- Remember to bring spare batteries or charge it if you are using a digital camera.
Go outside. Motivate yourself to get out and take photographs in natural light. Take several normal 'point and shoot' pictures to get a feel for the lighting at different times of the day and night. While many people find 'Golden Hour' (the last two hours of daylight) to be favorable light conditions to photograph in, this doesn't mean that one can not photograph in mid day light conditions. If it is a bright sunny day, sometimes an open shade environment can create soft, appealing light (especially on people). Go outside, especially when most people are eating, watching television, or sleeping. Lighting is often dramatic and unusual to many people precisely because they never get to see it!
Keep still. Many people are surprised at how blurry their pictures come out when going for a close-up, or taking the shot from a distance. To minimize blurring: If you're using a full-sized camera with a zoom lens, hold the camera body (finger on the shutter button) with one hand, and steady the lens by cupping your other hand under it. Keep your elbows close to your body, and use this position to brace yourself firmly. If your camera or lens has image stabilisation features, use them (this is called IS on Canon gear, and VR, for Vibration Reduction, on Nikon equipment)
If you are in a situation where it would be nice to use a tripod, but you don't have a tripod at the time, try one or more of the following to reduce camera shake:
- Turn on image stabilization on your camera (only some digital cameras have this) or lens (generally only some expensive lenses have this).
- Zoom out (or substitute a wider lens) and get closer. This will de-magnify the effect of a small change towards the camera, and increase your maximum aperture for a shorter exposure.
- Hold the camera at two points away from its center, such as the handle near the shutter button and the opposite corner, or toward the end of the lens. (Do not hold a delicate collapsible lens such as on a point-and-shoot, or obstruct something the camera will try to move on its own such as a focusing ring, or obstruct the view from the front of the lens.) This will decrease the angle, which the camera moves for a given distance your hands wobble.
- Squeeze the shutter slowly, steadily, and gently, and do not stop until shortly after the picture has taken. Place your index finger over the top of the camera. Squeeze the shutter button with the second joint of the finger for a steadier motion; you are pushing on the top of the camera all along.
- Brace the camera against something (or your hand against something if you are concerned about scratching it), and/or brace your arms against your body or sit down and brace them against your knees.
- Prop the camera on something (perhaps its bag or its strap) and use the self-timer to avoid shake from pushing on the button if the item is propped on is soft. This often involves a small chance the camera will fall, so check that it does not have a far drop. Avoid it with an expensive camera or one with accessories such as a flash that could break or rip off parts of the camera. If you anticipate doing this much, you could bring along a beanbag, which would work well for it. Purpose-built "beanbags" are available, bags of dried beans are cheap, and the contents can be eaten when they begin to wear through or are upgraded
Relax when you push the shutter button. Also, try not to hold the camera up for too long; this will cause your hands and arms to be shakier. Practice bringing the camera up to your eye, focusing and metering, and taking the shot in one swift, smooth action
