Need some help with taking pics

[GretschWretch]

I have and will continue to be taking some bass pics for upload to TB. But I am encountering some difficulties that I am not sure quite how to correct. While some of my snaps come out crystal clear, others are blurry and I don't know the cause. Most of these are close-ups, with a few distance shots mingled in. Am I standing too close on the close-ups? Am I jiggling the camera slightly when I click the shutter? I would like to fix this. I really am tired of having to do retakes. TIA.

 

[pingvuiini]

If you are doing hand held exposures longer than 1/60 of a second then motion blur could be a problem. This can be fixed by using a tripod and timer or remote shutter release.

 

[pingvuiini]

You can also:

•Brace the camera against a solid object like a wall or heavy cabinet to steady it during exposure. Timer still recommended.

•Increase lighting to reduce the exposure time.

•Increase ISO to reduce exposure time. Higher ISO will induce graininess or pixelation.

•Open lens aperture to reduce exposure time. Although opening the aperture will reduce the depth of field, thus requiring more accurate focus of the subject.

 

[Oddly]

As the esteemed penguin above me suggests...Tripod and timer will help hugely.

 

[ardgedee]

The cameras in phones are good enough these days to take decent shots. Try the following:

• Shoot outdoors, in the shady side of your house or car, or on a cloudy day.
• Make sure the flash is off.
• Try to minimize foreground/background contrast -- in other words, if the bass is black, don't shoot on a pure white background. This helps keep the auto-exposure from struggling to guess what you're trying to do.
• When you're doing closeups, don't get too close. Unless you have a new high-end phone it probably doesn't do macro photography all that well. In which case you'll get more detail if the camera's far enough away to focus well than you will than if you're up close.
• Sometimes when you're trying to focus on something skinny when the background is far away -- for example, the neck of the bass -- the camera will lock in on the background rather than the foreground. On some phones you can tap on the screen to tell it where to focus, or alternately you can hold a sheet of paper just behind the neck so that if the camera insists on focusing on the background, the background's now only a couple inches behind the strings.

 

[JRA]

GW, these guys know what they're talking about!

and FWIW, even though I upgraded my phone/camera recently, i find that taking good pictures requires a tripod that's sturdy enough not to wobble when I press the button (once again, a lighter touch is in order!).

good luck with your pics!

 

[GretschWretch]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I should have made clear in my OP that it is a camera camera, not a phone camera.

 

[GretschWretch]

Well, I won't be taking any pics this evening or tomorrow and probably not Sunday or Monday, either. If you want to know why, just Google "Alabama Weather" or "Louisiana Weather." We are going to catch it tomorrow, with the entire state under either a Level 4 or Level 5 warning.

Prayers requested.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I should have made clear in my OP that it is a camera camera, not a phone camera.

So, you're using a "real camera", not a fonecam®? As has been drilled into your head by now: a tripod is your best friend.

I never use flash, just whatever available/ambient light there is at the time, andI always use a tripod with shutter release cable. I stop down the lens as required, usually close to or at the smallest aperture available on the lens (depends on other factors, too, to provide as good an image as I can make.

Need some help with taking pics​

Where do you need them taken to?

I learned from Ansel Adams that we're not "taking" photos, we're making them.

 

[GretschWretch]

So, you're using a "real camera", not a fonecam®? As has been drilled into your head by now: a tripod is your best friend.

I never use flash, just whatever available/ambient light there is at the time, andI always use a tripod with shutter release cable. I stop down the lens as required, usually close to or at the smallest aperture available on the lens (depends on other factors, too, to provide as good an image as I can make.

Where do you need them taken to?

I learned from Ansel Adams that we're not "taking" photos, we're making them.

I'm holding a camera in my hands and clicking a button, and something happens. Or not.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I'm holding a camera in my hands and clicking a button, and something happens. Or not.

You can get better at it. Sometimes it's simply a matter of relaxing, taking a deep breath, then let it out before pushing the shutter release.

 

[murphy]

Set the camera down on a solid object or shelf and take the pictures.
Try not to take super closeups unless you know the correct settings on your camera.

or ..buy a Tripod

 

[ardgedee]

If your shutter rate is above 1/80 sec, I wouldn't worry about a tripod much. For example if you're shooting outside under almost any condition other than nighttime, a tripod can be useful for carefully framing a shot but you aren't going to get any visible camera shake because the camera will be getting plenty of light.

 

[Reedt2000]

I assume it's a digital camera? Most have a Macro mode or some setting for close ups. Might need to turn that on for tighter shots.

 

[mambo4]

Every competent photographer I know recommends this book

 

[Jefenator]

No matter what you're using, more light always helps.
That, and aiming at an area with some contrast when you're focusing.

 

[darwin-bass]

Can we have the full story?

What camera & lens? What mode (fully auto, shutter priority, aperture priority)? Is the subject still or moving? Shooting indoors or out? Is there a pop-up flash involved?

You could be having focus issues (too close). It could be motion blur because there isn't enough light. If the subject is moving quickly, it could be that.

(my background - former part-time wedding and sports photographer and photography teacher)

 

[Jeff Scott]

Every competent photographer I know recommends this book

View attachment 7176158

I am an incompetent photographer. Most of what I learned about exposure and lots of other excellent information was through Ansel Adams books The Camera, The Negative, and The Print (I also have Polaroid Land Photography).

 

[Matt O]

I have and will continue to be taking some bass pics for upload to TB. But I am encountering some difficulties that I am not sure quite how to correct. While some of my snaps come out crystal clear, others are blurry and I don't know the cause. Most of these are close-ups, with a few distance shots mingled in. Am I standing too close on the close-ups? Am I jiggling the camera slightly when I click the shutter? I would like to fix this. I really am tired of having to do retakes. TIA.

It would help to know what camera set up you’re using. That said, there’s a difference between focus blur and camera shake. There are two different solutions to those two different problems. If you can’t tell the difference between shake and blur, post up an example of a bad shot so we can see what the problem is and offer solutions.

 

[TrevorR]

When you're doing closeups, don't get too close. Unless you have a new high-end phone it probably doesn't do macro photography all that well. In which case you'll get more detail if the camera's far enough away to focus well than you will than if you're up close.

This was also my first thought on the blurry close ups - and of course, it can also be an issue using auto focus on a lower end DSLR, bridge or snappy-snaps digital camera too if it doesn't have a dedicated macro lens or macro mode.