CAMERA SHAKE WITH HAND-HELD PHOTOS

Blurry Photo from Camera Shake	Photo Without Camera Shake

Photo from the base of the Eiffel Tower at night - Paris, France.

OVERVIEW

Camera shake is visible whenever your shutter speed is slow compared to the speed of unintended camera motion. Reducing its impact may therefore include:

1. Methods for increasing the shutter speed (shorter exposure time)
2. Methods for reducing camera motion

On the one hand, many who are new to photography often don't appreciate the importance of using fast shutter speeds or a tripod, but on the other hand, many experienced photographers often overestimate their impact. More often than not, it is one's shooting technique — not high-end lenses or high megapixel cameras — that ultimately limits the resolution of a photograph.

While either method alone can be of great help, the most effective solution is to take both into consideration. Even the calmest hands cannot hold a camera sufficiently steady during a several second exposure, for example, and fast shutter speeds are unlikely to freeze motion from a telephoto lens held by shaky hands. Also, increasing the shutter speed helps freeze a moving subject, whereas reducing camera motion does not.