Sloppy camera-work can not be disguised as “style”. Once upon a time, in the early days of MTV, such things were possible, acceptable and even encouraged. On occasion, a stressful or eventful moment in a documentary is made more impactful by the jostling of the camera as the cinematographer runs to keep up with the action. There will always be occasions for the movement of the camera to add to the scene, but 99.9% of the time, it is far more effective to allow the camera to bear witness and allow the action to happen in front of it.
Want to be able to move through a shot with smooth-panning grace? Learn steady-cam, rent a dolly, but please for the love of all things cinematic, don’t Blair Witch your way through a scene and expect your editor to give you back a cleanly cut piece. Unless of course you’ve mastered the art of b-roll, in which case most of your camera-handling sins may be forgivable. Maybe.
Want to know a secret that will NEVER fail you as a film-maker? Even on the tightest of budgets? Really?
Tripods. Learn to use them, and use them often. Your pans will be smoother, your shots more consistent. Pans and zooms should all happen slowly, steadily, and editors like myself will love you and cut you a deal when you want a good rate because your material is actually enjoyable to work with. Clean, well-crafted shots are like crack to an editor, and personally I find that quality raw material inspires and motivates me so much more than shaky, distracted, short-attention-span shooting.
Also - walking with the camera merely hand-held, unless you are an professional ballroom dancer, will ALWAYS give a waddling effect to the scene - I can’t magically smooth out your shot when I’ve got seasickness to contend with…
Ok. Enough venting. Back to work…
