The Value of a Good Tripod

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Many People will see my photographs and ask how they were taken.  A good majority of my shots are taken while the camera is mounted on a tripod.  Many will shy away from the tripod topic either because they don't have one, don't think they need one, don't have a good one, they view tripods as inconvenient, or they don't like carrying them around.  My post today will hopefully help convince you to overcome any of these thoughts about tripods.

Worth their weight in GOLD!

There have been times in the past when I have neglected to have a tripod with me and have regretted it.  An example was a trip I took to Yellowstone National Park.  I had been hiking all day and was pretty tired so for the last hike of the day (tower falls) I decided not to bring my tripod because I figured that I could hold my camera steady enough to get a good shot. I took a few and they looked great!.... on my little camera screeen but when I got home I realized they were all blurry! (see below)

Although this picture was only 1/2 a second long I wasn't able to hold it steady enough to have a sharp image.  Now compare this Image with the one at the top of the page.  The image at the top of the page was a 116 second exposure time.  The difference was all the Tripod.

There are many different subjects that will require the use of a tripod, especially those that involve motion or if photos are taken at night.  A good rule of thumb is that if your shutter speed is longer than 1/60th of a second, then use a tripod.  I often times will use a tripod for shots that technically do not need one for to get those tack sharp photos.   

My top things to look for in a good tripod?
     -Quick Release Plate
     -Versatility (high and low)
     -Stable / Sturdy
     -Ball Head

I will do a full review in a later post but the tripod I would personally recommend would be the Vangaurd Alta-Pro Tripod  It can be found here:

http://www.vanguardworld.com/index.php/en/pv/products/photo-video/list-1-4-225.html 

I personally have the version with the pistol grip ball head and it is perfect for my needs!