There are many articles out there about Image Stabilization and how it helps in capturing images. In this article however, we’ll be talking about how to steady yourself to get a decently sharp photo. Not sharpness that’s due to the nature of the lens, but rather sharpness in the sense that the image is not affected by your movement.

Take note of the points below, it’ll be really useful when you’re at a luxury to use high shutter speed.

1. Hold the camera properly, with your left hand holding the base of the camera. Your fingers should be in a position where you can reach the zoom and / or focus ring. Your right hand grips the camera with the index finger and thumb in comfortable range to reach the buttons.

2. Stick the camera to your face.

3. Tucking your arms to your chest.

4. Take note of your breath – not the smell haha, I’m talking about how you inhale and exhale. Tucking your arms to your chest helps BUT it will not work well if you’re breathing. Just hold your breath to steady yourself just before you take the shot.

5. You could lean to a wall or any other structure around you – just make sure they’re steady, you wouldn’t want to break anything – that includes yourself and your equipment. Don’t lean on wet paint or if you intend to lean on trees, make sure there’s nothing around that could ruin the day.

6. Make-shift tripod – it is possible to place the camera on a steady platform to help take a photo, especially when long shutter is needed.

7. In some cases, you might even want to consider using the timer. Just set it to 10 seconds, which is enough time for you to plan your kung-fu breath-holding just because the shutter moves. The idea behind using the timer, is that you eliminate the possible shake when your index finger presses the shutter button.

Article courtesy of goldfries