new tripod ruining my groove

[afoto]

for the last 6 months i've been shooting on a tripod thats rusting and taped together so the leg doesn't fall off. i finally decided it was time to get a new one.
unfortunately, i guess it takes time to get to know new equipment. almost all my shots were blurred from the camera sliding around... a weird problem.

but that being said, it doesn't give me much excuse for the kind of weird composition of this image.
c&c welcome, i'm not loving the rocks ending in the middle and blocking the city, but i do love the overall colours in the image. thoughts?


cit by abbye dahl, on Flickr

 

[leeroix]

colors are great. perhaps a little higher vantage point? to put the rocks below the horizon line?

 

[Derrel]

Yeah, nice vantage point from down there...I've seen some of your other shots from that location. Kind of sux about the 'pod not being too good. Time for one that WORX RITE!!!!!

 

[panblue]

I agree with leeroix. Really nice work though!.. just needs a slightly different composition.

 

[KenC]

You need to figure out that tripod in the house before it ruins any more pictures.

 

[afoto]

You need to figure out that tripod in the house before it ruins any more pictures.

hahahahaha i know! i need to just sit for like half and hour and figure it out.... but i just get to excited and head out to the beach... i need more patients

 

[ceejtank]

If it's a tripod.. and the camera is sliding around.. I hate to say it but that's 100% user error.. you can lock everything down on a tripod.. so you're doing it wrong.

I like the pic though nice ND filter(s).

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

You're right, the colors are the most appealing part of this image. I like it. The composition, as you pointed out, could be improved.

Are you sure it's the tripod, and not the ballhead? Care to share your setup?

I believe an above average landscape set of legs/ballhead is going to run $250+ when all is said and done. The ballhead is equally important to the quality of the legs. Since you do so much long exposure work, you really need a good head and legs. Your type of work demands stability.

It looks like this image was taken from a beach. If your legs are slowly sinking into sand during an exposure, then you're going to get messed up images. I'm sure you were shooting off a rock, but just thought I'd throw that out there too if you hadn't thought of it.

 

[afoto]

Are you sure it's the tripod, and not the ballhead? Care to share your setup?

I believe an above average landscape set of legs/ballhead is going to run $250+ when all is said and done. The ballhead is equally important to the quality of the legs. Since you do so much long exposure work, you really need a good head and legs. Your type of work demands stability.

It looks like this image was taken from a beach. If your legs are slowly sinking into sand during an exposure, then you're going to get messed up images. I'm sure you were shooting off a rock, but just thought I'd throw that out there too if you hadn't thought of it.

i know its a user error! i guess i just need to practice with it.
it is a ball head, potentially my camera is to heavy to support it?
the problem was mainly when i was shooting verticals (camera sliding slowly down)

my two thoughts either i didn't tighten the ball head enough, or the plate that actually screws into my camera was slipping..
its a manfrotto midi ball head on a 190xb aluminum tripod (also manfrotto)