Proper Shooting Posture

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Category: Basics

Published Sunday, August 26 2012 10:00pm

Written by Abel Longoria

Every time I'm out in the field shooting I always come across DSLR photographers shooting in a awkward "fingers above the lens" method which tends to drive me crazy. Having seen it so many times led me to get this video created to teach those photographers that may have just gotten their first DSLR how best to hold their camera for shooting.

I once had a friend that was shooting a family event come over to me and ask why he was getting these weird dark lines in his photos and across his subject's bodies. He was just shooting with the onboard flash and I knew exactly what was causing this weird dark shadow of his. He originally thought his new DSLR was defective but upon viewing a couple of the sample photos on the LCD I asked him to show me exactly how he normally shoots a photo and when he did he placed his loose/free fingers ABOVE the lens. I told him to stop right there, move his face away from viewfinder and look what was sitting right in FRONT of his onboard flash. Yup! those pesky 3 loose/free fingers. Problem Solved.

Placing your hand UNDER the lens versus on the side/on top of the lens is so much more comfortable and most importantly much more stable. If you have been used to holding onto your DSLR with your loose/free fingers up over the lens then definitely try this method that I explain in the video and I guarantee your you'll notice a big difference.