Good or bad technique

[Cuddy]

There is always plenty of advice about the settings, exposure, etc of cameras, but i was wondering if any forum members have found advice about good or bad technique when taking an image ?

I mainly shoot wildlife, nature, and the odd bit of landscape usually on the hoof and generally without a tripod. Generally reaction shots, and often they look just what you would expect from this casual way of doing things.

I dont really consider myself a photographer, but i would like to improve.

Hints and Tips greatfully received.

PS why cant i get the smilies added to my posts these days Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. ))

regards brian.
PPS where did that smilie come from

 

[mrtoad]

steady up the camera...that is what a tripod does...but we cant always carry one..just tell others to

for wildlife you need to be mobile and able to flop anywhere...cant stalk with a 3 legged friend

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[seriousrikk]

steady up the camera...that is what a tripod does...but we cant always carry one..just tell others to

for wildlife you need to be mobile and able to flop anywhere...cant stalk with a 3 legged friend

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Gonna disagree there. I find sometimes a tripod is just what I need when I'm stalking birds. Helps with my patience

 

[mrtoad]

Gonna disagree there. I find sometimes a tripod is just what I need when I'm stalking birds. Helps with my patience

tripod with castors?

i do understand..i have done it as well...tramped the moors with tripod collapsed like a monopod...but i am not a bird man and just sat with the dogs and thought about things...and waited till the sun went down

so the answer must be take a tripod...fact!!

 

[Lensflare]

MINDSET.

First and foremost you need to realise that you will enjoy capturing ONE good image far more than if you come home with a card full of rubbish. I think from what you are saying you are already finding this.

Patience then. Set about capturing that ONE good picture. When you have it, then you can move on to number two. Stumbling around hoping something will fall into your camera isn't going to do much for your sanity, or creative yearnings. It would then be a lottery.

 

[Cuddy]

MINDSET.

First and foremost you need to realise that you will enjoy capturing ONE good image far more than if you come home with a card full of rubbish. I think from what you are saying you are already finding this.

Patience then. Set about capturing that ONE good picture. When you have it, then you can move on to number two. Stumbling around hoping something will fall into your camera isn't going to do much for your sanity, or creative yearnings. It would then be a lottery.

Cheers for the reply, sadly the stumbling around is more to do with my wildlife recording, I understand what you are saying, should really seperate the two activities. I have set out to capture images using patience and fieldcraft, ive just been wondering if there are certain ways to use a camera that people have found to eliminate movement when hand held ?

Thanks Richard and mrcrow for your comments.

 

[artyman]

I find that even shooting birds in the garden with food laid on, it can sometimes be an exercise in patience, just settle down well concealed and wait is the real answer. You have to accept sometimes it is just a long period of meditation with no shots. Study the behaviour and territories of your quarry and set up the ambush, bit like a sniper really.

 

[Cuddy]

I find that even shooting birds in the garden with food laid on, it can sometimes be an exercise in patience, just settle down well concealed and wait is the real answer. You have to accept sometimes it is just a long period of meditation with no shots. Study the behaviour and territories of your quarry and set up the ambush, bit like a sniper really.

Cheers Artyman, i dont seemed to have got my point across too well, im an experienced birder so fieldcraft is already well established within me. I did find this link which is nearer to what i was after. Again cheers for the response,

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/technique/handholding1.html

 

[coldpenguin]

ive just been wondering if there are certain ways to use a camera that people have found to eliminate movement when hand held ?

The page you linked too seems correct.

Again, I suspect that this is wide of the mark on answering your question.
One suggestion before on this forum was to use a string monopod.

A bolt in the bottom of the camera, with string attached. On the other end, tie a washer. When you find a shot, drop the washer end from your hand and stand on it, pull until the string is taut then shoot.

This stabilises you in one direction, and restricts you in two of the degrees of freedom.

 

[neil_g]

speaking of bad technique i was shooting at an event yesterday when all of a sudden from behind me i heard:

clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick

i actually had to stop and turn around just to see what the racket was all about lol. i mean whats that all about? the guy might as well video'd it and taken a screen grab.

 

[seriousrikk]

speaking of bad technique i was shooting at an event yesterday when all of a sudden from behind me i heard:

clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick

i actually had to stop and turn around just to see what the racket was all about lol. i mean whats that all about? the guy might as well video'd it and taken a screen grab.

Always maked me laugh when you hear stuff like that. Sure, on a crash sequence you just spam the shutter but generally? All you are doing is taking 12 shots that you will bin for one that you might not.

 

[Lensflare]

AHA - right, now I see what you are after.

If you are hand holding a long lens (I used to use a 500 f4 all day and spent most of the day holding it, or with it slung over my shoulder with something shorter to hand - coursing meets)it pays to get your stance correct. You will start to feel the weight in the lower side of your back if you don't. A monopod was a waste of space for me, the subject was too erratic for that, you had to shoot offhand with no support.

Breathing - time your breathing to coincide with shutter presses. When you need to press the shutter, hold your breath, so you need to start to be aware of your breathing and what the subject is doing - always steadier on breathing out than breathing in too - let your breath slowly and gently, as if you were snorkelling and had dived. Practise it and you will be surprised how long you can hold your breath and breath out - I am out of practise but 30 seconds is no problem for me now. I have just tried it.

ELBOWS - where your elbows are matters a great deal. The weight of the lens is not inconsiderable, so you need your lens carrying elbow to be underneath it, perpendicular underneath too, and dig it into your ribs at about stomach level. This supports the weight of the lens very well - if your elbow is a bit out to the side you are taking the weight on your arm instead of locking it out and transferring the weight through your legs to the floor. This will affect your balance too, which you then correct and put strain on other muscles.

Firing the shutter - don't stab it. Press it gently. You need to half press it to keep everything live anyway, practise holding that half press, and then it is just a tiny bit more weight to trip the shot. You don't have to push the button through the bottom of the camera to make it work!

Keep your eye to the viewfinder when taking the shot too.

 

[Jim.R]

speaking of bad technique i was shooting at an event yesterday when all of a sudden from behind me i heard:

clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick

i actually had to stop and turn around just to see what the racket was all about lol. i mean whats that all about? the guy might as well video'd it and taken a screen grab.

There was somewhere on the net that suggested taking multiple shots to try and counteract camera shake.
The theory went that the shake varied, so by taking lots of shots you should (in theory) get one without shake blurring the resulting image.

 

[Cuddy]

Just what im looking for guys some good points there, i usually have a pair of binos and note books field gudes and backpack slung around my body. The string monopod is a good idea, i did see one guy who uses a pole for his macro shots just steadies his camera against it and slides it to the height he wants. Wont work for my long lens, did think about a lightweight sholder pod.

thnks brian

 

[garymicheal]

MINDSET.

First and foremost you need to realise that you will enjoy capturing ONE good image far more than if you come home with a card full of rubbish. I think from what you are saying you are already finding this.

Patience then. Set about capturing that ONE good picture. When you have it, then you can move on to number two. Stumbling around hoping something will fall into your camera isn't going to do much for your sanity, or creative yearnings. It would then be a lottery.

totally ive gradually found that out myself and it seem,s to be working for me