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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Got any tips for preventing tilt?
Jeff Brehm, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Salisbury | NC | USA | Posted: 9:10 AM on 10.29.10 |
->> I find myself spending a lot of time cropping my images because I have a tendency to tilt a little (2-3 degrees) to the right as I shoot images in sequence. I've tried showing the grid lines in the viewfinder but they're distracting and I don't pay attention to them anyway when I'm focused on tracking and framing the subject.
Anybody have suggestions for ways to break this bad habit? |
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Steve Violette, Photographer
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Gulf Breeze | FL | USA | Posted: 9:28 AM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> Put a ballhead on your monopod and tilt it 2-3 degrees to the left |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 9:53 AM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> buy a level and super glue it to the top of your camera... |
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Dominick Reuter, Photographer, Assistant
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Boston | MA | USA | Posted: 10:13 AM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> take a few inches off of yer peg leg. yar. |
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Karsten Moran, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Randy Vanderveen, Photographer
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Grande Prairie | AB | Canada | Posted: 10:26 AM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> Slow down when shooting and make sure you check out the background and horizon. I have the same bad habit and I notice it is worse when I am in a hurry The level idea is a good one except it really is useless when you are handholding the camera like I believe Jeff is talking about. It is a habit that seems to take a life time to break. Randy |
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Randy Vanderveen, Photographer
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Grande Prairie | AB | Canada | Posted: 10:30 AM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> Jeff I think it is similar to when target shooters and hunters have problem with the pattern of their shots. The barrel has a tendency to drift if you are shooting in a burst and don't compensate for the movement of the recoil of the weapon. It is a matter of concentrating on the entire frame. |
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David A. Cantor, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Brian Blanco, Photographer
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Tampa / Sarasota | FL | USA | Posted: 10:43 AM on 10.29.10 |
->> Just don't get so caught up with worrying about the horizon that you're missing moments. I'm a bit of a tilter when, like Randy mentioned, I'm in a hurry or really focused on something or things are chaotic. I'd much rather have a nice, dramatic moment that means something and has impact, but happens to be tilted, rather than a perfectly level boring frame.
If my readers are focused on the horizon and not engaged with my subjects (or subject matter) then I'm doing something wrong. If I've done my job right nobody is going to notice a tilted horizon, or digital noise, or white balance or any of the hundred other things we find ourselves obsessing about. |
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Mitchell Clinton, Photographer
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San Lorenzo | NM | USA | Posted: 11:32 AM on 10.29.10 |
->> I do the same thing. I also agree with Randy and Brian.
The one thing that has really helped is just practice, practice, practice. You will find it will be more natural when in one of those chaotic moments hit you and if not thank god for rotate and crop! |
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Steven Mullensky, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Port Townsend | WA. | USA | Posted: 11:49 AM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> It has nothing to do with my politics but I mostly tilt to the left. Just the way the camera fits in my hand. But as for me, when shooting action sequences like football or basketball, I'd rather straighten it out afterward than worry about it when shooting. |
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Israel Shirk, Photographer, Assistant
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Boise | ID | US | Posted: 11:50 AM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> I try to get keep the bottom of frame in the viewfinder perpendicular to something vertical... After a while it looks unnatural when it's a little off |
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Sam Morris, Photographer
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Henderson (Las Vegas) | NV | USA | Posted: 2:20 PM on 10.29.10 |
->> Stop drinking after your second cocktail.
Other than that, I try to pay attention but sometimes I end up just cropping. I've always wanted a grid screen, but until my employer buys me one I'll just keep on cropping. |
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John Rich, Photographer
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Brookline | MA | USA | Posted: 2:40 PM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> Embrace the tilt! |
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Kyle Nosal, Photo Editor, Photographer
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New Windsor | MD | USA | Posted: 3:41 PM on 10.29.10 |
->> Jeff-
I found I did the same thing when i'm shooting a burst of action. It realized it was because as I panned to the left, I would be pulling the lens with my left hand and pushing the camera with my right, causing the camera to rotate. The opposite happened when I panned to the right. Especially when I was on a tripod with a bigger lens(400mm) because I needed more muscle to move it.
Try to concentrate on keeping your body centered as you pan the camera. I found it helped me keep my arms moving level as I rotated with the pan. For me it was more muscle mechanics than anything.
Hope this helps.
Kyle |
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Ron Scheffler, Photographer
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Hamilton (Toronto area) | Ontario | Canada | Posted: 6:17 PM on 10.29.10 |
->> I also tend to tilt many of my shots a degree or so. Have you given any thought about how you look through the viewfinder? Is your head 'level' or are you looking through while tilting your head on an angle? I've found lately that if my head is tilted a fair amount that chances are very good the camera will no longer be level. This happens mostly when I'm shooting from an unusual position, such as trying a very low angle by crouching or lying on the ground, etc. When shooting with a long lens on a monopod I have the habit of pulling the lens side to side rather than pivoting it with the monopod, which results in tilted horizons.
I wonder if it's related in any way to our sense of balance, which I believe is controlled by something in our ears...?
As others have mentioned, about the only way I can fight the tilt is by paying a bit of extra attention to my framing. |
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Walt Middleton, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 8:53 PM on 10.29.10 |
->> Randy has it...
Slow down... Compose your shot... even if you are shooting fast action, slow down and compose it... |
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Dianna Russell, Photographer
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Springfield | MO | USA | Posted: 10:19 PM on 10.29.10 |
| ->> I have the grid lines turned on in my Nikon. If you shoot Canon, David Cantor provided a link above. The grid definitely helps. |
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