Handholding a Telephoto Lens Wrong Is Costing You Sharp Wildlife Shots

Handholding a long telephoto lens is one of the fastest ways to come home with a memory card full of soft, blurry shots. Even small movements get amplified at long focal lengths, and if your technique is off, no amount of image stabilization will fully bail you out.

Coming to you from Todd DeWald, this practical video breaks down exactly how to stabilize yourself when handholding a long telephoto lens for wildlife shooting. DeWald starts with hand placement, and the key point is surface area. Your supporting hand should grip as much of the lens barrel as possible, and your elbow should tuck into your body at roughly a 90-degree angle rather than sticking out. He also makes a point most people overlook: press the eye cup firmly against your eye. That contact dampens vibration from your hand and the camera body in a way that keeping a loose grip on the viewfinder simply doesn't.

DeWald also covers body position in a way that's more systematic than you might expect. Standing is your least stable option, full stop. Crouching lets you tuck your elbow into your thigh, which is noticeably better. Sitting cross-legged is better still, because at that point your arms are resting on your legs and your skeleton is doing the work instead of your muscles. Lying prone is the most stable of all the positions he covers. He also talks about using your environment, including logs, trees, and your own backpack, as makeshift supports when you don't have a tripod.

One of the more counterintuitive tips in the video involves burst shooting. The first frame in a burst is actually your least sharp, because that's the moment your finger is pressing down on the shutter. By the second or third frame, your finger has stopped moving and the camera is just firing on its own. Shooting a short burst instead of a single frame gives you better odds of walking away with a sharp image. DeWald is using OM System gear in the video, which pairs strong in-body and in-lens stabilization, but the principles he covers apply regardless of what system you shoot with. Your minimum usable shutter speed will vary depending on your camera and lens, so the techniques he describes are worth practicing no matter what's in your bag. Check out the video above for the full rundown from DeWald.