Oh No. Another Blurry Photo. Here's How to Stop It Right Now.

📷 Another blurry photo? Before you delete it — zoom in. In this episode I walk through the three types of blurry photo — camera shake, subject motion, and focus blur — how to diagnose which one you've got, and exactly what to change to stop it happening again. 

What We Cover

1. Diagnose First — What Kind of Blurry Are You Looking At? Three types, how to tell them apart, and why getting the diagnosis right matters
2. Camera Shake Blur — Your Shutter Speed Is the Problem. The 1-over-focal-length rule, the 1/60th floor, and how to use EXIF data to find the answer
3. Subject Motion Blur — Something Moved While the Shutter Was Open. Why you often need to go faster than you'd expect
4. Focus Blur — Your Camera Focused on the Wrong Thing. Single-point autofocus and the half-press that locks it in
5. Check How You're Holding Your Camera. Technique makes a bigger difference than most people realise
6. Check Your Shutter Speed First, Every Time. The one setting that fixes two of the three types
7. Auto ISO — Let the Camera Help You Get a Sharper Photo. And why a noisy photo always beats a blurry one

Blog Post
Episode 234 — Oh No. Another Blurry Photo. Here's How to Stop It Right Now.

Related Episodes
Episode 224 — Why Are My Photos Blurry? All the Reasons and How to Fix Them

Episode 89 — Camera Shake — What Is It And How Do I Stop It Happening?

Next Episode 💝
Do I Really Need a Tripod? Really? Why Rick, Why? — Episode 235, Friday 19 June 2026.

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Transcript

That photo is blurry. Again. Let's find out why — and make sure it never happens again.

You've just looked at your photos.

One of them is blurry.

Again.

You know that feeling. You were there. The light was good. You pressed the shutter. You thought you had it. And the photo is soft, or smeared, or just — not sharp.

Here's the thing. Blurry photos are not random. They always have a reason. There are only three things that cause them. And once you know which one you're dealing with, the fix is usually straightforward.

This episode is the diagnosis. Three types of blurry photo. Three causes. Three fixes. By the end you'll know exactly which one you've got — and exactly what to change.

Right. Let's get into this.

Hello and welcome to episode 234 of the Photography Explained Podcast.

This episode is titled Oh No. Another Blurry Photo. Here's How to Stop It Right Now.

A very good morning, good afternoon, or good evening to you, wherever you are in the world and whatever time of day you find yourself listening to me. I'm your host, Rick, hi, and in each episode, I try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 27 minutes (ish), without the irrelevant details. Yes, really.

I'm a professionally qualified photographer based in England with a lifetime of photographic experience, which I share with you in my splendid podcast.

Let's get into this.

Here's the most important thing I'm going to tell you in this episode.

Before you try to fix a blurry photo — you need to know what kind of blurry it is.

Because the fix for one type is completely different from the fix for another. Get the diagnosis wrong and you'll change the wrong thing and nothing will improve.

So. Three types. Let's go through them.

Tip 1: Diagnose First — What Kind of Blurry Are You Looking At?

Before you do anything — before you delete the photo, before you start fiddling with settings — zoom in on the photo and look at it properly.

What exactly is blurry? Is everything blurry? Or just some things?

This matters enormously. Here are the three types.

Camera shake blur: the whole image is smeared. Nothing is sharp anywhere in the frame. There's often a slight directional quality to it — like the photo slid in one direction. That's because the camera moved while the shutter was open.

Subject motion blur: your background might actually be quite sharp. But your subject — a person, a child, a dog, a bird — is blurry. Something in the scene moved while the shutter was open. The camera was fine. The subject wasn't.

Focus blur: something in the photo IS sharp. Just the wrong thing. The background is in focus. Your subject isn't. There are sharp edges somewhere in the frame — they're just not where you wanted them.

Three types. Three completely different causes. Zoom in. Work out which one you've got. Then move to the right tip.

Tip 2: Camera Shake Blur — Your Shutter Speed Is the Problem.

Camera shake blur. The most common type. Everything smeared. Nothing sharp anywhere.

The cause is simple: your shutter was open for too long. The camera moved — even just slightly — and the sensor recorded that movement as blur.

The fix is also simple: a faster shutter speed.

Here's a rule of thumb that's worth knowing. Your shutter speed should be at least 1 divided by your focal length. Using a 50mm lens? Aim for at least 1/50th of a second. Using 200mm? You need at least 1/200th. Longer focal length — faster shutter speed. That's the rule.

And here's a second rule: don't shoot handheld slower than 1/60th of a second. Whatever your focal length, that's the floor. 1 over the focal length, or 1/60th — whichever is faster.

To find out what went wrong on your blurry photo, check the EXIF data. That's the technical information your camera records automatically with every shot. Your editing software will show it to you. Look at the shutter speed. If it was slower than those rules suggest, that could well be your answer.

Image stabilisation — you'll see it labelled IS, VR, or OSS — can help. But it has limits. It buys you a stop or two at most. If the shutter speed is genuinely too slow, you need to change it. Stabilisation alone won't save you.

Tip 3: Subject Motion Blur — Something Moved While the Shutter Was Open.

Subject motion blur looks different from camera shake. Your background might be sharp — actually sharp. But your subject is a blur.

Your camera didn't move. Your subject did. And the shutter was open long enough to record every bit of that movement.

The fix is again a faster shutter speed — but faster than you might expect.

A person walking slowly: 1/250th of a second is often enough. A child running? A dog bounding towards you? A bird in flight? You're looking at 1/500th, 1/1000th, or faster still.

If your camera is in a fully automatic mode and you're getting this kind of blur, switch to Shutter Priority. On most cameras that's marked Tv on the mode dial. On others it's S. You set the shutter speed. The camera handles the rest of the exposure. Set it fast. See what happens to your subject.

Tip 4: Focus Blur — Your Camera Focused on the Wrong Thing.

This is the sneaky one.

Your photo isn't blurry everywhere. Something is sharp. It's just — the wrong thing. The background is in focus. Your subject isn't. There are crisp edges somewhere in the frame, and your subject is soft.

This is not a shutter speed problem. This is a focus problem. Your camera focused perfectly — it just picked the wrong thing to focus on.

Why does this happen? Most cameras in automatic focus modes will focus on whatever is largest or closest in the frame. That is not always your subject.

The fix: take control of the focus point yourself. Switch to single-point autofocus — you'll find it in your camera's autofocus menu. Then move the focus point so it sits directly on your subject. You're telling the camera where to focus. Not the other way round.

And one more thing. Are you pressing the shutter button halfway down before you take the shot? That half-press locks the focus. A lot of people go straight to a full press, and the camera can shift focus at the last moment. The half-press. Use it. It matters.

Tip 5: Check How You're Holding Your Camera.

The way you hold your camera has a direct effect on whether your photos are sharp.

We went into this in proper detail in Episode 233 — that's the cheese and pickle sandwich episode, and you really do need to listen to it to find out why it has that title.

But the quick version. Hold the camera firmly — not tensely, but with a solid grip. Elbows in towards your body. Left hand underneath the lens, supporting it. And when you press the shutter — squeeze it. Don't jab it.

Jabbing the shutter button introduces movement at the exact moment the shutter opens. Squeezing it doesn't. That's the difference between a sharp photo and a blurry one.

Good technique and the right shutter speed together. You need both.

Tip 6: Check Your Shutter Speed First, Every Time.

Simple question. When you get a blurry photo — what's the first thing to check?

Shutter speed. Always start there.

Camera shake and subject motion blur — two of our three types — are both shutter speed problems. And focus blur is easy to identify because something in the image is sharp. So nine times out of ten, shutter speed is where the answer is.

Check the EXIF data. What shutter speed did the camera use? Was it fast enough for your focal length? Was it fast enough for what was in the frame? If not — you've got your answer.

If you're in a fully automatic mode and can't control the shutter speed yourself, switch to Shutter Priority. Take control of it. One change. Most blurry photos sorted.

The camera is very good. But it doesn't always pick the right shutter speed for every situation. Knowing when to step in — and how — is one of the most useful things you can learn.

Tip 7: Auto ISO — Let the Camera Help You Get a Sharper Photo.

You can use auto ISO. You set a maximum ISO, and the camera will adjust the ISO, giving you a faster shutter speed and a better chance of a sharp photo — just be aware of what the camera is doing. And set a sensible top-end ISO value so that you don't get too much noise.

A noisy photo is better than a blurry photo. But a clean, noise-free photo is better than a noisy photo. It's all about getting the balance right.

I tried this with my Canon R100, and it worked a treat. I don't have this on my Canon 6D, more on what I do in a bit.

Quick Recap. Zoom in before you delete — work out which of the three types of blur you're dealing with. Camera shake blur: everything smeared — faster shutter speed, at least 1 over your focal length, and no slower than 1/60th handheld. Subject motion blur: background sharp, subject isn't — faster shutter speed, 1/250th as a starting point. Focus blur: something is sharp but it's the wrong thing — switch to single-point autofocus and choose the focus point yourself. Camera technique matters — elbows in, support the lens, squeeze the shutter don't jab it. Always check your shutter speed first. Try Auto ISO and let the camera help you.

What If I Use a Phone to Take My Photos? Good news — the three-type diagnosis works exactly the same way on phone photos.

Camera shake on a phone usually shows up in low light. The phone's software slows its effective shutter speed to gather more light, and that gives you blur. Keep it steadier. Use both hands. Brace against something if you can.

Subject motion blur on a phone: look for an action or sport mode in your camera app. Most phones have one. It uses a faster shutter speed. Use it for anything that moves.

Focus blur on a phone: tap your subject on the screen. One tap. That tells the phone where to focus. Done.

And one more thing — use the volume button to take the shot rather than tapping the screen. Tapping the screen introduces movement at exactly the wrong moment. The volume button doesn't.

Camera or phone — same diagnosis. Same fixes.

What Do I Do? I take my photos of buildings with my camera on a tripod. Problem solved. Buildings aren't moving, so shutter speed is not an issue.

I use the self-timer built into my camera to make sure that my camera is as still as possible.

I use manual focus, selecting a single focus point for every photo of a building.

That is what I do.

And the same for sunrises and sunsets, and any serious travel photography.

And when I am doing walking about travel stuff I am mindful of my shutter speed, but as I only take travel photos when the sun is out, as who wants travel photos in cloud, I am 95% of the time in nice bright anyway so again, not a problem.

And if there is dramatic weather I will revert to my camera on a tripod, even if it is a small travel tripod.

So not a problem for me. My aim with every photo I take is to get the best composed, sharpest, best exposed photo I can.

Here's Something for You to Do, Dear Listener. Go back to your last batch of photos. Find a blurry one. Don't delete it.

Zoom in. Look carefully. Is everything smeared? Camera shake. Is your subject blurry but the background sharp? Subject motion. Is something sharp but it's the wrong thing? Focus blur. Check the metadata on your camera. See what shutter speed was used. See what happened.

Once you know the type, you know the fix. That's the whole system. You can text me from the podcast feed — let me know how you get on. How utterly splendid.

If you want to go deeper on all the reasons photos come out blurry, listen to Episode 224 — Why Are My Photos Blurry? All the Reasons and How to Fix Them. And for camera shake specifically, Episode 89 — Camera Shake — What Is It And How Do I Stop It Happening? Links in the show notes.

Next time — a question I genuinely love. Do I really need a tripod? Really? Why Rick, why? If you've been putting that question off — or if you've got a tripod gathering dust in a bag somewhere — Episode 235 is for you. It's out on Friday the 19th of June. See you there. And I think you probably know the answer already after this episode.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Photography Explained Podcast. I do hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. If you have any questions or suggestions for a future episode, please let me know.

And if you did love this episode why not subscribe so you get every new episode straight to your listening device of choice.

For everything else — courses, resources, my weekly email and lots of other good stuff check out RickMcEvoyPhotography.com. And you can find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy. And text me from the podcast feed — how utterly splendid.

This episode was brought to you by a cheese and pickle sandwich, consumed before settling into my homemade, acoustically cushioned recording emporium.

I've been Rick McEvoy. Thanks again very much for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast, and for giving me 27-ish minutes of your valuable time. I reckon this episode will be about 23 minutes long after editing out the mistakes and other bad stuff.

Thanks for listening. Take care. Stay safe. Cheers from me, Rick!