shuttertalk Wrote:Most people like their photos razor sharp - sharpness implies detail and definition. So, how ......
To have good lenses and use it for the purpose they were made for counts a lot. I have read that prime lenses are better in this area, and from what I read the T&S would be the best to have... anyway lenses are a great part of the success.
Also to use a tripod with all good recommendations we have read above. But there are times when you don't use a tripod for the simple reason that you don't need it. Let's see if you are taking a landscape and you have 1/1000 of a sec. I wouldn't consider to use a tripod to get my picture sharper.
What I have read and I have seen and experimented is that light is very important to get sharp pictures. As it was said in the original question, sharpness implies detail and definition. I have taken pictures in cloudy days when the light is poor and diffused and I get definition in my picture but not detail in the wood or ground, there is no texture. If I take my picture in daylight and the sun has certain position, like in the morning when the sun is not so bright, the light gives me interesting shadows in my landscpe I will get texture and definition.
Some landscapes, need to be taken in a bright day, to get nice texture due to the shadows, and the position of the sun gives interesting contrast in the overall landscape like in the pyramids or ruins...
To ilustrate in pictures what I think I have
this picture. The first one had a very soft light, no heavy shadows and the texture didn't have as much detail as it has my second try, when the light was in a lower position and directed to the shell. None of those pictures were sharpened with any filter afterwards.
About post processing I think if you start working with your contrast/brightness, in some cases you might not need to use any filter to sharp your picture. It has happen to me in some of my pictures. It doesn't mean I don't use filter to sharp my pictures, yes, I do, but first I work with the contrast.
So, to me light is also a very important factor to have pictures with good texture and definition.
You all know I am a learner, and I might be not quite right. However I wanted to participate in the topic with my thoughts.