Camera shake

Camera shake is the unseen saboteur of sharpness, turning potential masterpieces into blurred memories with just a slight, unintended movement...

What is camera shake?

Camera shake is the act of accidentally shaking the camera while shooting. Most of the time, the accidental shaking is due to unsteady hands that result in blurry images.

Now take note of the usage of the word "accidentally" here. Photography has many ways to convey its images, the same thing applies to the many methods involved in inducing the effect on the image viewers.

Camera shakes can certainly be used intentionally by photographers. I’ll explain more about that later. More importantly, where does the camera shake come from?

Here's an example of a photo I took of a flower where I had camera shake versus without:

What causes camera shake?

As one of the curses that strikes fear into the hands of photographers, camera shake has become the most significant factor in trashed photos. One little shake will lead to a blurred image.

Accidentally blurred images affect the viewer's perception of the image while also making it appear unclear. Camera shake will often occur when shooting using a slow shutter speed. With a slow shutter speed, the camera becomes more sensitive to your body shaking.

I mean, cameras are heavy, and as living human beings, we “naturally” shake because of our breathing, muscular tension, fatigue, etc.

This is why people made camera tripods. Other factors contributing to camera shake are the heavy lenses, which require a lot of strength to keep still. Luckily, the solution is quite simple. You just need to pull out your fancy tripod and camera release.

How to stop camera shake?

Naturally, camera manufacturers realized photographers would need some sort of technology to help shoot in varied conditions and required easy solutions. Things happened, and now we have fancy camera settings to help us with that.

Let’s take a look at camera settings to help you avoid camera shakes. Cameras will often offer some kind of image stabilization feature. Different manufacturers use different names for this feature. The feature can either be found on the camera lens or in the camera sensor.

1. Use the image stabilization feature

Image stabilization on lenses try to cancel your camera movement in real time by sensing it.^[1] Using this feature, you could try shooting handheld at shutter speeds of 1/10 or lower.

If you aren't familiar with image stabilization (IS), this technology works by detecting and counteracting camera movement in real time through built-in gyroscopic sensors that send information to microprocessors.

These processors adjust optical elements within the lens or move the camera sensor itself (in the case of in-body image stabilization or IBIS) to compensate for any detected motion. This rapid response stabilizes the image projected onto the sensor, reducing the effects of camera shake.

2. Use fast lenses or wide apertures if possible

Obviously, you could use a faster shutter speed to prevent blur. Fast lenses typically have wide apertures (f-stops) of f/2.8, f/2.0, f/1.4, etc.

Despite their steep price tag, they become a worthwhile investment for photographers who regularly shoot in dark/low-light conditions. The primary advantage of fast lenses lies in their ability to enable faster shutter speeds. A wide aperture allows more light to enter the camera, resulting in a brighter exposure. This increased light intake means that you can use a higher shutter speed while maintaining proper exposure, effectively minimizing the impact of body movement on the image.

Faster lenses allow faster shutter speeds that are less sensitive to body movement. In short, faster lenses make your shaking matter less.

3. Crank the ISO up

Adjusting your ISO setting is another effective way to reduce camera shake, especially in low-light conditions. In digital cameras, your ISO will amplify the signal recorded by the camera's sensor.

The ISO feature will help you shoot better in low-light conditions without the need to change the other settings in the exposure triangle (aperture and shutter speed). This is particularly useful when you need to maintain a fast enough shutter speed to prevent camera shake but don’t want to compromise your depth of field by adjusting the aperture. For instance, increasing the ISO from 100 to 800 or 1600 will allow you to use a shutter speed that is fast enough to reduce blur caused by hand movement.

Unfortunately, higher ISO levels will make an image more “noisy.” Noise appears as speckles that reduce the overall image quality and detail, especially noticeable in darker areas of the frame. While this is not ideal, many photographers prefer a slightly noisy but sharp photo over a blurred one.^[2] The noise can often be managed or reduced through post-processing software such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, making high ISO a practical choice in situations where preventing camera shake is crucial.

It is quite the trade-off: noisy but bright photos or a blurry bright photo. Clearly, photographers would rather choose a photo with noise and not blurry. You can also brighten the photos by using post-processing apps.

4. Avoid zooming in

Another tip to reduce camera shake is to avoid zooming in whenever possible. While zooming itself doesn’t increase the amount of camera shake, it magnifies what you see in the frame, including any unintended movement. This means that even the smallest hand movements can lead to noticeable blur when using a longer focal length.

When you shoot at a short focal length (e.g., 18mm or 24mm), the field of view is wider, and any camera movement has a less noticeable impact on the image. The wide field of view essentially diffuses the effects of motion blur, making it more forgiving if there is slight camera shake. On the other hand, when you zoom in to longer focal lengths (e.g., 200mm or more), the field of view becomes narrower, and any motion is amplified, making the image more prone to camera shake.

For example, a slight tremor when shooting at 300mm will have a far more significant effect than the same movement at 24mm. This is why handheld shooting at longer focal lengths often requires additional stabilization measures, such as using a tripod, a monopod, or lens-based image stabilization.^[3]

To minimize camera shake, consider stepping closer to your subject rather than zooming in whenever practical. This not only helps reduce the magnified effect of any unintentional movement but also provides a wider field of view, giving you more flexibility in framing and composition. By shooting at shorter focal lengths, you can achieve sharper, more stable images with less risk of motion blur.

5. Spray and pray

The development of technology has enabled us to take hundreds of photos before our memory cards run out of space. Back in the olden days, we could only take a limited number of images before we ran out of film.

This freedom has led to a technique known as “spray and pray,” where you take a burst of continuous photos in hopes that at least one comes out sharp and free of camera shake. While “spray and pray” might carry negative connotations for some, it can be an effective strategy for capturing sharper images, especially in challenging shooting conditions.

The key advantage of "spraying and praying," is that taking multiple photos in quick succession increases your chances of capturing one that is free of motion blur. Even with the best stabilization techniques, pressing the shutter button can introduce a slight shake to the camera, leading to blurred images. By using burst mode—a camera setting where the shutter stays engaged for a sequence of shots—you reduce the need to repeatedly press the button, thus minimizing the risk of amplifying any shake.

Burst mode enables you to hold the shutter down to capture a series of images, giving you a range of photos to select from afterward. With a set of images to choose from, you can pick the sharpest shot, discarding any that show signs of camera shake. This approach is particularly useful in scenarios where maintaining perfect stillness is difficult, such as when shooting handheld in low light or with longer focal lengths. I often use this mode on client portrait shoots.

Here are some tips for effective "spraying and praying:"

• Steady Your Hands: Even when using burst mode, try to maintain a stable hand position and practice controlled breathing to minimize camera movement.
• Leverage Image Stabilization: If your camera or lens has an image stabilization feature, be sure to enable it to further reduce camera shake during the burst.
• Review Your Shots: Once you’ve taken a burst, take a moment to review the images and identify the sharpest one. This practice ensures that you leave with a quality shot before moving on.

While “spray and pray” should not replace good photography techniques and planning, it can be a valuable tool in your arsenal for capturing a sharp image when conditions are less than ideal.

6. Consider camera size and weight

Consider the camera size and weight when factoring in camera shake.

Small and light cameras are much harder to grip comfortably. Their small weight makes it difficult to be held steadily but can be less heavy making it easier to hold for longer.

Heavy and large cameras are much easier to hold steady and grip comfortably. These cameras usually weight more, however, which may cause shoulder and arm fatigue which may lead to camera shake.

In either case, you'll want to have proper photography posture, which leads to the next tip!

7. Improve photography posture

An optimal posture for photography is usually a relaxed type, and it helps you take steady shots much better than other poses. Use poses that make you feel relaxed and reduce tension.^[4]

The less tension and stress on your body, the less your body shakes. Try leaning onto your surroundings if you are shooting handheld with heavy equipment.

If you cannot lean onto anything around you, stabilize yourself by spreading your legs laterally (think about how Cristiano Ronaldo poses before a free kick). You could place one foot in front of the other.

You can also stick your elbows together while placing them close to your torso; this makes your camera more stable.

Is there a reason to use camera shake?

At this point, you may think that camera shakes are the bane of photography. Yet camera shake photography, as weird as it sounds, exists.

Panning is a technique that involves intentional camera movement, and I want to highlight the intentional part here. By following the subject’s movements, photographers can keep them sharp while making the background appear blurry.

This method is commonly used to give viewers a sense of speed from the subject. Panning often appears in street photography, car race photography, wildlife photography, etc.

Creatively speaking, you can also experiment with long exposures. Fast and bright objects leave a trail of light in long exposures; check out “Bulb mode photography” for more detail. People commonly use this long-exposure trick to take photos of a lively city or a sky full of stars.

Furthermore, modern photographers are starting to bend the traditional rules and stereotypes according to their boundless creativity. Lens flare and overexposure are starting to be accepted in the community. This means you can experiment creatively using the information and effects from the camera shake to add certain feelings to the image.

Shaking your camera during long exposures will add these soft textures to your subjects, which may or may not work. But hey! Experiment anyways, and maybe do not obsessively do it; I recommend doing it occasionally.

How to tell the difference between camera shake and poor focusing?

From a moment's glance, it would be painfully obvious that it would be hard to differentiate between camera shake and poor focus.

Camera Shake has three components: Full-Image Blur, Double-Image Blur, and Motion Blur. Here are the descriptions for each.

Camera shake

1. Full image blur

Zooming into your image will reveal this type of blur. Observe and look for the lack of sharp points. If there aren't any sharp points on the main subject, foreground, and background, the image will most likely be full-blurred.

2. Double image blur

This type of camera shake is identified when you see two exposures in one image. These two exposures will stand out at the edges of your images.

3. Motion blur

As the name suggests, motion blur happens when there is some motion while taking long exposure photos. This comes up in the form of a blur that makes them look like they are moving. The common giveaways are the light streaks and lines that appear when you close up the image.

Poor focusing

Poor focusing is much simpler than a camera shake. Poor focus can be easily identified by looking at the overall image. Images with a smooth-looking blur everywhere are most likely the result of poor focusing. On the other hand, the camera shake will have a much rougher, jagged, harsher look.

In conclusion, camera shake can easily ruin one of your best shots. Every photographer prefers a noisy but sharp picture to a blurry image, making blur much less preferable. Interestingly, camera shake photography does exist. They purposefully use motion blur to make their images look fast. Blur is an interesting topic since it can also be mistakenly seen as poor focusing. Luckily, you can easily distinguish them.

The blur appears more rough and jagged around the edges, while poor focus looks soft all over. Do not forget that you can easily prevent motion blur while performing handheld photography. You can either use the technique and tips above or maybe splurge some cash to buy a good tripod and wireless release.