Night and Low-light Photography Photo Workshop

The advantage to this type of tripod is that you

can adjust each of the controls without chang-

ing the others. So, for example, if you just want

the camera to be moved up or down, then all

you have to do is adjust that control without

having the camera move on any of the other

axes. This is not as easy to do with a ball head.

■   Smooth panning head. This is used more for

video than still photography, but because
many of the dSLR cameras now shoot video,
this tripod is becoming more popular for peo-
ple who want to get the most bang for their
tripod-purchasing money.

Many times it is a good idea to weigh

the tripod down, which adds to its

stability. A couple of small sandbags, specially made

for the job and available at good camera stores, do

wonders.

tip

Extras

Many tripods and tripod heads come with some
cool extras. These extras can be important,
depending on what you use them for, and you
should consider whether your photography might
benefit from one of them before investing. Here
are a few of the more common ones:

■   Bubble level. Many tripods and tripod heads

have built-in bubble levels, giving you a quick
way to make sure that everything is level.
When working at night or in low light, you
will need a small flashlight to check the
levels.

You can also get a bubble level that

fits in the camera’s hot shoe which

will show you whether the camera is level even if the

tripod is not.

tip

    ■   Quick release plate. A quick release plate

allows the camera to be mounted and removed

from the tripod quickly and securely. The plate

screws into the tripod mounting hole on the

bottom of the camera (or lens collar) and then

the plate is attached to the tripod head with

some sort of quick release mechanism.

Different manufacturers use different types of

plates; usually they can’t be mixed. There are

some industry standards, such as the Arca

Swiss-type release clamps. I use an L bracket

from Really Right Stuff that fits in an Arca

Swiss clamp on my tripod, which allows me to

easily mount the camera in either a horizontal

or vertical orientation. In addition to making it

easy to attach the camera to the tripod, having

a quick release plate on each camera means

that you can switch cameras easily. The Induro

tripod head shown in Figure 3-18 uses the Arca

Swiss quick release system.

    ■   Center-column weight hook. Some tripods

have a hook that comes out of the bottom of

the center column, which allows you to hang

a weight from the tripod to give it extra sup-

port. This can really help to keep the tripod

rock steady, especially if it is windy out.

Monopods

A monopod is basically a stick that you can

attach to your camera to help steady it. It usually

looks like one leg of a tripod and screws directly

into the tripod screw of the camera or lens.

Monopods are often used by sports and event

photographers to help support and steady those

very long (and heavy) lenses they use. Monopods

can be an invaluable tool for shooting in low

light, especially in areas where tripods are not

allowed, because they allow you to steady the

camera while using shutter speeds that would

cause blurring if the camera was handheld.