So I see a LOT of your guys work. One of my first postings in the People forum. I love all the TACK Sharp eyes and work here.
My question is how do you get them so SHARP? Is it in post? Are they coming out of the camera like this? Do you guys have a makeup artist do the eyes before hand and that helps?
IF it's out of camera, then I really need to send in my camera and lenses NOW. Mine are NOWHERE near this good out of camera.
I will try and post a few sometime tomorrow with what I mean.
You just need to shoot with the right aperture.
Don't expect to get sharp eyes with F2.8. It's pretty hard to get it spot on with that little DOF. Most times if you shoot wide open you will get 1 eye in focus but not the other.
Use a tripod.
Image stabilization helps if you're hand holding.
High shutter speeds will also help with motion blur. As a general rule, don't shoot below 1/focal length in optimal conditions.
So if shooting with a 50mm, try to keep it above 1/50th to avoid blur.
If you have lot's of light though, you can easily have a high shutter speed and be shooting at F8 for example, which will give good results.
synthesist wrote:
You just need to shoot with the right aperture.
Don't expect to get sharp eyes with F2.8. It's pretty hard to get it spot on with that little DOF. Most times if you shoot wide open you will get 1 eye in focus but not the other.
Use a tripod.
Image stabilization helps if you're hand holding.
High shutter speeds will also help with motion blur. As a general rule, don't shoot below 1/focal length in optimal conditions.
So if shooting with a 50mm, try to keep it above 1/50th to avoid blur.
If you have lot's of light though, you can easily have a high shutter speed and be shooting at F8 for example, which will give good results. ...Show more →
+1
If your shooting very close to the subject DOF becomes a huge issue. You need a higher shutter speed than your focal length...flash or really steady hands, which I only "sometimes" possess. Lens choice also plays a big part...a soft rubbish lens will not do the trick for ya and you will spend a lot of time in PP to get the sharpness.
Well then, for those who own those fast L primes, like the 85mm f/1.2.... say you want to use it wide open, or even under f/2 - Just how far from your subject do you shoot so that their eyes, and entire face is in focus?
1 part Good light
1 part Good quality lens
1 part DOF depending on the lens find the best Aperture to give you what you want.
1 part tripod or high shutter speed
1 part Photoshop
= Sharp eyes
Not all of these have to be done but these can help ensure you will get sharp eyes.
Lens plays a big role for me. If you can use primes, that helps too. Even the 50mm f/1.8 lenses are tack sharp. I say at 50mm, f/2.8 should be good enough for a headshot...
For me, after down/resize to prepare for sharing on the web, I also use a bit of unsharp mask in photoshop before exporting.
All of what was said above plus you must use a single focus point. Lock and recompose if you make adjustment to the frame but not too much. Best to focus and shoot without the adjustment. If you allow the camera to pick the focus point it will usually not be the eye. It will be something closer like the tip of the nose, hair or clothing with more contrast.
If the eyes aren't sharp then the the model/client looks a little fuzzy and confused... The easy answer is focus on the eyes, use a aperature value that keeps enough of the face in focus, keep your shutter speed at minimum 1/focal length and use good hand holding technique to avoid camera shake on your part. If you've done all of those things, the eyes will be sharp and you will need very little sharpening in post.
4honor wrote:
Lens plays a big role for me. If you can use primes, that helps too. Even the 50mm f/1.8 lenses are tack sharp. I say at 50mm, f/2.8 should be good enough for a headshot...
For me, after down/resize to prepare for sharing on the web, I also use a bit of unsharp mask in photoshop before exporting.
"Do you guys have a makeup artist do the eyes before hand and that helps?"
Make-up will not help focus or sharpness issues. I think you will find a top make-up artist can bring the eyes out and give then a lot more detail. Your eye will focus on the models eyes beacuse of the extra pop the eyes have. More experienced photographers have found quality make-up is just as important as lighting if you want to capture an image that can be sold. I am not at the point where I can turn down work when the client will not pay for professional make-up but I recommend it and I do require it on Bridal portraits.
In my experience, it's easier to get 'sharp' eyes at closed down apertures, but to get the eyes to pop like I think you're looking for I've always had more success with carefully focused large apertures.
You've received some very good advice from the previous posters.
Fast primes. That's the key! I'd like to add that I love my Nifty 50 1.8. It's tack sharp all the way to f1.8. The short focal length allows for slightly slower shutter speeds then a longer focal lengths (obviously) which helps you avoid camera shake. The next step is to try to slow down your subject so you aren't getting too much movement on their end.
I also have the 85mm f1.8, 100mm f2.8 and they too are nice and sharp, but the longer the length, the more difficult time this little weakling has supporting the weight of the lens and camera. And when I'm chasing after my 4 year old, tripods just don't cut it.
And last but not least; light! I believe the quality of the light you get into your subjects eyes really adds to the beauty of sharp, shallow dof images. Here is a (terribly cropped for reference) close up of my daughter's friend. 50mm I think around F2.5ish. I put her in shade with her head facing out towards the beautiful big blue sky. When I processed this for print, I probably did a little USM but when I cropped and resized for this example, I did not add any further sharpening.
And because my daughter is rushing me, I apologize in advance for my terrible grammer and/or typing.
shooting wide open with an 85mm L is not a problem (as long as your not out of the DOF). My check list:
1) Is the background helpful?
2) Focus!
3) Compose.
4) Focus again!
Here are two examples using the 1ds MK III and 100 macro at F5.6 and F7.1. I used flash and bounced it straight off of the ceiling. Camera was in One shot.
You need to use a sharp enough lens (which goes for any type of shooting, of course), and achieve focus on the eye you want in focus. It's as simple as that. If you want both eyes in focus, make sure you line them both up within the field of focus, or broaden your field of focus to include both eyes.
When it comes to sharpening, you can find plenty of information on the web. I typically use selective sharpening, which can enhance the sharp appearance of the sharpened parts by comparison, and most often sharpen only a lightness channel. I sharpen both before any resampling and after.
Why stress about your results out of camera? You should get them as good as possible, and then not worry about it. The results are what matter. If you cannot achieve a final result you desire, then you can look at improving your gear or your technique.
