you’ve taken seven or eight photos.

  Upload your photos to your computer and zoom in on them. You’ll quickly see which aperture settings gave you the sharpest overall image.
  This next photo of my daughter was shot using natural light. Shooting in my lens’ sweet spot gave me a pretty sharp image, even in this low light setting.The close up of the mugs shows the advantage of shooting in the lens’ sweet spot. Whenever you want to make sure you get the sharpest capture possible, take a shot at each mid-range setting f/7, f/8, f/9, and f/10.
  Getting Your Sharpest Images
  Now that you know your lens’ sweet spot, it’s time to practice. I hope you’re as pleased with the results as I’ve been!
• I love shooting in natural light, and learning how to capture sharper images in low light has made me so much happier with my photos.

  Tips for capturing your sharpest images:

  • Shoot in Aperture Priority mode
  • Choose a mid-range aperture (usually f/7 to f/10)
  • Use a tripod and a remote shutter release (or your camera’s self-timer) to reduce camera shake
  • Take a series of shots at f/7 through f/10 when a sharp capture is especially important
  But don’t stop here. Keep playing with settings in Aperture priority mode. It’s awesome to get images that are sharp throughout, but there’s a lot more to aperture than that.
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  4 Steps on How to Read Images and Learn to Replicate the Results

4 Steps on How to Read Images and Learn to Replicate the Results

Post By: Daniel Smith

Earlier, I wrote an article called: why asking what camera settings were used may not be as helpful as you think, and in it, I touched on the concept of reading an image.

Learning to read images – from a technical perspective and not a conceptual one – is something that I believe all photographers must be able to do, as it allows you to get a rough guide on what settings may have been used to create an image. They won’t be the exact settings; but you’re most likely not going to have the exact same lighting environment as what a particular photo was taken in.

Dive in to read an image

To begin reading images you must have, at the very least, a good understanding of aperture,shutter speed and to a lesser extent, ISO. You’ll want to understand how these things affect the image in different ways. For example, if you saw an image with a lot of motion blur, you would know from your understanding of shutter speed that a slower shutter speed was used.

As you become more proficient with lighting and off-camera flash, you can even read how the subject was lit with artificial lighting, and begin to replicate how it was done. But don’t worry! This article will be focussing on the three major aspects of photography exposure (aperture, shutter speed and ISO) to help you begin your journey to reading images.

Step 1: Shutter Speed – Fast or Slow?

I find that determining whether a fast or slow shutter speed was used first, can help greatly when it comes to determining aperture and ISO later. The first thing you will want to ask yourself when assessing shutter speed is; was it fast or slow? This can be decided by how much, or how little, motion blur is present in the image, as that is what shutter speed controls.

If everything in the image is pin sharp, and there is absolutely no motion blur at all, then a fast shutter speed would have been used. However, if there is a lot of motion blur, then a slow shutter speed was used.
Here are some points that you can take out of knowing if the shutter speed is fast or slow:

But how fast is a fast shutter speed, and at what point does the shutter speed become slow? To answer this, think of your shutter speed in relation to your subject’s speed. For example, when photographing sports or other fast action, you may find using a shutter speed of 1/1000th is required to freeze your subjects. This is because your subjects are moving quite fast. However, if you were to photograph people walking down the street, you would not need the same shutter speed, as your subjects are not moving as fast.

Below are examples of slow and fast shutter speeds. Notice the presence of motion blur in the images where a slower shutter speed was used, but action is frozen with a fast shutter speed. In images that will use a slow shutter speed, it is often recommended you use a tripod to stabilize your camera, and prevent camera shake.

What isn’t important is knowing the exact shutter speed; that is something that you will be able to experiment with to get the results you want. All you are doing here is identifying if a slow or fast shutter speed was used, to give you a starting point.

Step 2: Aperture – Large or Small?

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Another way you can determine the aperture is by looking for bokeh, or subject isolation. The more bokeh that is present in the image, the more the subject is isolated. To achieve this, the photographer would use a larger aperture. On the other hand, if everything in the image is in focus, then the photographer employed a smaller aperture to increase their depth of fieldIn step one I mentioned that determining whether a fast or slow shutter speed was used first, can greatly help you in determining the aperture. Here’s why. If you are familiar with the exposure triangle you will know that in nearly all cases when a fast shutter speed is used, it is associated with a large aperture (small f-number). Conversely, the slower the shutter speed, the smaller the aperture becomes. So if you see a photo that has motion blur present, it is highly likely that the photographer used a smaller aperture; or if you see a photo where moving objects are frozen, the photographer has most likely used a larger aperture to enable a faster shutter speed.

Step 3: ISO

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ISO is one of the parameters that isn’t so important in determining what settings may have been used when reading an image. Use ISO to get the settings that you need to use, to create the shot you want. For example, if you want to use the slowest shutter speed you can, set your camera’s ISO to its lowest setting. Conversely, if you want to use a very fast shutter speed, you may find that you have to increase your ISO.

Step 4: Focal Length

Focal length is something that is often overlooked in images, but it is a very important element indeed. It does more than simply allow a photograph to add more in the frame, or zoom in closer. Different focal lengths evoke different emotions in the viewer when looking at an image. For instance, if a wide angle lens was used, it places the viewer in the scene and can make them feel like they were there; whereas a longer focal length places the viewer further away from the subject, and evokes a more voyeur emotion.

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The great thing about focal length is that it is quite easy to distinguish approximately which one was used. To make it simpler, breaking down focal lengths in to three groups can help greatly.

• Wide: <50mm (i.e. 14-50mm on full frame, 10-35mm on cropped or APS-C sensor)
• Normal: ~50mm-85mm (35-56mm cropped sensor)
• Telephoto: 85mm+ (130mm+ on cropped sensor)

You can use the presence of compression to distinguish the different types of focal length. A wide angle lens accentuates the foreground and increases distances in the frame, as well as having a very wide field of view. This effect increases as the focal length decreases – or gets wider. On the other end, a telephoto lens will give you much more compression, and make distances in the frame look shorter. Their field of view will decrease, and the affects of aperture, particularly larger apertures, will be more pronounced. That’s why f/2.8 at 16mm looks different than f/2.8 at 200mm, if your subject is kept the same size in the frame.

Here is a small table with examples of the same scene photographed from the same point, but with different focal lengths.

Now you have had a quick introduction on how to read images. Remember, knowing the exact settings is not important, but knowing how to get an approximate guess is better than not knowing anything at all! With experience, you will become more proficient at reading images, and will be able to guess with more precision. The more you understand aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, the better you will be at reading images.

Along the way, you will also learn that different genres within photography use a different set of settings. For example, most landscape photographers will use smaller apertures, lower ISOs, and slower shutter speeds; whereas sports shooters for instance, will generally use higher ISOs, larger apertures, and faster shutter speeds.

Daniel Smith is originally from Melbourne, Australia, but now resides in the UK. He specializes in sport and editorial photography and is a photographer with Getty Images. You can see more of his work at Carbon Photographics, and by following him on Instagram.

12 Tips For Indoor Natural Light Photography

A Post By: Dena Haines

Feeling frustrated with indoor photography?

Harsh shadows and weird skin tones are common problems. In this article, you’ll learn how to improve your indoor photography.

12 tips for indoor natural light photography

Working with natural light indoors can be a little tricky. These beginner tips will help you create beautiful photos using natural light.

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1. It’s all about the windows and doors

You’ll want to get to know the light that comes through them. Sometimes it floods the room softly. Other times it beams in, bouncing off the walls and floor.

Soft light will add a soft glow, and harsh light will give a dramatic or moody look.

Take note of what kind of light enters each room throughout the day.

The color of light also changes during the day. It has a warmer look at sunrise and sunset. During midday, it has a cooler or neutral color. Use this to add different effects to your photos.

2. Turn off the lights

Natural light doesn’t like competition. Electric lights can affect your white balance. This is because the color of light varies with the source. Skin tones can look odd when artificial light mixes with natural light. The easiest way to fix this problem is by turning off all electric lights.

3. Shoot in Aperture Priority mode

In Aperture Priority mode, you choose the aperture. With indoor natural light photography, you need to let in as much light as possible. To do that, you’ll want a wide open aperture. The lower your aperture number (f-stop), the wider your aperture is open.

When you use a wide aperture, your depth of field will be shallow. So your subject will be in focus, while your background is left soft and blurry. This adds a beautiful effect to portraits and product shots.

For portraits, an aperture of around f/5 or f/6 will keep the entire face in focus. Focus on the eyes for best results.

Note: Also shooting in RAW is better than JPEG for indoor natural light. RAW files give you a lot more to work with when editing.

Aperture Priority is marked with either an AV (Canon cameras, pictured above) or an A (Nikon cameras). To adjust the setting, you’ll turn the small dial (pictured on the right).

4. Choose your White Balance

To get good white balance take your camera out of Auto White Balance (AWB). The button for changing white balance is usually marked with a WB somewhere on the back of the camera (or use your Canon Quick menu if you shoot that brand).

For proper skin tones choose Daylight (the one with the picture of the little sun). This will give good results, not too blue and not too yellow. If you want to warm things up a little, choose Cloudy. This will add more yellow. Try a shot with Daylight, then one with Cloudy, and see which looks right or which you prefer.

You can adjust your White Balance while editing (if you shoot in RAW) but getting it right while shooting makes editing easier.

5. Use a light catching backdrop

A backdrop will help catch the light and bounce it back on your subject.

In the above image, the white material helps to cradle the light around the flowers.

This backdrop is made with a freestanding collapsible clothes rack and a long piece of white material. I love how easy it is to set up and move around.

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6. Use a light box

A light box will create a similar effect as the backdrop, but it will help control the light even more.

I made this light box out of Lego and used the same piece of white material pictured in tip #5.

 7. Use a reflector

A reflector is used to bounce natural light back on your subject.

For these shots, I used a reflector and the backdrop. My daughter was sitting with her left side facing the window. She was holding the reflector in her right hand, which helped lighten the shadows.

8. Use a mirror

A mirror is another great way to control natural light. Hang a mirror in the window. I used a large suction cup with a hook to hang the mirror.

Have your model look in the mirror. As you take your shot make sure your reflection is not in the mirror. It can take some patience to get the angles and reflections under control, but it’s worth it.

I used a small handheld mirror for this shot. A larger mirror would require less cropping.

9. Tidy up

There are often things lying around the house, especially if you have kids. This clutter can be distracting in a photograph. It’s worth taking a couple minutes to tidy up before you start shooting.

In a small space, a backdrop can serve a double purpose. It will control light and create a blind to background clutter. It can help make a small space more workable. For most of the photos in this article, I pushed our sofa and table into the middle of our living room, so I could set up in front of our largest window. Without the backdrop, this location wouldn’t work.

10. Place your subject close to the window

Place your subject a foot or two away from the light source. This way you’ll make the best use of the natural light, and avoid the harsh contracts that can be created by being too close to the window/door. Try backlit, side lit, and full light by having your model face different angles to the window. 

11. Use the curtains

Use curtains or blinds to help diffuse harsh light. When the sun is beaming into the room, the light can blow out your photos. Pulling the curtains can soften the light and help with proper exposure. If the curtains are not suitable, you could use a sheer piece of material to hang over existing curtain rods.

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12. Shoot reflective objects

Natural light can turn the most common thing (like the moisture on the window pictured below) into something beautiful. 

Have fun playing around with reflective objects and natural light. I love the way light creates reflections and glistens on shiny/iridescent objects.

You’ve got to love it

It’s easy to love indoor natural light photography.

The setup is inexpensive, portable, and easy; and you can create beautiful photos no matter the weather or time of day. Don’t forget to have fun, and let that inner beauty shine through.

Your turn

Let me know how your experimenting goes by commenting below. I can’t wait to see what you create. Please share your photos as well.