Absolute newbie - Canon Rebel T6 questions and why can't I get a clear image?

photosbykatecompton · Aug 21, 2016

Hey everyone - I'm a complete amateur who has always enjoyed taking photos. I've recently purchased a Canon Rebel T6 with the kit lens and the 75-300mm extra lens. I have two young daughters whom I love to shoot but I'm getting frustrated.

I've spent the last two weeks researching the absolute crap out of using this type of camera. I consider myself a quick learner but as soon as I think I've got a handle on things, I seem to get overwhelmed and lose focus. Literally and figuratively.

I've been teaching myself about aperture, shutter speed and ISO but most of my images are coming out either super blurry or just slightly blurry. None are truly crisp and clear. I researched that some more and found that it's likely user error and not equipment. Great. I just ordered myself a tripod hoping that will help matters. Will it? Am I just not still enough? Also, shooting kids is hard enough in itself. They move a lot.

So, some questions.

1. Why does my camera sometimes manually try to focus, only to not take the photo? I'll be in good light, indoors, shooting at the window or something and pushing down the button. The camera will whirl in and out repeatedly and yet not take the photo. It's so aggravating. This seems to happen on Manual, AV or even Tv mode. I can't seem to figure out what causes it so I fiddle around with the settings til I get something to work.

2. Just when I think I finally understand aperture, it throws me for another loop. I'll be messing around with the higher numbers, lower numbers, etc, but then sometimes it will take the camera 1-2 or more seconds to actually take the photo. Why? I thought that kind of thing has to do with shutter speed, not aperture mode. Again, aggravating. My baby is now across the room in the time it takes the photo to actually "click". Insert annoyed face here.

3. Today, I was sitting in my living room with just a lamp on and the windows open to a cloudy day. I was trying to take a photo of my baby and also just practice. I put the camera on Tv mode and every single photo I took was pitch black. I adjusted settings, moved knobs, all black. I upped the ISO. Solid black. Why?

4. I keep reading about this little exposure bar with the negative and positive numbers. I see it on my menu screen but it just stayed on "0" until earlier today when I finally figured out how to get to it. When I got to it, I was able to manually move the line back and forth. I thought that was there to tell you how under or over exposed tour image is. I'm about to give up on understanding this stuff. It didn't matter when I adjusted it, my image was still blurry.

Even my "best" photos I've been taking aren't crisp. I don't understand. In order to get an absolute crisp, beautiful photo, am I required to be as still as a newborn deer along with my subject? How am I to take photos of fidgety kids?

I appreciate any insight or answers. I'm finding it's easiest just to shoot on "auto" mode but I'm also afraid that means I've just given up on life.

tirediron · Aug 21, 2016

1. Your camera relies on contrast to focus, so the area on which your trying to focus likely has insufficient contrast. A monochrome wall can have perfect light, but the camera won't focus on it in a million years.

2. It's really impossible to say. Changing the aperture in all likelihood has nothing to do with this issue, and is simply coincidental.

3. Because there's not enough light reaching the sensor. Even though the room is very bright to your eyes, it isn't to the camera. I would guess that I would need to be at probably ISO 800 or higher and using a shutter speed of 1/60 wide open to get a decent exposure.

4. That is your meter or exposure indicator; as I'm not a Canon shooter, I can't comment on specifics, but if it's always staying at zero, you're in an auto mode. The only times it will move off of zero is (a) when there is insufficient light; or (b) you're in full manual.

The three photos you've posted here look like missed focus combined with too large an aperture. Read up on the concept of "depth of field" - that is, how much of the scene is actually in focus at a given aperture. If you use a large aperture (small f #) then only a small amount of the scene will be in focus. If you look at the second image, on the third coil from the top of the spring, you will see that the scratches i the powder coating are nice and sharp, that's because that's where the camera focused, and everything is slightly to totally out of focus, depending on how far from that point it is. Grab your manual and read up on focusing modes.

snowbear · Aug 21, 2016

Welcome aboard.

Try practicing on inanimate objects like cans & bottles: they will stay still and won'tt get aggrevated when you shoot them a lot.

photosbykatecompton · Aug 21, 2016

Thank you so much for replying! I really appreciate it.

As for aperture and depth-of-field, I've read enough to understand the very basics of it, but I find it difficult when I'm actively shooting. Do most photographers constantly adjust their settings as they go? I feel that's a dumb question but I'm truly new to this. As for the photo of my daughter climbing, did it focus on the yellow coil because it was closer to me than her? If so, should I manually adjust? I've read you should allow the camera to adjust and focus and not do it manually but I feel that doesn't sound right. Also, sometimes I will manually focus and the camera will still undermine me and do its own focusing. I'm unsure which "mode" I'm in when this happens.

It all seems to be a constant juggling act between settings.... does it get easier? :ambivalence:

tirediron · Aug 21, 2016

It gets easier as you become more familiar with it. Most photographers will change settings to suit the desired intent of the image, and after a while you will find yourself doing this without even really being aware of it. As for why your camera focused where it did... hard to say. That could have been what it deemed the point of highest contrast, it could have been a result of the focusing mode... It's very important that you understand the focusing modes your camera uses (Read the manual!!) and watch where it is focusing each time you shoot.

centauro74 · Aug 21, 2016

You are letting the camera chose the focus point, that's why the pictures my come blurry. When you use Tv at fast number like 160 or more the pictures will come out black.
Chose Av and the lowest number that your Lens can get and put the ISO in auto, after chose one single point of focus and put it on your child eye then take the picture.

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KmH · Aug 21, 2016

Understanding Depth of Field in Photography
Understanding Camera Autofocus
Understanding Camera Metering and Exposure

centauro74 · Aug 21, 2016

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centauro74 · Aug 21, 2016

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centauro74 · Aug 21, 2016

Beginning Photography Essentials: Beginning Photography Essentials - YouTube

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centauro74 · Aug 21, 2016

I suggest you watch a few of those videos, you'll find a lot of tips and techniques that will teach you about photography and why you're having all the problems that you describe.

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photosbykatecompton · Aug 21, 2016

centauro74 said:
You are letting the camera chose the focus point, that's why the pictures my come blurry. When you use Tv at fast number like 160 or more the pictures will come out black.
Chose Av and the lowest number that your Lens can get and put the ISO in auto, after chose one single point of focus and put it on your child eye then take the picture.

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I used your advice and just took this photo. What do you think? I appreciate your insight. I like it a lot but I wish it was a bit more sharp... is it possible with this type of camera?

The_Traveler · Aug 21, 2016

Yes, of course it can be sharpened, but you need to learn how to use some editing tools.
This picture is a good example of why learning by taking pictures of someone or something you love presents specific challenges.
It is very difficult to be objective about images when you have personal feelings involved.

One straight ahead bright, harsh light just blasts all the micro-contrast out of baby's skin.
And the baby looks blue-tinted (original on the left)
Changed white balance, lowered exposure, increased color saturation and sharpened a bit.

zombiesniper · Aug 21, 2016

To the OP Yes that camera can take some excellent sharp photo's. If you are in AV (aperture priority) mode with a small number your depth of field (depth of the photo in focus) will be smaller, which looks to be part of the problem. If you want to choose where the camera focuses the easiest way is to only use one focus point (commonly the middle one but not necessarily).

centauro74 said:
When you use Tv at fast number like 160 or more the pictures will come out black.

This statement is complete crap. I've shot in shutter priority well over 3000 before and still had a great image.

centauro74 · Aug 21, 2016

zombiesniper said:
To the OP Yes that camera can take some excellent sharp photo's. If you are in AV (aperture priority) mode with a small number your depth of field (depth of the photo in focus) will be smaller, which looks to be part of the problem. If you want to choose where the camera focuses the easiest way is to only use one focus point (commonly the middle one but not necessarily).

centauro74 said:

When you use Tv at fast number like 160 or more the pictures will come out black.

Click to expand...

This statement is complete crap. I've shot in shutter priority well over 3000 before and still had a great image.

Of course if you take the picture outside in a sunny day, try indoor with natural light at 3000 at ISO 100 and let me know

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