Basic Training: Shooting on the Go

Jenny Hanson
July 2005

Ever try to set up a tripod in a crowd of people? Or what about on the side of a mountain? If you have, you know how frustrating it can be. Trying to get the tripod level or finding a place to put it can stir the urge to throw it off the cliff instead. But what other options do you have?

Most of us have seen hand held camera work that makes us sick to our stomachs. The camera bounces, jiggles, can barely find focus, and leaves you running for anti-nausea medication. If you don't know what we're talking about, just go rent the Blair Witch Project. The movie's handheld technique earned it style points, but left many people green in the face. Handheld video doesn't have to look like that, if you know what you are getting yourself into before you shoot.

Body positioning, control, and awareness are the keys to handheld video. If you can manage that, the rest is easy. The problem is most of us are too impatient and too used to our own perspectives to take the time to really see the images we capture when shooting handheld. While patience is something you have to discover within yourself, tried and true methods can improve all your video endeavors.

Camcorders are lighter and smaller than ever before, making them easier to carry. A downside to their small size is that they are more difficult to hold steady. A big, heavy camcorder is more difficult to shake around because it takes more energy to move its larger mass. A small camcorder, on the other hand, will shake and wiggle with every little movement of your hands, arms and body.

To minimize camera shake, stand with you feet shoulder-width apart and keep your elbows in. This will ease the stress on your arms and your back. Don't lock your knees or tuck your elbows too tightly. You want to be able to use your body as a shock absorber when you move. Tightly tucked elbows and locked knees will have you and your video shaking in no time. Think of your knees and elbows like the shocks on your bicycle or car.

Use both hands to support the camera. This provides added control and balances out the weight of the camera. You can cup the camcorder on both sides or on one side with the other hand acting as a plate beneath the camera. Hold the camera slightly away from your body for even more control and added support for you and the camera.

In this basic body position, you should be relaxed but aware of your body and in-turn the camera. Your body awareness and relaxation level can be the difference between a fluid-head tripod and a sticky, jerky tripod.

Not in the mood for standing? Need to get a different angle? There are several other body positions that can really improve your handheld abilities. You can lean, sit and even lie down for added perspective and shot variety. After all, being able to go where the shot takes you is one of the reasons we abandoned the tripod in the first place.

Have you ever been in a crowd of people and everyone keeps bumping into you? Next time, find a building or even a lamp pole to lean on. Besides getting you out of the way, leaning on something provides you with added support and can calm tense or jittery muscles.

Another way to calm shaky muscles is to kneel. Keep your hand/arm positions the same, but change the way you balance and distribute your weight. Kneeling also allows you some foreword/backward movements -- as you shift from your knees to sitting back onto your feet and vice versa. While kneeling will give your legs and feet a break, be prepared to give your arms a workout.

If you need to get even lower or want to ease some of the arm stress, you can try sitting. Sitting lowers your center of gravity and helps you keep the camera more still. When you sit, you can rest the camera on your legs or pulled up knees for easy pivoting and less arm strain.

If you really want to get creative, or if sitting doesn't quite get you low enough, try lying down and shooting prone. If you lie on your back, you can shoot the sky; if you lie on your stomach, you can use your elbows as a bipod and with the same two-handed holding of the camera, you can add in some pans. If you're on that same cliff, lying down can also get you a nice over-the-edge shot without as much risk of falling off.

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