HOLD ER’ STEADY
By Jim Foster
Anyone who may have attended one of my photo workshops or seminars might remember I love photographing flying and running subjects with a hand held camera. This involves panning, fast shooting, a fast focus, and, oh yes, some luck involved.
The flying owl image was taken in this manner. This type of shooting in reality should be the exception and not the rule.
The number one photo accessory after the camera and lens is a tripod and like your glass buy what you can afford and don’t skimp.
It’s always better to use a tripod. If you take one of your hand-held images and give it a close look – maybe select – VIEW ACTUAL PICTIALS in PhotoShop – you may see where your image is not as sharp as you might like. This can be the case in spite of using a very fast shutter speed.
True –tripods are a pain to lug along, and I have had my share of problems lugging these three-legged monsters around. On a trip to the rim of Paria Canyon in Arizona our group was caught in a storm. In the haste to get to a lower elavation I lost an expensive tripod from the back rack of a 4-wheeler and having the 2 people behind me run it over ruining it forever.
Something like this could make a photographer leave their tripod the car on the next trip.
However, if you are going to be taking photos in the wild, a tripod can come in very handy to produce quality images. Now before we progress much further, many photo-experts will tell you that you “must” have a ball-head for your tripod. Their name for the other kind is a “video head”.
Well folks, I have never shot a second worth of video in my life and find that type of head quite useful. I do use a ball head from time to time but find that each tripod head has its advantages and disadvantages. For example turning loose of a long lens on a ball head without the proper tightens will cause you multi-thousand dollar lens to go crashing down, many times causing your tripod to fall as well. For shooting out of a hide I prefer the video head.
Now, when working with a micro lens where very small movements matter the ball head is what you will find on my tripod. A fraction of an inch move is not a problem when dealing with something as small as a flower or a butterfly on same. I would say this would be the preference of the photographer and of course your equipment budget. As for me I carry two or more tripods and both type heads.
The tripod comes into its own when the subject is photographed using a slow shutter speed or for weather like multi flashes of lightning. Trying to accomplish this hand held is a near impossibility. As you become more accustomed to using a tripod you will find many other places where it will save the day or at least make it easier to get a sharp image.
Selecting the proper tripod can be frustrating experience until you ask yourself the question. That being, how the tripod will be used and how much weight it will carry safely. Choosing a flimsy lightweight tripod for your 2.8 500 mm lens is a disaster just waiting to happen. Be careful what you buy.
Getting into the “good stuff” that will support professional lenses expect the cost to be higher. This is not the place for a $29.95 Wall Mart special made of plastic.
Choose a tripod you can use standing up as well as from a hide or a sitting position. My choice for a solid working tripod was a Vanguard ELITE 4 CF. I also use a quite light-weight Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT. This is an Aluminum Alloy tripod. The feature that makes this tripod a must-have is the multiple angle control column, making getting hard to reach angles a breeze. Used with the Vanguard SBH-50 ball head. Not only will this tripod get low to the ground but made macro photography of a honey bee much easier.
After using this product for some time, I met Jody Lamb at our OWAA annual conference and was surprised to learn the model had been discontinued. I was accustomed to this happening to computers, cell phone, and digital cameras but not tripods. This tripod is a quality product – and reflects all the Vanguard line of tripods and photo accessories.
All of the better tripods use what I call mounting plates. They will attach to the camera and then will quickly slide into slots on the tripod and lock in place. Some are called quick links.
Sorry to say, most of the different models of tripods have different sizes and shapes of mounting plates. If you are shooting with multiple cameras and lenses this will create a problem or at least slow your work down considerably.
Here’s a tip; when you settle on the tripod you want buy several extra mounting plates. This will save you from the hassle of changing plates when you change cameras or lenses. It’s a small price to pay for making a smooth change from one camera to another.
Tripods are as important to a photographer as any accessory in his or her bag. Take your time and select a product that will meet or exceed your expectations and you will never regret the expenditure.
To comment or to send news items Email Jim at: jim@jimfosteroutdoors.com
