Tripod use - embarrasing??

I'm more embarrassed by the state of my tripod, very old battered Manfrotto 055-CB
Keep thinking I should get a new one, but it works and is very sturdy.

Recently replaced the rubber feet with three rubber walking stick ends from the hardware shop for £1.05, perfect fit too

Don't think I will ever be confused with a pro though:)
 
self consciousness will gradually disappear around 10 mins after setting up
just dont knock it over or trip over the leg whilst removing a twig from the set up

personally i feel it adds an air of professionalism to the photographer image...and the results are what you are after..well worth the effort

my tripod...a slik ..with my tiny cam on the top looks stupid...but the shots i take are used by those that i take them for...
 
I've been tooted as darkness falls on the A1 doing light trails, thinking i'm a speed camera officer lol. i find if you walk away from the tripod it's easily seen as one - a silhouette of a tripod and that gets 'em bibbing !

I had an old lady pull up in a mercedes once when i was in a village by the side of the road and she wanted to know what i was doing, i just set up everything and composed the shot of a field with a tree and i could have been horrible and said "i'm from the council and there's planning for 200 new houses".....
but i didn't :naughty: :)
 
I only feel embarrassed about how long it takes to set up which is less than a minute anyway :)

Its a tool we use, a builder wouldn't be embarrassed about using a hammer, (that sort of saying goes about a lot to be honest)
 
I care more about the picture I get and giving myself the best possible chance of getting it than the thoughts of those who observe me doing so.
 
In my case, it really does completely depend on general lighting, the time of day, etc. If I want to take outdoors photos on a day like today (sunny, bright lights, etc) then I'll just take the camera (and it's most always my trusty S5600). If I do find myself in a situation where I needed the camera to be still (inside a castle, etc) then I usually find a handy object to rest the camera on.
But if I have a particular outdoors subject in mind that involves light trails, long exposures, "mystical" waterfalls, lightning strikes, dawn/dusk shots, that kind of thing then yes obviously the tripod comes out. Besides, it usually takes place at a time when there's hardly anyone about. And since it takes place under cover of darkness, anyone passing by would really have to be observant.
Anyway, how is it any different to people spending all night sitting by the sea/pond with a great big fishing rod? That's what I tell myself.
 
kingnothing83 said:
I took some pictures last night, some long esposures of traffic and got a couple of poeple pipping their car horns at me.
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They probably thought you were some operating some sort of speed camera.
 
I prefer using a tripod so it does not bother me. I get strange looks anyway!
I was once in a hide where two gents were each trying to put up their tripods. I wish I had had a video camera. Never have I seen three legs cause so much confusion.:LOL:
 
The kind of person who will give you odd looks or give you hassle for using a tripod would probably give you the same with your camera and no tripod. To the rest, it will either make you look more professional, or they won't bat an eyelid with or without.
 
I would rather stay at home than shoot landscapes without one. In towns I do get a little self conscious, especially at night, as it seems to say "I have an expensive piece of kit", and I was once accosted in a field by a man on a very fast horse as he thought I had a shotgun. Its also harder to run from dogs when you are wrestling with a Benbo Mk1 - I speak from experience. I usually use shutter speeds of less than 1/30 sec so they are indispensible. Stuff what people think or say.
 
Why on earth would you feel embarrassed? I love to show off my tripod. I like to get looks from people!
 
I don't feel embarrassed using my tripod but I hate it when people are nosey and watch you taking shots
 
joxby said:
This bloke isn't embarrassed, he needs a tripod to do what he wants to do.

21cuv03.jpg
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lol, i ve had experiences with these kind of blokes http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=166751

Seriously though, i rarly leave the house without my tripod and use it for most shots. Its far steadier than my hand and i dont really care what peope think. When im composing a shot im in my own little bubble!
 
Hew Jarse said:
I would like to add a message of caution as I was recently held by the Gloucestershire armed response unit when trying to take a long exposure over a road at night to get the light trails.
Within 15 minutes of setting up, 2 officers detained me because a passerby had reported that:

"A man with a rifle is stood on a bridge over the A40"

Took longer to explain the shot I was trying to get and reviewing a few photos than it did for them to realise I was not armed with anything more than a tripod.

Really nice couple of cops though............
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you will never avoid these situations thought it wouldnt stop me having another go

its probally some one thought you was a speed camera and then when they realised or something similar they thought they would try and get there own back and call the police
 
i have a fairly steady hand and an IS lens as my walk around (canon 28-135) - so do i really need to use my tripod a lot? Obviously its not practical for shots when you are walking around town and quickly reacting to what is happening, but Ive got some good landscape shots without a tripod when there was a lot of natural light - presumably my landscape shots without a tripod would just lack a little sharpness without a tripod? Would i have any other benefits of using my tripod for landscapes apart from adding a little sharpness?
 
I find whenever I set up with the tripod people always move closer to me then without fail trip over one of the legs it is like a magnet for idiots! I have even had a woman reach infront of my lens with a point and shoot to take a shot.
I do use it though without embarrassment.
 
fly my pretties said:
I care more about the picture I get and giving myself the best possible chance of getting it than the thoughts of those who observe me doing so.
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a stock mandy answer...and the most pragmatic
 
mrcrow, you have made me feel stupid, I don't know what a "stock mandy" refers to!
 
Don't feel embarrassed, feel like you are a part of an exclusive club of tripod-ers. I love my tripod but find it such a lug to carry around. Was recently on Westminster Bridge with my tripod out taking light trails and had a guy ask me what I was doing and so I showed him but then the chap next to me had his on his tripod and the same guy asked him to have a look and he thought the old man was trying to steal his camera so held onto his tripod and camera for dear life!
 
:LOL::LOL:

I have started using mine more, and snapped one of the buckles on Tuesday this week, it was a cheapy strap I had in the drawer, should it have come with one originally when purchased or do I need to shell out £30 for a strap?
It's a Manfrotto PRO190B

Paul
 
kingnothing83 said:
I took some pictures last night, some long esposures of traffic and got a couple of poeple pipping their car horns at me.
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To be honest, they probably weren't meaning to be aggressive. if I saw someone with a tripod at the side of the road taking photos I'd probably toot my horn, it's just the kind of person I am.

Just let your confidence build up a bit and every time you use the tripod you will feel less and less conspicuous.
 
I hardly ever get the looks except once in Bristol centre saturday night (very drunk people). I am usually at the coastline when it is too dark or cold for "normal people".

If you get some sensible strangers interested in your work, take it as a nice business opportunity, offer them your business card, try to sell some prints, etc. I will definitely try this next time I become the centre of interest.
 
snoop69 said:
I was asked by a Wpc what I was doing with my camera/tripod on a bridge
looking over the A2 recently & when I said 'making light trails' she said 'what?'.

I showed her a couple of attempts on the screen & she said 'ah,thats what
their called'.

She told me to take care & went on her way.

I felt un-easy at first but you soon get used to people tooting & stuff :LOL:
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Women Prostitute Constable? :p

Me and my friend also got asked what we were doing with my camera and tripod on a bridge. I didn't bother explaining and just showed them the pictures and they simply said "oh cool, we stopped because we thought you may have been throwing stuff off the bridge" and went on their way.

I now have a little Velbon Mini. Does the job, isn't much of a nuisance to carry around, is cheap and light and less embarassing to get out in public :D
 
At the end of the day, your doing something you love and trying to get the best results, I don't think any harm would be meant by the tooting of horns (been tooted at myself on a roundabout while I was taking long exposures once) didn't put me off, I have had some funny looks at 4am on the coast taking sunrise pictures but they are mainly dog walkers and if your pleasant to them and say good morning I generally find most will stop and have a convo with you.
 
I get this too...but as I shoot quite a lot of local rugby and football they normally shout 'eh up Tug where are my pictures'

...they didn't say that when I first started out...lots of weirdo type comments ...I think because they didnt really understand.

Its your hobby..Enjoy it .
 
I always find getting the todger out slightly more embarrasing than getting the tripod out.
 
I used to feel conscious about the fact I had a tripod out in public but I don't care what people think anymore. Yeah you get people looking, wondering. Maybe many of them are intrigued as to what I am doing.

What does irk me is the jobsworths (both male and female) that automatically think you actually DO want to take "their picture" and stand in front of your camera. I put that in quotations because I'm out composing a photograph and they think I'm taking pictures - For me there's a difference.

I just make sure that I don't set up where

A. I can get myself injured or killed
B. I can cause injury to others due to causing them to trip and fall.

On an amusing note, I was set up on the Silver Jubilee Bridge (a.k.a The Runcorn Bridge) a while back after midnight and it's amazing the amount of cars that brake rather quickly when they see you pointing a camera at them :)
 
Could be worse....at least with a wide lens passers by can see what you're photographing. Tripod or not I get an awfy lot of funny looks shooting macro. A mate even heard about it when a colleage of his mentioned someone who seemed to like photographing a fence between their house and the woods....

....happy days, I managed to freak somebody out :D

Then there was the time a couple of horse riders were surprised to find me hanging upside down by my ankles over a river. I just said hello. (there was a cool spider in an awkward spot)
 
Hmmm I say the tripod is a really good compositional tool! It helped me slow right down in the early beginning and made me think about my shots!

cheers,

andy
 
I've been taking photos for years but only recently started to get 'serious' and I understand how anyone can feel embarrased using a tripod. I recently had the opportunity of photographing some hares and although I've got some memorable (for me) photos, I really regret not having had a tripod with me, would have enabled me to sharpened them up, (80-400).
I'm doing a city day next week so I'm going to quickly have to get used to using it!
 
InkZ said:
Never found it an issue myself. I was quite worried about carrying my 100-400 around at first but once you have an SLR the number of other people you notice with SLR's is crazy.
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THIS!!
I have an SLR with a 80-200 and i went to the beach with it to shoot seagulls, its surprising how little people even look when you have a huge lens on the end of your camera, and you really do notice so many people with SLR's when you have one on you.

About your tripod, its your hobby!! So enjoy it, don't let other people change the way you shoot or use your equipment! It's no different to someone carrying a skateboard into a shop, it's their hobby and they enjoy it, so who cares :)

Steve.
 
Never felt self conscious. But it can attract the nutter element who won't go away.
 
kennysarmy said:
they make a good (self defence) weapon at night too :D
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:LOL: that's the first thing that popped into my head when I started reading this thread also! I've got a sturdy job designed for video cameras which can be wielded like a battleaxe if necessary. The perfect anti-ned device hehe :bat:
 
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