Recently I visited the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory to test out some Kenko DG Extension Tubes. I mounted the extension tubes and a M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro lens on my Olympus OM-D E-M1X. At times, this high magnification gear combination required some additional hand-holding support. I had the opportunity to use my forearm camera support technique during this photo session. One of our readers, Ray Miller, joined me at the facility and took a photo to help document this camera technique.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
The forearm camera support technique is quite simple as you can see in Ray’s photograph above. You use your left hand to firmly grip a railing, branch or some other solid item. By bringing your left arm across your body you can create a good support surface for the lens of your camera. You also need to bring the camera up tight against your eyebrow and keep your right elbow tucked up against your rib cage. These three points of support work in combination to provide stability to your camera.
This technique is helpful whenever you are photographing hand-held and you want some added support to steady your camera.
I thought readers may like to see a few of the butterfly images that I captured using this technique.
Technical Note:
All photographs in this article were captured hand-held using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were produced from RAW files using my standard process. The second butterfly image was slightly cropped. The others are displayed as 100% captures without any cropping.
Word of mouth is the best form of endorsement. If you like our website please let your friends and associates know about our work. Linking to this site or to specific articles is allowed with proper acknowledgement. Reproducing articles, or any of the images contained in them, on another website or in any social media posting is a Copyright infringement.
How you can help keep this site advertising free
My intent is to keep this photography blog advertising free. If you enjoyed this article and/or my website and would like to support my work, you can purchase an eBook, or make a modest $10 donation through PayPal. Both are most appreciated. You can use the Donate button below. Larger donations can be made to tom@tomstirr.com through PayPal.
Article and all images are Copyright 2019 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Posting comments on offending websites and calling out individuals who steal intellectual property is always appreciated!