Sharper Photos might be just around the corner for you!

Have you been noticing that your pictures are not sharp? They have this distracting sort of softness and blur? Well, 90% of the time, its NOT your camera. Its the person behind it, you.
That's right, most of the times, you are the reason for the picture not turning out sharp. When i say this, i mean that the picture might look OK on the camera screen, but on the computer screen or at 100% zoom, you will notice that its not sharp. The reason: Camera Shake!!

How to defeat camera shake? Well, you have to follow certain procedures while shooting in shake-vulnerable situations. Read on to find out what you can do to avoid camera shake.

• Everyone has shaky hands. You only need to control the amount of shake and completely avoid it.
• Shake is more visible/obvious at shutter speeds lesser than (slower than) 1/80 for normal hand shake.
  
• As a general thumb rule, keep your shutter speed at a minimum of the reciprocal of your focal length. Example, if you are shooting with an 18-55 lens at 55mm, then make sure you shoot at shutter speeds of 1/60 or faster. If you are shooting at 200mm, shoot at 1/200 or faster. This really works. Don't be afraid to increase ISO until you can shoot at fast speeds. Else get a fast lens.
  
• By all means get lenses with VR (Vibration Reduction). They really work well.
• Improve your shooting posture if you still get shake. Brace your left elbow against your chest and cradle the camera firmly with the left hand. Hold the camera firmly against your face with the right hand. Don't be afraid to stick the camera right into your face, it helps!
• Finally, hold your breath when you click! This helps the upper body remain still.
  
• If your camera has continuous shooting mode, then use it!! Take a couple of shots continuously and pick the sharpest one.
  
• Always, check the picture at 100% zoom on your camera screen or computer for camera shake/blur, because you don't usually notice it at reduced size.

Those are the basic guidelines to reduce camera shake and hence get sharper pictures.