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Photo

shaking and photography.


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15 replies to this topic

#1
stanhouse

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I am trying to get into this hobby with my wife (who is very competent) But i have one huge drawback, I have a slight to moderate tremor that is a birth defect that runs in my dads side of the family. I am looking for any tips on how to combat this problem. so far all i have found i can do is use a tripod and a remote to take my pictures. Which is great for landscapes which I enjoy but i am really trying to get better at taking photos of animals. 

 

A bit of info about my rig and lens. (my wifes old ones)

I use a d7000 (have taken probably 100 pictures on it and 310 in my life the 100 on it are by far better then the coolpix and hp cameras i had used in the past)

Lens's for it (i think they are kit as my wife trust me with them)

Nikon 18-105mm f/3 5-5.6g ED VR AF-S DX Nikkor Autofocus Lens

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 55-300MM f/4 5-5 ED VR Zoom Lens

and my favorite 

a Sigma 17-50MM F2.8 EX DC OS(the pictures out of this lens are beautiful even mine)



#2
Merco_61

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There is a thread on stabilizing cameras without a tripod here.

A friend with mild parkinson's has found that a monopod helps a lot even without extending it, just by the weight hanging below the camera.

Another good technique is putting the camera on continuous high and shooting short bursts instead of single frames.

Remember that the D7000 has quite good high ISO and don't be afraid to use it. Auto ISO is good to keep the shutter speed up.

Good luck with your photography, and congratulations on trying to overcome your tremors

/Peter



#3
alden

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Use a monopod or brace your arm against a stable object. 

 

VR lenses are also your friends. 



#4
PrettyCranium

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I have a slight tremor as well, and compensate by raising the shutter speed and increasing ISO.  And VR is a must for me.



#5
K-9

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Try resting your long lens down on something: a low wall, car window, etc.

#6
Stas

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Try to decrease exposure time. Use minimal F and as high ISO as you can. In other way use tripod, monopod or any other stabilization or vr lens.



#7
TBonz

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Lots of excellent advise above.  I rarely go anywhere without my longest lens attached to a monopod.  For lenses that don't have tripod mounts, you could put a head on the monpod and attach the camera so you have the ability to change perspective.

 

Go out and experiment with some of these ideas and I'm sure you will find several that can work in certain situations...one of the nice things about digital is that you can do lots of experimentation...your only requirements are a subject to shoot and some time...



#8
dubiousone

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I'll ditto the above;

Monopods or tripods where you can, VR (image stabilization) lenses and use a high ISO to keep the shutter speeds up. I have a VR 55-200 and that works wonders as does my Pentax K100DS which has that same system in the body.



#9
PrettyCranium

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I'm starting to think that I should invest in a good monopod!



#10
TBonz

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Not sure what lenses you have, but I will highly recommend getting a monopod.  If none of your lenses have the ring for mounting the lens to the monopod, I'd also buy a head to allow you to change the perspective of the shot rather than just shooting everything in landscape.  You can get one fairly inexpensively if you don't have any big heavy lenses - just make sure it is solid.

 

To clarify what I said above,

 

I rarely go anywhere without my longest lens attached to a monopod. 

 

That will be the longest lens I intend to shoot with that day - either my 200-400 or my 70-200.  The latter can easily be hand held, but the extra support is nice to have if available and I've gotten quite used to carrying the gear with my shorter lens (24-70 or 70-200) on a strap plus my longer lens on the monopod...



#11
old4570

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Hmmm , keep the shutter speed up !  

 

Now depending on the photography , but most pro's reach for a tripod every chance they can , a mono-pod can help , try finding something to rest against . A post a tree a wall a fence , you get the idea .

The simplest option is shutter speed , if needed increase the ISO , a slightly grainy image can be fixed with software .   



#12
Ron

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I can also second the monopod suggestion. Many of them are very compact when not extended so you can easily carry them attached to your backpack if you use one or even hooked to a belt. But any support is better than none at all. I've even used a small table top tripod to help steady my camera by resting it on my chest. That works suprisingly well.

 

--Ron



#13
Chrisf

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This depend on what you are shooting of course,but you could try lying on the ground as some do to get eye level with some bird species



#14
iNYONi

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when shooting wildlife I sometimes use a "BeanBag", it helps steady the lens and and take the weight when sitting for long periods of time. Something like that might help. I have even resorted to using my jacket or jumper when I have nothing else to hand. My monopod goes everywhere with me. It was fairly cheap at £20 (Manfrotto MMC3-02 Compact Monopod) and it does the job really well.



#15
Chrisf

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I always have a beanbag with me in case it's needed. You could also use an old pillow or something similar if you don't have a beanbag.Those oly work for me if I have something to rest the lens on though.If using a heavier long lens I would recommend using a tripod . Even those of us that don't have steadiness issues use them to eliminate faitgue over time.



#16
TBonz

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Longer lenses can give anyone steadiness issues which is why they come with built in tripod / monopod mounts (among other reasons).  When possible, it never hurts to have extra support...