A Sparrow (Two Photographs) and more on Sharp Photographs

To view more of my photography please click on www.rakmilphotography.com

The sparrow was high up a tree; I took this shot with a 500 mm lens at ISO 400 at 1250th of a second handheld. This is a Baird’s Sparrow.

Part II: Sharp photos, the camera and the lens

Holding a camera is not always intuitive, fortunately there are tutorials on the web with videos to help out. Sharp photos start by removing the motion at your end. A tight hold of a camera pressed firmly against your face and the lens held with the other hand for DSLRS and SLRS is important. Rubber eyepieces for some cameras can act as a shock absorber. Some cameras have stabilization mechanisms built into them. Others have it in some of their lenses. This is a good thing because our hearts beat, blood flows and breath goes in and out and none of this helps a steady hand. With long lenses, shooting at a reciprocal speed to the lens e.g. 1/300th for a 300mm lens can work. It depends on what you are shooting. A bird in flight will take greater shutter speed than a flower in a vase. A bird in a tree requires a greater shutter speed than a turtle. More on lenses and sharpness in the next post.