Is Your Lens Sharp?

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In this photograph, the whiskers and hairs on the animal's body are tack sharp.

Several factors contribute to sharp images:

• The sharpness of the lens.
• Accurate focus.
• The aperture at which you shoot. Three stops down from the widest aperture is often the sharpest aperture.
• Contrast, with pictures taken in high-contrast situations looked sharper than pictures taken under soft  light.
• The shutter speed at which you shoot, with faster shutter speeds usually producing sharper hand-held pictures.
• A clean front and rear lens element.
• Lens flare.
• Camera shake, with the mirror lock-up feature helping when a camera is on a tripod.
• Condensation on the front element of your lens.
• The sharpness of the actual subject, with say a baby's skin looked softer than the skin of a sexy senior citizen.

Consider all the aforementioned factors before you shoot.

Here's a cool product that I just discovered that lets you check the sharpness of your lens. It's called the LensAlign PRO Focus Calibration System.


If you are serious about getting sharp shots, check out this sharp accessory.

You really can't turn an out-of-focus shot into a sharp shot. However, InFocus, a plug-in from Topaz Labs, does the best job I've seen.Topaz Details can also help you fine-tune the sharpness of your images.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Speaking of sharpening, it's not a good idea to over-sharpen your images. A way-cool plug-in for sharpening is Nik Software's Sharpener Pro. Use this code to get a discount upon checkout: RSAMMON

Cool Clothing For Travel Photographers

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You've seen me on workshops, on the Canon Photo Safari television series, and in the field dressed for success. Well, most of the time I am wearing ExOfficio Clothes. Their stuff is cool, comfortable and packs small. It's rugged affordable. It dries very fast.

Feeling good helps me get good pictures. My guess is that it will do the same for you.

Pictured below is some of the EXO stuff I use and recommend. If you wanna get yourself or a friend/loved one a last minute Christmas gift for a future trip, check out EXO Gear. 

Good news! Many items are on sale at Amazon.com.

Random Find: John Harvey

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Hey, I don't know John Harvey, but the dude sent me a question via email and attached this beautiful image - which he corrected in Lightroom and then moved it to Topaz Adjust and then back to Lightroom.

The image was taken of Castle Geyser in Yellowstone in 2006.

I just had to share the image with you – I think it's that good!

If you plan a trip to Yellowstone, here's a good book:

Explore the light,
Rick

Horses Running on the Beach at Sunrise Added to My January Florida Photo Caravan

Good news! A sunrise horse shoot on the beach has been arranged for Day 1 (St. Augustine) of my January  Florida Photo Caravan. The trip is full, but we have a few spots open for the St. Augustine part of the shoot. Shoot me an email if you are interested.

I didn't take this horse-and-rider shot in Florida, but I hope we can all get similar images.

My gear recos:
• tripod... but be prepared for hand-held shots, too.

Camera settings:
• AI Servo (focus tracking)
• Rapid Frame Advance
• Shutter speed of at least 1/1000 of second to freeze action. (You need to boost the ISO)
• Shutter Priority mode.

Of course, if you don't want to freeze the action, use a slow shutter speed, say 1/15th of a second, to blur the background and keep the subject relatively sharp.

If you do get an out-of-focus shot, you can sharpen it, to a degree, with InFocus from Topaz Labs. (You can save a bundle when you order a Topaz bundle.)

Other tips:
• Watch the background.
• Don't cut off the rider's head with the horizon line.
• Take lots of shots to get an image all the horse's hooves off the ground.
• Works with reflections.
• Bring a lens cleaning cloth to keep salt spray off the front element of the lens.
• Check your histogram to avoid overexposed highlights.

During the Photo Caravan, I'll be giving a free, 2-hour talk in Ft. Lauderdale for the South Florida Camera Club. Hope you can swing by.

Back to photographing horses, when photographing more than one horse, try to get some separation between the horses.

Finally, watch for lens flare, it can ruin a shot. Use a lens hood and share the lens if necessary.

Explore the light,
Rick


P.S. I took the opening shot for this blog post in Los Osos, CA during one of my Light Photographic Workshops.

Improve Your Perception and Imaging

What (or who) do you see in this photograph, which I took in Escalante National Monument several years ago.

Post your comment here so all can see.

What you perceive – visually and in your photographs and in the photographs of others – is quite interesting.

For more on the fascinating topic, check out my friend Dick Zakia's book: Perception and Imaging.