7 Tips For Sharper Photos When Hand Holding Your Camera

If you learn to use the 7 fundamental techniques we are covering in this article you will eliminate 80% of the image you’re currently experiencing even though you are hand holding your camera.

I did a lifestyle shoot with my wife and son in our bedroom as that is where a lot of our time was spent in those early days and, I wanted something that would be really representative of that time. If you have children of your own or if you’ve shot children before you know that asking them to pose or to turn their nose to the light is simply impossible. They are going to do what they want and you’ll be lucky to get a good expression.

I caught one of my son’s expressions that was just priceless. It was the best expression I had gotten in the entire first year of his life. What do you think the problem with that image was? Short answer- camera shake. The expression was so good I still printed a canvas even though it was somewhat soft and blurry. What I wouldn’t pay right now to have that image pin sharp.

Nothing feels worse than catching a great expression then going to edit and finding motion blur from a shaky hand held shot.

That was probably one of the moments that really sent me on a quest in improving the overall sharpness of my images. Through the process of a lot of searching I found some great material to help me. In particular I found a great video by wildlife photographer Chris Weston that covered the tips below.

When shooting wildlife with a long lens and possible low light conditions camera shake can become a huge problem. The great thing about these tips is they are universal and apply to any subject you might be shooting.

Today whenever I am hand holding my camera one immediate thought comes to mind. How can I best stabilize myself while taking this photo? How can I turn myself into a rock solid Manfrotto tripod even though the camera is in my hand?

In order to help me I have created for myself a mental checklist. 7 tips I go over in my head every time to make sure that what happened with my son in that photo doesn’t happen again. Here are those 7 tips. I recommend committing these to memory and repeating these every time you’re forced to shoot handheld.

Tip #1 Breathe

Whenever you watch a sniper in a movie taking a shot with a rifle you’ll notice one thing. before they take that shot they breathe in then exhale. They then take the shot at the bottom of of that exhale.

If you’re trying to take a photo while taking a breath or exhaling your body will be moving with those breaths. So just like a sniper. Breath in then out and, take your shot at the bottom of your exhale. By shooting at the bottom of that breath your body will be still and it will be easier to keep your camera still.

Tip #2 Keep your weight centered

When I am standing I try to keep my gravity centered and my feet about shoulder width apart. This is a much more solid stance then if I were leaning right, left, forwards or backwards. If I keep my gravity centered I am in a much more stable position and it reduces any motion that might take place when I hit the shutter. If I am off my center of gravity it’s very easy to sway or teeter totter while taking my shot.

Tip #3 Keep Your Arms And Body Tucked In

I keep my arms close to my body. I do this by pulling both my arms and elbows in tight to my body. If my arms are extended I can almost be sure to have some camera shake in my image. Especially if I am using a heavy lens mike  my Canon EF70-200mm. That lens is just heavy I can’t hold it out in front of me for any length of time without my arms shaking. However, if I tuck my elbows I can prop them against my body and let my body hold the weight of the camera giving me a far more stable image.

Tip #4 Find something to lean against

If I can lean against something like a wall I no longer need to worry about my weight being centered since the wall is now stabilizing me. Even with a good centered stance I am not nearly as stable then if I have an immovable object to lean into and stabilize me.

Tip #5 Lay Down

Even better than leaning against something is laying down on the ground. I can actually position my arms similar to a tripod for a super solid stance. This is by far the most stable of all positions however, laying down is not always the best perspective for the photo I want to take. That leads me to the next tip.

Tip #6 Kneel down and use your knee as a stabilizer

If I kneel down I can actually prop my elbow onto my knee. This will give me a solid foundation similar to a tripod or monopod. If I try to kneel down without propping an elbow on my knee I have found it can lead to swaying or, arm shake that may put motion blur once again into my image.

Tip #7 Lean against something while kneeling

Just like leaning against something while standing you can lean against something while kneeling. Once again you won’t have to worry nearly as much about trying to center your weight and remaining still since that immovable object is bearing your weight. Just be sure that whatever you’re leaning against is sturdy enough to hold you still.

In closing I recommend you go out and try this for yourself. Pay attention to how you were shooting in the past. You may have been employing some of these tips but failing to employ others. Make sure to add whichever of these techniques you weren’t using and I have no doubt both you and your subjects will be much happier with your photos.