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Home >> Learning >> e-Book
on Photography Table of Contents
Photography e-Book Chapter 5 Subsection
- Holding the Camera
You got your great camera and a few lenses
to use with it but wonder about how to hold the camera and lens properly
for the best images possible. There is actually only one way to ensure
sharp images all the time with your camera, use a tripod. However, we
cannot always have access to a tripod and use it whenever we wish to
take photos, especially on the street. Proper handholding technique
is vital to ensuring a high percentage of sharp images.
Be sure to use the rule of thumb of using
a shutter speed equal to the focal length of your lens.
- 24mm lens should be used at 1/30 of
a second
- 50mm lens should be used at 1/60 of
a second
- 100mm lens should be used at 1/125
of a second
- 200mm lens should be used at 1/250
of a second
- 300mm lens should be used at 1/500
of a second to ensure your best chance at obtaining a sharp image,
despite the nominal shutter speed requirement of 1/300 of a second
- err on the side of conservatism with regard to your handholding
prowess, as you become more experienced with the handholding technique,
the better you will be at slower speeds
This is only a general guideline but
it is one that I pay attention to and dictates what my aperture will
be for the lens being used. I know from experience that my hit rate
with a 200mm lens at 1/60 of a second is about 50/50 but the percentage
improves as I move up in shutter speed and at 1/180 and faster, it will
be more focusing error on my part rather than handshake that ruins a
shot.
Below are a series of shots for proper
technique. Thanks to my lovely cousin Tanya, for her modelling the various
stances.
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With the basic camera
and lens, start with your left hand to cradle the lens and body as shown
here. Your left hand is the one that actually provides the support instead
of your right hand. |
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If manually focusing
and/or exposing, the left hand and the cradle you create with it, provides
plenty of support for focusing or changing apertures the old fashioned
way via the lens. |
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After you have created
the solid platform and cradle with the left hand, your right hand is
merely the guide for the placement of the camera for landscape or portrait
orientation, |
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After holding the camera correctly
in the hands, bring the camera up to the forehead and press against
the forehed to provide a stable shock absorber if you will, for the
camera. Your head should be leaning into the camera at the same time
as you are pressing the camera against your forehead.
Breathing is important too, especially
at slow shutter speeds and/or with long lenses. Breathe in before the
exposure and release your breath as you release the shutter. It is very
much the same as firing a rifle in technique. |
|
Your elbows should be brought into
the body as tightly as possible to create a tripod of sorts between
your two arms and your forehead. Practice this stance if you have a
tendency to flap your elbows at your side like a pair of wings.
And for goodness shakes, avoid the dreadful
technique used by those who don't know, of gripping the camera by the
ends with your fingers instead the "manly" way of holding
the camera as shown here :-) |
|
A portrait orientation
of the camera just means an adjustment of your right arm. Your left
arm is kept the same, tight into the body and cradling the lens and
camera while your right arm is the guide. |
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Using a longer and heavier
lens is no different and is actually easier as the larger lens provides
more to grip with for the left hand. In this instance your left hand
is at the center of gravity of the lens and body. This will provide
the most stable platform.
A heavier lens and camera combination
can also be beneficial by providing more mass for your handhold. Of
course, by a certain lens size, the benefit of mass loading is off set
by the weight and bulk of the lens.
|
|
View of handholding
the larger lens from the other side. Notice the elbows tight into the
body to create the human tripod. |
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Your standing stance
is also important for correct technique. Notice the left foot out to
provide greater stability. This allows you to lean into the left leg
while the right leg is back and provides the rigid support required.
Elbows locked into the body,
head leaning into the camera, legs set correctly and we have as good
a human tripod as we can achieve without other support accessories.
Practice makes perfect and
good technique will improve your percentage of sharp images. |
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An important component
of camera support is the strap. Small, lightweight cameras do not require
a massive neck strap to support the weight but if your camera is large
and weighty and if you have a few pro-calibre lenses to go along with
that pro-size SLR, your neck and shoulders will thank you for the use
of a neoprene strap as seen on the left.
This thick and well-supporting
strap is from Op/Tech USA and is considered their deluxe strap. Op/Tech
also makes a less wide strap but without the rubber grab nibs of the
deluxe strap (seen below).
I use Op/Tech or similar
straps on all of my main cameras, including one on the Yashica FX-3,
which is so lightweight, it really does not need one. They are not inconspicuous
but the comfort they afford is tremendous when carrying the F100 and
80-200mm f2.8 lens. It can be a bit bouncy if running or walking at
a brisk pace but I cannot think of using any other type of strap with
my cameras now, especially the ones using thin, non-stretch materials. |
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Here we see the underside
of the Op/Tech deluxe strap and the rubber nibs that help to grab at
your shirt or vest to stay put. Note the very wide middle section that
helps to distribute the weight over a larger area than the near-useless
nylon straps that come as freebies with other cameras. |
Chapter
6 - Lenses
Previous
Chapter 5 - The Camera |
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