Unsharp Landscape Photos? Here’s How to Fix What You’re Doing Wrong (VIDEO)

How often have you been out in the field, captured what you thought was a truly spectacular image, and returned home to pull it up on the computer—only to find that the photo is painfully unsharp? If you’re like the rest of us, you’ve suffered this disappointment more than one or twice.

This problem can occur because of problems with your technique, but more importantly because you’re unaware of a few simple solutions that will help you nail focus every time with whatever camera you own. That’s what you’ll learn in today’s very helpful tutorial with instructor Steve Arnold.

Arnold is an accomplished landscape shooter based in Australia whose straightforward how-to videos are designed “to help less-experienced photographers level up their skills and create images they are proud of.” In barely 11 minutes he reveals several commonly used focusing techniques you should ditch, and easy alternatives for pin-sharp photos every time.

The good news is that capturing the sharpest possible photos “is really easy” under most scenarios if you follow Arnold’s straightforward advice. He also demonstrates a foolproof focusing-stacking method you can employ during post processing when you can’t get everything sharp from front to back with a single exposure in the camera.

So what are you doing wrong? Arnold suggests you may be guilty of what he says “99% of people are taught are the best focusing techniques for landscape photography.” One culprit among experienced photographers is paying too much attention to “hyperfocal distance”—a focusing method that will supposedly keep everything from foreground to infinity acceptably sharp.

Arnold demonstrates why this approach is counterproductive with certain types of photos—especially when a scene includes important elements in both the foreground and background. Another popular technique that doesn’t always work is focusing one-third of the way into the scene and relying upon depth of field. Arnold demonstrates when and why this can be a big mistake.

After running you through these and other destructive scenarios Arnold reveals the time- proven methods that he recommends for preventing that sinking feeling when you evaluate images on the computer. His expert advice doesn’t require any complicated calculations for distance, and you can start using his tips the next time you take a photo.”

This advice comes with a warning that sometimes, depending upon your choice of focal length and aperture it’s literally impossible to get the job done in a single shot in the camera because of where key elements are positioned within the frame and your choice of focal length and aperture.

This challenging situation is when focusing stacking comes into play and Arnold walks you through every step of the process—including a few common pitfalls that he explains how to avoid.  Be sure to visit his instructional YouTube channel once the video concludes for more effective solutions to common photography problems.