Paul Jolly Photography Chapter 11

Tripods

The idea of a tripod is to hold the camera steady in relation to the object being captured; this is using the ground as a common mounting block. Usually this is for taking scenic photographs, where the object in focus is part of the 'ground'. There is a problem here; the tripod needs to be stable and strong, thus we expect it to be heavy so it cannot be moved by the wind, but we want it to be light weight to we can transport it to where the photograph is to be taken; this is the point that separates the photographers - for the best results be prepared to lug that heavy tripod long distances.
To help with the weight required to keep the tripod stable a centre hook is often added to the centre column to hang your photographic bag from. This holds the tripod down but the bag needs to be stopped from moving in the wind otherwise it will blur the photograph. The use of three bungie cords from the bottom of your bag to the tripod legs will help prevent this (Do not make them too tight or the legs of the tripod will pull in and your precious camera will discover how hard the ground can be).
In some tripods (including the one shown below) the centre column can be removed and rotated to protrude horizontally to allow the camera to be mounted in different orientations.
Tripods either include a camera mount or rely on the addition of a head - see next chapter.
CH11 tripod only.JPG