Re: [Leica] What are your secrets to handheld shots?

["Hugh Thompson" <painfree@istar.ca>]

Dan - at the N...n School I was taught to have the camera on a strap over
the shoulder at a length that if brought up to shoot you can pull the camera
against the strap.  The strap remains over the shoulder or upper arm, thus
giving a marvellous purchase.  Sometimes it can be a little awkward but if
done properly there will be no shaking.  Hope I have described it in a way
that can be visualised.

Hugh Thompson

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan S" <dstate1@hotmail.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2000 2:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] What are your secrets to handheld shots?


> I have found that over-thinking camera steadyness almost gaurantees
blur...
>
> I try to mentally frame the picture, bring the camera to my eye quickly
and
> fire.  When I wait with the camera up to my face I start to shake and
after
> about 10 seconds I am a quivering basket case.
>
> Not to get mystical on anyone, but just like in sports, visualizing
success
> is the best way to realize it.  Thinking about the possibility of failure
> (in this case shaking the camera) tends to fulfill the mental proficy.  Ok
> everyone, say oohmmm......
>
> Best wishes
> Dan States
>
>
> >
> >I was discussing photography with a friend last week. He has a digital
> >camera and isn't really into it, but he humors me and asks intellegent
> >questions. We had taken a road trip together recently (some photos are on
> >my
> >web page) and my only real comments on his digital pictures were related
to
> >an occassional fuzzy shot. I suggested that they were probably caused by
> >camera shake. And of course, his comment back was "I'm very careful about
> >holding the camera still."
> >
> >Anyway, during the discussion, I learned that he assumed the exposure was
> >instantaneous. I told him it's not; it takes some fraction of a second.
> >Properly educated about shutter speeds, he couldn't figure out why
> >sometimes
> >his shots blurred if he was doing everything possible to hold his camera
> >steady. I didn't have an answer for him except that something was
> >occassionally causing him to move the camera slightly.
> >
> >Well, this got me to thinking. During spare moments over the last couple
of
> >days, I'm wondering to myself about this. I finally grabbed my camera
> >(while
> >trying on a new 35mm lens!) and did some dry shots around the house
getting
> >a feel for the balance of the new lens on the camera and for the change
in
> >the viewfinder. The thing I finally noticed (and it took me a while
because
> >it's become automatic) is that I wait until the bottom of each breath to
> >trip the shutter at the natural pause in each breath.
> >
> >That's a little trick I picked up learning how to shoot a pistol in
> >competetion. As you exhale, there's a momentary natural pause before you
> >inhale. To minimize muzzle weaving, pistol and rifle shooters are taught
to
> >squeeze the trigger at that natural pause. I hadn't been intentionally
> >doing
> >it, but I'd been applying the same principle to my camera technique. I'm
> >routinely able to get excellent shots at 1/15th and sometimes good shots
> >down to 1/8th or 1/4th of a second hand-held with a 45mm/50mm lens. I say
> >"sometimes" because sometimes there are other factors involved (muscular
> >shake from holding a position too long, or the subject is moving too).
> >
> >Anyone else have any tricks like this?
> >
> >Les Bonser
> >Technical Writer and Amatuer Photographer
> >Las Vegas, Nevada
> >http://home.att.net/~lbonser (home of the PhotoDog!)
> >
>
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