Want Better Photos? You
Need Stability
By: WA Davies
 When
you want to get the absolute best results from your
photography, you'll need to employ a tripod.
A tripod stabilizes the camera, leading to much
sharper images than you're generally likely to get
without it. This is especially true when it comes to
taking photos in poor light.
Vibration control
These days, many consumer cameras come with built-in
vibration control. More expensive cameras may move
vibration control to the lens.
Vibration control works by sensing camera shake
(caused by your hands when you hold the camera), and
moving the lens (or sensor) to compensate.
Vibration control is certainly a good thing,
allowing a photographer to capture a sharper image
than would otherwise be possible. And without the
weight and inconvenience of a tripod.
But vibration control isn't as effective as a good
tripod.
Faster shutter speed
You increase your odds of a non-blurry photo when
you crank up the shutter speed. This helps counter
the effects of camera shake, especially when you're
using a telephoto lens.
Of course, higher shutter speeds aren't always
available to you. In low-light conditions, you're
not going to have that luxury. That's where high ISO
comes in.
 High
ISO
Modern DSLR cameras have the ability to take amazing
pictures using higher ISO settings. The resulting
images are far cleaner than film (at equivalent ISO
settings) used to be.
If your photo requires a high shutter speed (e.g. to
capture fast action), the ability to take a clean
image at higher ISO settings is essential. If you
don't need a high shutter speed (e.g. for a slow
moving scene), setting a higher ISO is no match for
a tripod.
The tripod is king
There's no getting around it. If you're serious
about taking truly spectacular photos, you're going
to need a good tripod.
As with many things, you get what you pay for. The
basic rule of thumb with tripods, is to get the best
you can afford.
Wayne Davies is a photographer and web designer
based in London (England). Wayne helps businesses
use the Internet to make more sales, provide better
service to their clients, and reduce costs. You'll
find his site here:
http://asureimage.com
Wayne also provides photography and digital image
post-processing services. You'll find his online
photo album here:
http://asureimage.com/album/?r=1
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