Tennis elbow for photographers?

haring

I have noticed recently that my elbow hurts after long full day weddings. I am a wedding photojournalist so I barely use tripod, etc. I move around a lot. My right elbow hurts especially when I photograph two wedding after each other. I have my camera, the flash and the heavy 24-70mm in my hand most of the time. The setup is heavy is heavy.

Did you experience something like this?

ChatKat

I change out my camera straps. I love the Binocular Harness by Optech- it fits over your shoulders like a set of suspenders. You can let go of the camera and it sits at waist level so you can put it down and not hold it. They make two kinds - one with elastic straps and one with web straps. Web Straps. It's not hard to put on at all - and you can use the quick release to change from the harness to an Optech neck strap. All of $9.00 I also use a Sunbounce sling strap on my camera cross body.
This is the one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/170290-REG/OP_TECH_USA_5301412_Bino_Cam_Harness_Binocular_or.html

haring

Thanks a lot!

DavidTO

Buy this book. It will help. Really. I swear by it.

ARKreations

I was having similar problems in my wrist. I found that a Black Rapid strap has improved things considerably.

Matthew Saville

haring wrote: »

I have noticed recently that my elbow hurts after long full day weddings. I am a wedding photojournalist so I barely use tripod, etc. I move around a lot. My right elbow hurts especially when I photograph two wedding after each other. I have my camera, the flash and the heavy 24-70mm in my hand most of the time. The setup is heavy is heavy.

Did you experience something like this?

As per your website advice column, you may want to lose the 24-70 lest brides ask you whether or not you use zooms! :-P

Okay in all seriousness, yeah it can get heavy. A full-size camera body and a 70-200, OUCH.

...Which is why I try and stick with a grip-less D300 or D700, with primes on the D700 and crop-sensor zooms on the D300. SOOO LIGHT!! My Sigma 50-150 2.8 (DC) is about the same weight as a Canon 70-200 f/4 L, actually.

I figure, if I'm going to be using a 2.8 zoom, I'm either going to be using it in broad daylight, or with flash in low light. So I hardly ever go above ISO 800 or so with it. Then for the rest of things, I just stick with a D700 and either a 35 or 85, for 90% of the shots at a wedding. Yeah, it's not a D3s sensor, but it still gets the job done up to 6400, and I'm assuming that the D700's replacement will go even higher. I'd buy that as long as they don't go past 16-18 megapixels with their next low-light sensor...

Also, for what it's worth I'm considering the Spyder system camera holster, to take make it easier for me to take weight off my hands and shoulders. I know it might look a little dorky, but at least it's not as ridiculous and cheapo looking as a Cotton Carrier, or any other crazy, strappy contraption that uses your shoulders...

Also, for what it's worth I also avoid flash like the plague, and when I do need it I've been sticking with the SB800 since it's smaller and more compact than the SB900. Again, for me it's all about weight and size. Avoiding the larger lenses, avoiding using flash, it all helps me fit in and be more incognito when shooting a wedding, or any event where the subjects might be intimidated by the size of a D3s + 70-200 + SB900. With no straps whatsoever on my torso, and just a gripless, strapless D700 + 85mm or 35mm in my hand, I look like a harmless wedding guest 99% of the time.

Lastly, I also made a new rule in 2009 / 2010 that I don't do back-to-back weddings anymore if even one of them is 8 hrs or more. Just can't do it; I gotta look out for my long-term health!


=Matt=

smurfy

ChatKat wrote: »

I change out my camera straps. I love the Binocular Harness by Optech- it fits over your shoulders like a set of suspenders. You can let go of the camera and it sits at waist level so you can put it down and not hold it. They make two kinds - one with elastic straps and one with web straps. Web Straps. It's not hard to put on at all - and you can use the quick release to change from the harness to an Optech neck strap. All of $9.00 I also use a Sunbounce sling strap on my camera cross body.
This is the one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/170290-REG/OP_TECH_USA_5301412_Bino_Cam_Harness_Binocular_or.html

Kathy, Thank you so much for this info! I added this strap to the B&H order that I'd already been planning on last week, used it for a wedding today (well, it's 1 am and I'm backing up cards as this is typed, so it was technically yesterday), and have never felt so good at the end of a wedding. No neck or arm strain whatsoever. What a huge difference it made!