Using a Tripod

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with tripods. There are times when they are useful to have – like this shot from my last post but one for example:

Here the fact that I’ve mounted my camera on a tripod splayed over my garden pond means that i can take the time to adjust the composition until it feels right. This is made even easier by the live view facility on the camera, and all of it would be simply painful without a tripod. On the other hand – this next shot would be simply painful with a tripod – because I’d have to haul it all the way up to the tarn. For perspective – this is a 7 shot stitched panorama produced handheld – with care it is possible to do this without the fancy kit the advertisers would have you believe is really essential – it’s really a case of diminishing returns.

I’m also a firm believer in making use of available support – a few limitations can sometimes push creativity a bit. So these three shots were produced by the simple expedient of holding the camera firmly against a handy railing or upright.

      

And, my 4 shots from the same location work for my final portfolio makes use of a handy gate-post – especially handy because it contains the complete central rings of the tree from which it was made so I can be certain my camera is in exactly the same spot. On the other hand – this would be essentially impossible without a tripod:

All of which is a way of saying – yes – a tripod is useful in Landscape photography, and if you’re using large format. or attempting something that genuinely requires a solid , but portable base, or accuracy of location and level then it’s probably essential. But, I’m not fully convinced that the gains always outweigh the disadvantages of immobility and inflexibility that a heavy piece of equipment brings with it.