So you have blurry photos
Why are my photos blurry?
There are several causes of photo blur, each with their own solutions.
1. Motion blur
If your subject is moving while the camera shutter is open, the parts that are moving will appear blurry. They will be “streaked” or “smeared” in the direction of the movement.
Here’s an example where the barber’s hands are moving during exposure:
https://i0.wp.com/media.365project.org/1/3486479_bdjkoqu479_m.jpg?resize=477%2C550
Here’s an example where the people in the shot were moving during exposure:
https://pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/10/09143411/motion-blur-cover.jpg
Here’s an example where the photographer was panning sideways during exposure, so the car appears in focus while the background is motion-blurred:
https://www.thephotoargus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/motion-blur-panning-camera-technique.jpg
Solution: To reduce undesirable motion blur, set a faster shutter speed. As a general rule, capturing fast action like sports will require a shutter speed of 1/500th or faster.
2. Camera shake
Camera shake is sort of the opposite of motion blur: The subject might be stationary, but your hands are not.
Here’s an extreme example of motion blur:
Less severe camera shake can cause photos to look “soft”.
Solution 1: To reduce camera shake, set a faster shutter speed. As a general rule, a shutter speed of 1/(2x focal length) will be easy to take without camera shake. For instance, if you’re using a 50mm lens, a 1/100th shutter speed will be easy to take without camera shake. For a 16mm lens, 1/30th will be easy.
Solution 2: If you are taking a photo with a strobe in low light, the strobe provides most of the light. This will eliminate camera shake on subjects. Here’s an example of that: https://www.zacksmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/creative-flash-night-photography-new-orleans.jpgcr.jpg
3. Focal plane blur
Large apertures (low F-values) cause very thin depth-of-field. This is often used to intentionally blur backgrounds using the “bokeh” effect. Here’s a good article about depth of field: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/shallow-depth-of-field.html
If you are taking a photograph where the subject (or subjects) are outside of the focal plane, they will appear blurry.
Solution 1: Stand further back. The further you are from the subject, the thicker the focal plane will be.
Solution 2: Use a smaller (larger F-value) aperture. Smaller apertures have thicker depth of field, but let in less light.
Solution 3: Arrange your subjects so they are all in the focal plane.
4. Focus blur
If you aren’t focused accurately on your subject, they will be out of focus and appear soft.
Solution 1: Set your camera to use a single focal point and be sure to allow your camera to focus before taking a shot. Don’t move your camera’s view before taking the shot.
Solution 2: All lenses have a minimum focus distance. Ensure you are far enough away from your subject that your camera is able to focus.
5. Aperture blur
Most lenses have a particular aperture where they produce the sharpest images, and apertures larger or smaller than this will produce less sharp photos. A typical 50mm lens might be capable of an aperture of 1.4mm, but will be sharpest at f2.8 or even f4.0 or f5.6.
Some inexpensive lenses will be very soft at their extremes. For instance, using a cheap 50mm lens at f1.2 or f1.4 will produce noticably softer photos than the same lens at f5.6. However, as a general rule, most lenses are capable of producing shots that look sharp on phones or web pages. You will only notice aperture blur when cropping aggressively or printing at high quality.
Solution: You should know what the “sweet spot” is for your lens an stick to it if possible.
6. Zoom blur
If you zoom in or out while the shutter is open, this will create a radial blur that makes the edges of the photo look like they are rushing inward. This is uncommon.
If you focus on a subject and then zoom in or out, all but the most expensive zoom lenses will change their focal distance. This will cause focus blur. This is uncommon.
7. Damaged lenses
A damaged lens may be soft in any light and at any shutter speed, but only at some focal lengths, owing to internal glass components that are slightly out of true. This is uncommon.