Big Glass and How To Make The Most Of It.

When I purchased my first big lens I thought that all my troubles were over and quality images were just a matter of finding a scene or animal. Well that lens did improve my images but if anything big lenses (300mm and larger) require more technical knowledge and skills to shoot great images. The first issue that comes to mind is camera shake, which produces…blurry, unusable images. All you have to do is set your lens and camera on a tripod and look through the viewfinder. Now take your free hand and reach up and gently tap on the lens barrel. You’ll be shocked and amazed when you see that viewfinder image shake. Imagine a slight breeze or a chilly morning when you are shaking…

Now lets say you are out shooting in low early morning light and you have found a scene or spotted an animal. Are you going to get the image? You will most likely have to dial your ISO up, set your aperture as low as it will go and then hopefully have a shutter speed that will allow a sharp image to be taken. Let’s say you ended up with the camera ISO on 200, aperture on F4 and a shutter speed of 1/40. Are you going to get a sharp image?

What I would tell you is that if you put 10 serious amateur photographers in that situation there would only be a few sharp images.

Can a photographer consistently get sharp usable images using big glass in questionable lighting conditions? You bet it’s possible. First and foremost you must understand the camera and lens. Being able to set the camera so that you are maximizing the technology is first and foremost. Do you know how high you can dial up your ISO and still get a usable image without a lot of camera noise? Can you shoot using the camera’s manual mode? If you shoot with a high shutter speed do you understand that you are going to sacrifice your depth of field?

Secondly, are you shooting from a stable platform? I am consistently amazed at the number of shooters out there that have really great cameras and lenses but they are shooting with flimsy tripods and heads. If you are going to spend the kind of money that it takes to get the camera and the lens then you have got to spend some money on the tripod. I can’t over emphasize how much using a quality tripod and head will help your photography.

Last but not least, there are techniques that need to be developed as you improve your skills minimizing camera shake which in the end will allow you to shoot confidently in low light conditions. I always adjust my tripod and shoot from the lowest position possible. If there is not a lot of movement in the scene I even lock the tripod head down. When using my 500mm F4 lens I will use my left hand and rest it near the end of the lens while shooting. This dampens vibration and minimizes camera shake.

So the next time you are out shooting give some of these techniques a try and see if you don’t get a higher percentage of sharp images.