By Harold Merton, A.P.

The title of this column seems quite basic and to many people who make pictures it is just common sense but if your pictures are not as sharp as they could be then "camera movement" just might be a problem.

In the old days when we used cameras that shot roll film that was a couple of inches wide and two or three inches long, it was not quite as important to hold the camera perfectly still. Little defects were not as obvious because the negatives were not enlarged very much.

However once we moved to small compact 35mm cameras, holding the camera really still, has been extremely important because the negatives are nearly always enlarged to some extent.

Let's think about your photographs for a moment. If you have someone
moving in your picture, you must use a relatively short shutter speed like
1/500th of a second, 1/1000, or even shorter.

As long as your shutter is open it is going to capture an image no matter where it is in the viewing area. That means if a person riding a bicycle is included in the picture area it will record that object in every position it occupies during the time the shutter is open to expose the film.

Ride a bicycle through the picture and it will show up as a blur unless
you use a short shutter speed because the bicycle is actually in several
positions during the exposure. That's what a blur really is - a number of
images run together of the same thing that is moving. The images are all run together so it appears as a blur.
However shorten your shutter speed to perhaps 1/1,000th of second and the camera "freezes" the bicycle in a very small area.

For those of you who have been following this column for some time, you will know that the proper exposure you need to make a picture (the perfect amount of light) may be achieved by several combinations of aperture (the size of the hole in the front of the lens) and shutter speed (the time that the lens is open to allow light in).

1/1,000th of a second at an aperture of f8 gives the same exposure (the
same amount of light) as an exposure of 1/500th of a second at f11 or even 1/250th of a second at f16. The total amount of light reaching the film is the same.

Using a very short shutter speed lessens the chance of camera movement simply because the shutter is not open as long and therefore there is less chance of movement.

You must hold your camera really still when you are squeezing the shutter release! Take a good hold of the camera and hold it tight to your face. Keep your eye right up to the viewfinder and squeeze the shutter release - don't punch it! If you push it hard (punching it) you may actually move the camera down and that causes blur over the entire picture. That is what we call "camera movement".

Squeezing the shutter release carefully, lessens the chance of camera
movement.What actually happens with camera movement is the entire picture area is blurry because the camera has actually moved during the exposure. If you look at your pictures carefully and the entire area is fuzzy or blurry, then camera movement could be your problem.

If you are having trouble with camera movement there is something to be said about putting your camera on a tripod or even one of the little unipods that are sold these days. These small stands steady your camera extremely well and are a must for any exposures longer than 1/30th of a second. They are not just used for time exposures. Many photographers use them whenever they can, especially for scenic pictures. If you don't have a tripod with you and you want to hold the camera as still as possible then set your camera on top of a short wall, a car or even a trash receptacle. They will help you hold it still while the exposure is being made. I sometimes place my camera against the trunk of a tree or the edge of the wall to hold it perfectly still.

If you think you have camera movement but on close inspection of the print you find that one spot in your picture is perfectly sharp and the rest is blurry then you can look to something other than camera movement as the problem. One sharp area with the rest blurry either indicates subject movement or focusing problems.

I suggest to those looking for camera technique advice, to use a fast
shutter speed whenever possible because that just makes the potential for camera movement even less. Of course there are times when this just is not possible due to the amount of light in the area of your picture but use a faster shutter speed whenever conditions allow it.

When you are making your pictures hold your camera tight to your face,
fill up the viewfinder so that you are not having to blow up just a part of
the tiny 35mm negative and squeeze the shutter release carefully. Put your camera on a tripod or use some other stationery object to help steady it especially if you are using a telephoto lens. Movement is much harder to control with longer focal length lenses than it is with a normal 50mm standard lens.

Try these tips and the result just might make a considerable improvement in your pictures.

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Good shooting!