The biggest problems with people’s snaps were ‘out of focus’.
Well, that’s what you would assume. Sometimes, the camera was indeed not focused properly – those simple cameras had fixed lenses and worked in a given range reasonably acceptably, but too close and it failed. Some, like the one in the previous post, had a simple switch that did help a little.
Sometimes the cameras were simply broken, or there was yuck on the lens.
But, for the most part, ‘out of focus’ meant camera movement. The shutter of the camera has to be open for a certain amount of time to allow the light in for a perfect exposure, and moving the camera in that time, which would only be a fraction of a second in daylight but could be longer in dark conditions, makes a smeary picture.
When I was learning how to take decent pictures, I was always told:
- hold the camera with both hands
- feet slightly apart
- arms by your body, tucked in
- hold your breath for a fraction of second
- wait a fraction of a second after the pic is taken
- use a tripod at night, or some other stable surface, if possible
Having a camera with an eyepiece/viewfinder is essential, I think. A camera with only an LCD screen means you have to hold it away from your body, increasing the chances of shake. But, since, with a digital camera, you can take thousands of pictures until you get it right at no cost, it should be easier to take sharp pictures, shouldn’t it?