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.
