Shooting from the Hip

For those of us who grew up in the era when cowboy shows on TV were as common as reality shows today, this phrase is familiar.  It still has a modern counterpart, though, when we are talking about cameras. Shooting from the hip refers to not having the camera up to your eye, but taking photographs with the camera positioned somewhere else. It could be from your hip if you are standing or it could be from somewhere else, such as your knee while sitting.

It is a fun technique and you never know what you are going to get. You do need to adjust a few settings on your camera, focus, for example.  I usually activate all the focus points rather than just the central focus point to insure that something is in focus. In single shot mode, most cameras will beep when focus is acquired, so it is helpful to have that feedback from the camera.  Don't be too concerned about making sure the horizon is completely level.  Angles often give the images a dynamic look that would not be present if the camera were more carefully aligned and you may end up with an interesting angle you may never have consciously chosen with the camera up to your eye.

Your subject may or may not be aware of what you are doing. People who are hard of hearing may not even know you are taking pictures, but even those that do hear the shutter closing will quickly lose interest in what you are doing and will usually relax and be more natural. I love to use this technique because you never know what you are going to come up with.  There is usually a high rate of throw-aways, but the successes make it worth it.

I am using two photos of my daughter as an example of this technique. The first is one of my favorite photos of her. The eye should not (by general rule) be right on the edge of the image, but in this picture, it seems to work - at least for me.  My eye always goes directly to her eye and then inspects the rest of the picture. I'm not bothered that part of her head is out of the frame.

All the things that were wrong in the first image are "corrected" in the second.  Despite that, I still like the first one better.  Try it.  It can be a lot of fun!