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Seven photo killing flaws
By Uncle Frank
Contributing Editor
I've taken well over 15,000 shots with my Nikon digital cameras, and have critiqued more than 10 times that number of pictures on critique sites. Here are seven major flaws that I look for in every photo I evaluate, be they yours or mine.
Camera shake
There's some amount of camera shake in every hand-held shot. Using a fast shutter, you can minimize it, but it's always present to some degree. Pay attention to your shutter speed. If it's faster than 1/60th of a second, your picture might come out reasonably sharp, but only if you're at the wide angle end of your camera's zoom range. If you're at the telephoto end, you'll need something faster than 1/250th of a second. But no matter what the shutter speed, if you want optimal results, use a tripod!
Misplaced focus
Most of those soft, dreamy pictures don't look artistic, just out of focus. It's caused by the camera's auto-focus system locking onto the wrong element in the picture. That's a killer issue for macros and close-ups, where clarity is the first thing a critic will look for, and sharp focus on the eyes is essential for portraits. Read the manual on the various modes of auto-focus your camera offers, and use the one that will place primary focus where it will do the most good.
Empty skies
A blank sky does nothing to enhance a composition. It can be a sign of improper metering, poorly chosen perspective, or impatience.
Want great results?
Get up early or wait until the late afternoon to take that picture of a red barn standing in a field of waving wheat.
Editors note: a sky can be added to some photos during post processing (editing).
