HANDHELD TECHNIQUE HOLDING YOUR CAMERA STEADY DURING AN EXPOSURE IS VITAL FOR SHAKE-FREE SHOTS.

The rule of thumb for shooting sharp pictures without a tripod is to make sure the shutter speed doesn’t drop below the focal length, expressed as a fraction.

For example, a 50mm lens shouldn’t be used at a shutter speed slower than 1/50 sec, and 1/500 sec should be the minimum with a 500mm lens. It’s a good idea to factor in the crop factor of the camera sensor, too, so a 500mm lens on an APS-C camera gives an effective focal length of 750–800mm (depending on the camera).

Your mileage may vary when it comes to this rule. Some photographers are able to take sharp pictures below the minimum recommendation, while others can get blurred results at shutter speeds that are twice as fast. Practising your handholding technique can really help here — so here’s a simple guide to getting it right...