I can't seem to get tack sharp eyes....

[danchez]

I have tried breathing techniques, deep breath in, exhale, then shoot. I thought shooting at 1/250 sec would keep them sharp... is it time to just buck up and start shooting on a tripod and using a remote trigger release? Or is there something else I am missing?!?

1)100%


2)used sharpen then unsharp mask, eyse look sharper but face looks like crap.


3)original

[ldelacruz]

They're sharp! Sorry to dissapoint you! The sharp eyes you see on here do not come out of the camera like that.

[danchez]

you've got to be kidding me, I've been freakin out all this time and the tack sharp eyes I see on here are processed?!?

thanks Lonnie

[ldelacruz]

Absolutely! Plus look how much of a crop the first picture is!

[danchez]

well, I may just have to learn some new photoshop tricks then. I want the eyes to dazzle.

[srwatters]

What lens are you using?

Auto or manual focus?

Which focus point?

Have you calibrated the AF using a focus chart?

[danchez]

using my Nikor 24-70

auto focus

single focal point(model's left eye)

have not calibrated the AF using a focus chart.

danchez added 3 Minutes and 50 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by srwatters

What lens are you using?

Auto or manual focus?

Which focus point?

Have you calibrated the AF using a focus chart?

can you recommend a focus chart?

[srwatters]

Sure...

focus21.pdf

[ldelacruz]

If you want, email me the file again and I will show you. Your image is fine just needs some PP.

What programs do you have?

[danchez]

Originally Posted by srwatters

Sure...

focus21.pdf

Thanks again Scott, I'll print it out and give it a try.

[srwatters]

You might have more success if you use a longer focal length when shooting headshots like this. I'd crank the 24-70 all the way to 70mm or better yet, put on the 70-200 and shoot at 135mm with the tripod. That's what I do...

I'm looking for a headshot I did with the 24-70, but can't put my finger on one right now...

[danchez]

the 70-200 is still not in my camera bag. :(

[srwatters]

One thing you have to consider is the magnification of the lens and the number of pixels that cover the eye area. I think what you want more than sharpness is detail. There are two ways to get that detail; more megapixels or fill the frame with the subject's face. Here's a couple of examples for you. The first is a 100% crop taken from a 22MP digital back using my Hasselblad H2 & 210mm f/4 lens:

Resized image showing the shot with a little crop:


Now a 100% crop of the eyes from the full size tiff:


Contrast those two samples with a shot from my 12.1MP D3 and the 70-200mm f/2.8:

Resized image for web portfolio:


100% crop from the full size tiff:


See the difference. When the eyes get more pixels either by magnification or sensor MP count, you get more details. Sharpness is really more of an edge definition which can make images look 'fake' when taken too far.

Make sense?

[danchez]

yeah, I understand what you're saying. I also just did the focal point test, camera is spot on.

[srwatters]

Another tip for you... Mask out the catchlights when sharpening the eyes (if you selective sharpen them). The hard edge left looks too fake to me. My examples above are done using that method.