Blurry photos, where am I going wrong?

Rayne

I tried taking photos today of the Volvo Ocean Village but found that my photos are all blurry.... Makes me sad.

Is there something I can do to learn to take a better photographs. I've tried different settings but is all the same.

Clicking on picture will direct you to my newly set up pix.ie (only a newbie, don't hold it against me!)

I use a Sony T20... Which some considered a great camera, but I'm not a fan, anymore.... Anybody help?





*Please move if needs be.

AnCatDubh

the picture isn't linking for me - can you post a url and we'll take a look.

eas

is that a crop of the original by any chance?

GhostInTheRuins

It looks okay to me.

Rayne

eas wrote: »

is that a crop of the original by any chance?

Its the original.

Popped up the URL (Think clicking in pic works now)

Masada

It looks ok but its a little washed out with light. maybe a faster shutter , lower ISO etc. its always better to under expose than over expose in my opinion. you can correct it afterwards if its under exposed.

I dunno what camera you use but if its on auto focus then it would be a good idea to preset a point on which you want it to focus. on a nikon it'll usually be on dynamic focus and just picks a point itself but you could set it to only focus on a particular part so you wont have the camera focusing on the wrong part of the shot.

Rayne

Masada wrote: »

It looks ok but its a little washed out with light. maybe a faster shutter , lower ISO etc. its always better to under expose than over expose in my opinion. you can correct it afterwards if its under exposed.

I dunno what camera you use but if its on auto focus then it would be a good idea to preset a point on which you want it to focus. on a nikon it'll usually be on dynamic focus and just picks a point itself but you could set it to only focus on a particular part so you wont have the camera focusing on the wrong part of the shot.

Its a only my little P&S Sony T20. Got it 2/3 years ago now.

I guess I need to learn to use it correctly, how do you fix under/over exposure afterwards?

I don't think its on auto focus.

I'm trying to justify buying an SLR in the near future but want to make the most of my P&S and get better at photography.

AnCatDubh

I don't think there is a problem with the camera/image. Your T20 would have been the biz in its day but scrunching 8 Megapixels onto a small sensor is problematic even for the mighty Sony (which by the way ARE the biz ).

I think you may be getting hung up on viewing your image at full zoom (at 100%) - there it does look somewhat pixelated / blurry. It's highly unlikely that you would expect much better at 100% let alone actually view it at 100% normally.

Warning Large File Download - See the image at this link (a sample image from that camera). I actually think the quality of yours is better.

If you print from such images, you shouldn't notice the 'blur' at normal sizes 6x4, 7x5, etc.. It's only when you go to enlargements that you will have a problem.

To improve on the above try adding a little contrast to the image which should slightly enhance the brightness and eliminate some of the haze.

Rayne

AnCatDubh wrote: »

I don't think there is a problem with the camera/image. Your T20 would have been the biz in its day but scrunching 8 Megapixels onto a small sensor is problematic even for the mighty Sony (which by the way ARE the biz ).

I think you may be getting hung up on viewing your image at full zoom (at 100%) - there it does look somewhat pixelated / blurry. It's highly unlikely that you would expect much better at 100% let alone actually view it at 100% normally.

Warning Large File Download - See the image at this link (a sample image from that camera). I actually think the quality of yours is better.

If you print from such images, you shouldn't notice the 'blur' at normal sizes 6x4, 7x5, etc.. It's only when you go to enlargements that you will have a problem.

Thanks for the advice AnCatDubh, I think I do get a little hung up on it, I've seen others take pictures with P&S camera's and they look a lot clearer, maybe I'm just expecting more from myself.

To improve on the above try adding a little contrast to the image which should slightly enhance the brightness and eliminate some of the haze.

Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly do you mean by adding a little contrast?

Thanks for the fast replies, your on the ball.

Can you recommend any books or websites for taking a better picture?

Bella_Blue_Star

Google have software named "Picasa". It's free and really great. Press either "I'm feelin lucky" or "auto contrast" to get an immediate boost to your picture. Should do the trick.

AnCatDubh

SapphireDiamond wrote: »

Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly do you mean by adding a little contrast?

Can you recommend any books or websites for taking a better picture?

Your photo editing software will have a contrast control which will enhance/add more contrast to your image (enhancing the dark and bright areas whilst reducing the middle ranges). It won't suit everything so viewer discretion advised.

I hope you don't mind i've shown the effect on your image below (if gone slightly overboard perhaps - pardon the pun )

Contrast added on the left.



It won't work magic but I find a little contrast can help if you are attempting to eliminate the greyness imposed by a haze / poor exposure.

Re: Learning a bit about the art - There's a million places out there but here's a great place to start. I regularly find interesting stuff in there.

Hope that helps.

Rayne

Bella_Blue_Star wrote: »

Google have software named "Picasa". It's free and really great. Press either "I'm feelin lucky" or "auto contrast" to get an immediate boost to your picture. Should do the trick.

I actually have that software, downloaded it yonks ago!!! Must get using it!

Fionn

could you tell -
what you were photographing in that shot?
I cant see anything, but maybe its just me!
using a frequently phrase these days!!
nothing jumped out at me!!!
sorry

ajsp.

This my sound silly but when was the last time you cleaned your lens??
Your auto focus may be struggling to focus through a smug mark or a speck of dust

gary82

My advise would be to change the camera! I google'd your camera there and it seems it doesn't have shutter priority or aperture priority?

If you want to get into photography you'll want a camera that gives you more control, otherwise you'll get very frustrated. You don't need to cash out for a digital slr to start with... if I were you I'd pick up a second-hand "bridge" camera, people who upgrade to DSLRs often sell them off.

Look out for a camera that allows you to change;

• Shutter Priority (You change shutter speed and it auto-adjusts the aperture)
• Aperture Prioity (Opposite to above)
• Manual Mode (Allow you to edit both aperture and shutter)
• ISO settings (by using a low iso you get the best quality result, but higher iso settings allow you to shoot at higher shutter speeds)

I was in a similar situation to yourself, had an 8MP Nikon P1, WiFi and all on it, very fancy at the time. It was beginning to frustrate me so bought a 6MP Fuji s6500fd from that auction site before going travelling. Being able to adjust all the different settings gives you so much more control over your photography and you'll begin to really enjoy it and get creative. Also because it's only recording a modest 6MP in a large physical sensor, I can get nice crisp shots up to 1/4000th sec. You've already seen the photos I've taken of the VOR over on the Galway forum, nothing exceptional but wouldn't have managed anything close with my 8MP Nikon P1.

I'd highly recommend something from the Fuji bridge camera range. s6500fd or s9600fd . You should be able to pick up those for €150 or less over on adverts. Try a wanted ad.

The others here are much better photographers than myself but that's what really worked for me! Had the s6500fd for over 2 years now, and it still sells for about 75% of what I bought it new for!

Rayne

Fionn wrote: »

could you tell -
what you were photographing in that shot?
I cant see anything, but maybe its just me!
using a frequently phrase these days!!
nothing jumped out at me!!!
sorry

I think I was just shooting at everything. TBH, I never really think of shooting something in particular.
I guess with the Volvo Ocean Race, I just wanted pictures of all the boats, the people, the area in general 'just to have'.

I think I need to get more creative, and your comment has really made me think about that, look for something to shoot rather than random shots.

gary82 wrote: »

My advise would be to change the camera! I google'd your camera there and it seems it doesn't have shutter priority or aperture priority?

Really..... But I don't wanna spend money on a camera until I get better?

If you want to get into photography you'll want a camera that gives you more control, otherwise you'll get very frustrated. You don't need to cash out for a digital slr to start with... if I were you I'd pick up a second-hand "bridge" camera, people who upgrade to DSLRs often sell them off.

Was in local camera shop, and they advised against a bridge as if I want to get into photography, they said entry level DSLR would be best (She knew I wouldn't be buying from there!)

Look out for a camera that allows you to change;

• Shutter Priority (You change shutter speed and it auto-adjusts the aperture)
• Aperture Prioity (Opposite to above)
• Manual Mode (Allow you to edit both aperture and shutter)
• ISO settings (by using a low iso you get the best quality result, but higher iso settings allow you to shoot at higher shutter speeds)

I was in a similar situation to yourself, had an 8MP Nikon P1, WiFi and all on it, very fancy at the time. It was beginning to frustrate me so bought a 6MP Fuji s6500fd from that auction site before going travelling. Being able to adjust all the different settings gives you so much more control over your photography and you'll begin to really enjoy it and get creative. Also because it's only recording a modest 6MP in a large physical sensor, I can get nice crisp shots up to 1/4000th sec. You've already seen the photos I've taken of the VOR over on the Galway forum, nothing exceptional but wouldn't have managed anything close with my 8MP Nikon P1.

I'd highly recommend something from the Fuji bridge camera range. s6500fd or s9600fd . You should be able to pick up those for €150 or less over on adverts. Try a wanted ad.

The others here are much better photographers than myself but that's what really worked for me! Had the s6500fd for over 2 years now, and it still sells for about 75% of what I bought it new for!

I'll have a look for one anyway though. I'd like to be able take a few good ones through the VOR and from my hol's.

Thanks Gary82

padi89

SapphireDiamond wrote: »

I think I was just shooting at everything. TBH, I never really think of shooting something in particular.
I guess with the Volvo Ocean Race, I just wanted pictures of all the boats, the people, the area in general 'just to have'.

I think I need to get more creative, and your comment has really made me think about that, look for something to shoot rather than random shots.

IMO you've pretty much nailed it on the head as to why you are finding your photos lack.Good composition is what makes a photo interesting and i think you would see great results quickly if you worked on it.
You should start by keeping your photos simple, fill your frame with what you are shooting, change angles and don't just always shoot standing straight ahead.Look out for distractions in your Viewfinder/LCD before you shoot eg.poles,railings peoples heads(as long as your not actually shooting someone :P),if they are still in the way of your shot move somewhere else or try to move the distraction to the part of the photograph you can crop out later.
Instead of trying to take everything going on in the VOR in a few shots how about taking 50-100 frame filling shots of all the interesting things you see going on.If you do want to take an all in photo do what other people did and go up on the carpark roof for a better angle.

Have a read of this it should help you
http://www.morguefile.com/docs/Jodie_Coston:_Lesson_1