Back to the Basics: Holding Your Camera Correctly!

The Holidays are finally over and life is getting back to some form of normality. By now the new camera has had a sizable work out and the amount of shooting your doing of this, that, and everything is beginning to slow down.

You may have captured some great photos of family, friends, pets, and many other things. Now is the time to step back and start working on the basics.

One of the first principles is the correct way to hold a camera. You may ask yourself, " is there really a correct way to hold a camera"? The answer is Yes!

During your shooting spree you might of had a few pictures that came out blurry or with movement in them. Holding your camera in a more stable, fixed way, will eliminate this problem.

With all of the experience I have had in photography I've never come across a camera that didn't have the exposure button (the button you use to take a picture with) on the right side. This seems to be an industry standard.

The first thing you want to do in taking a steady picture is place your feet in a good stance. This should be done with the left foot about one to one and a half steps in front of your body. The right foot should be turned to a 45 degree angle in alignment to the position of your body.

Next hold the camera in you right hand with your thumb or fore finger on the exposure button. Be careful to roll you finger into the palm of your hand. This will avoid having your pinky or other fingers show up in front of the lens. Flaunting your pinky is great for having tea with the Queen but not in taking pictures.

Now place your left hand on the camera and brace your elbow into your chest for support. Your right elbow should be tucked into your right side for support also. To many photographer hold their right elbow way up and exposure their arm pit as if they are doing a "Right Guard" deodorant commercial. Doing this will cause your body to be unbalanced.

Holding the camera with your arm/arms tucked into your side will help prevent vibration with the camera when you click the shutter. This will be especially true when you shoot at the lower shutter speeds. (Shutter speed will be explained in later blogs.)

The last thing is to learn how to breathe correctly. In the words of Mr. Miyagi, "breathing very important."! Take a deep breath before you click the shutter, exhale half of it, hold, and push the shutter. Doing these principals will give your body stability and create the least amount of movement when you click the shutter.

This may sound like a lot of work in the beginning, it's not! With just a little practice it will become second nature. Soon you'll be shooting better than some pros. Why? Because they have never been taught how to hold their camera correctly!

If you would like to see visual aids to this procedure write me at freetkpop@gmail.com and request either a printed or a video aid titled 'The Basics – Holding Your Camera Correctly"

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Till next time Smile, Enjoy Life, and just Keep Clicking! Mr. Johnny

copyright article: @ 2008 Parisi Enterprises

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