Photography Pet Peeve - Sensor Dust

Another good reason a photographer wants to edit / look closely at ALL of their photos is Sensor Dust!! I've come across many great fine art photos and even portraits that have sensor dust spots on them! This could affect a sale, and if they don't see it when ordered, they'll see it when they get the order and may return it or ask for a refund.

What is sensor dust and how do you get it? If you have a camera where you change lenses frequently, you have the risk of getting dust on your sensor. That risks happens every time you switch lenses.

If you are seeing small spots on your photos, especially at small apertures like F11 and smaller (F16, F20, F22 ect) or shooting towards a light source, you have dust on your sensor. No need to worry, just edit them out of the photo with an editing software. Then there are a couple ways to clean the dust safely off the actual sensor.

How to clean the dust?
 - Most cameras today come with a sensor clean mode. When selected, it will shake or vibrate your sensor to hopefully remove any dust. You may have to try this a few times. Check your camera booklet for instructions.
 - Use an air blaster to blow off any dirt. DO NOT blow with your mouth. You risk getting water particles on the sensor. Also be EXTREMELY CAREFUL with air blasters. Keep it far away from the sensor so there isn't any risk of damaging it. When squeezed, the nose of the air blaster will move so make sure you aren't going to touch anything with it. You can also rest the tip against the ring edge where the lens connects to keep it steady, but stay away from any mechanical component.
 - Take it to a professional. If either of the above methods don't work, I recommend taking it to a camera store and having a professional clean it.
 - If you don't want to take it in to the shop, and you're okay with risking it, there's also cleaning kits you can buy and clean it yourself. What I mean by "risking it", is risk damaging your sensor. I personally don't want to risk that but I know many who do that haven't had any issues. I also know some who destroyed their cameras too. You just have to be extra gentle with no shake and you want to do it in a clean and safe environment.

How to prevent the dust from getting there in the first place?
 - There's really no 100% way to avoid it if you switch lenses a lot. However the best way to avoid it is by keeping your camera interior / sensor facing down when you change lenses and to change lenses quickly.

Typically the camera method and the air blaster do the job. In my 12 years of owning DSLR's, I've taken my camera into the shop for sensor cleaning once because I could not get it clean using those 2 methods and was tired of editing out the spots. Turned out the issue was on the backside of the translucent mirror on my Sony A77. I recommend doing the first 2 methods before every photoshoot / photo session just to save you from having to edit them out.

When editing, even after you remove the spots you can see without zooming in, make sure you look at your photos by zooming in at a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 and looking through to see if there are any dust spots you may have missed.

Do you have any stories regarding sensor dust you'd like to share? Comment below and subscribe to my email list to be notified of future posts.