That's the Way the Cookie Crumblesby
DiamondPeteComment: Very imaginative, and a good literalistic interpretation of the phrase. Photographically, this isn't clear for some reason. Also, the white part of the cookie is overexposed. If your camera or software support's histograms, that's a good way to watch for these things. Look for an exposure where the histogram approaches but does not quite reach the right exposure limit.
Supplementary information exchanged via email in response to the authors query (put here with the picture for the benefit of others):
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It' s hard for me to tell why your photo doesnt look clear from the small
photo, but here's some theories:
1) It may be noise. Long exposures on most digital cameras result in a
noisy image, much like using high ISO values. Or if you were set to a high
ISO value, or used automatic exposure where the camera can vary the ISO
value for greater sensitivity, that would introduce noise.
2) It may be oversharpened. That cause contrast halos to appear, which can
actually make a photo less clear. Especially one with a lot of detail or
some noise to begin with.
3) It could be the result of JPEG artifacts, from using too high a
compression ratio (or as the setting often goes, too low a quality setting).
I can't tell because its small; I see something that looks like a block
effect on the table, but it also could be a texture or pattern.
No, I don't think the overexposed regions is why it's unclear, but the long
exposure could have something to do with it if the floor, room, or tripod
vibrated at all, even ever so slightly. For example, if its on a tripod, on
a wood or plywood based floor, and someone trodded by, there could by a
slight vibration which could cause lack of clarity.
As far as the histogram article, my G2 makes it really easy to spot
overexposed areas when using the histogram function. You see there are
overexposed areas in the thumbnail, and it goes a step further and flashes
the overexposed regions in the thumbnail. I don't know if your S20 supports
that. My son has an A60, and it doesn't have this function.
Here's an article online that might be some help.
//www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml
I also recommend Scott Kelby's series, The Photoshop Book for Digital
Photographers, and the equivalent one for Elements (which is what I have.)