Hand Cramps?

I shoot models and one area I go is Miami Beach - https://www.flickr.com/photos/lautermilch/albums

I notice that when walking through crowds and around questionable people I also hold the camera as I did have one DSLR snatched from me a few years ago.

So I take images for several hours and then head home and after moving all the RAW files to Bridge I am working away in Adobe Camera Raw.

Most of the time after an hour comes the hand cramp where my fingers on my right hand will curl. I have to stop working and most of the time I will sit on my hand on the bed to try and 'break' the cramp.

Sometimes the cramp can hurt quite a bit and it can last for 15-20 minutes.

Anyone else experience hand cramps after a long day of shooting?

Not really, but if you're using your keyboard/mouse at an uncomfortable angle I can see it possibly leading in the cramp direction. Also, grip the body if you're not perfectly comfortable holding it? Try tying the strap around your hand and letting the camera hang when you're not shooting.

I dont get it from my camera but i do from my mouse,i have used the type below for a lot of years, a few months ago i started to get really bad pains in my hand and fingers,i rolled a sock up and put it under my wrist and it solved the problem.

They say being dehydrated and low on minerals can cause cramps so make sure you are drinking enough in the hot weather.

Hand and wrist exercises might help you, they do for me. I don't get cramps, but my high mileage hands just plain old hurt most of the time if I don't keep them workin.

I use a Theraband Flexbar. Its just a big rubber noodle but very versatile. You can give your shoulders, forearms, wrists and fingers a good workout and stretch depending how you hold it. Strengthening your forearms and wrists can help your hands. It has helped me to be more steady with my big lens too.