Most advice from photographers on how to hold a camera steady is pure BS!

Oh dear!  he's a radical ranter, a wannabe soapbox orator!   Nope  the topic line is accurate.  Think about this and ask yourself who, and in what thing(s) are the steadiest people in the world?    Ans:  Olympic rifle shooters.

They can stand unsupported with a rifle and put shot after shot touching at 30ft or further.   How do they do that?   That is what you need to know as well.  freestanding with a rifle is very little different than doing so with a camera, yet photographers in their ignorance, or uninformed bias against all things 'gun' almost never look at that source for how-to inspiration.

Below is a link that should get you started,  There are literally hundreds of sites with shooting stance information, but information from competition sources is the most accurate and thorough.  Pay particular attention to the detailed analysis of how your skeletal alignment should be.   This is is not hard to learn, and is not time consuming.  You can assume the position very quickly.   ...and of course with care all of the suggestions and information can and should be adjusted to your specific needs and body limitations.
***NOTE  all of these pertain particularly to using the longer lens's   400-800mm stuff, ones where you can place your hands under the barrel of the lens.  Note carefully how and where they place the supporting hand under the rifle...do this with the camera.

Look at several different styles, put the camera in place of the rifle, and modify only the bare minimum in order to hold the camera.   I am over 70, use a 150-600 handheld all the time and get a respectable number of clean shots...I also, until very recently shot rimfire and center fire in our local club competitions and always got a respectable showing  (290's out of 300)


AND PAY ATTENTION TO SHUTTER BUTTON technique.  don't slam your finger up and down on the shutter button and expect to have non-motion blur photos!

Okay, maybe one last thing!  Look at proper shotgunning techniques for pass shooting,   These techniques transfer directly into photography, absolutely identical technique to get the best shots of fast moving birds.

ISSF Olympic shooting position information

You're not wrong..if there's anyone steady out there, it's gotta be a rifleman...

Good read and so true.  A friend of mine who spent 16 years in the Marine Corp taught me breathing techniques years ago.  It comes in handy when shooting my camera unsupported.  

Such good recommendations in this post. 

Thank you

That's why I always ALWAYS have a tripod with me.  

Amy Porter wrote: That's why I always ALWAYS have a tripod with me.  

I have tried and tried but for the life of me I just can't get the hang of swinging a tripod properly for a bird in flight shot!   I have also asked bears, and deer, and even elk to please wait a minute while I get the tripod set up.  

They have their place and usage, but over half the time they are in the way and cause you to miss the shot.  They work best for me (at any rate) when I am shooting an 'environment' shot where the animal is quite a distance from me and not apt to detect me, or if it does to give a daam.

Yeah, wild animals just make it tough for us photographers!  

The techniques above are excellent and should be in chapter 1 of any first time camera hand book.  

good post

Bump for any newbies!  

Interesting take. I rarely run into problems steadying my camera (I usually have my tripod on me, or at least stowed in the back of my car, and I rarely take on wildlife or fast moving subjects), but I'll have to take a closer look through this.

I'm not sure this is relevant in any way...

Firstly, target shooting is about shooting a stationary target and, i'm sorry but, if a photographer can't shoot a stationary object in the clear light of day with a modern camera and NOT produce a blur free image, then they need to give up photography!

I don't see the relevance, it's just NOT that hard to shoot a picture of a stationary object without blur!

I shoot motorsport and the car's i'm shooting are moving at upwards of 50-60mph or faster, and i'm shooting at 1/80th...

Obviously not using a tripod, either...

...just saying...

Any military peeps here?

Stic wrote: I'm not sure this is relevant in any way...

Firstly, target shooting is about shooting a stationary target and, i'm sorry but, if a photographer can't shoot a stationary object in the clear light of day with a modern camera and NOT produce a blur free image, then they need to give up photography!

I don't see the relevance, it's just NOT that hard to shoot a picture of a stationary object without blur!

I shoot motorsport and the car's i'm shooting are moving at upwards of 50-60mph or faster, and i'm shooting at 1/80th...

Obviously not using a tripod, either...

...just saying...

Let's see some of your Chickadees or warblers flying shots.  How about some of your pheasant, or duck shots? How about some falcons or or other smalll fas raptors?   How about even something large like a running deer.  You shoot relatively HUGE cars and such, come on over and shoot some of the stuff even REAL pros have trouble with.   No, this article is VERY relevant to those who shoot wildlife.

DELETE dupe

Breathing is key and largely a skill that many photographers don't spend time mastering or considering how it effects your photography.  Now granted, most of the time, it's not going to make a difference.  However IMO there is much more to this than keeping your camera still, there is period of mental clarity when you exhale with purpose.  That's the best I can explain it.  

This is such a no brainer, and yet so many photographers don't pay attention to breathing techniques.  

Very good post.