Blurry photographs are an extremely common problem among photographers of all skill levels. However, there is no one cause for all of these blurry images. Rather, blurry images are caused by several different common errors and situations.
Blurry photographs are often caused by focusing problems. The most common focusing issue is when the camera focuses on a point the photographer did not intend to be the focal point of the image. Blurry photographs can also occur when the depth of field is too shallow for the subject. These focus issues have very simple solutions. However, these solutions can vary a bit depending the type of camera you have. If you have a SLR type camera you do have a few more options for correcting focus than point and shoot users have. Point and shoot users do still have ways to work around focusing issues as well.
A camera's idea of steady is not the same as your idea of holding the camera steady. Even the tiniest vibrations can have drastic effects on images. The main causes of camera shake are: holding the camera incorrectly, common technique errors, and unstable support.
So what caused your blurry image? Sometimes the best way to tell what happened is to look at how the image is blurred. There are subtle differences in the type of blur based on the cause of the blur. Shutter speed blur has a different look than does unstable support. Take a look at these images to see what different types of blurring looks like.
