Thank you William Johnson, I took your advice!

Margaret and William~ I'm going to have to check out the monopod. I have a tripod, but it is heavy and gets left at home most of the time!

Wow Margaret ... the photo is stunning ... so a thanks also to William.  It is moments like these that make Active Rain not just a worthwhile effort, but a special one!  Thanks ... to both of you!

Congratulations on your new toy, Margaret.  I can see it is already working.

Margaret, I've enjoyed reading your posts about your adventure with your new tripod. Thanks to you and William for sharing what you know! Great tips and advice,

Nice work, Margaret. Looking forward to many more photos of the same quality utilizing your new toy!

Sounds like an excellent idea! I will have to get one to improve my shaky aim!

I took about 40 minutes yesterday to sit back in the yard and enjoy Spring... it did me wonders... and since today it's raining for the rest of the week, the Sun & VitD was very welcome yesterday!

I love the great advice we can find among our peers here. :)  Love your photo too Margaret.

There is another way to get great pictures without resorting to tripods and monopods, both of which I find cumbersome. That is to pay attention to your lens focal length and the shutter speed. The general rule is to make sure your shutter speed is a fraction of your focal length, so if you’re using a 55mm lens, your minimum shutter speed for handholding your camera would be 1/55 second. If you’re using a 300mm lens, your minimum shutter speed for handholding would be 1/300 second.

By experimenting, you can determine how much shake you contribute to your camera. Some people can be very still while others get excited and nervous just by wanting to take the picture.

I’ve found that I can go as low as one half of the shutter speed, so if I’m using our 300mm lens, I can go to 1/150 second. My other half, Russel Ray, can get great pictures even down to 1/25 second with that 300mm lens.

If I were taking pictures at a sporting event where the action is fast and furious, it might be a different story, but to take great pictures in your own backyard, you only need to experiment with your camera functions.

I would say buy another lens to have even more fun rather than spending money on a tripod or monopod.

I keep a camera and tripod in the car at all times, you never know when they can be useful...sometimes to fend off aggressive squirrels.

What a great shot ... my camera goes wherever I go thanks to this addiction called Active Rain.

Hi Margaret, I brought your Squirrel into a little sharper focus and brightened it just a little using Picnik.com Cute little guy and love the tail action!

Nice!  I have a little tripod which I still never carry around with me.  Maybe now I will!

Hi Margaret...I am ordering one (the Trek Tech Pod II) right now.  Thank you Margaret, William Johnson, and Active Rain.  It is so wonderful to have a this special place with members like you and William sharing advice and endorsements. 

Kate

Hello Margaret,

Thanks for the lovely post today.  I love to watch all the creatures come to life and peek their little heads out after a very long harsh winter.  Love the picture, the touch of read blossoms add a lot to the pic.

Patricia/Seacoast NH & ME

Useful for all of us, Margaret always has great photos..love the heart moon. Didnt realize picnic could crisp...will be playing this morning with that application and shopping online for my monopod. Jim-yes a bit complicated and very inightful but would love to hear about action shots...many of my interests are moving geese, rolling waves and playing children... any advise ?