Hi-diddly-ho Neighbor! We're glad to have you back for another quick tip installment that's part of our Sharper Images Mini-Series. Today Chris is going over one super simple but OFTEN-forgotten step that can help save you from blurry images.
We've heard many tales of woe about that once-in-a-lifetime shot that turned out blurry. You'll shake your head when you hear what the culprit is.
It's your tripod habits.
Often when shooting landscapes, we use a tripod to keep our camera steady. However! All too often, we forget to turn off the in-camera/lens stabilization which ends up fighting against the stillness of the tripod. Visa-versa, we also forget to turn it back on when we're done using our tripod.
The best way to protect against this mistake is to create a habit.
If you're familiar with the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, one suggestion he makes is using implementation intentions when establishing a new habit! "Vagueness is an enemy of action. Get specific to increase the chance of making something happen."
Follow this formula to set up your new habit, "I will {behavior} at {time} in {location}."
"I will turn off the stabilization settings each time before I put my camera on a tripod."
"I will turn on the stabilization settings each time before I take my camera off a tripod."
Using this formula can help create and establish your tripod intentions. You'll hear people say that the in-camera (or lens) stabilization doesn't make a difference, but oh, how it does! It's one of photography's best advancements in the last 40 years. In-camera stabilization is a great tool, whether you're shooting big or small lenses. It can save you when trying to get those consistently sharp photos.
While this tip isn't so much about technical settings, it covers the importance of the habits we create and follow that help us develop consistency in our photography workflow.
Thanks for joining us and we hope to see you again next week!