Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I have found that over-thinking camera steadyness almost gaurantees blur... I try to mentally frame the picture, bring the camera to my eye quickly and fire. When I wait with the camera up to my face I start to shake and after about 10 seconds I am a quivering basket case. Not to get mystical on anyone, but just like in sports, visualizing success is the best way to realize it. Thinking about the possibility of failure (in this case shaking the camera) tends to fulfill the mental proficy. Ok everyone, say oohmmm...... Best wishes Dan States > >I was discussing photography with a friend last week. He has a digital >camera and isn't really into it, but he humors me and asks intellegent >questions. We had taken a road trip together recently (some photos are on >my >web page) and my only real comments on his digital pictures were related to >an occassional fuzzy shot. I suggested that they were probably caused by >camera shake. And of course, his comment back was "I'm very careful about >holding the camera still." > >Anyway, during the discussion, I learned that he assumed the exposure was >instantaneous. I told him it's not; it takes some fraction of a second. >Properly educated about shutter speeds, he couldn't figure out why >sometimes >his shots blurred if he was doing everything possible to hold his camera >steady. I didn't have an answer for him except that something was >occassionally causing him to move the camera slightly. > >Well, this got me to thinking. During spare moments over the last couple of >days, I'm wondering to myself about this. I finally grabbed my camera >(while >trying on a new 35mm lens!) and did some dry shots around the house getting >a feel for the balance of the new lens on the camera and for the change in >the viewfinder. The thing I finally noticed (and it took me a while because >it's become automatic) is that I wait until the bottom of each breath to >trip the shutter at the natural pause in each breath. > >That's a little trick I picked up learning how to shoot a pistol in >competetion. As you exhale, there's a momentary natural pause before you >inhale. To minimize muzzle weaving, pistol and rifle shooters are taught to >squeeze the trigger at that natural pause. I hadn't been intentionally >doing >it, but I'd been applying the same principle to my camera technique. I'm >routinely able to get excellent shots at 1/15th and sometimes good shots >down to 1/8th or 1/4th of a second hand-held with a 45mm/50mm lens. I say >"sometimes" because sometimes there are other factors involved (muscular >shake from holding a position too long, or the subject is moving too). > >Anyone else have any tricks like this? > >Les Bonser >Technical Writer and Amatuer Photographer >Las Vegas, Nevada >http://home.att.net/~lbonser (home of the PhotoDog!) > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com