How to Press a Shutter Button

Camera shake is, alas, a leading cause of lousy pho-tographs. Yes, you can mini-mize its effects by using faster shutter speeds, and shooting with faster films to make such speeds possible. You can attack the problem from the other end by immobilizing your camera atop a tripod and releasing it via self-timer, cable, or wire. Between these extremes, handheld shooters have perfected ingenious ways of bracing themselves or their equipment in pursuit of tripodless, shake-free pho-tos at shutter speeds far below the generally recommended limit of one over the focal length of the lens in use. Indeed, steadying devices from monopods to clamps to beanbags abound.

The one thing that seems to have gotten lost, or relatively neglected in all of this, is the most important digital interface in all of photography-the one between your fingertip and the shutter button. Our purpose here is to remedy this oversight, since pressing the release the wrong way can under-mine your most brilliant antishake strat-agems; while pressing it the right way can effectively extend your handheld shooting range, no matter what cam-era-steadying method or support you happen to use.

"Squeeze it, don't jab it." What does this mean? For one thing, keeping your index finger poised upon the release button rather than hanging a few mil-limeters above it. If your metering or autofocus system turns on when you press the release in slightly, practice holding it in that position without firing. If not, practice holding the button down against spring tension at the point just before the shutter fires. Take plenty of practice pictures without film in the camera until you can feel exactly when your particular shutter will fire.

Most photographers blow a smooth release in the last millimeter or so of shutter-button travel, so force yourself to move your finger down very slowly and smoothly, even if it means missing a few shots at first. Your technique will improve with practice, but in the begin-ning you've got to refocus your atten-tion on a procedure that has become automatic in order to unlearn any bad habits you've picked up.

How do you hold your firing finger? Some photographers get the best results by arching the index finger over the release; others prefer the flat, hori-zontal approach. A few even press the button with their thumbs or with other fingers. Whatever digit or position you find most comfortable is perfectly OK; the key, as mentioned above, is how you actually press the release.

While the point of contact between the button and your fingertip is quite important, it's one element in the great shutter-releasing equation. Here are some more suggestions:

1. Pick a camera with a shutter-release action you like. One whose action is too stiff, too light, or too sud-den for your shooting style can drive you nuts.

2. Hold the camera firmly in both hands with its back braced against your forehead or face. Form a "triangle of support" by resting your upper arms against your chest or sides.

3. Stand on as level a surface as possible, with your feet about the same distance apart as your shoul-ders. If it's available, lean against something solid like a tree or doorway.

4. Breathe slowly and be as calm as you can. Many photographers report success with the rifleman's technique of breathing in deeply, slowly breathing out "half a breath," and firing.

5. Lay off the caffeine and tobacco. Either can make you less steady in fir-ing your camera. Distilled spirits can have a similar effect for different rea-sons, but one glass of wine or beer probably won't have any adverse effect and may even improve your attitude if you do louse up.