Vertical shooting

Another point about the right-side-down being the traditional Portait orientation mode...
Imagine trying to use a film camera, with the rapid film advance lever which ordinarily takes a flip of the wrist toward the right, and trying to cock the shutter and wind the film with the lever now twisting DOWNward!!!

Mum2J&M wrote in post #5770780
Does it matter which way you hold the camera while shooting vertically? I've always held mine shutter side down (without a grip that is), but this seems contrary to the way others hold it. Does it make a difference? I feel I can balance the camera better if it's not dangling down from my hand, but being supported by my hand.

That's how I hold mine, even the 1D3 which has a grip. It lets me keep both elbows tucked in and steady instead of leaving one wing flapping madly away. The left hand still bears most of the weight, as it always should.

Wilt wrote in post #5783606
Another point about the right-side-down being the traditional Portait orientation mode...
Imagine trying to use a film camera, with the rapid film advance lever which ordinarily takes a flip of the wrist toward the right, and trying to cock the shutter and wind the film with the lever now twisting DOWNward!!!

That's about the only reason for flipping the right side up that makes any sense. However, it's irrelevant with digital cameras or film cameras with built-in winders. And with small P&S cameras, tipping the right end down gets the flash above the lens for better results.

Jon wrote in post #5783669
That's about the only reason for flipping the right side up that makes any sense. However, it's irrelevant with digital cameras or film cameras with built-in winders. And with small P&S cameras, tipping the right end down gets the flash above the lens for better results.

I don't use P&S as an indication of any technique being right...they teach you to hold your hands out in front of you with the camera at arm's length, creating a very unstable photography base, too!

Errmmm . . . they usedta make film versions of P&S too. And still do make viewfinders on most of the digitals.

I suppose my shutter-side-down technique is a legacy of the digital P&S...I love to take self-portraits, and I get a far more casual picture if I just use my right hand to stablize and aim; a two-hand technique looks very imposing and somewaht fake.

I just tried the shutter-side-up technique, and it's really weird. Again, with the digital P&S so small, my left hand already has a good grip on the camera, and it feels more awkward to put the shutter on top than on the bottom.