Idee Fixe on Handheld
by Henie Reisinger
While I appreciate everyone's comments and critiques and have most certainly learned tremendously (and I continue to), I feel that I need to address the topic of 'handheld.'
NPN hosts such highly skilled and talented photographers, with images that continually take my breath away, satiating my eyes with richness and awe that it hurts, but I can say that the hurt is so good! Truly, I can state that when I view all your images, I choose to see and savor the raw beauty of the shot and not what is lacking or what it could have been or how it should be...now my current thoughts are at such high shutter speed that I will try my best to capture it as written image for all.
I am not one to shun a concept until I have tried to apply it to myself at least several times to see if the resulting effect will benefit or enhance...this is always the ideal, which brings me to the concept of using a 'tripod.' I have many times used a tripod to no avail...for one thing, by the time I 'set up' for the shot, the image that I initially saw is either gone or it has evolved into something else...the only benefit I have found with using a tripod is being observed as a 'professional photographer' by 'impressed' passers by who assume that I also posses technical knowledge...I do not consider myself a professional photographer...simply, I am a passionate photographer with no rules, technical or otherwise.
Before NPN, all my images have been raw, unfiltered, unedited, unrevised, often times out of focus...and yes, all are 'handheld'...sometimes that which is imperfect creates a beauty all its own...this is my perception...there is beauty in all things. A few of my recently 'altered or enhanced' images may look more perfectly polished visually and technically but I am saddened by the loss of their 'soul.'
I understand the sanctity of tripod use for all of you and the amazing captures but it is not for me...maybe it is because I only stand at 4'10" and monocular in vision that I tend to see things differently and much closer to the ground (yes, I am blind therefore I drive by Braille and take photos the same way...it is a distinct difference for which I am very grateful)...Explain to me then how one uses a tripod for an image that emerges from the ground? (Being on my stomach works well for ground level shots). Or how does one use a tripod sitting in a car, stuck in freeway traffic, while the sky before you is gloriously presented by nature to behold?...or how does one use a tripod while driving a car at 40mph? I have my camera with me at all times because I like the challenge and the spontaneity of seeing images unscripted and as they are...Tell me, do you all carry your tripod at all times so you can 'set up' for that unexpected beauty of nature that just popped up in front of you? To me, the excitement of photography is that which one captures and not what one 'wishes' to capture to conform with technical perfection or universal presentation appeal. I am well aware that technical knowledge could only help me make 'better' images for others to see but I know too well that my images would no longer belong to my eyes, heart and soul.
I will always prefer to be 'handheld'...and if my 'imperfect handheld images' hurt your eyes in a bad way, then may I please suggest that you bypass viewing all my posted images. I will most likely not be posting any more images on this site for a short while until I set up my tripod; acquire and apply all technicalities and if this is not enough, I will make sure to take advanced PhotoShop classes...and then maybe...but for now I will be content, busy, happy and free to do my 'handhelds' very close to the ground where I can hear my heart beating like thunder!
The true beauty of nature can only be savored and captured within the depth of ones heart and not in the presentation and preservation of the image captured by a camera lens...separated by mere nano seconds, the image of nature, the image in the heart and the image by a lens will always be lacking concinnity.
Thank you to those of you who simply enjoyed the contents of my heart, mind and soul as is.
Ciao,
Henie
P.S. I will still be around enjoying and toasting all your images...I just need to get out of this 'tripod funk' that one particular individual threw at me sardonically...all other critiques from everyone on this site has been tremendous, appreciated and welcomed, truly!
Comments
24 commentsSounds like someone must have offended you. I am a new member to the network but I have seen all of the images that you have posted. You truly have an eye for your art and I can see the soul you speak of in your images. I do own a tripod but rarely use it. I Must agree with you in that by the time you set up, the shot you anticipated is gone. People see me shooting out in the Everglades (as I often am) and are flabbergasted that I refuse to use a tripod. for me there is one main reason that I dont use it and that is composition and the amount of time you have to get the composition you were anticipating. If you stand there with a tripod, you get all of your shots from the same perspective. I like to get down and dirty in chest deep water if I had to, or climb way up in a tree to get a more interesting view. Whatever it takes! The only times I really ever use the tripod is for long exposures, for scenics etc.. Even my macro shots are handheld. It keeps me on my toes.
I couldnt agree more with what you wrote above. Faster shutter speeds are necessary for shooting moving subjects anyway. I'd love for someone to show me a shot of a moving otter, pouncing cat, or any other fast moving creature taken at 1/60 sec. or less that isn't a big blur. Tripod or not.
Don't let them bring you down... I want to see more of your work and I'm sure many others on the site do too.
thanks for sharing,
Rick G
Tripods. At least that seems to be part of the problem here. Back in the late 80's when I started trying to graduate from "picture taking" into serious photography, I didn't want any part of a damn tripod - eventhough, everything I read in the trade magazines said more good images were ruined by camera shake than any other thing. They all recommended use of a tripod. But I didn't want to give up my freedom of being part of the adventure, I felt that if I had to pack a tripod, I would simply be a photographer, not a participant. So for two years, I took the dangdest bunch of almost good photographs that you ever saw. What I finally came to realize, after watching an entire room full of people get headaches from looking at my blurred images during slide shows, was that I'd better get a tripod and learn to use it. On this forum we see some images that are so crystal clear that it amazes you. And even with a tripod I'll never get them because I have the delicate touch of a grizzly bear. When I have 840mm on, even a tripod is not enough to always kill camera shake. Anyway, I am one person who truly believes that photography can be improved with a tripod. But then, there are image stablizied lenses, who knows where all that will go.
Critiquing. I'm not sure some of these folks think too deeply before they comment. I know I don't always put that much thought into it. But I also think that laying our souls bare before this crowd is not necessarily a practice for the timid. Boy, when you put that photograph out there, you'd better expect just about anything! You're the second person here whom I've seen, who seems to have had your feelings hurt, or felt that you were not understood. All I can say is that my wife and I have enjoyed your work. We'd like to see you keep a stiff upper lip and hang in there. As you've said, you've already learned a lot. And you really demonstrate with almost every post that you're thinking outside the box. That means you're being creative. Best wishes,
Terry & Kay Steele
It doesn't sound like it will, but I hope you don't let what someone said about your handheld technique bug you too much. As Terry alluded to in his response, you have to expect pretty much anything when you lay yourself open to criticism on this forum. Some people here have been doing their type of photography for decades. It works well for them and they feel compelled to share what they know to be true. But the great thing about artisitic endeavour is that there all SO MANY different styles, approaches, opinions, methods, viewpoints, tools, mediums.....and on and on. And of course ten people looking at the same photograph at the same time might very well have ten completely different emotional responses to it. There's room for the way you think and how you do your photography here at NPN, just keep plugging along, keep an open mind and don't let things get to you.
BTW, I hate my tripod. And it does tend to interefere with the way I like to photograph, so more often than not it stays home zipped up in it's little black carrying case. Sometimes that compromises the quality of my photographs but other times it leads to great surprises. I just make choices and live with them.
See you in the forums!
I just want to say thank you so much for all your thoughts, well-meaning words and encouragement...
I wrote what I felt because my dander was up, not because of critiques or comments but because of ONE pedantic insult...big difference from being 'critiqued.' I have been an artist all my life and critiques are an integral part, kind or harsh, but nonetheless it is clearly understood as a critique...a true artist can and will take it or leave it.
I have no intention of backing away from NPN nor do I plan on changing my photographic voice...it is what it is...I will continue to share my handheld images for the unscripted joy that I experience in the process of capturing the shot and not for technical prowess.
Alice...you were the first one to welcome me to NPN and the first to teach me about 'cloning' out things that only your keen eye could see...so you hold a special place in my heart.
Rick..so cool that someone like you is out there...I know that you can relate to the fact that sometimes it is the passionate photographer in pursuit of a shot, that would make an even greater subject matter to be captured
Terry & Kay...thanks so much for appreciating my somewhat different perspective...interesting thing about giving people OOF headaches...it never occurred to me that way...I'll have to be careful
Fred...Thanks for adding and responding...you and I have always shared the same 'focus' from the get go and that my friend, will never change...btw, where can I view your Barn Owl photos?
Mary...I truly appreciate your words...please be assured that I do understand diversity in perspective and that is what makes art and photography dance...I am so glad that I am not alone in the 'tripod protest'
Thanks again All! I'll be posting new images soon as I am out of 'midterm hell!'
~Henie~
"Art is passion's only nurse."
Exactly!!!! Over 300mm weighs so much more than I could ever handle...I tried a friends about 6 months ago (handheld, of course) and I think I almost broke my arms not to mention needing a neck brace after
Thanks for stopping in...
Henie
I just adore all your Barn Owl shots...they are raw and evocative! but my favorites are #1 and #6...ahhh, I wanted to just reach out and touch them!
Thanks again and worry not...I am not starving just yet...only sleepless as I am currently pursuing my Masters in Fine Arts...so believe me when I say that critiques don't bother me none...I am critiqued daily for my sculptures, paintings, photographs and my writings...
Awesome about your daughter...how proud you must be to have instilled the importance of pursuing the work that is placed in one's heart!
Thanks again for sharing your work, comments and thoughts...you most definitely have a new fan here.
Take care,
Henie
You are too funny! 'Tripod Funk" is much better than 'Heavy Metal' last time I listened
Thanks so much for your thoughts...
Henie
Keep doing well!!!
Just my two cents here. Your originalitly and enthusiasm are most welcome here on NPN. I've enjoyed both your photos and comments and would hate to see you stop participating. I'm a die-hard handholder, thanks to image stabalization, only taking out my tripod when I absolutely have to.
Having never met you, I can tell you have great energy.
Addressing tripods vs. handheld: Way back in another life, I lived extremely rural just like now. Guns and shooting were (to me and my family) what cameras and photography are to me today. I was the worst shot in my family, hand held. But with a rest, I could shoot circles around all of them. When I was a policeman, I barely could qualify off hand (hand held), but with a rest I could outshoot any police officer in a three hundred mile radius. What's the point? Some people, and I include myself in this, truly need a tripod. What I'm trying to say is, I have to use it. But I think probably most everyone can improve their clarity with a solid rest.
What I am going to state now is fact. When you present a slide presentation and you show out of focus slides, or otherwise blurred, the human eye tries to adjust to it and can not! Thus extreme eyestrain, and yes, headaches. The thing that I am really well known for (at least among naturalist types) in Oregon, are my presentations. I occasionally will use a blurred image if it is pertinent to my story. But the fewer you have in your presentation the better, for the reasons stated.
A mono pod is not a tripod, yet works quite effectively even for me on small lenses. A monopod does not eliminate side wobble. Since most of my work is birds and distant wild creatures, I shoot a great deal @840mm. So I prefer to shoot off a large solid tripod or a rice bag.
Since becoming a part of this web site, I suspect I am a bit of a dinosaur. We're seeing all these fantastically sharp flying raptor pictures and I strongly suspect that these talented folks are hand holding image stabilized big lenses.
The main thing, as everyone has said, do what you like to do best.
Regards,
Terry
Worry not...if you're a dinosaur (extinct), be forewarned that I am quite a bear (not extinct therefore most likely an encounter)
Anyway, please know that I have moved on about my 'handheld dissertation' but I will mention just one more thing for the final rebuttal: "Critique is to instruct; pedantic insult is not." Big difference...and yes, I agree that it is completely my choice as to whether I am insulted or not...also, my grandmother taught me that if I don't have anything nice or good to say, best keep my mouth shut...which transcends to my NPN experience...if I personally don't like someone's photo then I don't comment, keeping in mind that for the shooter, the photo means so much more than technical perfection...sometimes it is the story behind the shot that brings it to life...which then leads me to another opinion which I practice: "It is better to be kind than to be right."
All that said, I truly appreciate you sharing your OOF experience and causing people headaches but I'm afraid that I can sometimes cause headaches even without an OOF presentation...but I am working on it
And tripods, well...it's simply a matter of preference and we know that there are a lot of "closet non tripod users' on this site
And as far as image stabilizers, only my zoom lens has that nice perk...really love it!...but I suspect that some of the 'crystal clear' photos that we enjoy here are sometimes due not to tripods, DOF, OOF, etc...I think it is called 'Photoshop'...
But, Terry...it really is enjoyable having met you on this site...you are refreshingly different and fun! (and yes, pedantic but to instruct)
Thanks so much again for all your thoughts (I think)...
Henie
Thanks for your return comments. As for the pedantic thing regarding me? Boy, other than for my tripod addiction, I am probably the least technical person on this website. It took me six months just to figure out what the shutter button was on my first film camera. It took me a year to take my first digital camera out of the box. My wife led me into it by the ear, and I went kicking and screaming the whole way!
Photoshop. Some wonderful things are happening to images there. I have no criticism of it, it's just the change that was bound to come with technology. The creative person can still be a star because their images will be just that much better. Anyways, these are just some of my thoughts.
Chow!
Terry
Just trying to save you from being too bored while immobile
...and maybe give Kay a bit of respite while you're on the computer
CYA on the thread,
Henie
Glad to see you are still handholding and posting Henie.
Pete D. now you listen here, you young whipper snappe r
Is a whipper snapper a type of bird????
Anyway...tripod or not...I sure have learned a lot from you and NPN...I just wish I had more time to shoot and play!!
Thanks for your comments,
Henie
"The less I know the rules, the better I play." ~Henie~
I really enjoyed your comments on handheld vs tripod. And the followups were also great. We all work the best way we can. You have a great "eye" and also have the "decisive moment" quality that some of the great ones (eg Cartier-Bresson) had. In my book that is a superb and rare combination.
So keep on doing it your way and having fun at the same time. I love your photos.
Liam
Happy Shooting,
Henie
By the way...I'm "coming out of the closet".
That's more like it
Henie
I don't think you are in a tripod funk --- I actually believe you are far from that. To me, a funk would be having really sucky photos after one went through all of the effort to 1) find subject, 2) get tripod set-up without disturbing subject, 3) fiddle with camera position on tripod, 4) take pictures, 5) remove camera from tripod, 6) put tripod away, etc., etc.
You have shown that you are quite adept at getting some spontaneous shots that are both technically and artistically very good. Some advice -- unless you are a contract photographer the process should be all about taking photos that you like. More advice --- don't let a critique of your work keep you from doing what you enjoy.