Need help with "blurred" pictures

[faceyournation]

What shutter speed are you using ?

1/1000 or above.. Will post exact exif data when I get home in about an hour

 

[cgipson1]

Yes, the camera did meter a little under exposed (that picture was edited to be darker, however, but still had that "blur" to it) but it didn't seem like it was too dark or anything..Yes had it on tripod using the self timer, pictures looked absolutely perfect on the camera but once they hit (any) computer screen there is that weird "un-sharp" thing to it.. Will retry using a higher aperture.. What kind of lens would you all recommend in taking these kinds of shots?

I would try to never under expose unless you need it for an effect you are after. Usually dead center metering or "to the right" (slight overexposure) is going to maximize the detail in your shots. Maybe you should show us the un-edited shots... as that might be easier for us to see. I am assuming you know how DOF works? Depth of field - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

EDIT... you don't need that kind of fast shutter speed in this situation... tripod, non-moving subject... let the camera meter tell you what to set... and then bracket a half-stop or two on either side...

 

[KmH]

Small aperture numbers (2.0, 2.8, 4, etc) produce very little depth of field in an image.

That is a simplistic, and to newbies, confusing statement, because lens aperture alone is not the only factor that determines the DOF. Lens focal length and focus point distance also have to be considered.

You can have infinately deep DOF at f/1.8, if the focus point is sufficiently far from the image sensor.

Auto focus requires a minimum amount of light, and contrast to work well,
Using a T2i, 50 mm lens, f/1.8, focus point distance of 20 feet, the total DOF is only 3.3 feet and only 46% of that is in front of the focal point.
At 10 feet to the focus point the total DOF is only 0.81 feet (9.75 inches). At 15 feet it's 1.84 feet.

Many inexperienced shooters have focus issues when trying to use a fast lens wide open, because they don't yet understand how DOF works.