So is it possible to regress....

[Mozer]

So is it possible to regress in your photography skills? I swear the photos I took a couple years ago are much better than what I'm able to get now. It is so frustrating! I cannot get sharp pictures at all anymore. I use to get wonderful photos w/ my 50mm lens, but lately everything has been blah. I do realize one big problem is that the lighting in my house stinks----royally. I get better photos outside but even those haven't been as sharp. So how do you know if your camera needs a tune-up? Or if it is the lens? Or if you have just gotten worse? My problem is that I'm usually inspired to scrap by looking at my pictures but my pictures haven't been very inspiring in the last year.

[Britgirl]

before you blame anything else can I just say - as someone who does this a lot!!- have you checked your little black dial that alters the focus for your eyes>? I swear if this gets knocked once it gets knocked a thousand times with me! and then when I *think* its in focus - to my eyes thro the viewfinder- it downloads and isnt anything like sharp, up close.

If its not that, then maybe you just need to do two things I personally do.
a) change it up a bit - take pictures somewhere new, of something new. like, drastically new/different.
b) wait. As in wait for the lighter months. spring, summer, glorious photos all the time because of such lovely times outside, in good light!!! I swear my photos from summer months are always a billion times better than ones from dreary old now.

You can get tune ups, or lenses checked. BUt often.,,, thats not really whats up.

[Joey_M]

Maureen, this is a great question! I look forward to reading the responses.
I was having trouble with my 50mm lens too. 1/2 of the pictures I took with it were a mess. I switched to my 55-200mm lens and haven't looked back! I LOVE this lens! I need to go back and revisit my 50mm as it was a trusty friend for a long time. HTH!

[KerryMac]

ditto what mel said! I've had this happen many times. I think it's kind of like writer's block.
A change, a break, a friend to shoot with; they can all spark the fire

[katrinak]

THIS is the time of year I seem to always question my ability. Too little light making life difficult.

Great advice provided by Mel

[rogerskk]

I have knocked the little diopter as well, and that will throw the focus of your shots like no other!

[Cassie Jones (1gr8muggle)]

Um, call me slow, but I don't understand how changing the focus in your viewfinder affects anything unless you're shooting in manual focus. Mel, please tell me you're not manually focusing all those great photos. I'll feel even MORE inferior over here. LOL

[cheska99]

Is it possible that you're just a smidge less steady than you used to be? If that's it, perhaps you could open up your ap a little more or boost your ISO and see if you don't get better sharpness.

[Britgirl]

sometimes manual focus sometimes not
if your eyesight is not perfect, and you have the dioptics wheel 'set' for your eyesight, then you will think its right, when its not. if you see what I mean,
okay it you DONT see what I mean, try altering the wheel. wait - is your eyesight perfect? LOL mines only a little out, but its enough.

[Aino]

Originally Posted by 1gr8muggle

Um, call me slow, but I don't understand how changing the focus in your viewfinder affects anything unless you're shooting in manual focus. Mel, please tell me you're not manually focusing all those great photos. I'll feel even MORE inferior over here. LOL

My feelings exactly.



And yes, Mo, I think I have regressed together with you. Maybe we can unite and form a group. On Facebook or on Flickr or something. Isn't that what people do?

[Britgirl]

SPRING is around the corner. apparently.
keep chanting it with me.

[anke]

Originally Posted by 1gr8muggle

Um, call me slow, but I don't understand how changing the focus in your viewfinder affects anything unless you're shooting in manual focus. Mel, please tell me you're not manually focusing all those great photos. I'll feel even MORE inferior over here. LOL

I was thinking the same thing. Your camera would still focus by itself and it should still be sharp right? I am having the same problem, half the time it's not sharp like I want it to be and it's driving me crazy. The light really stinks but even when there is light I have the problem...I'll try anything once though

[muddygirl]

I have found I have problems with my focus sometimes too. I thought it was something wrong with my camera, but I recently did some studio shots and they were great, so I know it must just be a light thing.

[Britgirl]

oh yes, sorry. I mean in the viewfinder, not on print. or in the screen but not once you download. UNLESS you pay no attention to the focus lights and think 'I have it set up right' and click away.... then er.. your eyesight will fail you. I hope I make more sense - what I mean after all this babble is
sometimes my fuzzy pictures are a result of my eyesight/dioptrics error.

thats all

[jazzmatazz]

Great thread! I have been bashing my head against a wall over this, too! Now, my house DOES have horrific lighting, but I can see that these bleak winter days could be contributing to "some" of the problems. More unsteady hands might be a factor, too.

But I want to echo Mo's question: When DO you know it's time for a camera and lens tune-up? Do you just take it in routinely, or is there something specific that you look for to know it is time?

[cheska99]

I had an "ah-ha" moment yesterday about one kind of the many mysteries I still have with my dslr. Here's what it is: it's really important to set the camera to AI Servo (Canon--I think it's called continuous focusing in Nikonspeak) if there's ANY chance that your subject is going to move between the time you've focussed and the time you shoot. Another thing I recently came to understand is that you shouldn't focus and recompose but rather reset your focus points for yes--just about each picture you take. Focus and recompose can cause some plane shifts that send your picture out of focus anyway. If you're like me and feeling like you'll never get to the point where you will toggle your focus points for each shot, be assured that people on my photography board tell me it's hard at first but gets easier. HTH

[Aino]

Originally Posted by cheska99

I had an "ah-ha" moment yesterday about one kind of the many mysteries I still have with my dslr. Here's what it is: it's really important to set the camera to AI Servo (Canon--I think it's called continuous focusing in Nikonspeak) if there's ANY chance that your subject is going to move between the time you've focussed and the time you shoot. Another thing I recently came to understand is that you shouldn't focus and recompose but rather reset your focus points for yes--just about each picture you take. Focus and recompose can cause some plane shifts that send your picture out of focus anyway. If you're like me and feeling like you'll never get to the point where you will toggle your focus points for each shot, be assured that people on my photography board tell me it's hard at first but gets easier. HTH

That is good advice.
I hardly every focus and then recompose. I change the focus points.

[Mozer]

Originally Posted by cheska99

I had an "ah-ha" moment yesterday about one kind of the many mysteries I still have with my dslr. Here's what it is: it's really important to set the camera to AI Servo (Canon--I think it's called continuous focusing in Nikonspeak) if there's ANY chance that your subject is going to move between the time you've focussed and the time you shoot. Another thing I recently came to understand is that you shouldn't focus and recompose but rather reset your focus points for yes--just about each picture you take. Focus and recompose can cause some plane shifts that send your picture out of focus anyway. If you're like me and feeling like you'll never get to the point where you will toggle your focus points for each shot, be assured that people on my photography board tell me it's hard at first but gets easier. HTH

Good hints. I do focus and recompose so that might be part of it. I know once I'm outside more things will get better.

[cheska99]

Also remember this immutable law in photography. Every time you start to make a serious effort to get better, you will get worse--but only for a while. Then you'll make the leap and you'll see much rewards for your hard work and frustration.

[esther_a]

What?!! There's a little black dial to adjust for your eyesight?!! You know what I've been doing when I'm on manual focus? I've been taking about 6 photos of the one thing for the range of in focus-ish views - because I've got NO idea when I've got it right!!

[cheska99]

Esther's having an ah-ha moment!

[shhbabymine]

Originally Posted by esther_a

What?!! There's a little black dial to adjust for your eyesight?!! You know what I've been doing when I'm on manual focus? I've been taking about 6 photos of the one thing for the range of in focus-ish views - because I've got NO idea when I've got it right!!

learn something new everyday... i doubt thats whats been causing my regression, but its something to look into