You know you're becoming a grumpy old man when you take issue with how young people do things. But I can't help but say what I see: most people's camera discipline is shockingly bad.
My colleague Mike and I were discussing how to solve camera shake on the latest episode of DCW's Bokeh Face podcast, and the reasons why some people get blurry images. And while I'm usually quite a calm person, I went on a bit of a rant about people not holding cameras properly.
Words on a screen can't quite do it justice, so I recommend watching the 70-second rant below:
"I think people's camera discipline is shocking. Most people do not know how to hold a camera. And you know why? It's because that everyone takes pictures on their bloody phone like this. And the phone, you see people holding it with their fingertips, holding it one-handed, doing selfies – you can't hold a camera the same way."
Again, I'll point out that this wasn't intended to be a criticism of the erosion of camera craft – although it certainly was that – but the context of the discussion was helping people solve issues with camera shake. And ultimately, the biggest contributor to cameras shake is the way a camera is held.
"I see people taking pictures off the back screen, again with piss poor camera discipline, doing that [holds camera up like wavy arm inflatable tube man] or leaning on a chair doing this [overleaning backwards], right? Of course your pictures are going to be wobbly and shaky, because you're not holding the camera properly."
I'll note, again, that I wasn't damning photographers who shoot off the rear screen. As I noted at the end of the rant, I also shoot using the rear screen – especially for things like macro and landscapes – so that's not the issue. The issue is shooting off the rear screen with poor discipline.
"Once upon a time – I'm getting proper ranty here, now – when you went to photography school or whatever, you learned things like cradle the lens in your hand. Elbows in, touch your ribs with your elbows. You take a deep breath, you press the camera to your face, you're creating your own tripod in your body. You're doing these things, right?
"And I think that whole discipline, that whole instinct, is just gone. Because we think first in terms of shooting off the rear screen, and just holding things at arm's – you shouldn't be shooting at arm's length, there's no stability there at all.
"So I think part of the issue we've got, especially for people who may be coming into proper photography for the first time, is they don't know those skills." And I said this, of course, as someone who also didn't know how to hold a camera when I first picked one up!
The response on social media has been pretty fascinating, so I'm intrigued to know how you feel about the subject. Am I just a grumpy old man, or am I a grumpy old man with a point?
You might also like…
Make sure to check out our cheatsheet on how to hold your camera properly. And if you're just starting out in photography, take a look at the best cameras for beginners.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
