The Proper Way To Hold Your SLR Camera
Are your photographs not quite what you expect them to be? Do you find that a lot of them are not clear or are unfocused? Do you hands quit before you do? This could be a result of you not holding your SLR camera correctly.
I know holding a camera sounds like a simple thing but many potentially great shots are ruined because the photographer doesn't have a stable hold on the camera. If you don't have the right grip on your camera you can come down with the deadly camera shakes. Which will result in blurry and unfocused pictures.
This is the type of thing that will push your frustration level through the roof, especially when you are taking pictures inside, or under low light conditions where the shutter speed is slower.
Why it is important
Learning how to hold a camera might not seem that important to you especially when you are learning more advanced techniques on how to take pictures.
But think about it, no matter what else you learn no matter how much you know about taking great pictures, none of that is going to do you any go if your camera is shaking the whole time.
You will also look and feel more professional when you are holding and using your SLR camera correctly. You never want to use an SLR as if it were a compact camera.
Just like a rifle
You will use your left hand as support the same way they teach people to shoot a rifle. The left hand goes under the stock of the gun while the elbow is kept at 90 degrees and tucked against your side. This goes the same for the SLR camera.
Put the camera in your left and the base of the camera in your palm. If you happen to be using a very large lens it is ok to support the lens in this way instead of the camera. And just like the rifle keep your elbow straight and tucked into your body.
Your left hand is the stabilizer now just keep everything steady with light grip from your right hand. Now you are ready to take any type of picture you want. If you want to take a picture in portrait format just rotate your camera counter clockwise and you are ready to take a great shot.
If you are wondering why you should rotate your camera counter clockwise, it is to ensure a comfortable grip with your right hand and to make sure you don't put stress on your right wrist.
You will find this method allows for easy adjustments when lining up your shots through the view finder and easier access to the shutter button.
Safety tip
Last but not least is your camera strap. Most new photographers don't think to use this as a safety net, and when they drop their camera they wish they had.
Now you can keep your strap around your neck, but some people feel this interferes with their picture taking.
An alternative is to wrap it around your right hand. You never know when something might distract you or the camera slips out of your hand. With strap around your neck or right hand you will keep it from hitting the ground and ruining your day.
At the end of the day holding your SLR camera properly is going to give you great pictures and less frustration.
