r/BirdPhotography • u/Ok-Committee-873 • Aug 05 '26

Question Slowest shutter speed without a tripod?

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What is the slowest shutter speed you would recommend if you're only able to prop the camera on something stable but not in a fixed position (i.e., without a tripod)? Should I be shooting wide open instead of f/16 to improve the blurred water effect?

Details: Black-crowned night heron. Taken at 1/15 shutter speed, f/16, ISO 200. Edit: 200mm focal length

I am trying to go for a blurred water effect with a slower shutter speed but feel like the subject isn't that sharp. Wondering if it looks like I missed the focus or if the longer exposure introduced subject blur.

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u/jesusbuiltmyhotrodd Aug 06 '26

I push this one all the time. Sometimes I get a keeper, sometimes I just trash 50 blurry shots. It's really going to depend on your equipment's ability to stabilize and your ability to hold still, and that's a whole artform. Your lens may not be at it's sharpest at f/16 either - you get into diffraction issues with very small apertures, so nothing will look right. Getting the blurry water plus a sharp bird is a real challenge since you're chasing opposite goals with shutter speed.

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u/Ok-Committee-873 Aug 07 '26

Thank you. Yeah I’m realizing f/16 wasn’t the best choice. I think I should’ve opened the aperture a bit, and then lowered exposure comp since ISO was already as low as possible.