How do you hold a camera when taking a picture

[cliveh]

I don’t mean this post to teach people to suck eggs, but it is something rarely discussed. When you are using a camera hand held, how do you stand and hold it when pressing the shutter? I would suggest feet slightly apart, hold your breath momentarily and squeeze the shutter, as opposed to jabbing it. In other words, as you would when shooting a rifle.

 

[Leigh B]

I normally support the camera with my left hand flat below it, imitating a tripod.
My left arm is pulled in close to the body.

And yes, it's much like shooting a rifle.

- Leigh

 

[Sirius Glass]

Every camera instruction manual devotes space to this question. RTFM.

 

[Paul Howell]

I was taught to keep left hand under the camera, fingers and thumb on the lens to focus and change the aperture with elbow propped up against upper body to keep the camera steady, feet apart and somewhat staggered, if right handed left foot forward hold breath and squeeze the shutter advance the frame with right hand and change the shutter speed if the shutter dial is on top of the body next to the film advance, your eye on the subject for the next shot.

 

[pdeeh]

Bloody newbies, they never search the archive before posting ...

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Sirius Glass]

+1

The Hasselblad V Series rests in the left hand and the left index finger fires the trigger.

 

[cliveh]

Bloody newbies, they never search the archive before posting ...

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

pdeeh, how right you are, it's probably the Alzheimer's kicking in.

 

[pdeeh]

Don't even joke about it Clive ... one of the biggest health crises facing increasingly long-lived populations.

 

[TheRook]

Do not grip the camera tightly with the hand you are using to press the shutter button. I see countless photographers make this mistake. Unfortunately, cameras with a "hand grip" seem to encourage this bad habit all the more.

 

[removed account4]

i depress the shutter the same way support with my left hand rigid arm hold breath exhale and squeeze.
thanks for the link pdeeh, i just found a member's website i was trying to conjur up for years but couldn't remember
the URL

 

[Cholentpot]

I have a bad left wrist. I used to use the standard under-lens grip. I find I use thumb down on the left hand more now.

It really doesn't matter as long as the photos come out well.

 

[Richard Man]

With all cameras except 4x5, I try to hold the camera touching my head, in the hope that it will avoid any jabbing or free movement.

With the Hasselblad, initially I did the "natural" thing and cradle the body with my left hand, and then focus and hit the shutter with my right, until I learned that the "official" Hasselblad recommendation is that fire the shutter with the left index finder while cradling the body. Once I figured out how to do it, it really is a solid way to fire the Hassy.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

First of all, I'll hold it with pleasure. The rest is no single rule technicality.
"Leg apart, don't breath, think it is rifle" is for something with low shutter speed and stable ground. Sure, it might works, sometimes. But now you are on the long bridge. It is moving every time truck goes by. What you will need to do in this case is to make sure your shutter speed is 1/500. How you will hold it is less relevant in this case.

 

[Chan Tran]

I don’t mean this post to teach people to suck eggs, but it is something rarely discussed. When you are using a camera hand held, how do you stand and hold it when pressing the shutter? I would suggest feet slightly apart, hold your breath momentarily and squeeze the shutter, as opposed to jabbing it. In other words, as you would when shooting a rifle.

Don't jab?? I see guys with the drive mode always on continuous and if they don't jab they would take several shots instead of one.

 

[karl]

With a tripod.

 

[TheRook]

Don't jab?? I see guys with the drive mode always on continuous and if they don't jab they would take several shots instead of one.

They need to learn to use the drive mode switch more effectively!

 

[MattKing]

Usually different from just about anyone else (I've limited strength and dexterity with my right hand).
It varies between cameras.
My Olympus XA - upside down so I can squeeze it between my left thumb (on the release) and my left middle finger. My right hand serves as a side brace.
My OM bodies - the right bottom is cupped in my right hand, while my left hand stretches over the top of the pentaprism so that my left index finger can reach the release. I wind with my right thumb. I adjust focus, aperture and shutter speed with the left hand.
With my Canon EOS bodies I'm forced to use my right index finger to release the shutter. That is sometimes a frustrating challenge, because that is at the extreme edge of my right hand's dexterity. The left hand is below the camera and supports the weight.
The Retina IIIc is held and the shutter is released in the same way as the Canons. I find it slightly easier to reach the shutter release with the right index finger.
All three of my Mamiya platforms - 645 Pro, C330 and RB67 work easily with the left hand trigger grips.
In many cases, I tend to have to do a lot of switching things around to make adjustments to focus, aperture and shutter speed . In some cases, I have to do that to wind the film too.
After doing if for 50 years or so I'm pretty good at all that switching around to make those adjustments, but I can't compete with most people when it comes to fast operation.

 

[dmr]

Usually both hands, arms tucked into the sides, hold breath.

 

[AgX]

This may be a lame answer, but it depends on camera type.

Another factor is whether one has to wear glasses. With glasses typically direct pressure to the head does not work, one needs to use the (left) hand as intermediate.

 

[klownshed]

In other words, as you would when shooting a rifle.

It's a strange world where it's assumed people are more likely to know how to kill things than photograph them. :-/

 

[guangong]

MatKing and AgX are right. All depends on the camera... Normally, I don't shoot with camera in a case, a Medalist 6x9 is much easier to control when shooting with a case...at least for me. (although I believe in using a case when transporting a camera...cameras that I bought 50 years ago still look very good.)
A tension free body is the key.

 

[Nodda Duma]

It's a strange world where it's assumed people are more likely to know how to kill things than photograph them. :-/

If you equate shooting rifle with killing, then you probably should never consider acquiring one.

There's no killing involved in Olympics riflery competition, for example.

 

[Jim Jones]

Like Matt and AgX said, it depends on the camera. It also depends on what is available to improve stability. In the days of Kodachrome 25, one second night photography often worked by bracing against whatever was at hand or holding the camera tight against a solid support. Remember, you often don't have to look through the viewfinder to do an adequate job of framing the shot.

 

[LAG]

I don’t mean this post to teach people to suck eggs, but it is something rarely discussed. When you are using a camera hand held, how do you stand and hold it when pressing the shutter? I would suggest feet slightly apart, hold your breath momentarily and squeeze the shutter, as opposed to jabbing it. In other words, as you would when shooting a rifle.

...(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

It would be a fantastic idea to join both threads ((there was a url link here which no longer exists)) in one, Who rules this? | Anyway, since we are posting here, my opinion about this is: I agree with "it depends" ... Sometimes I hold my breath, sometimes I just dance

Best!

 

[Luckless]

If you equate shooting rifle with killing, then you probably should never consider acquiring one.

There's no killing involved in Olympics riflery competition, for example.

*Usually no killing...

Always the option for things to go horribly horribly horribly wrong after all.

But yeah, target shooting is a wonderful pastime.