Sometimes I'm the One Who Needs the Repair!

There is nothing I hate more than taking a picture that looks great on my camera's display only to find out it's a little bit blurry on the big screen. A little bit blurry = TRASH to me, even if it's the teensy tiniest bit. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm talking about where my subject is blurry, not bokeh.

So you're having issues with blur? See if this helps...

Decrease your ISO if possible
Anything over ISO 400 generally produces some kind of "noise".  The new sensors have greatly minimized noise over ISO 400, but it's still there. Try reducing your ISO to 100 or 200 and see how that works.



Check your shutter speed
If you're shooting by hand I don't recommend anything lower than 1/80.  Shutter speeds lower than that can make your shots blurry due to your hands being unsteady, your heartbeat, and/or your breathing. If you're using a zoom lens your shutter speed needs to the inverse of your focal length to minimize shake. For instance, if your focal length is 150mm your shutter speed needs to be at least 1/150. (1/240 if you're using a crop sensor Canon or 1/225 if you're using a crop sensor Nikon.)



Check your aperture
A wide open aperture greatly affects depth of field. If your aperture gets lower than f/2.2 your camera is getting a very specific point in focus but the depth of field is so narrow that some parts of what you want to be clear will be blurry. Simply use a smaller aperture setting until you get the result you want.  You may also need to adjust your shutter speed and/or ISO.

Use a tripod
Duh!


Buy reading glasses
I was shooting a wedding and every single one of my pictures looked blurry on the camera screen. I glanced down at my screen with my arm fully extended and the picture was in focus. That moment was when my farsightedness became apparent.



LASTLY...
Your camera MAY have a focus issue. If you're using a DSLR it can be an issue with your camera body OR a specific lens. Please follow your manufacturer's instructions on how to have your camera serviced.

 The reading glasses thing...yeah, that made me feel like I am getting older!