How to Take Steady Photographs

A camera tripod is a very important tool for those who take their photographing seriously. Using one can mean the difference between a steady shot and a blurry, fuzzy mess. Use these guidelines to help you decide when a tripod is necessary.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Your camera
• Camera tripod

1. 

   As the day ends, so does your light source. In this or any dimly lit situation you will need to support your camera with a tripod because of the slow shutter speed you will have to use.

2. 

   This also pertains to ANY time you are using a slow shutter speed. Because a slow shutter speed means that the shutter will stay open for longer than a normal setting, and any camera movement or tremor while the shutter is open will cause the picture to blur significantly (as shown left).

3. 

   If you are planning on taking a picture with the intention of enlarging it to a fairly big size you will need to use a tripod as well. Any slight tremor in the photo will be magnified and made visible when the picture is blown-up.

4. 

   Lastly, you should always use a tripod or some kind of support for large format cameras. Because of their sheer size and weight it would be difficult to carry around such a device in your hands hoping to still get your shots. Also, these cameras are primarily used for very high quality pictures with fine detail and any movement caused by the user would ruin an otherwise beautiful shot.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't have the space or strength to carry around a tripod all day? Many stores offer light weight mini-tripods about 1 to 2 feet tall that fold up neatly

[rnhealthinfo]

on 7/21/2009 Thanks for your well written article and idea of using a tripod.. This could be the answer to my fuzzy photos. 5*

[torque63]

on 12/15/2007 when using a digital camera to take a dusk picture the shutter speed will also be slow, use a tripod and setup for your shot. Then use the auto-timer function so you don't bump the camera during the shot. Most will count down from 10 seconds and vibrations from you touching the camera won't show up when it takes the picture.