Today’s tip with Photographer David Bergman and AdoramaTV is about keeping your camera stable at slower shutter speeds. Even the steadiest hands get to a point where you might have camera shake when shooting without a tripod. That could result in blurry photos the wider the lens generally. The old school film guideline was that as long as the denominator of your shutter speed was bigger than your focal length you could generally keep the camera stable. So for example, if I’m using a 50 millimeter lens – I want to shoot at at least a 50th of a second or faster. Today with modern digital cameras I generally like to double that amount. so with that 50 millimeter I want to shoot at least a 100th of a second.”
“Newer lenses have image stabilization built into them and you can also bump up your ISO to get faster shutter speeds. However there are just times when you don’t have enough light and you need to do some things with your body position to help minimize shake. While you’r shooting put your left hand underneath the lens to really help stabilize your gear.”
“Keep your elbows tight to your side and spread your feet apart just a bit to give you a solid steady stance.”
“It helps if you can lean up against something solid like a tree or a wall.”
“Take slow deep breaths and shoot at the end of your exhale. when I shoot I like to look through the viewfinder instead of using the LCD screen on the back of the camera. That extra point of contact by holding the camera up against my face helps to stabilize everything.”
“If I’m shooting video and have to use that LCD screen on the back of the camera. I’ll put the camera strap around my neck and hold it out from my body as hard as I can. That way I can move around and pan left and right and get a pretty solid stable shot.”
For more information visit AdoramaTV YT page, and of course you can keep up with David on Instagram and Twitter @DavidBergman. LATEST UPDATE: David opened up new IGTV episodes where you can ask him questions live! find out more at http://www.AskDavidBergman.com
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Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV: