Camera
How to hold the camera with your hands for best support
Learning how to grip the cameraThis article talks about the best ways to grip the camera for maximum steadiness when you don't have access to a tripod.
Introduction
How you grip the Camera is often ignored and seen as unimportant. But is it really? Can you hold your Camera steady? Even if you are holding it for longer times, especially if it is a DSLR with a heavy lens - won't you get tired?
One of the first things anyone - having bought the Camera - should learn is how to hold it properly to capture sharp images.
Correct grip is very important because it makes your camera more comfortable to hold, steadier and therefore it is easier to compose the images through the viewfinder (without shaky and tired hands).
Exactly how you should grip your camera will depend upon what type of digital camera you are using (DSLR or compact camera) and personal preference.
However, keep in mind that only with the use of tripod one can ensure sharp images. It is good to learn how to make a "human tripod" with your body and hands, when you don't have a real tripod at hand.
Basic standing postures
Horizontal orientation: standard posture
Your left hand is used as a support and bears most of the camera weight. Lay the camera on your hand, gripping your fingers softly around the lens. Always try to find the gravity of the camera (if the lens is long, you might be holding the lens and not the camera body at all). You should be holding the camera comfortably like this.
Your right hand is used for controlling the camera settings: hold the front of the camera (where the grip is) with three fingers, while resting your forefinger on the shutter release button and your thumb griping the back of the camera. If you would have let go of your left hand now, you should be holding the camera easily and comfortably with your right hand.
When you are holding camera comfortably with your hands, press your elbows (both of them!) onto your chest to create support for your hands. This way you create a human tripod. If this is the first time you hold your camera this way, it might feel uncomfortable at first.
O.K. Now the last step: bring and hold the camera firmly against the forehead. As you can see from the image, the head is also leaning towards the camera at the same time.
Horizontal orientation: common mistakes
Here are four common mistakes on holding the camera:
The worst you can do is to hold it with only one hand. You have no support for the camera! Don't be a model and hold it with both hands!
Second very common mistake is not to support your hands with your elbows, letting them fly around your body, as well as just holding the camera and not the lens as well.
Oh, and have you noticed the camera strap not being around the neck? What are you going to do if you drop the camera (chances sharply increasing when you are not having a good grip of the camera)? Buy a new one? ; )
It is easy for most people to understand how to place the right hand, but the left hand? One just isn't sure where to put it!
Most commonly the fingers are loose around the lens, usually the fingers facing up with the thumb at the bottom (second picture). They can quickly show up in front of the lens and on the picture accidently. Additionally, they do not provide any support for the camera (to the contrary, the left hand should be bearing most of the weight).
Horizontal orientation: other postures
For me it is the easiest to hold the camera as described above, but there are also some other postures. Here is one of them:
What you do is rest the camera on your arms (try to find centre of gravity), holding right elbow up (I have seen it holding it down, how very tiring!).
This position allows you to move smoothly around horizontally. The inconvenience is that your left hand is used and you cannot change any settings on the lens.
You can use this posture when shooting whole day and would just like to change the position of your hands to rest them.
Vertical orientation
When you are shooting in vertical orientation it is just the other way around:
The right hand holds the camera and controls the camera settings. It comfortably sits in your hand.
The left hand gives additional support, presses the camera towards the forehead and controls the lens settings.
Again, in this posture you are creating a human tripod, pressing with your elbows onto your chest and so creating more support. I know this posture might feel uncomfortable at first, but it gives you the most support possible and doesn't make you tired holding the camera for longer times. With a bit of training, you will stretch those muscles and soon it will feel natural (ask my boyfriend) ; )
A very common mistake in shooting in vertical orientation can be seen very often, holding the camera just the other way around: holding it with your left hand and using the right hand for support. In that position you have to hold the camera higher in order to look through the viewfinder (makes camera heavier), it is harder to control the lens and you are not using your right hand for additional support (not creating a human tripod).
I won't even go into mentioning other common mistakes when camera is not gripped with your hands, but held only with fingers... It is similar to the mistakes done in the horizontal orientation.
And the feet?
Your feet should be spread shoulder distance apart with your left foot a bit in front to provide better stability, knees slightly bended.
School days are over so there is no need to stand with your feet together like a trained soldier anymore! ; )
How to hold a compact camera with an LCD screen?
Holding a compact camera (compared to DSLR) is a bit different, because it is lighter, much much smaller and is therefore harder to grip.
If your compact camera has a decent optical viewfinder (read not too small and too clumsy), use it, you will hold the camera closer to your body and be consequently more stable. The guidelines on how to do that can be found in the above section (when explaining for DSLR camera). Please note that the viewfinder of compact cameras is not 100 percent accurate, therefore use it only as a guideline.
But most compact cameras don't have a viewfinder, therefore you need to use an LCD screen to compose an image. To do that you need to hold the camera away from your body in order to see the screen. This increases the chances of shaking the camera (your hands have nothing steady to hold to).
Additionally, compact cameras are quite small and harder to grip, so one needs to be careful not to accidently cover the lens or the flash with one's finger and spoil the picture.
So how to hold a compact camera?
First, hold it with both hands! Although it is light and small (and quite tempting really), one hand equals shaking and is an absolute no no!
Second, don't hold it too far from your body. Create a human tripod by pressing with your elbows onto your chest. Hold the camera so you can comfortably see on the LCD screen, about 30 cm (about one foot) away.
And third, wear a strap around your wrist. It could accidently drop on the floor very easily and I'm sure you wouldn't want that to happen (that's what happened to me - and then I bought a big DSLR). :)
Where are your fingers?
Remember, don't have them loose! They could accidently come in front of the lens or flash.
Your fingers should be gripping the camera from the sides as well as at the bottom.
The easiest way is to just place the camera on your hand: With your left hand forming an L, either a vertical L (image above) or horizontal L (image below), and place the camera on your hand. You should be holding it comfortably. Make sure the fingers are not covering either lens or flash.
Watch the thumb! It should be pointing upwards.
It is similar in horizontal orientation:
Create an L or hold the camera from the top. Make sure you hold it with both hands and watch those fingers!
Shooting from the lower point of view
You will not always (hopefully) want to shoot standing but would want to shoot from a lower point of view.
The easiest is to kneel with right foot on the floor, while supporting the left hand on your left knee. If you are holding the camera as I have described it earlier, the left hand is bearing most of the camera weight, while the right hand is only controlling the settings of the camera.
If you don't want to get down and dirty, you can squat and sit back on your right heel.
You can also sit down on the floor and rest your hands on the feet.
Whichever position you choose, just make sure you are giving your hands additional support with your legs.
Using other support
If available, use other solid support, for instance a wall, a door, a tree, a lamp, a fence, a post, a car, a rock.. Anything that is there, really.
You can either put the camera on it (if it is flat) or lean against it (it should support the upper part of your body).
Have legs apart as well to give you more support.
You can use a wall as a support. It should support the upper part of the body. If possible, press with your head on the wall as well.
Or try leaning on the wall.
When shooting in the city you have many possibilities to use a pole as a support.
Use trees!
Or a car!
You can lean yourself against it or even let the camera stand on its own if the surface of the car is flat enough.
Lying on the ground
When taking macro images, you will sometimes need to get on the floor:
Spot the difference?
Use your (both!) elbows as a support and lean a bit forward!
Now take a picture!
O.K. We have learned how to hold the camera. So now let's take a picture!
When pressing the shutter release button, try not to breath. I'm not kidding!
In other words: breath in before pressing the shutter release button, hold your breath and take the picture, now you are done and you can exhale ; ) Of course you can do the other way around as well: first exhale, take a shot and then inhale. Whatever suits you better.
Conclusion
It is important to learn a good grip, one that you feel comfortable with and one that ensures you to capture a steady image.
You might be holding the camera steady and comfortably already. If you are new to it, try and practice different grips and then use the ones you feel the most comfortable with. Don't forget to include changing of the settings of the camera to see which grip you prefer. That includes taking the picture! Even the pressure on the shutter release button with your finger can cause camera shake!
I hope you have enjoyed the article : )
