The Steadier You Are, The Steadier You Are

Not all our jobs can be done in the studio with the big tripod or studio stand to secure the camera. Not all can be adequately lit. But we still need sharp results. Here's an old new tip to help with this.

I discovered it while taking pictures at the Doll House Exhibition. No, not that one...these are real doll houses. I was in Bogan Central under moderate halogen lighting and wanted to frame pictures accurately with my Fuji X-10 - so, like everyone there with iPhones or compacts, I was using the LCD screen on the back to sight with.

Some of the shots were at 1/15th of a second and were looking decidedly shaky. Rather than boost ISO and lose detail, I elected to have a cup of coffee and a sandwich. During the break I shortened the neck strap on the camera so that it sat mid-chest.

Then when I was standing in front of the subject I pushed forward on the camera until the strap was taut. I could still see the screen but there was at least one more usable stable shutter speed. Win.

If your compact camera does not have two strap lugs, you might have to attach something like a Steadepod to the tripod socket and pull up against your foot. Same gain - sharp pictures.