Hi and welcome to Episode 97 of the Photography Explained podcast.
I’m your host Rick, and in each episode I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 10 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience. And not Google.
Before I go on if you have a question you would like me to answer just go to photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start
Here is the answery bit
A tripod is a three-legged piece of photographic equipment designed to give a firm base on which to attach a camera to take photos. Using a tripod gives the photographer the chance to take sharper photos, and also to take sharp photos in low light.
That is my answer
You can listen to the episode here
Or keep on reading. Or do both. Entirely up to you!
Where does the name tripod come from?
Tri is three. That makes sense. OK, that is in simplistic terms – there is more to it than that but I am explaining photography stuff here not ancient words.
And if it had two legs would it be a bipod? Well, you can get a monopod which has one leg.
But the pod bit? I started looking into this and stopped myself as this really does not matter. Knowing this will not help you and me with our photography so I am going to move on.
So what actually is a tripod?
A tripod is a really useful bit of camera gear, normally made of metal, which has three legs, a centre column and a bit on top called the tripod head which you fix the camera to.
Why three legs?
Three legs give a firm, stable base. The load is transmitted equally through the three legs to the ground. Add a fourth leg and you would have a quadpod I guess. It would perform the same function but not be more stable.
Have two legs and it would, erm fall over.
What is the purpose of a tripod?
Check out the previous episodes for more, I will list them later, but basically, it is to provide a firm base to put your camera on to take sharper photos.
What are the different bits of a tripod?
The legs.
You have three legs, which are adjustable in length so you can adjust the height at which you place the camera. The legs have some kind of locking thing on them so you can lock the legs at any length.
Different tripods have different overall heights, and you need to know this when you are buying a tripod.
Centre column
This is the bit that sticks up where the three legs meet at the top. Normally you can move the centre column up to get more height, although doing this can reduce the overall stability so practise this first and read the manufacturer’s literature.
Tripod Head
This sits on top of the centre column and is the bit that the camera is connected to. There are many different types of tripod heads, and the right one for you will depend on what type of photography you do.
I use a geared head for my architectural, construction and real estate photography. Quite a big lump but it gives me precise movement of the camera in all three planes.
I use a ball head for my travel photography, small, light and quick to use but not as precise as the geared head.
As I say, the head you use depends on what photography you are doing.
How does the camera attach to the tripod?
I tried to explain this in the last episode and struggled. There is a quick-release plate of some sort that attaches to the camera using the tripod mount normally found on the bottom of the camera. The plate has a screw that you screw into the tripod mount. Once you have done this you can attach the quick-release plate to the tripod head quickly, and without having to undo the screw.
How heavy is a tripod?
The good old answer is it depends. You can get lightweight tripods, you can get heavy tripods, and you can get big tripods. You can also get little tripods.
This is what you need to make sure of though – that the tripod can take the weight of what you want to put on it, which will be your heaviest camera and lens combination. That is the important thing. Once you have established that it, is down to personal choice.
But
Let’s not forget – you are using a tripod to provide a firm base for your camera. So it has to provide that. That is the priority. Not that it is shiny and funky. Not that it is cool. Not that it makes you look good.
The purpose of a tripod is to provide a firm, stable base for a camera.
OK – hopefully you get that.
Lightweight tripods
You can get lightweight tripods, some are great, and some are rubbish and completely unsuitable.
The weight depends on what the tripods are made of, and the quality of them.
It is not just the weight of the tripod that determines how stable a tripod, is, this is much more about the design and the quality.
In very general terms a cheap lightweight tripod will not be great, but an expensive lightweight tripod will. And the only thing I am talking about here is how stable the tripod is for the camera put on it.
What are they made of?
Metal. Most tripods are made of metal, commonly aluminium, carbon fibre or steel. You can get wooden ones, I used one once for surveying at college, and also I am sure that there are plastic ones out there.
The lighter the metal used the more expensive the tripod probably is.
What is the best make of tripod?
I cannot and will not answer that as there are so many variables. I use Manfrotto tripods and heads for my architectural, construction and real estate photography work, and a 3-Legged Thing tripod for my travel photography. And both are great. Asking me to choose my favourite would be like asking me to choose my favourite child.
And no I am not being paid to say this – I bought all of these with my own money. Being paid to promote products – I wish! Maybe next year….
They attach to camera bags
Most camera bags have some sort of attachment so you can attach the tripod to them which helps. And they quite often come with their own bag – top tip here is that you should protect the tripod head from damage.
What do I do?
I have told you, but I will add here yet again, that I take every photo I can on a tripod. I prefer taking photos on a tripod.
The talky bit
Tripods are an invaluable accessory in photography, and I would strongly recommend that you invest in one and learn how to use it. I am not saying never shoot handheld, which is a matter of personal choice, but if you are remotely serious about photography I can pretty much guarantee that you will need a tripod at some point in the future.
OK, that was tripods done, nearly. I also use smaller tripods to hold lights, my iPhone, and anything that needs holding. Tripods are very versatile and dead handy pieces of kit.
I actually have one on my desk which I can quickly put a light on and voila – instant recording studio!
And I have some really cheap mini tripods which I put smaller gear on.
I actually counted them up and I have
- Four conventional, full-sized tripods for photography
- Five tripod heads, and that is after selling five last year
- 6 small tripods of varying sizes and quality
What is the perfect tripod?
If I find it I will let you know. I have bought loads of tripods over the years, but keep going back to my Manfrotto 190 Go which works for me, and my 3-Legged Thing Corey, yes Corey, which I use for travel stuff.
OK – that is tripods done.
Related episodes
Episode 95 – What Are The Advantages Of Using A Tripod? Here Are 5 From Me
And then
Episode 96 – Do You Want To Know How To Take Photos On A Tripod?
See it all makes sense…. Well, it does in my head.
Next episode
We all love camera bags so whyever not?
Shout out
Shout out to me and my new course – find out more at rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses. If I can’t promote myself here where can I?
OK – I’m done
Thanks for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast. To find out more about my podcast and do stuff to help me check out Photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start.
Brought to you by
This episode was brought to you again by coffee. Lots of coffee.
I’ve been Rick McEvoy, thanks again very much for listening to me and for giving me 11(ish) minutes of your valuable time, and I will see you on the next episode.
Cheers from me Rick
OK – that was the podcast episode.
Want to know more?
Head over to the Start page on the Photography Explained Podcast website to find out more.
And here is the list of episodes published to date – you can listen to any episode straight from this page which is nice.
Let me know if there is a photography thing that you want me to explain and I will add it to my list. Just head over to the This is my list of things to explain page of this website to see what is on there already.
Let me send you stuff
I send out a weekly email to my subscribers. It is my take on one photography thing, plus what I have been writing and talking about. Just fill in the box and you can get my weekly photographic musings straight to your inbox. Which is nice.
And finally a little bit about me
Finally, yes this paragraph is all about me – check out my Rick McEvoy Photography website to find out more about me and my architectural, construction, real estate and travel photography work. I also write about general photography stuff, all in plain English without the irrelevant detail.
Thank you
Thanks for listening to my podcast (if you did) and reading this blog post (which I assume you have done as you are reading this).
Cheers from me Rick
