by Johanna Draper

Created on: January 19, 2010   Last Updated: January 20, 2010

One of the most common problems people run into when photographing is blurriness. Blurriness can be a difficult thing to avoid, especially in low light situations.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to minimize the blurs in your photographs.

Steady the camera. Blurriness is usually caused by camera shake. When the light is low, your camera has to hold the shutter open longer to let more light in. This means that any movement is then "recorded" onto the image.

Try to keep your subject and your camera as still as possible. If you can, use a ripod.

If you don't have a tripod, spread your legs slightly by putting one foot farther forward and to the side, and brace yourself, leaning forward. Press the camera tightly against your face. Press the shutter speed very gently. This will help steady your camera.

Try to get more light where you are photographing, so your camera can use faster shutter speeds. If it's during the day and you are inside, open the curtains to help allow more light to filter in.

Using flash when you can is also a good option. Flash will allow for faster shutter speeds when other lighting is low. One thing I don't like about flash is the harsh shadows it creates, and sometimes it will wash out your pictures as well. I recommend that you purchase a flash diffuser. They are very inexpensive, and there are special ones for popup flashes, and there are even mimi soft boxes that can be purchased for speedlights that are mounted on the hot shoe.

These diffusers will soften the light from your flash, and will give you a nice even lighting when photographing in low light situations.

In the event that more light is not an option, such as an outdoor sports event at night where arena lighting is low and flash does no good, you should get familiar with how the manual settings on your camera work, if your camera has a manual setting.

This way you can use wider aperture and slightly faster shutter speeds, and also you can adjust the sensitivity on your camera.

Raising your sensitivity will allow more light into your picture, allowing you to use faster shutter speeds. The higher your sensitivity, the more light, but also the quality will be lower, as higher sensitivity increases the graininess of the photo.

You will have to find the right balance for your low light photography.

The biggest thing is to have fun learning how to integrate the above tips into your photography, as you learn how to keep the blurriness out of your photo for a cleaner sharper image.

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