Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 178, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 August 1918 — STUDY HOLDING OF CAMERA [ARTICLE]

STUDY HOLDING OF CAMERA

Successful Work With the Instrument • Depend* Largely on It* Being In Proper Position.

Successful hand-camera work de pends largely on the power to give slow shutter exposures with the camera held in the hand, and In this connection sufficient attention is rarely given to the matter of “grip.” It is not enough to hold the camera firmly against the chest or stomach. The best position 'must be found by trial, and this will vary with different individuals and different makes oi camera. In general it will be found that the most comfortable position is the steadiest. At waist level the hands will be usually placed symmetrically on either side of the-instru-ment, the right, near the release, forward, and the other a little behind. *When the camera is held at eye level, one hand is usually held rather under the instrument as a support, and the other grips the back or side, or with a folding type, of camera both hands may grip the back. With the very small types, one hand often almost incloses the instrument and releases the shutter, whilst the other is used as a support. At eye level it is often a great assistance to a steady aim to press the back of the camera against the cheek. Just as the feel of a favorite gun gives confidence, so the use of the camera should be familiar, and regular and systematic practice with the unloaded camera will be a great help in this. Trial exposures should be given from time to time, and the resulting negatives carefully examined. At first fairly short exposures only should be given, to gain confidence, gradually employing slower speeds as the hand is trained and nerve is acquired.