| It is so disappointing when you look at what you | | | | When you cannot prop your camera then use |
| thought were some great shots only to find that | | | | your own body. Lie down or sit down and brace |
| they are blurred! Needless to say, this brief | | | | the camera against your knee. |
| moment in time, which you thought you had | | | | Tuck your elbows in tightly together and against |
| captured, has gone forever. | | | | your chest. When you are ready to shoot take a |
| I think we can all say that we have been there at | | | | deep breath, exhale, stop halfway, hold your |
| some time. This article will offer some practical | | | | breath and take the shot. |
| tips to solve this problem. | | | | Press gently! Stabbing down will shake the |
| Blurred photos can be for a number of reasons. | | | | camera. |
| The first and most obvious is camera shake and | | | | On a slightly more technical level, and if your |
| you can identify this if your shot is totally blurred. | | | | camera can do it, consider using a shorter lens, or |
| The way to stop camera shake is to hold the | | | | a wider aperture which will give a faster shutter |
| camera steady! | | | | speed, or use a higher ISO setting. |
| The first and obvious way is to use a tripod but | | | | A general rule-of-thumb is that when a tripod is |
| how many people carry a tripod around with | | | | not available, do not use a shutter speed less than |
| them all the time. However, using a tripod, | | | | the focal length of the lens e.g. not slower than 1 |
| particularly in low light is the best way to get | | | | 300 if using a 300mm.lens, 1/50 if using a |
| sharp images. | | | | 50mm.lens - and so on. |
| If you do not have a tripod always try to use | | | | Note: If you are buying a new camera look for |
| something to steady the camera - a bean bag, | | | | "Image Stabilization" or "VR"( Vibration Reduction) |
| prop yourself against a post, fence or wall or | | | | which is an in-camera way of reducing blur or |
| anything that will steady the camera. | | | | camera shake. |
| Another way to eliminate camera shake is to hold | | | | As with all aspects of Digital Cameras, experiment |
| your camera properly! Holding the camera | | | | until you are confident with your results, then just |
| one-handed and with your arm fully extended, is a | | | | delete your test photos. The only cost is your |
| sure way to get blurred photos. | | | | time. |