No tripod? Make use of what you have
Thursday 18 June 2026, 14:41 by Nando Harmsen | 1,318 views | 2 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Don't have a tripod with you? Or is there another reason you can't use one right now? Be creative and make use of the options you do have.
There can be several reasons why you can't use a tripod. Perhaps you don't have your tripod with you, or you've lent it to a fellow photographer for a while. Or it's so windy that it vibrates too much. Or you're too lazy to set it up.
The reason doesn't matter. When you need stability anyway, you have to make use of the options available to you. In some cases, you can even shoot with slow shutter speeds.
Anything you can place a camera on steadily will work. A wall, a bench or simply the ground. Sometimes your camera bag works too. As long as it is stable and doesn't move.
Use a small stone to raise the camera slightly. Or a twig, a lens cap, or even a smartphone. Use the resources you have. More is possible than you think.
Use the self-timer to take the photo. This produces the best results because you don't touch the camera when the photo is taken. If the camera is stable enough, even slow shutter speeds are possible.
Of course, it is often best to use a tripod. So don't be too lazy to set up your tripod. In my case, I had lent out my tripod for a while. And the photo? It was successful with a two-minute exposure.
If your camera, lens cap or smartphone has become a little damp, wet or dirty, use the tea towel to dry it. After all, a sensible landscape photographer always carries one with them.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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2 comments
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Hans van Sterkenburg wrote on Thursday 18 June 2026 at 18:21 | replyNando, that tea towel; perfect. I’ve been using it for years. On the ground, for example, to change lenses. Indeed, to wipe the camera. But also to protect the camera. On one side I sewed a mini clothes peg onto it with which I attach the tea towel to my jacket or belt to prevent it from blowing away. There are also larger-sized press studs on the corners. With those I fasten the tea towel around my lens. With one knee on the ground, for this too I use the tea towel but more often a plastic bag. These bags came onto the market when a plastic bag with the groceries was banned. Folds up to a minimum, weighs nothing and broadly applicable. Also handy in rain or snow, the bag/tea towel. On one of my trips through the Oostvaardersplassen I took a lower jaw with me. Indeed: in the bag. A little later, at the Wadden Sea, I laid the jaw, whitish and bleached, down on dried-out and cracked ground.
Translated from Dutch.
Where have you been? was the frequently asked question.
Oh, I’m just playing around, my answer.
The game indeed, even more important than the aperture.
Regards and enjoy,
Hans. -
frank doorhof
wrote on Tuesday 23 June 2026 at 17:09
| reply
Think you need a tripod, but can't bring a camera tripod? Then consider Platypod. Nando also wrote an article about it. Platypod is a flat plate on which you can put a ball head.
Translated from Dutch.
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