DPReview TV: Best shooting positions

I like to spray and pray from the hip; is that wrong?

I get that this was primarily an entertainment video, but I wish they hadn't disparaged techniques they don't like just to make them seem funnier. For example, pinching the camera body with your left hand ("Mr. Pinchy Pants") is just as solid as putting your left hand under the lens ("Cool Operator") as long as you keep your elbow braced against your body in the same way - plus you don't have to crank your wrist at an awkward angle. And many of us old men have found that "Old Man Eyes" is a very stable position as long as you press your elbows against your body and then stabilize the camera by putting tension on the neckstrap... the fact that Chris personally dislikes neckstraps is no reason other people shouldn't use them! Also, why no demo from Jordan about video-specific holds for panning, pulling focus, etc.?

In reviews, cameras with tilting screens always get a negative remark for that.

But when photographing at low angle, it looks really uncomfortable to hold a camera with side flipping screen.

Decades ago, as a competitive rifle shooter, I learned that the rifle sling was your best friend for helping support/steady the rifle in the various required shooting positions (prone, sitting, kneeling and standing). Also, maximizing bone support between the rifle and the ground. I applied the same principles to shooting photographs using the camera strap (as for instance,around my head and using an arm and wound around a hand to supply the tension to keep the camera tight to my head). The idea behind the strap/sling in tension and the bone support (elbows on the ground or knees) was to eliminate using muscles as much as possible to support the camera (or rifle). Try it. I have been using it for available light photography for years with a degree of success.

The best way to hold your camera? On a sturdy tripod.

Thanks for the lesson. This was probably the first thing I learned 50 years ago. With mirrorless you tend to forget the basics, so thanks for the refresher course.

Elaborating on stability issues with "Where did I drop my SD card", you forgot about one important option: lay down to the ground and apply "The operator" technique from there.
I remember doing this on Marcus Place in Venice in pre Covid times. Other tourists were laughing at me -- and my kids took shots of me instead of the scenery, but the results are gorgeous :)

Looking forward to '7 yoga positions for developing superior core stability'. Jordan does the workout for 3 months and Chris is the control (you're welcome Chris).

Camera strap!
Or even just a bit of string (preferably attached to the tripod hole).

Use your camera strap to provide tension against your grip.
Stand on the string and tension up against it.

Even if you are using the back screen (as was pointed out, not all cameras have a VF, sad as that is) just some tension in a strap around the back of the neck will help.

There's one more method, which is both incredibly stable and simple (I use it for macro - but it can be used for any style). You need a pole, a walking pole, a stick (I often use a bamboo cane) or a monopod. You put your left hand on the pole or stick at the height your camera is going to be. You then rest the end of the lens or lenshood on your left hand and brace your camera, preferably with the rubber eye piece surround braced on your eyebrow. It is much more versatile than a monopod used conventionally, as you can rapidly adjust your left hand to the exact height you want. It completely eliminates up and down movement. Your photos will be much sharper.

I adapted it from Brian Valentine's (LordV) metal beanpole method. But Brian's method shows him holding his flash bracket against the pole. However, I often use it with no flash. If your lens is longish, it's important for maximum stability to rest the end of the lens on your left hand, not the base of the lens.

Nice to see that Jordan has reverted back to his trusty Pentax k-01 for the opening credits

Always amused to see people shooting expensive DSLR's in live mode at arm's length (coz hey, that's how they shoot with their phones! :-). Mate, use the OVF!
All good tips though. My favoured techniques...
Brace against something (tree, lamp post, wall, anything solid).
Practice slow breathing with pauses.
For low down shots using rear tilt screen, keep camera strap around neck or against ground with foot and push/pull camera against it to keep it taught.

Good lesson in camera sutra

They forgot about the prone shooting position.
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2021/4/4/master-the-prone-shooting-position
It works better than anything shown in the video, at least it does for me.

Hilarious introduction! Well done guys!

Should have then tried all those with image stabilizer on at those settings, just to see how that helps each.

Hats off for the intro :) Exactly the laugh I needed today.

If you ever decide to spin off a Monty Photon's Flying Circular Polarizer channel, consider me subscribed :D

Props to the wonderful execution of the Mid-Atlantic accent! One of your best soft openings yet!

It's the training video for the F Stop Ridge brigade..

The Olympus guys do the same tests trying to see who can get sharp 10 second handheld exposures. Comes in handy with so many applications like waterfalls and night scenes.

What about the "Sniper" pose for low angle shots? Only works in cushy areas like the lawn Chris was shooting from, but on several occasions when I've needed ground level shots...(before my knees gave out)....I've resorted to "prone on the ground, elbows in the dirt propping up the camera"...about as close to a tripod as you're going to get hand held.

Best intro ever, guys, I laughed my behind off, fantastic!

Another nice trick is breathing technique when it comes to difficult longer hand held exposures without trees, banisters, cars or poles to hug, or even with those. With the camera firmly resting in your paws and against your face, elbows tucked against your body as you show, calmly breathe in and out twice and towards the end of breathing out the third time, pull the trigger, I mean press the shutter. Shooter's technique, it works incredibly well.

IBIS is a godsend. On my new Olympus I guess I got used to slower speeds and one day while taking landscape photos my girlfriend wandered in some of the frames and she was all blurry... looked at SS and it was 1/30th

Loved that intro, The grenade battery was the best 🤣
Also, I guess I really should stop using my monitor and go EVF

Don’t forget to breath out, hold, press shutter release.

In addition to Mr Pinchypants I wish they would have shown the technique where people take their off shutter hand and actually grab the lens from above. This "claw from above" technique is often accompanied with the lens hood reversed on their lens. Not sure why they seem to go together :-)

There is one thing for certain, the worst shooting position is sat at a computer desk zoomed in at 200% crying about LOCA in Acapulco or whatever.

It would be helpful if camera manufacturers would add shake feedback into their cameras.

After each picture you take, put up some numbers on the LCD that rate how still you held the camera. It wouldn't be to hard to do some calculations based on the IBIS data and output this, and/or store it in the metadata of the image.

This would aid photographers trying to learn how to keep the camera steady.

Fellas... if I say this is not your very finest work, will you take offense?

My favorite position when the camera absolutely needs to be steady shooting by hand:
The operator technique enhanced with the camera strap over the neck and under the right arm pit. The length of the strap strap adjusted so that it forces the camera tight against the face.
The first thing I do with a new camera is adjust the strap length so that it suits this technique.

6 o'clock

I do quite a bit of macro photography while hiking, where you want to hold the camera low to the ground and take photos of something quite small and near. At close focus distances camera shake becomes a real issue, even with relatively fast shutter speeds and IS.

I find that instead of trying to hold the camera from the bottom as Chris was doing in the video, letting the camera hang vertically and a bit loose from your right hand fingers — hand and grip at the top — gives pretty good results, especially when the camera is close to the its hanging barycenter.

The other (left) hand can help holding from the bottom for added stability and for adjusting dials (aperture ring, focus). Obviously you want to compose the shot using a tiltable rear screen.

Finally, instead of squatting, having one knee to the ground increases stability and allows the body to relax more, further reducing vibrations and allowing for more prolonged work.

Has anybody tried anything like this?