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Learn to shoot your DSLR like a rifle with tips from a US Army officer

Learn to shoot your DSLR like a rifle with tips from a US Army officer

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US Army Engineer Officer Alex Jansen has written a guide to handheld-shooting long exposures based on the four fundamentals of marksmanship.

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shooting technique
shooting technique

DSLRs are pretty complicated tools, compared to the primal simplicity of a gun — all those dials, buttons, and LCDs to deal with. Well, you're still going to have to learn how to use them, but it turns out you can improve your handheld shooting technique by employing some basic rifle-shooting concepts. US Army Engineer Officer Alex Jansen has put together an exhaustive guide that applies the four fundamentals of marksmanship: steady position, breathing control, aiming and sight picture, and trigger (shutter) squeeze. It may well come in handy for those of you more accustomed to capturing wildlife with bullets than lenses, but the techniques could be useful for those who've never so much as held a gun, too. Practicing proper breathing control and positioning is the key to effective handheld photography at slower shutter speeds.