Why Bother With a Tripod?

Digital SLR cameras have an incredible range of ISO’s, and vibration reduction lenses or vibration reduction built into cameras making it easy to hand hold while photographing. Who needs a tripod anymore? I would like to suggest that if you use a tripod, your photographs will improve.

• If you’re using a tripod, you have to slow down. When you slow down, you take much more care with your compositions resulting in better photographs.
• Using a tripod gives you lots of time to check the edges of your photographs for unwanted blobs.
• When using a tripod you’re more likely to take different compositions of the same scene, rather than snapping a quick shot and moving on. Many times I have found that if you do more than one composition of the same scene, your compositions improve from the first composition to the last.
• A tripod is useful when you’re at an awkward angle taking a photograph. If you try and hand hold at a weird angle, it’s difficult to hold the camera steady for any length of time to compose your shot.
• A good tripod will always give you better stability than hand holding, especially when you use a remote shutter release or self timer. Better stability means sharper photographs.
• With a tripod, you don’t have to ask strangers to take a group shot that you want to be in; you can use the self timer.
• With a tripod, you can keep your horizons straight – even with a difficult vertical shot.
• You’ve got the perfect composition, the sun is setting and you know that light will be more dramatic in another ten to fifteen minutes. You can’t hand hold the exact composition until the light is perfect!
• Rather than hold a heavy camera, let the tripod hold it for you. Give your hands and arms a break.
• Long lenses are often heavy; you won’t be able to hold it steady. Even with a high ISO and vibration reduction, you won’t get a sharp photograph.

Without a doubt, a tripod will considerably improve your composition, sharpness and creativity.