Good Hand Held Technique

[steibeldj]

I need some help with my hand held technique. Here is what I know:

1) Breath out before the shot
2) A hand under the base of the lens - (not sure where to put the hand)

What do you do that works. (I often find myself needing to increase the exposure time in order to get enough light for some of my shots. I realize the subject can still move, and that there is nothing I can do about that. Oh, yeah, I do not want to use a tripod.)

[Tom W]

Elbows in tight against the body. Lean on something if its available. Kneel (if it doesn't mess up your perspective). I usually put my left hand in a position where I can still use it to zoom while the base of my hand sits firmly under the camera body. Perhaps this comes from the old manual camera days when I had to set the aperture and focus manually.

[DaveG]

I need some help with my hand held technique. Here is what I know:

1) Breath out before the shot
2) A hand under the base of the lens - (not sure where to put the hand)

What do you do that works. (I often find myself needing to increase the exposure time in order to get enough light for some of my shots. I realize the subject can still move, and that there is nothing I can do about that. Oh, yeah, I do not want to use a tripod.)

1) The shutterspeed shouldn't be under the effective focal length (i.e. a 50mm lens is effectively an 80mm lens) as a shutterspeed. 1/80 should be your minimum shutterspeed. That's minimum not optimum and you really should be using something faster.

Now before someone says that the regular 1/focal length rule holds, here's my thinking: Someone, somewhere, said that if you used 1/focal length shutterspeed, you would get an acceptable print. If it's a contact print almost any shutterspeed would do the trick because you can't see the softness, and common sense suggests that the print be big enough that it's useful. So for argument sake I'd say it's an 8x10. If it was an 11X14 that same standard wouldn't be true because you'd see a larger print and any softness would be magnified. If you take the 20D's sensor size and make an 8x10 you've done the same thing, just like if you took that 11X14 above, and physically trimmed it down to an 8X10.

2) Flash. The flash pulse duration becomes your shutterspeed. That shutterspeed is usually very brief and you get the benefit of incredibly short "shutterspeeds" like 1/20,000 of a second.

2) A monopod if there's no way that you can use a tripod. Sports shooting with long lenses come to mind.

3) A Tripod. There are times where using a tripod is impossible. But if it's just a case of "I don't want to." get over it and use one. You just need to decide whether you want an excellent or mediocre image.

[Steve Parr]

1) The shutterspeed shouldn't be under the effective focal length (i.e. a 50mm lens is effectively an 80mm lens) as a shutterspeed. 1/80 should be your minimum shutterspeed. That's minimum not optimum and you really should be using something faster.

I've never heard that, but it certainly sounds interesting...

Steve

[HJMinard]

As far as the breathing goes, I use the same technique I was taught for marksmanship ... i.e., taking in a full breath and then letting half out before holding ...

[tim]

I find 1/focal length enough, I don't need 1/1.6*focal length.

[DocFrankenstein]

No breathing is gonna help you if you have to shoot vertical for more than 20 minutes

Get a gtip. It goes a long way making your shots steady and balancing the camera minimizing hand fatigue.

[DaveG]

I find 1/focal length enough, I don't need 1/1.6*focal length.

This always turns out to be a manhood issue. I can handhold down to ---- and fill in the blank. Who cares? Once again - and at best - this is a MINIMAL rule not an optimal rule.

Try to remember that there are no contests for how slow you can hand hold your camera, only for good photographs. And almost always someone else makes that determination, not the photographer.

[johneric8]

Personally I like to drink a rock star energy drink and down a couple of nodoze pills! That gets me nice and steady.. LOL... Just dont let out any air, hold the shutter botton down dont let go..

[Skip Souza]

Shooting with a camera is slike shooting with a firearm. The right hand does all the work while the left hand provides all the support. The left hand is placed under the camera in a comfortable and secure position. The right hand has a securely passive grip.
The elbows should in tight against the body. Holding the head still take in a deep breath and let it out slowly relaxing as you exhale.
Slowly stop exhaling .....................and calmly.........................increase shutter speed by two stops.:lol: :lol:

[snibbetsj]

Get a gtip. It goes a long way making your shots steady and balancing the camera
minimizing hand fatigue.

What's that?

[condyk]

No breathing is gonna help you if you have to shoot vertical for more than 20 minutes

I tried this and managed a minute and 8 seconds before fainting
:lol: :lol:

[DocFrankenstein]

I tried this and managed a minute and 8 seconds before fainting
:lol: :lol:
Ooops.

No breathing technique! :lol::lol::lol:

[mguna]

Hi Doc,

What's a "gtip".

Regards
GunaM
:(

[ScottE]

Good replies so far. Here are a couple more that people have forgotten to mention:

Use a higher ISO setting if you have to shoot handheld. That will give you a faster shutterspeed. Remember to use a large aperture.

Squeeze the shutter. Gradually increase pressure on the shutter until it fires so there is no noticeable movement of the camera. Too often we see people snap a picture where the camera twitches when they jerk the the shutter.

Scott

[markubig]

Hi Doc,

What's a "gtip".

Regards
GunaM
:(

I believe it's a typo and he meant "Grip" as in battery grip . . . right doc?http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif

[RJSorensen]

This always turns out to be a manhood issue. I can handhold down to ---- and fill in the blank. Who cares? Once again - and at best - this is a MINIMAL rule not an optimal rule.

Try to remember that there are no contests for how slow you can hand hold your camera, only for good photographs. And almost always someone else makes that determination, not the photographer.

This set of lines is the single most important thing I learned and or remembered in my reading today. You are right, no one cares how still one can hold still. Just the finished product. Why . . . . make a photo that is not as good as you can? Tripods and monopods give you a lot of choices that hand held does not, beyond holding still. Same with cable releases.

[ElleG83]

dont know if anyone mentioned this yet, but you could try to set your self timer on the camera which would give you 10 seconds after you pushed the shutter button to get steady. that way you dont have the shake from pushing down the button. just a thought. :)

[Pekka]

Pressing shutter release should be so "gentle" and small movement (only a change of pressure) that someone watching in closely can't tell when it happens. It is easier to do with 1D, though :)

[markubig]

It is easier to do with 1D, though :)

in that case . . . i should go out and get one . . . my better half will shoot me, but I'll just tell her, "Pekka said it's easier to press the shutter gently."

http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

[I Simonius]

What I do - works for me:

have the strap set exactly at a length where going under one arm it comes nicely to the eye, but by flexing your lats you can tighten the strap taught. This effectively make syour body a tripod, not as good as the real thing but better than hands alone

[Jon]

in that case . . . i should go out and get one . . . my better half will shoot me, but I'll just tell her, "Pekka said it's easier to press the shutter gently."

http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

Wonder what she'll tell you as she "gently" presses the shutter release (followed by the rest of the camera) to your skull? :{)#

[OviV]

Something that works for me with fairly stationary objects is Mirror Lock Up. The only negative is that when the mirror locks up you will not be able to see through the viewfinder so if the object is moving it is difficult to trak it but then again if the object is moving you probably want faster shutter speeds.

Ovi

[DocFrankenstein]

What I do - works for me:

have the strap set exactly at a length where going under one arm it comes nicely to the eye, but by flexing your lats you can tighten the strap taught. This effectively make syour body a tripod, not as good as the real thing but better than hands alone
LOL

One more technique from rifle shooting. :lol:

[robertwgross]

In contrast to using a D-SLR camera like this, the P&S digitals are different. There, you hold the damned thing out at arm's length, so you can see the rear screen, and you shoot it like a pistol.

---Bob Gross---

[I Simonius]

LOL

One more technique from rifle shooting. :lol:

Flintlock me hearty!

[ATucker]

In contrast to using a D-SLR camera like this, the P&S digitals are different. There, you hold the damned thing out at arm's length, so you can see the rear screen, and you shoot it like a pistol.

---Bob Gross---

Personally I like the Digital P&S Weaver Stance;)

I am sure this has been brought up before elsewhere in the forum: http://www.photo.net/learn/poormansis/

[cyclone]

I saw a clip about a sports photographer (I think it was Joe McNally) who had an interesting technique for sports shots with long lenses. He is right handed, but left eyed. He puts the camera on his left shoulder looks through the viewfinder with his left eye, and uses his right hand to press the shutter (try it). I think this would only work if you had the vertical grip or a big professional camera to increase the height of the camera from your shoulder to your eye.

Your shoulder seems like a fairly steady way to hold the camera. Interesting anyway.

Cyclone

[pushtoexit]

Given the thread title, and some of the comments....Sure am glad your all takin bout photography.

[lucasdigital]

I need some help with my hand held technique. Here is what I know:

1) Breath out before the shot
2) A hand under the base of the lens - (not sure where to put the hand)

What do you do that works. (I often find myself needing to increase the exposure time in order to get enough light for some of my shots. I realize the subject can still move, and that there is nothing I can do about that. Oh, yeah, I do not want to use a tripod.)

Here are some suggestion from the US Navy "Photography Basics" manual. I'll see if the manual is in the public domain - if so I could probably put it online for download.

http://www.lucas-digital.com/design/photography/slr/handholding_usnavystyle.jpg

Mk

[Pugdaddy]

I've only been shooting for a few months now but I've done two things that have increase my steadiness ( at first I was really bad). One is to make sure that I follow through. I was in a hurry to release the shutter button as soon as I heard the shutter open. Keep it held down for a couple of seconds after it opens. The other thing I do now is right before I pull the trigger I line up one of the guide lines in the viewfinder with something in the picture, maybe someones eye, and try to keep it on that point throughout the movement of pressing the button.