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Always Use a Tripod

It’s funny, as a motorcyclist we have an acronym.

ATGATT

It’s pronounced just like it sounds. It stands for All The Gear, All The Time and it serves as a reminder to wear your boots, pants, jacket, gloves and helmet when you ride.

I was trying to come up with something clever for using a Tripod when shooting video. Nothing I have come up with sings. AUAT? (Always Use A Tripod). Oh well, let’s just make it simple:

“Always Use a Tripod”

or something, anything. Something that holds the camera stable.

Always use a Tripod

Here’s a couple of simple examples and one of my favorite ultra low cost tricks.

The $1.99 Flip Cam style tripod

Credit: by stephentrepreneur

I own a couple of these and can honestly say I bought them at the $1.99 store. They are good for table top with a very small camera. The legs may be flexible.

The UltraPod II

I bought mine for my SLR and backpacking years ago and have been loving ever since. They make an even smaller one if all you are going to use it for is the Flip. Cost at Amazon is under $20. (never liked the UltraPod 1)

The Mono Pod

Credit: by Made_in_China

Technically not a Tripod. It’s really just a stick that you can screw your camera onto but it’s been a great filler when a full size tripod is just too big. Cost can be under $20 or into the hundred dollar range (like this Carbon Fiber version). A Mono Pod eliminates the up and down movement only. Ask me how to use your Mono Pod as a steady cam sometime (you can even do it with a tripod)

The Full Size Tripod

Once you’ve used a full size tripod, you’ll wonder why it took you so long. I recommend not going with cheapest you can find. You also don’t need the most expensive. Test a range of tripods out. Open them all the way up and then feel the flex. How wide do the legs go? Too wide? Look for a 3 way fluid head. Expect to spend anywhere from $50 to a couple of hundred dollars.

And then there’s my super secret, trailer trash, all time favorite tricks taught to me by a professional photographer. It’s as simple as…

Credit: by vagawi + Credit: by tanakawho

The Reverse Mono Pod

All you need to do is go down to your local hardware store and buy a thumbscrew that fits in the mounting hole of your camera. It’s probably a 1/4-20. Tie a piece of string to the thumbscrew. As a bonus, I like to tie a washer to the other end of the string.

Now step on the washer end and pull the camera upwards until the string is tight. Total cost = under a buck! You now have a Reverse Mono Pod. Like the Mono Pod you’ve just eliminated one of the three axis movements (up and down).

Now go out and start shooting better video (please)

This post brought to you courtesy of Mike Mueller.
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Posted by Mike Mueller on 01/15/2009 09:04 AM

Comments (24)

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Originally posted at: Mike Mueller, Social Media.ist: Always Use a Tripod

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24 Comments on Always Use a Tripod

JAN

Mike, standing on the ground without support for the camera makes it look like an earthquake. And the viewer can get pretty frustrated and worse you could lose them to other better quality media. Good post

I have used the string and bolt method a few times for a "steady cam" shot.

Mike - you make an excellene point. I am looking into an SLR camera, but even for my exisiting camera I know I could benefit from a tripod. Thanks for the info.

Mike,

You are right...I do need to just get the tri-pod...excellent ideas....hey, what do you recommend for moving pictures...you know the ones that go from room to room?

Mike,

I love the reverse mono pod trick. Probably the most important factor or at least in the top two is fluid movement.

Most inexpesnive tri-pods are some sort of plastic heads. The action then is dependent upon how well those pieces of plastic work together. As most pieces of plastic are created in a mold they often have burrs or small ridges.

The cheaper the product the less chance that the burr has been completely eliminated. Thus giving you a jerky start and stop or a shudder effect while panning.

What about TYT(teet) "take your tripod"

Great info and c h e a p too. Better than looking like you haven't taken your Alzheimer's meds!

Bo – As always, we see eye to eye. thank you!

Heath – Wonderful! Can you give us a link. I was going to illustrate better but wanted to keep the video short.

Sharon – Unless you are working with a slow shutter speed or a large zoom a tripod is not as necessary with a SLR as it is with video. The nice thing is that the same full size tripods and monopods will generally work for SLR too!

Lori – Moving room to room? Just don’t do it. Seriously, try to keep that down to a minimum. If you need to, do a steadycam of sorts. You can buy an inexpensive one, make your own

or even use your existing Tripod. I have one agent who uses a Flip on a full size tripod. He sets up in one room and then simply pans. Then he shoots the next room. The video is then edited with nice transitions. That was, until I showed him RES – Now he’s moving back to his SLR.

Herb – Correct. Fluid Movement. Even with my Steadycam I still bounced when I walked. My daughter who is in HS Marching Band worked on teaching me to glide. The same holds for every movement you do with the camera.

Keith – LOL!

Lyn – Cheap is always good, eh?

Always like tips on video and photography - the reverse monopod idea is great!

Mike - I like the revserse mono pod. Easy and simple and kind of McGuyver-esque. I don't know if you ever read John Palmisano's blog, but he wrote a post about building a $14 steadi-cam.

Mike - I'll give you another cheap trick from the pro shooters bag... a Ziploc baggie. Put sand or dirt in it and you can balance the camera on it. it is VERY low profile so you can shoot seriously close to the ground if desired. You can also put it between the camera and a wall or tree to shoot from higher up. It will mold to different cameras, too...

Lori - Put your camera on a tripod, and then hold it in front of you with the legs folded up off the ground... that is a (very) basic steadi-cam rig. The added weight of the tripod means the camera will move smoother. You do have to hold it out more at arm's length, to be smoother, and it is certainly tiring... but it works in a pinch. I did a driving video with the camera outside of a sunroof... panning and looking around with the camera. (I was not driving at the same time) It worked great, and lots of people were wondering what I used. And the heavier the tripod (or whatever is attached to the camera) the smoother the movement... and the harder to wield.

Mike,

what a wonderful idea, can't wait to have lunch with you, say, in about 73 minutes...

Funny, Mike. People who do video can probably relate and laugh at themselves for being the ones that forgot the tripod (again!). Thanks for a cheap way to use tripods!

Kathy

I was going to ask how to deal with car video, but it looks like Lane has an idea.

JAN

Christine, the other way is to rent a gyro stabilizer. They are REALLY cool. But, when assisting on a photoshoot I watched a phographer "leave his camera outside" during a helicopter shoot. Luckily it was tethered... And also luckily, I didn't have to lean out the get it.

The gyro doesn't like quick transitions.

JAN

I keep my tripod in the car, then I don't have to remember. I keep agency disclosures, maps, coloring books, etc....I just have to remember to put it all back after vacation!

JAN

Mike, I just recently bought a full size tripod for my Nikon and I love it. I like the table top tripod idea, too, as long as I don't put too big a lens on the camera, could be very useful!

Debi

Mike, great post, I'm going to dig out my old tripod - thanks

JAN

Mike! Thanks a million for this awesome tip! I've yet to use much of my Flip Video camera yet...and this is a tool I can see I am going to need to make it all work good.

The video you did here is great. I'd swear a professional cameraman was there doing the shooting!

Technology Rocks!

JAN

A reverse monopod, sounds like some kind of exotic bug. Taking excellent video and photography is so important to us in the real estate industry.

Mike - maybe its a no brainer, but taking a picture of wildlife more than a few feet away was super hard withuot a tripod. Now I just have to get my lighting down ...

JAN

Hi Mike - my newest camera does video and I've only done one practice one. I've seen much criticism from others about people doing videos that I'm afraid to even try at this point. But that's one of the reasons I bought the camera I did.

Jay and Monika McGillicuddy use the screw and string thing and it works well for them. My camera came with a little tripod, still not sure how to use that. I need to go find it, wherever I stashed it. I like your video - I can hear your voice for the 1st time and it was quite helpful with the video tips on tripods.

Ann
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