I'm curious how often others "shoot from the hip," or otherwise take photos without composing through the viewfinder. It's a technique I use relatively rarely because I don't like surrendering too much control over the image. On the other hand, it allows me to shoot from a perspective that would draw far too much attention if I kept my eye to the camera. These two photos are from a recent roll where I was experimenting a bit with shooting blind.

The first was shot around the side of my arm; I was seated at a table (facing the street), and the subject was standing by a doorway looking down the sidewalk.

The second shot was taken with the camera slung over my shoulder pointing forward as I was walking down the sidewalk.

(Of course, I'm open to comments on the photos as well as your views on this particular shooting style.)

-- Mike Dixon (burmashave@compuserve.com), October 01, 2000

Answers

I frequently go out and "hip shoot." I also use a pinhole camera which has no viewfinder, and which has taught me a lot about looking at a scene and visualizing what's on film without looking through the viewfinder. It's a bit easier with the pinhole, since it has to be used on a tripod.

In addition to the reason Mike gives (shooting without being noticed), I do it for the perspective. It's hard to walk around in a crouch. One technique I have tried is putting the camera on a neck strap and using a cable release in my pocket. Helps to have a motor drive. Another "blind" shooting technique is setting the camera on something and using the timer or a cable release.

In case anyone is interested and Mike doesn't mind, here's one of mine:

Subway Girl

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), October 01, 2000.

Forgot to say...these are cool shots. The second, in particular, has a lot going for it - the shadow, the outfit, the light-to-dark.

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), October 01, 2000.

I've done a little "blind shooting", mainly with a 24 or a 20mm lens, but I would still rather see what's going on. The little Yashica T4 Super has a viewfinder window on the top of the camera that is handy when you're down in the mud, or you want to shoot from the waist or way over your head. I also use a Nikon F3 this way sometimes, though focusing is usually by the distance scale. The TLR's are shot this way a lot, of course, and a friend of mine who lived in the Netherlands for a while said that the Dutch word for a TLR translates as "belly-eye." I realize that most of this does not address the "blind" shot, but is another way.

-- Paul Harris (pharris@neosoft.com), October 01, 2000.

Yeah, shooting blind - one of my favourite things :) I think your second image has "it" - whatever that is - and is really memorable. The first one seems to me to be just another candid shot of just another pretty face... Maybe I4m biased. Two of my own favourite shots were made this way, but ofcourse I4m not as hardcore as you guys - I cropped later. It4s "Walking ", which was shot with the camera dangling free on it4s strap, and "Shelter ", where I had eyed the subject and had an idea of what I wanted, but was too timid too shoot openly :)

-- Christel Green (look.no@film.dk), October 02, 2000.

...forgot to close the tag *BLUSH*

-- Christel Green (look.no@film.dk), October 02, 2000.