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Handheld Photography
It is the end of yet another month, and is once again time to discuss a topic in photography. There are so many things to learn about photography which is one of the things that keeps me fascinated with it. At every turn I am either learning something new, or tweaking a skill I already have. That is what Tips and Tricks is all about. I hope to share things that am, or have learned so as to keep everyone thinking about their own skill set. By doing this, not only do I improve as a photographer, I hope to have an impact on your photography as well.
This month I would like to discuss a skill that I have not been too concerned with over the past few years...hand held photography. Sure it sounds simple enough, but everyone has taken a blurry picture before and wondered what happened, and how not to make the same mistake again. So, here we go...put away the tripods and monopods for a while and grab your camera, lets take some pictures!
I still say the best way to achieve a nice and sharp image (especially when printing large) is to use a tripod, mirror lock up, and remote release when taking a picture. However, there are plenty of times when a tripod is just not an available option. For instance on my recent Trek to Alaska, I went on a day cruise where the papers specifically said "No Tripods". There was also a trip to an aquarium where it was just not an appropriate thing to do, nor was there time. Many of you may take most of your photographs of friends and family in candid moments where a tripod would just get in the way. regardless, there are times that you have to, or want to just hold on and snap away. We are going to spend some time looking at the settings, some of the optional camera features, and ways to hold the camera that will make this type of photography more successful.
Basic camera settings for handheld photography
There are some things that you do on most any camera to give yourself a better chance at success in handheld photography. Your first consideration is the shutter speed. If you are shooting auto, this will be decided by the camera, but if you would like a bit more control over things you can take the initiative and choose your own. The best rule of thumb is you want to keep your shutter speed faster than the reciprocal of your focal length. All that I'm saying is if you are using a 125mm (in 35mm format) focal length for your shot, you will need to keep your shutter speed at 1/125 sec or faster. The wider angle you go, the slower your shutter speed can go, but the tighter a shot (zoomed in) the fast it needs to be to avoid that blur.
One of the best ways to speed up your shutter speed is to open up your aperture. This will allow more light in so the shutter doesn't have to remain open as long. The tradeoff here is you will lose your depth of field as the f/number gets smaller. If that is not an option and you need the depth of field for your particular purpose, then the other setting that is available to you is your ISO setting.
On a DSLR camera you will usuallyfind the ISO selection button on the exterior of the camera. This is done to allow you to change this valuable setting easily. One thing to keep in mind about the ISO is the higher you go, the more noise that is generated in the picture. Digital noise is rarely desired in a picture, but sometimes the tradeoff is worth it. Keep in mind also that each generation of camera that comes out is better able to handle the higher ISO's. Actually, digital has suppressed film in this area for the first time, and will create usable images well up over ISO3200 now on some models. For the most part DSLR cameras will snap noise free up to around ISO800.
For those shooting with a point and shoot, you also have the ability to change the ISO, although you have to do that by going into the menu for the most part. Also keep in mind that point and shoot cameras are much more susceptible to digital noise because of their smaller sensors.
Optional Camera Features to Look For
One of the newer technologies to hit the consumer marketplace in the last few years is Image Stabilization. This is called different things by different manufacturers, but it all does pretty much the same thing. Both DSLR's and point and shoots can benefit from this feature. With DSLR cameras, the IS can be found in either the lens (as in Canon and Nikon), or in the body of the camera directly on the sensor (as in Sony, and Pentax).
What Image Stabilization does is to detect subtle camera movements (called camera shake) and correct for it either by moving the optics in the lens, or moving the sensor to counteract the slight movement. Depending on the manufacturer, you are looking at a safety net of sorts of 1-4 stops of shutter speed. Using the IS feature you can now use that same 125mm lens and shoot as slow as 1/64 second. That is a powerful tool to have when it comes to handheld photography.
As you can see above, on an SLR lens that has the IS feature, there will be a button to turn this on or off. When hand holding go ahead and leave it on, but be sure and turn it off if used on a tripod since you will actually get some blur as the IS works on a steady platform. The other button that you might also see is the Mode selector. If you have this option, it tells the IS how you want it to work. With this Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS option #1 will allow the IS to correct for both horizontal and vertical shake. This is how you will most likely want to use the IS. However, if you are panning on a subject (moving the lens to track a moving object) you might want to use option #2 which will only correct for one axis and not the other. This will give you a better background blur which is desired in panning.
If you are shooting with a point and shoot camera that has IS, then you will have to access this feature by the menu more than likely. Depending on the camera, this could be easy to find or difficult. This Canon A720IS is pretty simple and the IS facility is located in the first menu screen. You can change the modes by toggling it here.
For those using IS with a point and shoot camera, you should have some sort of icon on the LCD screen that shows the status. It will come on automatically if theshutter speed drops too slow due to lighting conditions. It will usually show red, or possibly green when it is activated to let you know that you are in IS mode. This is a nice reminder because it will tell you when you are in danger of developing camera shake in your pictures and you might want to change some of your settings (from above). If you are shooting with an SLR camera, you will not get a visual warning that IS is active. It will be active when you turn it on regardless of your shutter speed. The only indication that you will have is a hum, or vibration coming from the lens. Those cameras with the sensor based IS will operate much like the point and shoot that I just described above.
One final equipment consideration to keep in mind is the use of a "fast" lens. What I mean is by having a wide aperture of f/2.8 or larger. The faster the lens is, the wider you can open the aperture which allows faster shutter speeds. There is a tradeoff here as well. Those faster lenses are usually twice the cost of the slower versions, and your depth of field will be very, very small with your aperture opened up to f/2.0, or even f/1.0. But, you might find that these tradeoffs are worth it when you get that shot that nobody else can get with "regular" lenses.
How to Hold the Camera
No matter what you do with your equipment choices, you will still get blurry pictures if you don't know how to hold your camera. This plays a very important part in the whole picture taking process. Your ideal stance would be to have your feet about shoulder width apart, leaning slightly forward to distribute your weight evenly on your feet. You will hold the camera with your right hand, thumb behind, index on/near shutter button, and remaining fingers along the front grip (if available). This hand needs to be held firmly, but not too tight. The left hand will either hold the lens (controlling the zoom and focus), or the left side of the camera body for point and shoots. While not as firm as the right hand, you also want to have a good solid hold with this hand as well. Your elbows should be tucked in tight to your sides, pushing up on the camera. The viewfinder should be planted under the top of your eye socket, or firmly against your glasses.
As you can see from the above picture, my body has just become a tripod for the camera. This is a very stable way to hold the camera that requires nothing at all special in terms of equipment or props. All you need is you and the camera. If by chance you don't have a viewfinder on your point and shoot camera, then you can still achieve most of the same results by skipping that part of the stance.
Here is something that they don't always tell you in the photography books, and it deals with your breathing. This is something that I learned when learning how to shoot (pistol, not camera), but it applies here as well. Right before taking your shot, you want to inhale normally, and then only partially exhale (about 1/3) and hold it. Right after you hold your exhale is when you need to press the shutter for the final exposure. This is when your body is the most calm and still. However, if you wait too long on the held breath, you are likely going to start shaking as your body starts looking for fresh oxygen.
If you happen to be on a boat, as I found myself on not too long ago, all of the above still applies, but you also need to time your exposure to the top of the up and down motion of the boat. Right when the boat reaches the top of the arch, it will pause for a brief second before going back down again. This is the steadiest your platform will be, and by timing your breathing, you will also be as steady as you can be. This is the time yourpicture will be the sharpest.
Wave Catcher which was created in open ocean water using the above technique.
There are also times that you have things around you that you can use to replace a tripod as well. Setting the camera down on a rock, or bench and using the timer is one way. Using a bean bag is even better because it allows you more freedom in your compositions. A bean bag doesn't take up much room in your camera bag either. Other things to look for are door frames that you can lean on which helps to steady you when holding the camera as I've described. You can also sit down and brace the camera on your elevated knees (Thanks for that one Michelle!).
Anther method I discovered in Alaska was the leaning over the railing pose which is kind of hard on the chest, but actually works very well as long as you pay particular attention to your breathing.
By using this method, there is no forward or backward movement and since the solid platform is closer to the camera than your feet are, there is less arc involved in any side to side sway. The grip of the camera remains the same in this pose, and you still have an amazing control over the composition considering you are more or less immobile like this.
Conclusions and Closing Thoughts
I'm sure that most of the material in this tutorial has been seen many times before, and more than likely we are all doing most of to a degree in our own photography. However, it is very much worth thinking about when pressing that shutter button. so many times I took what would have been a great picture but it came out very blurry and unusable. Back then I had no idea what to do to fix it short of standing really still. After doing much research on photography, I have found that aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and the advent of Images Stabilization all play a part in helping the handheld photographerachieve nice and sharp images. However, I am still very much a tripod shooter because I want to be able to focus more on the composition (and be able to repeat the same shot with different settings) than holding the camera.
If you have a question about photography that you would like me to cover, please feel free to ask. I am always looking for new topics to cover in Tips and Tricks!
Written by Greg A. Kiser
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Hi, Greg! As usual your tips and tricks are very valuable and for me so much easier to undrstand than some of the other things I have read. I love that photo of the water and the rocks. I hadn't heard the breathing tip before or the boat tip...two great tricks you have shared today among all the others. One idea you might cover later is the use of the LED or LCD screens in bright light. I have a heck of a time trying to see what I'm shooting with my camera without a view finder. Some tips on working in bright light and what is available to see the screen better might be a good idea for a future article..... Maria
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thanks for this wonderful tips and tricks on handheld photography. i do the majority of my shooting handheld. i need to get my tripod out more and learn the technical features you talk about here. i love the 'wave catcher'! gorgeous!! i think that's where i'll make hubby take me next year for our anniversary. :)
gina -
What I did once, in Italy in a church, I braced my camera on a rail & snapped, keeping it on wide angle.
I also had low lighting once & braced my arms on a rail & used the timer, so I didn't press down on the shutter & move the camera.
Loved the blue waters in your photo......Magnificent!
Marie -
Greg wonderful article. I notice you had your lens on manual focus. For hand held, wouldn't you use auto focus? I know when using a tripod you should use manual focus.
Betty
6/2/08 2:09 PM
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