Ditto. Shooting with a camera is exactly the same in principle.
I have even noticed some video and camera supports fashioned as sort of
short riflestocks. Anything that mounts the camera against the face, and is
bedded into upper body allowing the elbows to be held in contact with the
body will provide a pretty good base platform. Such an item could be
fashioned from pretty lightweight section aluminum etc and could be very
compact.
Cheers,
Lee
----Original Message Follows----
From: Doggre@xxxxxxx
Reply-To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OM] Monopod Technique
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 01:52:40 EDT
Dan, a couple thoughts:
As a shooter (guns), I use the same techniques in photography.
Whether "shooting" handheld or using monopod, I try to find something to
lean
against or brace against (a tree, a park table, my truck) to add stability,
where possible. Mostly I try to steady the camera body, but it helps when
MY
body is steady and not under tension, as well. Even helps to breathe out,
relaxing, while "squeezing off" the "shot". Good shooters, like bench-rest
competitors, squeeze off their shots between heartbeats, or try to. I have
atrial fibrillation now, so can't do that any more, darn it.
I think of the shutter release button as a "trigger", and squeeze it gently
and let the shutter "surprise" me when it goes off. Don't try to anticipate
the "clack!" of the shutter. Anticipating when a rifle or pistol is going
to
fire almost guarantees a missed shot, or a sloppy "group" of shots. That
MAY
be part of your problem. It takes practice. Next time you have an empty
camera, practice "shooting", gently squeezing the shutter release while
trying to NOT anticipate when exactly the shutter will "fire". I see people
"jerking the trigger" on their cameras all the time.
Shooting fast action, like sports, is, to me, akin to shotgun shooting,
where
you are panning (tracking your target) while increasing the pressure on the
shutter release button. As your "target" approaches the point where you
want
to "fire", you quickly but smoothly apply more pressure until "clack!", it
"goes off" (and don't forget to follow through with your "swing"). That is
unless you are focused on just one spot where you want to capture the moving
subject passing by. Even then, the idea is to not "jerk the trigger".
And stay away from coffee! It slams your adrenal glands into high gear, so
basically your body is in a "fight or flight" stage, on high alert, twitchy.
Or drink decaf, or tea. I'm a coffee-lover, but I HAD to give it up because
it exacerbates my atrial fib. People around here order triple shots of the
DARKEST tar you ever saw. NO WONDER we have road rage! It's hard to tell
the crackheads and cranksters from the latte stand freaks around Seattle!
Rich (tea, half the caffeine, and my hands are steady now)
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