Holding the Camera

Holding the camera properly is the best way to avoid or minimize the effects of camera shake. A good firm grip with the right hand and support from underneath means that, when you press the shutter release, movement of the camera will be minimized. This will enable you to shoot sharper pictures at slower shutter speeds. The picture on the right shows a good grip, the heel of the left hand supports the camera from underneath. When the shutter is pressed with the right hand, the camera tends to move downward, the left hand in this position will minimize the effect of this. Some older cameras had shutter buttons that pushed in towards the body instead of downwards, but they seem to have largely disappeared nowadays, presumably because the position did not feel as comfortable as the downward movement. Cameras were designed to be used with the right eye, although it is possible to use them with the left. The advantage of using the right eye (which feels more comfortable to most of us anyway), is that the left eye is not blocked by the camera body and you can, if you want, keep it open to see what is going on outside of your field of view. The natural tendency is to shut your left eye, the better to concentrate on your picture, but with a little practice, you can get used to keeping it open. Having the left eye open enables you to see what is about to move into your frame, a useful thing when taking action shots. Also you can see what happens at the time when the exposure is being made and the mirror is blocking your view in the viewfinder. Did the person you are photographing blink? Better check and take another shot.

Here are some examples of how not to hold the camera. This is the way a lot of people hold their camera. But, as you can see, there is no real support under the camera, so camera shake is more likely. Also when you want to adjust the zoom, you have to reposition your hand. Recently there have been a flood of cameras with no viewfinder, you have to look at the screen to compose your picture. As a result some people find it more 'natural' to view in this way. But now you are holding the camera in a very unstable way. Ultra compacts and camera phones have made matters even worse. Now you have to hold the camera with your finger tips, away from your face. Even I find it extremely difficult to hold such a camera still. The only way is to find some support for your elbows as in the picture below. When you use a telephoto lens, the need for support form underneath becomes more urgent. Not only because the weight distribution is now tipping the camera forward but also because the narrower angle of view will accentuate any camera shake. The 'good' way of holding the camera recommended in this article translates very well to the portrait view as well. A lot of people take all their pictures in landscape format simply because it feels uncomfortable to hold the camera in the upright position. Holding it this way feels very comfortable. Wherever possible I would recommend using any extra support available. Especially when shooting in low light or with a dreaded camera phone. Holding the camera by the body only, as in the picture on the far left, means that when you move your hand to adjust the zoom, the tendency is to do it 'over arm' with your finger tips, as in the picture on the left. This gives no extra support to the camera at all. She is, in effect, holding the camera with one hand. Whereas an under arm grip cradles the camera in the palm of your hand, taking all the weight.

Holding the camera in the right way might seem a little uncomfortable at first but in a very short time it will seem the most natural thing in the world. You will notice that there are no camera straps evident in any of these pictures. I personally am not a fan of the camera strap and prefer not to use them. I find they get in the way especially when I turn the camera on its side, which I do an awful lot. A large percentage of my pictures are shot in upright format and the strap can often fall in front of the lens. That said, I am an extremely careful person and I never, ever drop things. If there is even the slightest chance that you might drop your camera, use a strap. Modern cameras do not bounce. Even when there is plenty of light and the shutter speed is quite fast, you can see the difference between a well held camera and an unstable 'grab shot'. The difference may be subtle but it will be there to see. People often think that the sharper results from a well held camera are due to a more expensive camera or lens. Better equipment does give you better results but only when you know how to use it properly. article gets from http://www.geofflawrence.com/holding_the_camera.html

Photography tips for beginners

Before going to our own ideas from dptutorial (with oddities and extremes), you should know there is a pretty standard list of useful tips. Here what we think that every beginner should learn as basics and every advanced photographer at least should keep in mind:

• Choose a subject or message of your photo

  . If there is no clear real subject, nothing of graphical interest and no mood to convey, it is probably not an interesting photo.

• Remove things that don’t add to the photo

  . Especially if they detract from the central message. Don’t only know what to include, but also what to exclude. Find a simple background and look for balance.
  In this example the hand of the woman below and the colorful yellow and blue shirts are distracting elements. Waiting until the hand is gone and standing a few steps more to the left, so the people in the back are out of the frame, would both improve the photo.

• Don’t be afraid to zoom in or get very close

  . The most common mistake is that photos are taken from too far away and that there is just too much environment that doesn’t add to the message. Filling the image with the subject underlines what the intended subject is, and removes cluttered background. It achieves simplicity.

• Don’t automatically center your subjects

  . Beginning photographers massively center their main subjects on their photos. This is not illogical because the photographer aims at the subject with the camera viewer. If you rather place the subject outside the center it will often result in a more dynamic composition. Experiment with that.
  A popular guideline is the rule of thirds. Imagine the frame divided into thirds, both vertically and horizontally, like a tic-tac-toe board. Then place the subject on or near one of the lines or intersections. This is called the rule of thirds, or the ‘golden mean’. However don’t follow this rule slavishly.
  Remember that the eyes are most important for people and animals. When zooming in and the head fills the image, the rule of thirds applies to the position of the eyes.

• Be sure to hold your camera level

  . It will break the strength of your photo if the horizon appears with an apparent angle.
  Sometimes photo opportunities appear in a split second, and you have just no time to control the angle of your camera. When at home your photo appears to be tilted, no problem. With imaging tools it’s easy to level the photo afterwards. However this gives a small loss in image quality. So practise your reflex to hold your camera level in the first place.

• Eyes are exceptionally important

  . They tell the story. When photographing people and animals everything else can be hidden or cropped out: the mouth, the nose, the hair. But the eyes must be visible.
  In addition, the eyes have to be tack sharp. Unsharpness of the eyes will hurt the attraction to the eyes, and with that the quality of the photo. If the eyes are not sharp, the photo doesn’t look sharp.

• Watch the distance with flash

  . Don’t bother using flash over 30 feet away. Most non professional flashes just completely don’t function at this distance or greater. Flash works best with nearby subjects. When taking a scenery of a bridge at some distance, flash won’t help. Instead of flash, use longer exposure times and a tripod or, if necessary, a higher iso setting.
  When photographing multiple people with flash, be aware that persons that are close will be illuminated by the flash much more than persons further away. So if you want all of them as prominent, have all at the same close distance from your camera.

• As a rule make use the full range of luminosity

  : from completely dark (black) to completely white. This makes photos dynamic and vivid.
  On the other side don’t over expose with digital camera’s. The information of over exposed parts of the image will be lost definitively and can’t even be recovered by imaging tools. Under exposing is also unfortunate. Image tools can light up the darks and make the tonal visible, however with some or even considerable noise.
  Directly after taking a photograph, reading the histogram can be helpful. If the histogram is pegged against the right end, the photo is over exposed. When pegged against the left hand, it is under exposed.
  But adjusting the settings of the camera to capture the whole full range of luminosity without over or under exposing can be quite a struggle. Just be sure not to overexpose. Adjusting levels afterwards with an imaging tool will be the rescue.

• Make a selection of your photos

  . Don’t put all your photos, complete with all the flawed versions of the same scene, in your (online) photo album. The bad ones harm the attention that the best ones deserve. Make a critical selection of your photos, keep the very best. This will enhance your the overall quality of the album enormously.

• The tree growing out of the subject’s shoulder or head

  is a classic photographic syndrome.
  As you position yourself for the photo look out for power poles, lamp posts and other objects behind the subject that can ruin your photo. When it happens, reposition yourself or the subject.
  Also avoid objects in the background that visually merge with the subject because they have the same color. Let the subject be free-standing.

capture on:
http://www.dptutorial.com/photography-tips-for-beginners