When I’m out photographing I’m always surprised when people ask me why I still use a tripod. After all, in the digital age, we have image stabilized lenses and cameras that can shoot at very high ISO’s – so some people think we don’t still need to use a tripod.

At least in my case, I find that using a tripod makes me a better photographer.

One of the things I really like about using a tripod is that it allows me to slow down and think about the image I want to create. I find that when I’m hand holding my camera, I tend to just start shooting right away. When I’m using my tripod, I have to take a few moments to set up my camera and tripod – expand out the legs, get it to the right height, get it in the right position, and attach my camera to my tripod. While I’m doing that, I’m also looking at the scene and deciding how I want my photograph to look. I take more time composing my photo and deciding on the correct exposure and focal point. I end up taking better photographs because I spent time thinking about my photograph while setting up my tripod.

Another reason I use a tripod is that it holds my camera rock steady. When I’m photographing flowers with my macro lens, the slightest movement will often show up in my photographs. If I’m handholding my camera, just breathing and pushing the shutter release will move my camera a tiny bit. And that little bit of movement can dramatically affect how my photos look. When I use my tripod my camera stays exactly where I want to be. If I use a shutter release or wireless remote, I don’t have to touch my camera to take a photo – so I don’t add any motion to my image.

That’s All Folks Iris © 2016 Patty Hankins

A third reason I use a tripod is that it lets me focus my camera manually. I’ll admit it – my eyesight is not good enough for me to focus through the camera’s viewfinder. For me to accurately focus, I need to use Live View on the LCD screen. If I’m photographing flowers and handholding my camera, I can’t hold it steady enough to focus manually. I have to use Auto-Focus. On a tripod, once I switch on Live View, I can manually focus my camera and choose exactly the part of the flower will be the focal point of the image.

Babe Spray Roses © 2016 Patty Hankins

Another reason I use a tripod is that it lets me use longer exposure time. When I’m photographing flowers I usually want a reasonably fast shutter speed – just so I don’t have to worry about the flower moving in the wind. However, I often want a longer shutter speed when I’m photographing landscapes – especially if I’m photographing a sunrise or moving water. I used a shutter speed of 20 seconds for this photo of Middle Prong of Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.. I don’t know about you, but I can’t hold a camera steady for that long without a tripod.

Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park © 2015 Patty Hankins

The final reason I like using a tripod is that it makes it easier to check my image and if it’s not right, make adjustments as necessary. Once I take a photo, I like to review it on the back of my camera to see if I captured what I wanted to. If I didn’t, then I need to figure out what changes I need to make to capture the image I wanted to. If my camera is on a tripod, I know exactly where my camera was for the previous image, so can make adjustments based on that information. If I’ve been handholding my camera, I have to make my best guess as to where I was holding my camera for the previous image, and make adjustments based on a guess. I’ve found I’m much more successful making changes and getting the image I want when I use my tripod than when I’m handholding my camera.

So, that’s why I continue to use a tripod whenever possible.

Using a tripod is one of the skills I work with my students on in my workshops. My next workshop is my July 15-17 Photographing Flowers (Without Swearing at Your Camera) Workshop. Since we do lots of flower photography during the workshop, it’s a great chance to learn to use a tripod, or to become more comfortable using a tripod. I’d love to have you join me for the workshop. More information (including registration info) is on my website at http://beautifulflowerpictures.com/photographing-flowers-without-swearing/