A tripod can turn a good photo into a great one.
There are many times and places I would use a tripod.
These include sunsets, some portraits, plays and concerts, fireworks and any low-light situations that having a stationary camera isn’t an inconvenience.
It buys you one or two stops slower on your speed dial (you can shoot at 1/30 instead of 1/60) since you don’t have to hand-hold your camera.
Shooting slower will put more light in the image which could make it more striking.
During an October 2005 trip to Fort Severn, a First Nation community which is the northern most settlement in community, I saw the most amazing sunset of my life.
Had the tripod with me and set it up.
Set my F-stop at 4 but rather than just settle in to a shutter speed and stick with it.
I took about a dozen photos, decreasing the shutter speed as I went along in manual mode.
Then I fired off another 100 or so frames trying to set up the perfect shot using trees and making silhouettes.
What surprised me looking at the first 12 photos was the similarity but the differences in colours, highlights and lowlights of each image.
And because it was getting darker outside, the meter in the camera didn’t like what I was doing.
The over-exposed (technically too light) and under-exposed (technically too dark) images were much more striking than the mid-range ones the camera’s sensor approved of.
That’s when it really sunk in for me. Don’t be afraid of taking a lot of photos and take some chances with the settings.
As long as you are paying attention in your viewfinder and reviewing the photos as you take them. Keep shooting as you might end up with something great.
But you might end up with some solid black or solid white images if you forget to reset the settings on your next shoot.
Trust me. It happens!
Snap Shots: Tips from a (former) pro
The tripod doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.
I spent about $50 on the one I use now and I’ve had it for about seven years.
The manufacturer replaced it once because some components failed on it during a shoot.
I wouldn’t recommend that one but there are many options in the $50-100 range.
Our readers also enjoyed Essential Photography Equipment for Family Trips, Tripods: Your Three Legged Friend and DSLR Photography 101 – Part 1 – It’s Not the Camera It’s You.
Very interesting!!! I have been putting off getting a good camera, but it’s about that time. Thanks for the tip!
My husband used to be a photographer and now does it more for fun and family. The one thing he always stressed for a good picture to me was a tripod. I take terrible pictures because I always seem to shake the camera. If I used a tripod this would cure the problem!
I need to get a new tripod. Mine broke sadly. It was one of those cheap ones that come in a kit. But I agree- having a tripod can make the perfect shot even better!
I just got a new camera and went from a 21x zoom to a 50x zoom with lots of manual settings (that I don’t understand lol). I learned real quick that I’m going to have to use a tripod with this much zoom. Hopefully I can get better photos that way.
I really want to work on taking better pictures and a tripod is on my wishlist. Unfortunately, we can’t afford one right now.
we use a tripod when we go camping or out by the beach area or even on a family trip to the park.. i think they are so helpful 🙂 thanks for share