If you use a camera, you most likely also use a strap with it (or at least you have it somewhere). Jordy Vandeput from Cinecom.net shows you five camera “hacks” you can pull off using nothing but the strap. He focuses on filmmaking, but photographers can rely on some of these tricks as well.
1. Stable shots
This is an old trick most photographers know – put the strap around your neck and tighten it. Keep your elbows close to the hips and you’ll get more stable shots. For filmmaking, you can move from side to side for improvised slide shots. You can also stand on the strap and move slowly towards your subject while filming, to get smoother handheld footage.
2. Bodycam
For an improvised bodycam, you can tighten the strap around your waist. This will give you free hands for some PoV shots. Although, I don’t know how well it would work with heavy DSLRs.
3. Steadycam
By using your strap, you can also make a sort of a DIY steadycam. Just let your camera hang from the strap as you walk and shoot. However, depending on the weight of your lens, the camera might face downwards. To resolve this, take the middle of your strap and wrap it around the lens to lift the camera.
4. Transitions
Hold your camera with one hand and the strap with the other as you shoot a video. At one point, let the camera fall at the end of the shot. You can start the second shot by letting the camera fall from a smaller height. By connecting these two shots, you can get an interesting transition.
5. Camera movement from small spaces
Finally, you can lower your camera and put it in a small space while holding it by the strap. Then you can lift it up from the small space for some interesting shots.
As a photographer, I use the first trick all the time, especially in low light conditions when I don’t have a tripod. Do you have any camera strap tricks you regularly use? Or your strap is only there to keep your camera close when you don’t use it?
[5 CAMERA HACKS using your STRAP | Cinecom.net]
