It may seem a bit funny to have an article on how to hold a camera, but you would be surprised at how many people with DSLRs come up with all sorts of weird positions that I have never seen before. When shooting with phones you can get away with pretty much everything, but with DSLRs things get a little bit more technical.
If you find yourself in one of the “bad” ways of holding the camera, don’t worry. We all did mistakes as beginners, and still do.
Quality and Sharpness
How you hold the camera affects the final quality of the image. A lot of people think the lighter the camera, the more crisp your shots will be but it’s often the opposite. How many times have you had blurred images with your phone, simply because you couldn’t keep the camera still. Luckily that’s not the case with DSLR cameras, it actually feels like you are taking a picture with a device that has some weight to it. Not too much, but enough to drastically help you at not moving!
I will try to make this as simple as possible, like with other articles on this site.
Yes:
- Left hand goes below the lens, holding it. If it’s a zoom, then have your hand on the zoom ring.
- Right hand holds the grip of the DSLR Body
No:
- Hold the body with both hands.
- Hold the lens on top. This way, your right hand has to work much harder and will get tired quicker.
That’s it, really. Look at the image on top (from a Canon manual), this is how you hold one of these “complicated” cameras. Sure in some situations you’ll come up with some new ways, we all have, but most of the time this one is the best! It provides stability from both sides of the camera, plus your hands aren’t moving around like crazy.
Also, don’t forget about your legs; as a matter of fact it’s about your entire body! Simply get in the best position to be as still as possible, with or without the camera.
Check out Greg’s awesome video (also explaining how which muscles are important for supporting the camera)
There are many more recommended things to experiment with, like keeping your arms close to your body, or holding your breath while taking a picture etc. Sometimes you will even have to crouch to get that shot, it will all come with experience.