Soft Pictures

sɑft ˈpɪkʧər
Term: Soft Pictures
Description: In photography, soft pictures typically refer to images whose focus is not sharp. This sometimes results from a technical error on the user's part, whether because of missed focus, a slow shutter speed, or some other issue. Other times, photographers intentionally capture soft images, such as using a shutter drag to smooth out the motion in an image, which can give it a dream-like appearance. The term also occasionally refers to the use of soft light in an image, which may result from in-camera lighting techniques (such as using a softbox or some other method to capture gradual shadow transitions or flat light).

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If you find that your focus is soft (not sharp) in your imagery and it’s not a creative choice, there are a number of ways to address the issue, from calibrating your gear to adjusting your exposure settings, checking your images in playback mode, holding your gear a certain way, and so on. See the articles below for more information on soft pictures (whether intentional or not).

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