Comments on: What to do when you can’t bring a tripod

By: Don Mullaney

Don Mullaney — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:14:59 +0000

I guess the only tip not mentioned is to keep the shutter speed at or above the focal length of your lens. So, using a 300mm lens you would want to be at 1/300 sec or higher.

By: Michael Smith

Michael Smith — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:53:34 +0000

Lots for great advice here. One thing that I do when I’m hand holding a long lens with nothing to lean on is to shoot in burst mode. I will let 3-5 shots rip as fast as the motor drive will go. Usually one of the shots in the middle of the burst is sharp.

By: Steve Berardi

Steve Berardi — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:02:11 +0000

@George – great advice, especially the elbows in part.. I always see a lot of photographers treating their SLR like a point and shoot camera

@Frank – I love that idea! Much better than having to buy one of those expensive “car tripod” things..

@kay – I’ve never heard of that (using your shoulder)! I have a real problem with getting sharp photos while handholding my 300mm (with 1.4 extender) and photographing birds, so I’m gonna try your technique. thanks for sharing!

By: kay

kay — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:09:36 +0000

I use my shoulder to rest the left edge of the camera body on (Canon 40d), left hand firmly positioned under the lens (Canon 100-400) and get shots that can be blown up to 11×14 that are perfectly clear. The guy at the local camera store didn’t believe me and blew up a picture of a heron taking off to prove me wrong. He lost the bet and I got the 11×14 free!

The one thing that can be problematic with this method is landscape photography. You do have to make sure the camera is straight with the world or you will have ridiculously leaning buildings or skylines that have a leftward tilt. George’s method with a smaller lens works better in those situations.

By: Frank Townsley

Frank Townsley — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:40:36 +0000

The bean bag also works very well when shooting from your car window. It conforms to the door sill and doesn’t tend to pivot or rock. You can also tilt it, and sometimes it can be stable enough to rest it there for a longer exposure using a shutter delay. The car can be a great blind for photographing birds & wildlife.

By: George Rosenblit

George Rosenblit — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:28 +0000

The same principles for holding, aiming and firing a rifle apply to using a camera. (1) hold the camera with both hands, (2) press your elbows/arms against your body, (3) position the camera to compose the scene using the optics and/or the LED display, take a deep breath and hold it as you carefully quickly shoot the scene; the only conscious movement should be your trigger finger to press the shutter button.

By: Steve Berardi

Steve Berardi — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:35:39 +0000

@Joe – That sounds like a really interesting idea, I’m definitely gonna have to try it. Thanks for sharing!

@Zack – haha, I actually got the G10 after I wrote the gear guide

@loongirl – now I’m definitely gonna have to try this washer-string-bolt thing

@SSORinoco – Great idea about the bean bag! I’ve used a fleece before in a similar way, with pretty good results.

Thanks all for sharing your experience! I think I’m gonna do another post next week to share them

By: SSOrinoco

SSOrinoco — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:12:01 +0000

I use a “bean” bag. I made a small (about 20cm x 15 cm) bag, filled it with beans (either foam ones or as in my case brown rice, lentils – beware of water though) and use it to rest the camera on. Really useful to conform to an odd shaped perch, uneven surfaces or even on the ground. I covered mine in a water resistant fabric so I can use it on damp sand, grass etc without blowing up the rice!!!

By: loongirl

loongirl — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:31:20 +0000

I’ve used the washer-string-screw combination that Joe mentions, and it really does work. You just have to remember to keep tension on the string at all times. Cheap and lightweight, it fits easily into my fanny pack.

By: Zack Jones

Zack Jones — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:36:41 +0000

Hmm, I don’t remember reading about this G10 in your gear guide . The first photo is stunning. Those dark clouds make for a very moody scene.