Dog _ © John Neel

Gambling has never been a very lucrative activity for me! Unless of course you can count my luck with obtaining interesting images by shooting from the hip. Although, I am not so unsure of the technique to really call it a gamble. The method actually requires a lot of skill and a bit of luck. More importantly, it requires that you become well acquainted with your camera and your subjects.

Shooting from the hip is an expression that means shooting from a “blind’ perspective and may in fact be from any position. Shooting from the hip is a technique used to capture images without looking through your cameras viewfinder or the view screen. The technique is one that can allow the user to capture unique views and discrete images of a variety of subjects from any angle. Shooting from the hip is a way to capture that relies on instinct, a bit of faith in your camera and your ability to imagine what the camera is seeing. It also means knowing the restrictions and the range of capabilities of the camera and your anticipation and reaction to your subject. The real luck is being at the right place at the right time to make use of the technique. The trick is recognition and knowing when and where to point the lens and watching the subject to time the shot.

In the hands of a great photographer, shooting from the hip can produce some of the best images. Look at the great work of Garry Winogrand. There are many reasons that this technique works well for some photographers and with certain cameras. It is fast and unobtrusive and it is fun. The thing I like most is the surprise and the delight of finally seeing the results come out as expected or perhaps even better than expected.

In the past, I used a Leica rangefinder with a wide field lens. The lens was one that gave me a certain angle of view which I could imagine in my mind as I shot pictures from any angle. The imagined image was seldom wrong. This is learned by using the technique and seeing the results. After awhile, you become accustomed to the way the camera needs to be held and the distance that you need to hold the camera from your subject to get the shots you want. It is soon apparent to you what is required for obtaining a great shot. You begin to twist the camera in anticipation and follow your subject. Soon it becomes second nature to capture exactly the kind of result you intended. You imagine the view that your camera sees. You become almost one as if the camera was a third eye.

The technique is much more difficult with a zoom lens or a long focal length due to obvious difficulties with imagined framing, motion, focus and other factors. You can however produce images that take advantage of these difficulties to produce some interesting surprises. The best lenses are those that are short fixed focal lengths. In my experience, wide and ultra wide lenses are ideal.

Shooting from the hip is a great way to use a phone camera with something like Hipstamatic. I always used my Diana and my Holga cameras as hip shot cameras. I have used Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, old folders as well as single use and simple point and shoot cameras to shoot from the hip. For me however, I tend to watch my subject rather than composing off the view-screen.

Shooting from the hip, the side, to the back, from the knee or the top of your head, can be great fun. And a good thing about digital is that it allows you see the results immediately if you like.

If you need to, cover your viewfinder or tape over your view screen and shoot blindly for a day. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you get.

Lady Luck is a great thing to play with in photography! You just need to be ready and able to handle what it brings.

You can read about my book “Rethinking Digital Photography” here.

Please have a look at some of my other posts here.

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