Sharpness

Readers of this blog (all three of you) may have noticed in my Featured Professional posts I have mentioned sharpness as being a defining characteristic of outstanding photographs. In fact, I think of sharpness as being one of the most key aspects of any good nature photograph. Obviously there will be many photos that for artistic purposes won’t be sharp in all areas of the photo. But, it is important, I think, that the subject of the photo, whatever it is, be tack sharp. In the case of landscape photos, this will include the majority of the photograph.

I personally have trouble with this, and perhaps that is why I feel strongly about it. Since becoming serious about photography several years ago I have made taking sharp photos one of my goals. Over time my photos have improved as I have purchased a newer and more stable tripod, started using a cable release and mirror lockup, and keeping my aperture closer to f/8 or f/11. I am sure there are other little things I can be doing to get sharper photos as well. I have, however, yet to see the results I would like. I have come to the conclusion that I need better glass. The lenses I am using are not the cheapest, but not the nicest either. Once I graduate I hope to invest in some more expensive glass, maybe even a few primes. Hopefully that will solve my problem.

In my search to improve my photography, I came across some articles that are helpful, and have linked to them here. The first is about hyperfocal distance and the second lists various tips and ideas to maximize sharpness. I have also added one more that briefly discusses hyperfocal distance within a larger discussion of depth of field. It is from the excellent website www.luminous-landscape.com and is worth reading.