Looking into what issues you can face with photographs and what steps you can take to fix them.

What makes a bad photograph?

– Blurred/out of focus – If you don’t get the focus sharp, your images will look soft and blurry.
– Over/under exposed – Even if you just use the built in light meter on your camera, this will go a long way with stopping images from being over or under exposed.
– Movement/shake – If shooting above 1/60th of a second shutter speed (you may be able to shoot on slower if you have practice and can hold very still, this is just an average) the camera will more than likely move and pick up all the small movements that you make.
– Too much contrast/ too little contrast – When you get the settings correct images can still look really flat and dull due to a lack of contrast between the dark and light areas of the image.
– Grain and noise – shooting on a high ISO or with a poor quality sensor will result in a little or a lot of noise in your images. whilst it may not be noticeable to the eye on the camera, when you open the files up on a computer or blow them up during printing it may begin to show much more.
– Colour overcast/tones – This is an issue caused when the camera isn’t set to the correct white balance when shooting.
– File format ( RAW , JPEG) – JPEG is always lower quality than most of the other file formats but is supported by nearly all of them (if not all of them by now), RAW can’t be read by older operating systems and doesn’t work with social medial and most websites.
– Artifacts (JPEG Compression) – JPEG artifacts are caused by compression when an image is saved as a JPEG. Each time an image is saved in this format it’s compressed and “non-essential” data is discarded.
– Pixelated – Low quality images will pixelate when they get blown up as there is no information to fill the areas that are being increased.
– Over editing images (Poorly) – Editing images is all well and good, but if you take it too far they begin to look fake and lose their appeal. They can be over edited and this will ruin the image when taken too far.
– Image Size – Images that are very small can’t be enlarged or blown up very well which means that you will need to be careful what they are being used for. There are charts that can be found online to show the size of the image in comparison to the size you want it printing or displaying.
– Printing Quality – Low end printers, paper and ink will produce low quality prints and wont look as good as high end, expensive prints and work.

How can you fix these problems?

– Use a tripod – This will remove any reason for there to be camera shake or blur, unless the subject is moving.
– Shutter speed – This will help capture moving subjects and freeze them in place if you need to do so, eliminating motion blur, (1/400th and above is the average starting place for freezing motion)
– Focus – If you can’t tell whether the image is in focus or not, then use auto focus. Use live view, zoom in and use the D-pad (Up, Down, Left, Right buttons) to control the area that the camera focuses on.
– Lens choices – Always look at the reviews on lenses and make sure that you’re shooting with well known brands and high quality lenses as a low quality lens will always produce a low quality image, no matter how good you are.
– Film choice/film speed/ISO – Good quality film is a must (Most film these days is good quality however don’t be surprised when £1 film produces £1 quality), always check your film speed (ISO on digital). This is how sensitive the film or sensor is to light. Higher ISO rating = more noise but you can shoot with a much faster shutter speed or tighter aperture.
– Printing – Getting your images printed professionally is always nice but not usually cost effective unless you can get a deal on. Buying a more expensive printer, ink or high quality paper will make a huge difference, but the print settings that you need to print properly will vary with your specs and must be correct to get the best results.