Alternative to a tripod

Sunday 13 February 2022, 15:51 by Frouke Ringenoldus | 5,575 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

As photographers, we all know how important it is to have a good, sturdy tripod. I don't know what it's like for you, but I find choosing a tripod quite a challenge because sturdy, light and compact don't really go hand in hand.

What should you look for when buying a tripod? It is very important that it stands firmly and does not start shaking in the slightest gust of wind, because then you will still end up with blurry photos.

It is also important what you want to use the tripod for. If you are going for a walk, you have to carry an extra piece of equipment that is not always easy to handle.

There are also special macro tripods whose legs can be placed almost flat, allowing you to get very close to the ground. There are also different materials, carbon fibre and aluminium. There is quite a price difference between them.

A carbon tripod is more expensive, but it is also more durable, sturdy and light. When buying a tripod, also make sure it is high or low enough so that you do not have to stand on your toes or bend over completely.

In the good old days, when we still travelled by plane, taking your tripod with you was also a challenge.

Officially, you are only allowed to take one piece of hand luggage, which is often your camera bag. The tripod often goes in the suitcase, which creates another challenge, because a tripod takes up a lot of valuable space and weight, easily two kilos, meaning you may have to leave other things at home.

The solution is an alternative tripod. Yes, and sometimes that is a tripod that puts the photographer's life at risk.

Gorillapod

An alternative that is easy to carry and does not weigh much is the so-called Gorillapod from Joby. There is also a version for heavier cameras, and it weighs around 500 grams.

Another advantage of the Gorillapod is how flexible it is to set up. You can easily attach it to a fence, tree stump or whatever else you like. For me, this is a very good alternative to take on holiday.

I can already hear you asking: if it is such a hassle, why take a tripod with you? There are situations where using slow shutter speeds is useful, for example when you are at a busy tourist attraction and do not want all those people in the shot.

I had thought of this photo in advance, but you never know what the situation will be like on the other side of the world, so there was nothing else for it but to take an alternative tripod, in this case the Gorillapod, with me.

The photo was taken with a shutter speed of 10 seconds using an ND filter. And even though I had planned it in advance, you still need the luck of a woman in a kimono walking past at the right pace.

There were many more people, but they disappeared like snow in the sun because of the slow shutter speed.

Bushbag

Another alternative is the so-called bush-bag. Unfortunately, it is only available in South Africa, but it is a fairly large item to take in your suitcase, especially for a price of 50 euros.

I came up with an alternative. Take a leftover piece of fabric and a zip, run the whole thing through a sewing machine and you have your own bush-bag.

I always take it empty on holiday and buy a bag of beans, peas or something similar locally, then fill the bag so it is ready to use. The advantage of a bush-bag is that you can put it on your car window and take photos from inside the car.

Camera bag

The final alternative is my camera bag. When I choose a bag, one of my criteria is that I can use it as a tripod and that my camera remains stable on it.

I also have several different bags. I take the one that best suits my needs at that moment, but they all have one thing in common: I must be able to use them as a tripod.

Do not forget to put a bin bag in your bag, so your knees stay clean and dry.

Tip
If you use a tripod, make sure that image stabilisation on your camera is switched off. If you do not, you will get blurry photos.

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