Getting sharp pictures are just as important as light and composition in photography, but are often overlooked. There's nothing worse than spending time and energy on pictures only to discover that your pictures aren't tack sharp.
Follow these 10 tips to get tack sharp pictures.

1) Focus on they eyes
Always focus on the eyes of the person you are photographing. If the eyes are out of focus the whole photograph will appear out of focus.

2) Shutter speed: 1/x lens rule
Follow this rule to find out what the minimum shutter speed is you can use with a lens when hand holding your camera.

If you are using an x mm lens, set your shutter speed to a minimum of 1/x. So if you are using a 50mm lens, set your shutter speed to a minimum of 1/60 of a second.

3) Use a tripod
A tripod makes a huge difference, and should be used whenever possible. Keeping the camera as still as possible will ensure that you get tack sharp pictures, even when using high shutter speeds.



4) Use the best lenses you can afford
The better the quality of your lens, the sharper your pictures will be. A more expensive camera body won't produce sharper pictures but a better quality lens will.

If you have the choice between a prime lens and a zoom lens, always go for the prime lens. Zoom lenses are convenient to use but aren't nearly as sharp as prime lenses.

5) Stop down
Stop down by 2 stops to get to the sharpest wide aperture you can use. So if your lens has a maximum aperture of f2.8, stop down to f5.6 to get sharper pictures.

6) Cable release and Mirror Lockup.
In addition to using a tripod, use a cable release and mirror lockup for slow shutter speeds. Why use a cable release? Well, if you are shooting at a very slow aperture, pressing the shutter will result in camera shake - even if the camera is on a sturdy tripod. A cheap alternative to a cable release is to use your camera's built in timer.
You should also use the mirror lockup feature on your camera for very low shutter speeds (slower than 1/8 of a second) as your camera's mirror can also cause vibration which results in blurry pictures.

7) Turn IS off on long exposures
While Image Stabilization allows you to get sharper pictures at much lower shutter speeds, the technology causes the lens to vibrate slightly. If you are shooting at very low shutter speeds (slower than 1/8 of a second) turn this feature off as it can cause camera shake.

8) Ensure your pictures are sharp
While you are shooting, make a habit of checking if your pictures are sharp by zooming in all the way to 100%.

9) Alternative forms of camera support
Tripods are heavy and not always an option to use. The good news is that there are various alternatives to tripods. Joby makes a small portable tripod called a gorillapod. Monopods are light and easier to use and provide better support than the hand hold option. Bean bags are great if you are shooting out of your car. Put the bean bag on top of your roof and use that to support your camera.



10) Focus on closest distance
Perhaps the biggest mistake people make when taking pictures is to let the camera decide which focusing point to use. Always focus on the closest point in the picture you want to be sharp. (The exception is portraits where you want the eyes to be sharp).

Always manually select the focusing point when taking a picture.