How do you hold your camera when shooting vertically?

[peter_berger2]

<p>I was always holding it like the guy on the right part of this image:<br />http://vesnakozelj.com/wp-content/uploads/image/holding_camera_standing_vertical.gif <BR>

(but according to the image this is wrong)<br />So, I am wondering, how do you hold your camera when you are shooting in vertical orientation? Whats the best technique for this? (I'm right-handed and left eyed photographer)</p>

<p> </p>

[bebu_lamar]

<p>Many people and many recommended to hold the camera like that on the right hand side picture. I personally hold it like in the left side picture only because if I raise my right arm up like that in the right hand picture my arm gets tired. It's more comfortable resting agaisnt my chest.</p>

[rossb]

<p>Button side up without a flash. With flash it could go either way depending on what I thought the flash would bounce from. <br>

I was watching a Professional shoot at a recent wedding that I was going to and the Pro shot vertical with the button side down. He kept the flash straight up all the time and when shooting verticle he would just shoot with the flash dead right and more often then not it would bounce from people with dark suits or whatever they were wearing. I would select another option myself such as re-orienting the flash to bounce off the roof or my flash card. But he is the Pro and I am just a guy with an old camera. </p>

[dzaebst]

<p>Neither one. I use a vertical battery grip on all of my DSLRs. That way, holding the camera vertical is just like holding it horizontally....the shutter and other controls near it are duplicated on the top right side of the camera held vertically. With the grip, your right arm is held close to your right side, as when you hold the camera horizontally. That's one reason I always check to verify that a vertical/battery grip is available for a camera before I buy it.</p>

[patrickwells]

<p>I hold mine like the wrong one. If I try like the guy on the left then I have trouble shielding the excess light from the VF. I wear glasses and use my left hand to help black out the VF. <br>

It's the holding the camera upside down to get the upside down photo that gets me confused :)</p>

[peter_berger2]

<p>Dennis, nice tip, I didnt know that vertical battery grip has shutter button on it.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Vertical grip every time. If for some reason I don't have one mounted, it's the right-elbow-in-the-air technique, since I just don't like the inverse of it, trying to tuck my right elbow under.</p>

[chris_waller]

<p>I'm right-handed and left -eyed as well. I sit the left end of the camera in my left hand with my fingers on the focussing ring and with the shutter release button at the top, as it were, so my right hand is on top. This means that my right elbow sticks out and I do occasionally elbow some poor unfortunate in the side of the head!</p>

[mikemorrell]

<p>Left side. It just seems more natural to support the camera from underneath than to have it dangling from a curved arm.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>I hate holding the camera for verticals, except when I do the framing in my mind when shooting with my Mamiya 6x6. I haven't yet found a good way to do it with a rectangular frame camera, but it's usually elbow tucked under on the trigger arm.</p>

<p>What I'm really waiting for is a square sensor mirrorless system camera with a sort of ipad gismo that I can say "portrait" or "landscape" to, or some little like button, that will change the orientation without me moving my hold on the camera. Not a technological challenge, perhaps only a marketing courage one.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>Button side up, right eye to VF, nose able to breathe comfortably to left of camera, left hand cradling lens, with heel of left hand against chin, (back of) right thumb against forehead, left elbow pressed to lefthand side of chest, right elbow dropped slightly lower than in the diagram. The reason some people don't want the elbow in the air is that it's floppy and unstable. However, the thumb against the forehead rectifies that problem, at least for me. I feel having grip/mass on both sides of the camera is important for minimization of mirror slap movement, so I wouldn't like to use the grip on the left.</p>

<p>There's no absolutely "right" way to hold a camera. For instance, consider the unorthodox grip of Whitehouse photographer <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?q=souza+camera+hold&start=92&hl=en&biw=955&bih=1030&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=GxEea_Y_VJCm1M:&imgrefurl=http://mgbralley-whatswrongwiththispicture.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html&docid=ghuXiYxlh9cfIM&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IvGiy8W1xF8/TVUzc2mdVHI/AAAAAAAAHYA/BsNMrP4slWU/s1600/Obama-RRHS-Souza_0072w.jpg&w=769&h=836&ei=BXZvT8GrLampiQLR3ryHBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=58&vpy=501&dur=5052&hovh=234&hovw=215&tx=189&ty=212&sig=114033481336170624815&page=5&tbnh=148&tbnw=143&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:92">Pete Souza</a>. His grip would drive me nuts, but it's stable, and it works for him. 'Nuff said. There are also a few "wrong" grips, including by <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?q=souza+camera+hold&hl=en&biw=955&bih=1030&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=1uXfWCsXz0Ls6M:&imgrefurl=http://poetrysconfidante.tumblr.com/&docid=ix-tkyG6RbJDhM&imgurl=http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzr9l5r0Fd1qanm80o1_500.jpg&w=465&h=307&ei=pHVvT--uJuiSiAL1mrXABQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=508&vpy=321&dur=2077&hovh=182&hovw=276&tx=150&ty=119&sig=114033481336170624815&page=4&tbnh=158&tbnw=211&start=68&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:22,s:68">another Whitehouse photographer</a>.</p>

[craigd]

<p>I'm sure this exact image has been discussed on PN within the past year or two, but I can't find the article right now.</p>

<p>If someone tells you that the way you do something is wrong, you are free to hear them out and try their suggested alternative if you like. But having done so, decide for yourself which way is better. Personally, I find the posture recommended by that image uncomfortable and awkward. The "incorrect" posture, with the right arm raised, works much better for me.</p>

<p>This reminds me of a vaguely related, but non-photographic, incident in my life from several years ago. I never had any wrist pain related to computer use until the company I worked for at the time brought in a so-called "ergonomics expert" to adjust everyone's workstations as a preventative measure after one of our people developed a nasty case of carpal tunnel syndrome. Once my workstation setup had been "improved", I began having wrist pain, so I put my workstation back the way it had been before (which according to the expert was "wrong") and the pain went away. If I had trusted the "expert", I might have been the next victim of carpal tunnel syndrome.</p>

<p>Always trust your own experience. No one else can tell you what will work for you.</p>

[AlanKlein]

<p>ross b+ Button side up. But when I use flash located on the left, I forget to reverse how I hold it and wind up with shadows above the head of the subjects I'm shooting especially when there's a wall behind them. That's caused because the flash shooting up. I should hold it so the flash is on the top forcing the head shadows to be hidden behind the head..</p>

<p>Of course with my Mamiya RB67, I just revolve the back (RB?!?) and usually it's on a tripod anyway.</p>

[dennisgg]

<p>Vertical grip for me too! I love having the vertical grip on my cameras. Much more comfortable and natural with the duplication of button positions. Plus I have large hands so I like the grip to add size.</p>

[david_carroll4]

<p>I always shoot "wrong" like the right hand guy. Even though my F4s has a vertical grip/shutter release, I either forget to unlock it, or I forget to lock it when I'm done, and it seems like the slightest bump triggers it. My F3/MD4 has an MK-1 fire rate limiter, which incorporates a somewhat "mark I" vertical shutter, but it's rather awkwardly placed, so I don't use it much - cool F3 accessory, though.</p>

[scot]

<p>I've been shooting with my right hand up for so long that I can't remember ever deciding to do it that way. (I do plan to get a vertical grip if Nikon ever gets around to building a D7000 for me.)</p>

[parv]

I hold the camera vertically as Matt L does, and in desperation shutter button to the bottom position also to possibly minimize camera motion induced blur.

[john_tran14]

<p>I'm sure this exact image has been discussed on PN</p>

<p>I agree with this, and I have another answer this time: How about you hold it the same way you do when taking a horizontal photo?<br>

Just turn your head (with the help of your back and upper body) to the left or to the right. Seriously, I don't think that's a bad idea, I will try it soon (never tried it before). If we want to take a shot from a lower angle, we sit down or bend our knees, why not turn your head for a vertical shot.<br>

A related issue: Someone said when you use 35mm film with a Yashica-D you can only shoot vertical, not horizontal. I disagreed and I took many horizontal shots with Yashica-D with 35mm film<br>

Now my question is: if I use my technique (hopefully it's not an old technique), should I turn my head to the left or to the right? which way is the correct way?</p>

[ian_gordon_bilson]

<p>Gently Ironic Tone (intended). OMG! you mean you can actually turn the camera on it's side?<br>

And the picture won't be upside down? Pick up the camera. Turn it on its side (either way-whatever works for you).<br>

I bet this will be intuitive..sinister/dexter. Location of controls,etc.<br>

Fill the frame.<br>

For those who really can't decide -there is always square format.<br>

And,just to stir the mix,the Online Photographer said recently..." if there was a B&W only Digital Camera -he would consider buying one.</p>

[steve m smith]

<blockquote>

<p>OMG! you mean you can actually turn the camera on it's side?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You can. I even turn my square format 6x6 folding cameras through ninety degrees sometimes!</p>

<p><br /><br /></p>

<blockquote>

<p>For those who really can't decide -there is always square format.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>As you can see, it makes no difference to me!</p>

[alan_ginman]

<p>For me this shows how badly designed cameras are. Shooting vertically is never as comfortable as shooting landscape. I shoot a lot more landscape images than vertical and I'm sure that ease of shooting is a factor in that. Add on grips solve the problem but at added cost and bulk. It is possible to design cameras to be equally comfortable whichever way you shoot them. I used to have a Fuji 645 camera that had two shutter release buttons and a body designed to be equally comfortable however you shot it. Of course with a 6x4.5 camera like the Fuji, vertical is the default format.</p>

<p>As someone said, the problem is easily solvable by camera designers, if they wanted to.</p>

<p>Cheers</p>

<p>Alan</p>

 

[steve_levine]

<p>Button up, and the camera locked in both hands against the face/head. Sort of a 3 point hold. The left hand cradles the lens, the right hand steadies the camera, and pushes the button. This is your basic 1960's camera instruction book technique. Many early Japanese camera manuals, often used young, pretty Japanese women as models to demonstrate the "hold" etc. I recall this fondly.</p>

[dzaebst]

<blockquote>

<p>For me this shows how badly designed cameras are.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>I'm surprised our Canon ID owners haven't chimed in so far... the 1D series has the vertical position controls built in to every camera body. Of course, they are heavy and costly. That's why I have two 7Ds with vertical grips (smaller and lighter than the 1D even with the VG installed, and far less expensive). The Nikon pro series such as the D4 also have this feature.</p>

<p>I am not claiming, of course, that the 7D is the equal of the 1D in terms of ruggedness and shooting speed. The AF is nearly as good though. I like to think of it as a baby 1D. The 7Ds are perfect for me, since my primary interests are in birds and BIF.</p>

[pmind]

<p>I learned the "right way" years ago, but could never make it work for me. Vertical grips, at least the ones I use, all require CCW camera rotation from the shooters POV; so that's what I've gotten used to, even without the vertical grip.</p>

[jcoffin]

<p>I'm also in the "use the vertical grip" group -- when I buy a new camera, I buy it with the vertical grip (or motor drive, if you look back far enough), generally mount it before taking a single picture, and pretty much never remove it. If the bottom of my camera was purple with pink polka-dots, there's a good chance I wouldn't ever realize it.</p>

<p>I do think the picture claiming one is right and the other wrong is pretty close to pure nonsense though. Just for fun, I just tried holding one without the vertical grip (hey, the bottom of the camera is black, just like the rest!), and to me there's no question: what it claims is "right" is extremely clumsy. Despite theoretically being able to brace both hands against my chest, with a longer lens the camera feels quite unbalanced and unsteady. If I hold the button on the bottom, it's much more comfortable with the left hand around the top.</p>

<p>I do think turning clockwise or counterclockwise is largely a matter of which eye dominates -- though with plenty of eye clearance, it might not be nearly as big of an issue. Either way, however, it seems to be generally quite clumsy to try to hold both hands on the same side of the camera -- they're pretty much designed for one hand coming from each side, and holding them vertically doesn't seem to change that much (if at all).</p>

<p>Nonetheless, all the others are compromises -- a vertical grip is the only truly "correct" answer.</p>