Dark spots in your photos? Here's the culprit 📸✨

Photo: Abby Ferguson

Everyone has experienced this: You view the pictures you recently captured on your computer or smartphone, only to see dark areas appearing consistently across each photo. This can be puzzling and worrying if you aren’t aware of what they are. Fortunately, these marks are usually not something to worry about. In fact, they’re quite common in photography. Here’s what you should understand.

What causes those spots?

Do you see the small white dots on the sensor? These are fragments of dirt that have become lodged, causing sensor marks.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

If your initial assumption is that the marks on the lens are responsible for the specks, this is incorrect. Smudges on the front or back glass do not show up as distinct dark areas. Rather, the small circles or lines you notice are referred to as sensor spots.

Sensor spots occur when hair, lint, oil, dirt, or other particles settle on your camera’s sensor. Dirt appears as black circles, whereas hair and similar materials appear as dark lines. With a camera that uses interchangeable lenses, each time you switch lenses, you risk exposing the sensor to dust and contaminants. This is particularly common when changing lenses outdoors or in areas with lots of dust.

There are methods to minimize the risk of sensor smudges when swapping lenses (which you can) find out more in a different article ) but regardless of anything, you'll probably develop age spots eventually.

Even small cameras that have non-removable lenses can develop blemishes, however. Dirt tends to find its way into tight spaces. Therefore, if you observe such marks in photos captured using a compact device, it does not necessarily indicate that your camera is malfunctioning.

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Photographing a white desktop or an empty blue sky can reveal how unclean your camera sensor has become. Here, the sensor requires immediate attention for cleaning.

If you think you're experiencing sensor spots, there's a simple method to verify that this is indeed what you're observing, rather than just a fly passing by. Simply capture a photograph of a clear blue sky or a plain, white area. Any region that appears consistently bright with minimal detail should work.

To clearly display any sensor dust particles, set your aperture to a high f-number, like F16 or F22, and make adjustments accordingly. shutter speed and ISO so that you ultimately have something approximately accurate exposure (not excessively dark) Change to manual focusing and set it to infinity when photographing a completely flat subject such as the sky, or gently blur the background to soften it if shooting inside.

You may view the photograph on your camera’s screen, but it's beneficial to move the image to a computer for a clearer understanding of the details. Should you notice areas in your photos that seem off, there's no reason to worry. You have the option to clean your sensor, as long as you utilize appropriate equipment and adhere to proper procedures. More information on this will be coming up shortly, so make sure to keep an eye out.