Review some of your pictures while you read this. If you are using a Konica Minolta compact camera, or Dynax camera in Program mode, the lens aperture chosen by the camera for good exposure was large which resulted in reduced depth of field. Shooting factors which probably contributed to this were lower light conditions, such as early morning or evening, or shooting in the shade, and use of low ISO film such as ISO 100 or 200. Ways to improve background sharpness are to use higher ISO film such as ISO 400 or 800, shooting in good, bright light conditions, and using shorter zoom settings. If you are using an X-series camera or Dynax camera in “A” or “M” mode, use a higher number aperture setting such as 8, 11, or 16. When setting the aperture be sure not to let the shutter speed number fall below the focal length number you are using as this will increase the chance of unsharp results caused by motion blur. For example, the speed should not be less than “100” for 100mm focal length; “200” for 200mm and not less than “300” for a 300mm lens. Using the above suggestions for Riva cameras will also help to improve the overall sharpness of your pictures.