LO3: D1
Evaluate techniques used to control photographic image sharpness
In this blog I will be discussing techniques to control photographic image sharpness. This includes shutter speed, aperture and the use of a tripod to take sharp, clear images.
Shutter speed
The two pictures below use a low shutter speed allowing the motion in the image to be flowing creating light trails of the cars passing. I focussed the image using manual focus to ensure that it was focussed correctly how i wanted it. I used a tripod to reduce motion blur in other parts of the image from the camera moving creating a sharp image where I needed. I didn't need to do much to create a well lit shot due to the car lights doing most of the work but I did lower the ISO to ensure the photo wasn't over exposed. I didn't use a flash as it would have had no effect. It wouldn't effectively light up the road, it would make the car lights dimmer and it would make the trees too stark in contrast to the rest of the image. I think that the first photo isn't very effective because there weren't may cars so there aren't as many light trails as I would like but the second one is very effective because there was a nice number of cars.
Aperture
The image below has a low aperture meaning that it has a shallow depth of field. This means that the background is blurred while the foreground is in focus therefore bringing the viewers attention to the foreground. I focussed the shot on the daffodils at the front of the frame and used the low aperture at an f stop of around f4 to blur the background making the daffodils at the front the focus. I got a clear image by using manual focus and I also used a tripod to keep the camera steady to reduce unwanted blur due to the camera shaking. I didn't need to do much to create a well lit shot as the natural lighting was quite good but I did adjust the ISO so that the image wasn't over exposed. This image was effective as the flower which is the main subject is in focus and the ones in the background are blurred shifting the focus to the subject.
A lower number f stop gives the image a shallow depth of field and a higher number f stop gives the image a deep depth of field.
Tripod
These photo show me using the tripod this allows me to get a sharp shot with no unwanted blur due to camera movement.
I think that the most effective way to create a sharp photograph is to use a tripod in all cases. This keeps the camera stable and means if you have a slow shutter speed then your photo will be sharp. A low aperture number will allow you to have a faster shutter speed too because it lets more light in. A high aperture for a long depth of focus will mean you have to have a slow shutter speed though to allow enough light in for the photo to appear correctly.
In the daytime you need a fast shutter speed otherwise you will have motion blur and this looks like a poor quality image. However, if you use a fast shutter speed at night then the image will be under exposed as not enough light has entered the camera. But if you use a slow shutter speed at night then you have to be careful as you can get unwanted motion blur.
The other setting you can change to have an effect on how sharp an image is is the ISO setting. This changes how sensitive the camera is to light. If you make the setting too high though then you can see flecks of colour (noise) in the photo. However, if it is set too low then this can make the image underexposed.
To be a good photographer I think you need to balance ISO, shutter speed and aperture and know when to use them to have a good effect. I think a good summary is: 1. At night use a slow shutter speed and always a tripod. 2. In the day use a fast shutter speed and a low ISO - you might not even need a tripod. 3. If you want to shoot close up images then use a low aperture because then you can get a nice blurred background and let more light in. You could also use a low aperture at night to let more light in.
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