Tripod Photography

Choosing a Tripod

Choosing A Tripod

R. Dodge Woodson

A solid camera support is essential to good photography. At high shutter speeds, you can get away with hand-holding a camera. This is not the case once your shutter speed drops below 1/60th of a second. Most professional photographers try to avoid hand-holding a camera at any speed slower than 1/125 of a second. Human hands, arms, and other body parts are not normally capable of supporting a camera sufficiently at slow shutter speeds to avoid blurred pictures. There are a few tricks of the trade that you will learn here about body positions and make-shift supports. However, most of what we are about to discuss involves mechanical camera supports.

Super Pictures

The best pictures are a result of steady cameras. If you are shooting at a slow shutter speed, you need something more than human hands to hold your camera. It’s possible for average photographers to take decent pictures at shutter speeds as low as 1/60th of a second without mechanical supports. Possible, but not probable. A good rule-of-thumb is to use a mechanical support for any picture that you will be taking at a shutter speed slower than 1/125th of a second.

When a shutter speed is slow, movement of a camera results in blurred pictures. There are far too many terrific photo opportunities that require slow shutter speeds to ignore them. Timed exposures result in images that are not seen through a viewfinder, but these photographs can’t be taken without the aid of a mechanical support. If you are going to explore the world of photography, you need some type of supplemental support system.

Tricky Tripods

Tripods are typically the first type of photo-support system considered. They are a solid seat for your camera. However, tripods are not always the best choice for support, and they can be tricky to use. This is especially true if you buy a low-budget model–you know, the type with only two legs–ha ha. Many consumer-orientated stores sell tripods at low prices. Unfortunately, you usually get what you pay for when buying a tripod. If you are only willing to invest $45 in a support for your camera, you can’t expect to get the features and pictures that you would with one costing four times that much.

If you buy what I will refer to as a dime-store tripod, you are setting yourself up for failure. This type of equipment will work well under optimum conditions, but photo opportunities rarely lend themselves to ideal circumstances. What’s wrong with a cheap tripod? Many things can be a problem with an amateur tripod. The legs on cheap tripods often slip and are difficult to lock into place. Few inexpensive units offer the flexibility needed for uneven terrain. The heads may pan and tilt, but they seldom do so smoothly or quickly. Additionally, a camera with a heavy telephoto lens may cause the support panel of a cheap tripod to slip. In fact, a heavy camera combination could cause a lightweight tripod to tip over, breaking expensive photo gear and ruining any shot for the perfect picture.

You may find it difficult to justify spending over $100 for a tripod, but don’t discount the idea too quickly. Like most photography-related items, you have to pay a fair price to get quality merchandise. Top-notch tripods don’t come cheap, but they are worth every penny you spend. Why? Let me tell you why.

A quality tripod offers you plenty of versatility with little chance of frustration. When you lock the legs of a solid tripod in place, they stay there. Professional tripods are made to work in nearly any situation. If you are standing on a steep slope, you can position the legs of a pro tripod to hold your camera steady. Unlike cheap tripods, that don’t allow the legs to be set at independent angles, good tripods are versatile enough for any terrain.

Tilting and panning the head of a good tripod is a joy. Many models have levels mounted on the head so that you will know when your camera is sitting properly. Some models, like the one I have, offer a quick-detach feature which can be very convenient. If I move one lever, my camera is free of its tripod base and ready to go into hand-held action. This is a lot better and faster than unscrewing the connector post from the tripod socket of a camera.

Stability and durability are both good with pro-quality tripods. These units are heavier and more of a burden to carry than dime-store tripods, but this disadvantage becomes an advantage when taking pictures. A lot of good tripods have sectional center posts that allow you to open up the tripod legs and gain a very low angle of view. This is essential in close-up photography of plants and insects.

Another good thing about quality tripods is that they are not apt to flip over when you mount a camera with a long lens attached to it. If you rarely shoot at slow shutter speeds, you may not want a tripod. However, if you are going to make an investment in a tripod, go for a good one. You won’t regret it and the quality of your pictures should be much better.

About the Author

R. Dodge Woodson is a full-time internationally-known, best-selling author and photographer. Dodge recently entered semi-retirement and created the World Photographers Organization (WPO). Photographers of all skill levels come to WPO to learn, to increase their sales, and to take advantage of the extensive resources offered to the general public and members. He also created an e-commerce site, www.ccionlinesales.com to showcase his brainchild. the Book Buster e-books. The site offers a full selection of Book Busters, e-books, used bound books, new bound books, stock photography, and much more. Having been a pro photographer for more than 30 years and a full-time writer for 17 years, Dodge now feels it is time to share his tricks of the trade with up-and-coming freelancers.

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