Build a Relationship with your Camera: How to Hold and Handle?

Here is to the crazy photographers!
For those who feed on Photography, the addicts, the obsessed, the ones who can't live a moment without their camera capturing it for them. 
Photography is not your career. It's not earning you money. You are not a professional, even a freelancer in the category. You are totally unacquainted with terms like SLR, HDR, ISO or Tripod. Some of you might even have had a hard time from family to stop spending your time and money in something that will not take you anywhere. Ouch! It hurts. But aren't we forgetting that rules are not for passion. Passion is boundless and erratic. If you have a penchant in you, it will show. We'll just need to guide your camera on the way to your glory! This is exactly what we will be doing in this journey together. 
Whether you plan to be a professional someday, or a good photographer who finds peace and solace in his shots... everyone has to begin somewhere, but it is important to improve on the way. Let us go through some useful tips to save what could have been a wonderful shot.

1. Holding your camera steady and close

Let's admit, most of our pictures taken in the most wonderful moment are only destroyed because of a slight shake. An adorable shot ruined just because of something you totally had in your hand- Imagine the disappointment! This calls for a change in the way you hold your camera. You need to keep it as steady as you can and close to yourself. Don't hold it too far.

                                           Photo Credit: julyrainxo via Deviantart

2. Not only a strong grip, but a supportive posture

In order to keep your camera steady, you need support with your hands. In order to keep your hands steady, you need to support with your whole posture.

If you are a DSLR user, keep your left hand as a support underneath the camera lens and use your right hand to control the settings. 

 

Photo Credits: Geoff Lawrence

Some of us use a mobile camera for photography. They are mobiles- are't physically designed as cameras, so the shake while clicking the button or touching your screen might be very much possible, as you are holding it within your fingertips. Same goes for compact cameras. They are small and hard to hold. 

Most importantly, no matter what camera you own, keep your elbows tucked in and close together. Don't keep them open, loose,  apart, hanging around your body, while taking a shot. You can even press their elbows into your chest for more support, depending upon your surroundings. Notice how the postures of the given photographers  is composed to support their camera. Notice the position of hands and elbow.  
                   

            

Moreover, you can lean your head towards the camera and keep your feet apart, left foot a little ahead with bend knees to give more balance.

3. Using support from or outside your body

Learn to use your environment in your favor. Keep in check what can you use as support anywhere while taking a picture. As you are not a professional and don't own a tripod, look around. Whether it's a wall, ground, your own knees, an object nearby, all depending on how you are comfortably set to take a shot, brace yourself against a stable object. 

             

In case of mobile or compact cameras, with the correct posture notice how a table has been used to gather support for a casual photography.

                      Photo Credits: Geoff Lawrence

4. Feel free to try different angles

If you need to sit down for a better perspective, do that. This shows your concern and love for what you want your picture to turn out like. This eventually also bring you back to what we discussed above- the need of using the support if you change you are changing your position. When you handle your camera well, you can do that in any angle you wish to take your picture from. You'll naturally come to it when you are ready to experiment, confident with your camera.

Whatever camera you own, you need to practice with your posture and grip. You'll see in no time, what once seemed to you as hard to do every single time you pick your camera, will become a second nature no matter where and what you are shooting at. You'll become natural.