If you’ve got a DSLR, you’ve probably had the experience of uploading your photos onto your computer after a long day of photography – only to find that there are dark ’spots’ and ‘blotches’ on your pictures.
These spots and blotches appear on all your shots in exactly the same position. They might be less noticeable on backgrounds with lots of detail (and more noticeable on plain backgrounds (like blue skies – especially when you have a small aperture) – but they’re there in all your shots.
The reason for these marks is that you’ve almost certainly got dust on your camera’s image sensor.
Most DSLR owners do eventually get some on your sensor (unless you never change your lens) but here are some tips for decreasing the likelihood of it:
- Avoid changing lenses in risky environments (where there is wind, water, dust etc) – pick a lens and try to stick with it.
- Turn camera off before changing lenses. On some cameras the sensor has an electric charge that will actually attract dust to it like a magnet.
- Hold camera upside down (with the opening facing down) when changing lenses – it’s impossible for dust to fall into your camera if it’s upside down (unless there is wind that blows it up into it).
- Have your lens ready when you’re changing lenses (be prepared and have your new lens ready to attach so that your camera is open for as short a time as possible).
- Check your lenses for dust before attaching them – have a blower that you can get any specs off your lens with.
- Clean your image sensor with care. There’s a lot of debate about whether to do it yourself or whether to get your sensor professionally cleaned.
To test if your image sensor is dirty, photograph a white wall with a small aperture (large number) and you should see it in the images that result if you have any.
