My super secret trick to getting sharp, low-shutter speed shots

[thebaumer]

Ok, so maybe it isn't super secret but it's a trick I learned when shooting slow shutter speeds. I read a lot about holding your arms in and leaning up against nearby objects, which all definitely help. Sometimes though, trying to find that 'right moment' to click the shutter can be a frustrating task when you just can't nail a crisp shot... taking one photo and seeing it be blurry, only to try your luck again over and over. In conjunction with the above techniques however, I've discovered a really easy way to getting a sharp shot almost every time.

Whenever I'm shooting with a slow shutter speed I set my camera (Nikon D200) on burst mode. Holding my body as steady as possible and controlling my breathing, I fire away holding the shutter down. Because you're shooting in burst mode you aren't thinking about your hand wiggling, and out of 9 shots, you're bound to come across one that was held right at the perfect moment. Zooming in to 100% and scrolling through the images, check for the one shot that produced the crispest edges. I've found this works really well when shooting rivers/streams and during concerts with minimal lighting or night photography (especially when you don't want to max out your ISO.) Hope this helps some of you out in tricky situations like it has me

[kirbinster]

It is surprising how well that burst mode really does help assure a good image.

[Disfidare]

Something I'll definitely be trying next time I'm cursing at not having a tripod with me! Thanks

[OsmosisStudios]

Works especially well with long lenses.

There's another super-secret trick, though, that you forgot to mention: A Tripod!

[Jamie Hickey]

That is how I shoot most shots because most everything is moving. I tend to get 3 or 4 out of 10. I have a 3 year old daughter I do alot with and she is all over the place.