Poster child advertisements for getting a tripod

[Harpper]

If you need anymore reasons for getting a tripod then just look at the pictures below. Some of my shots came out okay but since my P&S camera is so light weight and small it's very easy to shake. I usually don't have this problem with the heavier Sony I use at work, but it would still be nice to have a tripod.

 

[Dew]

yeh, coming from my heavy digital camera and the cam not having a mirror (it uses a chip instead of mirror) ... i almost never used a tripod .. getting a film camera and after a few of my favorite photos suffered from camera shake .. i kicked myself in the butt :x


anything that im doing seriously .. i use a tripod, but only for my lightweight film camera 8)

 

[Harpper]

I don't know about the rest of you but I actually like using a heavier camera. Well, not so heavy that I'm leaning forward but with a heavier camera I can get away with not using a tripod. I do agree that I would prefer a tripod for important pictures, but for some reason I find it more satisfying to hold the camera. Maybe I should tied lead weights to my camera?

 

[Dew]

im the same, i feel more connected to my camera without a tripod and i WILL NEVER GET A CABLE RELEASE SHUTTER ... now this, i will never do ... thats just being totally seperated from the photographing experience ... tripod, shutter release cable? ... hell, u may as well set the timer while ur at it or get the person walking by to push it

 

[photobug]

Wheeeeeeeee! I really like the last one.

 

[havoc]

Wow Dew, different schools of photography we come from. I almost exclusively use my tripod and shutter release. I think they get you closer to photography by slowing you down, and forcing you to constantly re-evaluate your shot. The physical benefits of using a tripod and cable release are astounding. Especally if your doing any enlargments. A shutter release cable is always more steady then my hand.
On a more personal level though it helps you get back to the root of photography, gives you that slight feeling of being a pioneer in photography. Give me a blacket to throw over my head and i would feel like Ansel Adams creating masterpieces. I understand the "newer" schools of photography, but when you speed things up i think you also lose what really makes photography great. Real art takes time, and i will take as long as nessesary to take my shot.

There may be hope for you yet though, LOL. Now that your getting into film maybe you will see the benefits of slowing down.

 

[Dew]

its not about slowing down for me ... for me, its about composing ... photography pretty much begins and ends with me in the composing stage ... thats the most important part for me

im a composer ... but i need to be connected

the hubby says the same thing about slowing down with his manual 100 yr old camera .. but i'll tell u, doing his street photography, i've seen him grab 10 photos in 5 secs flat ... when u get used to it, it moves faster

plus i dont do landscapes, my subjects are always moving ... i need to move with them ... a tripod hinders me from being my true self ... but im always moving around... i get in a trance ... although i use one, i just get faster with it .. i hardly even notice it anymore .. necessary evil

 

[Harpper]

I would have to agree with Dew on this one. As Dew has mentioned it's not about slowing down the process of taking pictures, but rather it's more about feeling connected to the camera. For me using a tripod is like letting someone else take the pictures. Sure you set up the shot the way you like it but there's no connection with the camera.

Dew also hit on the right note with the mention of composition. I sometimes find myself taking a long time trying to compose my shots the way I want them. There's also the passion of suffering for my shots because I also find myself lying on the ground, balancing myself in weird positions just to get the right angle and lighting especially from macro shots which is just part of the thrill I get from photography. Putting my camera on a tripod loses that connection. Sure I'll most likely get better shots from a tripod, but for me it's like letting a robot take the picture as oppose to me taking it. Although there are times when a tripod is a must as my pictures deminstrate.

Another way to look at it is like a passionate car driver who likes to drive manual cars. With automatic cars you lose that connection which means they can be rather boring to drive since the engine is doing all the shifting. There's no thrill in it. For me the thrill is not getting the sharpest picture, but rather the process of taking the shot, which involves holding the camera and moving in every possible angle to get the perfect composition. Havoc, for you the thrill might be from using a tripod but it's definitely not true for me and doesn't sound like it's true for Dew.

 

[havoc]

No, the thrill isn't the tripod. The tripod is merely anouther tool that makes the photography experience exciting. I don't think of it as letting something else take my picture for me because the experience doesn't end with the click of the shutter. Composing the picture is key, but the real experience for me is in the darkroom, where i create my art. There are things one can do in a darkroom that no processor or program can do. This for me is where the magic of photography is.
By saying that, the tripod becaomes an invaluable tool to creating my art. If my negatives aren't tact sharp then i can't create my vision. Or i have to make it a 5x7 instead of an 11x14. If i want blur then i can do that with my enlarger. If i want focus and sharpness, then i must do that with my camera, and a tripod is a constant reminder that by slowing down i will be able to create my vision without having to kill myself in the darkroom, or reshoot it later.

 

[Dew]

well, everyone has there experiences that make it personal to them .. no one will convince me otherwise how i feel about what im doing and if ur passionate about what ur doing ... no one will convince u either .. cause for real .. the proof is in the pudding

enjoy what u feel passionate about and keep it your own experience, not someone elses ... im done here *exit .. stage .. left*