Day Two - tip for today

If your camera has a screw thread for a tripod - buy a tripod. Although the camera looks as if it will always produce a sharp picture there are always times when it needs to be held shake-free. If your camera tells you what exposure settings you are getting anything with a shutter speed longer than 1/100th second will be liable to camera shake - unless you can stop your heart beating. Tripods come in all sorts of strenghts and weights. Obviously the sturdier it is the better. However, even the most flimsy lightweight tripod can be given that bit extra. For example to give it more weight - hang something heavy on it. You can improvise with anything heavy - your shopping bag, a 5litre water bottle can be tied to a leg of the tripod - anything that weighs 4 or 5 kilos (10lbs) should be enough. No string to tie it on with - a lace from a pair of trainers will do. Using this device you can even get more over the top of objects that you might want photograph - food photography, for example, where you might want to get the whole of the dish in the shot rather than a profile. I will demonstrate fairly soon with some images but for now - take my word for it - it works.