Why are my photos not coming out 100% clear? Mark ll EOS 6D

[ivesandhoney]

 

I am a new photographer, I just purchased a Mark ll 6D and an using an 85 mm lens. I have been trying to learn manual mode, and I just am struggling. I get the concepts of what to adjust, but when I practiced tonight, my pictures are just slightly blurry almost. And it’s not noticeable until you zoom way in, but I am a perfectionist, and I want to get it right, not just “half right”. I had watched videos on how to do manual mode, and people would say to keep your ISO low or your photos will get grainy.... I did just that, but when I went to edit it in Lightroom and bump up the exposure, it was very grainy. So I tried instead to do a higher ISO, which I think turned out better, but I still feel like my photo is not exactly crystal clear and I want it to be crystal clear. My aperture was set at f/4 I believe, Shutter speed at 1000 I believe, and iso maybe around 1000 also. This was while the sun was pretty much set, so could this time of night just cause less crisp? Should I bump my aperture up for a higher depth of field? Is it possible my autofocus just isn’t capturing the right spot? Please help 😅

[Tronhard · Accepted solution]

Thanks for posting this as a new thread, that helps us to help you.

Given you are new at this, the first thing to do is avoid manual mode for the time being. I would suggest using Av mode - which is aperture priority mode, and to set the ISO value to auto. (You can actually set a maximum ISO value for this in the menu system, and I would recommend no more than 3200).  This means that the camera will control for you, two out of the three variables that you need to set.  Since the aperture has a major impact on Depth of Field (DoF): how much of your image is in focus, this is how you isolate objects so that they are seen as the subject. The simple rule for relating the aperture value to Depth of Filed is that the smaller the f/value, the less DoF you have, but the more light is let in, so the camera can set a faster shutter speed, for example.

The next thing to realize is that autofocus has many options.  The default autofocus will lock onto the nearest significant object and that may not be the one you want to actually have in focus.  The standard method for doing this is to isolate the subject (you might zoom in to make it large in the display), and then HALF-PRESS the shutter button to lock focus.  While continuing to half-press the shutter, recompose the subject within the image and fully press the shutter button.  Don't press hard - the force of doing so will likely move the camera.

A lot of people, myself included, actually set the camera up for something called Back Button Focusing (BBF).   You can find numerous videos for this on You Tube, but I recommend looking at Canon DSLR-specific ones to make sure the menus match.  What this essentially does is allow you to find your subject, focus on it, and lock that setting by tapping a button on the rear, usually marked AF-ON.  You can also lock exposure using the * button, and that allows you to control how light or dark the image will be.  You can combine this with setting the focus system to select one focus point in the centre and the BBF will lock that for you.  The benefit is that for a photo such as your example, you can focus on the baby's eye (which is the critical point), lock focus on that and recompose your image before taking the shot.  This is used a lot by both portrait and wildlife photographers.

If you are keen to learn I would suggest looking at your local library on-line catalogue for an item called LinkedIn Learning.  This is a site full of high-quality videos from professionals that will take you through all aspects of photography from the basics to very advanced subjects.  The lessons are well set up and easy to follow.  If you find the item in the library catalogue, that means you free access to an otherwise pay site.  You open the link to gain access to the logon page and use your library credentials to access the site.  Once there, just search for Photography to see a list of topics (it's massive).  I recommend starting with Photography Fundamentals with Ben Long.  Even if you don't have free access via your library, you can get a month free by going directly to the site, whichg is: https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login

[ivesandhoney]

I absolutely will be. Tired mom brain tonight, but I will definitely be coming back tomorrow when I can think with a fresh mind to get better insight from your original comments. I really do appreciate you taking the time to help me, I am confident with your in depth explanation, I hopefully should be able to get it figured out. 🙂

[Tronhard]

Are you able to use Skype?  I live in NZ, but would be happy to share some knowledge with you.  I have a couple of courses I can present to you via Skype that I normally teach in person.  We can take them in bite-sized chunks so that we are both awake and you are not overloaded.  Let me know and if you wish to try, then send me a personal message and I will give you my contact details and we can find a mutually workable time.

[ivesandhoney]

Oh I really appreciate that offer!!! Thank you so much- let me get back to you and will send you a message, that would be very helpful 🙂

[Tronhard]

To send / receive private messages, look on the top right of this screen and you will see an envelope on the far right.  You just create a message to Tronhard.