Shooting telephoto offhand with no support leads to shake and blurred images. I just got a telephoto zoom lens and have learned the lesson of using a tripod. Yet, when you DO shoot offhand, do you have a technique for lessening shake? I think back to my days of competitive rifle and handgun shooting. The habit was to come down on target with the sites, take a breath, let it out and hold when the trigger was pulled. Shake was also translated into a known movement of the sites. Shake in a camera means fuzz..no predicted movement of shake and no coming down on target. With a camera I have tried taking a breath, exhaling and snapping the shutter. It is a simple technique but does eliminate some of the shake caused by body movement. Sure, a tripod is the way to go and then perhaps a monopod, sort of like a shooting stick. Thenthen there is a shot that does not allow time to set up. Do you have any technique for gaining steadiness when the shot is snapped? If you do, I would like to know!