# pictures keep coming out blurry



## dahamsta7 (Jan 5, 2011)

hey everyone. complete noob to photography and the forum so hellos off the bat.

ive been taking pics trying to practice but most of them keep coming out  blurry when it comes to people.  i keep changing shutter speed and  aperature but keep running into the same problems.

ive got a canon t2i, 18-55 is lens.  heres some info on a couple to give  an example.  sorry i cant put the exact link cuz of post count.   any insight or tips would be  great.  thanks!

iso 3200
shutter speed 1/13
ap 4.0
pic url: img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/dahamsta7/IMG_9210.jpg?t=1294288897


iso 3200
shutter speed 1/15
ap 4.0
pic url: img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/dahamsta7/IMG_9209.jpg?t=1294288942


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## misstwinklytoes (Jan 5, 2011)

You're gonna wanna post those pics directly instead of links.

Your focus fell on the cabinet behind the people.  Shutter speed is way too low and you're catching movement from the people moving.


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## Trever1t (Jan 5, 2011)

why are you shooting with ISO set to 3200?


your shutter speed is too slow to hand hold the camera. If you are shooting at ISO 3200 and such a slow speed you must not have enough light?


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## misstwinklytoes (Jan 5, 2011)

If you're shooting at 3200 ISO you could probably up your shutter speed some.  What mode were you shooting in?


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## BuS_RiDeR (Jan 5, 2011)

Shutter speed is too slow for handheld photos. Thats why they are blurry.

I think it is recommended to use one 30th to one 60th of a second or faster shutter speed (depending how steady the photographer is) for handheld shooting.

And yes you should probably be using a lower ISO setting... Read THIS for a bit o help with these issues...


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## dahamsta7 (Jan 5, 2011)

I've been shooting in AV.  I had the ISO set to auto so didn't think I had to worry about that.  

I kept increasing shutter speed but the pictures kept getting darker.

I was using auto focus so i take it thats why it focused on the cabinet.  if i had been in manual and focused on the people, would it still be motion blurry?


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## misstwinklytoes (Jan 5, 2011)

You need to read up on the exposure triangle.  The shutter speed has to be high enough that you're not getting the movement of the people (or of yourself if you're holding the camera).  In order to up the shutter speed you have to adjust the ISO and aperture to fit what you need the shutter speed to be.  Yes, you would still catch the motion blur, even if you used manual focus.  Your focus point is probably set to all points if you've not changed it and that means the camera basically gets to choose where to focus and it chose the cabinet.  This is my understanding of it anyhow.  More experienced folks can correct me if I'm wrong.


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## JeffieLove (Jan 5, 2011)

dahamsta7 said:


> I've been shooting in AV.  I had the ISO set to auto so didn't think I had to worry about that.
> 
> I kept increasing shutter speed but the pictures kept getting darker.
> 
> I was using auto focus so i take it thats why it focused on the cabinet.  if i had been in manual and focused on the people, would it still be motion blurry?



Increasing shutter speed lets less light in. If your picture is dark, you want to decrease your shutter speed or make your aperture a lower number (open it up). 

I would set your ISO at 400 or 800 and see what your camera decides your aperture & shutter speed need to be. If it is still too low, use the built in flash on your camera... If that STILL doesn't work. IDK  lol


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## scotch59 (Jan 5, 2011)

Does your lens have an image stabalizer on it? that could be why, just from very minor camera shake.. try resting it on something, so the camera is completly still and under the same lighting and try again..


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## dahamsta7 (Jan 5, 2011)

ok reading as we speak....another thing im wondering.  

so if im in AV mode.  shouldnt i just be able to set the aperature and then the camera auto choose the shutter speed+ISO for the best exposure?  

If I do have to make the adjustments, im only able to do that in manual right so i wouldnt be able to take a pic like this in AV mode?

sorry if this is answered by reading the xposure triangle, just antsy.  =)


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## JeffieLove (Jan 5, 2011)

Your camera is a computer - therefore, not always right. 

Based on what I'm seeing with your shutter speed being low, your ISO being high and your aperture being pretty wide (I'm assuming you are using an 18-55mm lens) as far as how wide open the lens goes, you don't have enough light and you need to either use the flash, or add more light to the room.


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## misstwinklytoes (Jan 5, 2011)

If you're inside and wanting to shoot in low light settings I would suggest using Shutter Priority if you're not comfortable in manual.  That way you can set your SS high enough to stop the motion.  Someone explained SS to me in the terms of focal length something like this to me.  If you're shooting at 50mm you'll want your SS to be at least 1/50... The exposure triangle is the best thing to get the most basic of photography of down.


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## dahamsta7 (Jan 5, 2011)

even with this much light, camera shake affects it that much?  and by this much i mean a chandaleer and a lamp.  =P


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## AprilEye (Jan 5, 2011)

Try shooting in Program AE mode for starters or "P".


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## misstwinklytoes (Jan 5, 2011)

Yes.  Because your shutter speed is so slow.  You're capturing 1/15th of a second of movement.


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## BuS_RiDeR (Jan 5, 2011)

dahamsta7 said:


> I've been shooting in AV.  I had the ISO set to auto so didn't think I had to worry about that.



Because Av is the aperture...  It controls the diameter of the hole in which the light enters the camera... The camera then chooses a shutter speed and ISO setting to give you a correct exposure. And this results in a slow shutter speed...



dahamsta7 said:


> I kept increasing shutter speed but the pictures kept getting darker.



I am unsure about your camera...  But in Av mode you can not change the shutter speed. In order to change the shutter speed, you need to be in Tv mode or manual mode... And as you increase the shutter speed (the amount of time the aperture remains open to allow light into the camera...  you need to increase your aperture and/or ISO to compensate for the differense in light being allowed to reach the sensor. This is why your shots appear dark or under-exposed.

Read the link I posted...  Search the net for exposure or exposeru triangle... Get and read Bryan Peterson's book called Understanding Exposure.

Once you understand how and why the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings are related...  you will be much further ahead and you'll be able to take better photos...


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## dahamsta7 (Jan 5, 2011)

gotcha ok thanks everyone appreciate the speedy responses!  in the meantime ill be reading about the exposure triangle.  =)


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## misstwinklytoes (Jan 5, 2011)

:thumbup:


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## Robin Usagani (Jan 5, 2011)

Pop up the flash


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## scotch59 (Jan 5, 2011)

dahamsta7 said:


> even with this much light, camera shake affects it that much?  and by this much i mean a chandaleer and a lamp.  =P



yeah it can make a big difference, but im looking at it again and it seems like 1) its focusing on the background cabnits not the people, and 
2) the people seem to bee turning their heads or moving of some sort, so with a shutter of 1/13 theres no way capture movement like that and have it be still.

not sure your lens speed, but lowering the aperture could allow for a faster shutter, and a flash too would do the trick.


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## dahamsta7 (Jan 5, 2011)

thanks.  i was shooting in AV and it was as high as it could go at 3.5 i believe.  

so to properly shoot this picture with the lens that i had, id really need a flash, a tripod for no shake, or more lights around

oh and btw your flickr pics are SICK.  i live in sf and my goal is to take pics like yours. hahhaa


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## JeffieLove (Jan 5, 2011)

dah - yes, you need a flash in this case. Your ISO is as high as it's going to get, your aperture is as wide as it's going to get, so that means that your shutter speed is as fast as it's going to get unless you turn on the flash... 

Now, when you turn on the flash, it will help because the flash tends to "stop movement", but your shutter speed might still be low. It might bump up to 1/30 or so... You should still use a tripod


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## sanpan (Jan 6, 2011)

The cabinets are not blurred, that would indicate that this is a case of motion blur and not camera shake. So a tripod might not help. So its just a matter of using the flash to freeze motion.


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## Rob1n (Jan 6, 2011)

Do a test outside on a well lit day of someone walking slowly along in shutter priority. do a series of images 1/15 1/30 1/60 and so on up to 1/1000 at your widest zoom mid zoom and then full zoom. Then examine them carefully, you will be shocked how many of them have some degree og camera shake. But it will tell you what shutter speed you need to get sharp images. eg 50mm lens need 1/125 to get relatively sharp images 24 mm needs 1/30 to get same sharpness and 200mm you need 1/500 to get a camera shake free image. good luck


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## fokker (Jan 6, 2011)

sanpan said:


> The cabinets are not blurred, that would indicate that this is a case of motion blur and not camera shake. So a tripod might not help. So its just a matter of using the flash to freeze motion.



At least one person here gets what's going on. 

1/13s is probably fast enough with the IS and short focal length to prevent camera shake, but the people are moving. Make them hold still or add more light are your only options.


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## KmH (Jan 6, 2011)

dahamsta7 said:


> even with this much light, camera shake affects it that much? and by this much i mean a chandaleer and a lamp. =P


The camera does not 'see' the same way yours eyes do.

The camera needs a lot more light than your eyes do. That's why strobed (flash) light is so bright.


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## dahamsta7 (Jan 6, 2011)

thanks for all the tips everyone...will def be makign adjustments and 'trying' to commit all this to memory.


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## Trever1t (Jan 6, 2011)

basically you have to look at your subject, in this case people who are talking, moving, not posing. 

Subject=moving

Then look at your objective, in this case you want motion stopped.

Stopping motion=faster shutter speed.

In order to capture your subject with your objective you will need a faster shutter speed than you are using. Your only options are..

Open aperature
Increase ISO sensitivity (which will decrease quality at a point)
Increase lighting.

The correct answer here is to:

Set ISO to ~400 (take it off auto)
Set shutter speed ~1/60 (shutter priority mode)
Increase lighting either ambient or flash/strobe.


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