“In photography there is no such thing like good vibrations… a good tripod is a great start”

Use a tripod in a correct way – tips & techniques

This is a no-brainer really. To shoot multiple exposures of one and the same scene, you want to make sure that your camera is as still as possible.

If there is one thing that will prevent you from layering the photos on top of the other while post-processing, or at least will lead to a loss in quality when tone mapping, it is having shifts in movement from image to image.

Although there exists a technique for shooting handheld HDR, it is in most cases very difficult to get high quality professional HDR results without the camera mounted on a tripod.

Basically we don’t want any movement in the scene when we capture the images. Even the trees or the flowers blowing in the wind, will change in position and will produce a “ghosting” effect.

If something is moving in the scene, you will have to manage the ghosting in post-processing too. So its better to prevent then to cure it.

This is why I carry my tripod just about everywhere I go. I believe that the tripod is, next to the camera and lens, my most important piece of gear.

Use a sturdy tripod

It goes without saying that heavier more sturdy tripods are more stable, especially in windy circumstances. Many photographers tend to start out buying a relatively cheap tripod. Sadly, this can be a false economy as many bargain because soon it needs to be replaced when it’s found not to hold the camera still in a light breeze.

Don’t extend the center column of the tripod

Almost every tripod has a center column that extends to allow higher shooting than just using the legs alone. However, when I use this center column I always notice this provides a significantly less stable platform and often the camera wobbles more easily when it’s extended than when it’s dropped down. That’s why I recommend using the tripod’s legs adjustments to get the camera to the correct height and only use the center post as a last resort.

Use the top sections of the legs first to extend the tripod

The lower sections of the tripod’s legs are thinner and less sturdy than the upper sections. This means that the lower sections are a little less stable, so when the full height of the tripod isn’t required it’s best to extended the thicker, upper leg sections rather than the lower ones.

Put your tripod on solid ground

Always look out for a good hard underground to put your tripod. A spongy vegetation underground, such as grass, make your tripod legs move if you don’t push them through until they meet solid ground.

Hang a camera bag or other heavy object on the hook below the center post for extra stability

Many tripods have a hook in place below the center post. In super windy conditions, it might help (especially for light tripods) to add some extra weight to your tripod by hanging something (l often use my camera bag) from the center post. Just watch out that the extra weight doesn’t start swinging in the wind and starts hitting the tripod legs.

Weighting down your tripod will also help during very low-light and nighttime scenes when your exposures tend to become multi-seconds per frame.

Don’t touch the camera or tripod during the exposure

This tip doesn’t to to be explained I guess

Turn off image stabilization

When I shoot with my camera on I tripod, and my lens has some sort of Image Stabilization/Reduction (IS on Canon / VR on Nikon), I will turn this stabilization setting off. Stabilization technology works by unlocking part of your lens, which allows the lens to “correct” movements.

But, when your camera is sitting still on a tripod, the stabilizer of some lenses will often look for movement that isn’t there, and this could result in a blurry photo.

It’s a general rule of thumb that you should turn off stabilization when shooting on a tripod.

Use the internal timer or a shutter release system to avoid camera shake

Whenever I want to take multiple exposures for HDR, I know that every time I need to touch my camera and push the shutter button with my finger, I take the chance on camera movement and potentially risk ruining the shot. A shutter release system can solve this system. The point is, you have setup the tripod and stuff to ensure that the camera will not move, so why introduce movement by pressing the shutter, especially if you are exposing in a dark area?

Timer

Almost every camera features a timer system that delays taking a photograph for 2 to 10 seconds after you press the shutter button.

By using the 2 or 5 seconds timer, I can simply avoid the vibration caused by pressing the shutter button and improve the sharpness and the alignment of the different exposure images I take. I use it for all my HDR photographs

Shutter release

Another solution to avoid vibrations caused by touching the camera is using a shutter release system. This system will release the shutter when activated and can either be wired or wireless

Mirror lock-up

Most DSLR have mirror in front of the sensor that directs the light to the viewfinder when no picture is taken. The mirror flips up and down every time w take a picture. This movement can make the camera shake a tiny amount.To avoid this shake we can use the mirror lock-up system to make the camera pause for a couple of seconds after moving the mirror up to take a picture.

On my D750, with the mirror lock-up mode selected, focusing and metering while pressing the shutter button half-way down, will make the mirror flip up. Then by pressing the shutter all the way down, the picture is taken and the mirror will flip back down. This system is best used with a remote shutter release system to avoid pushing the shutter button. I cannot use the internal timer together with the mirror lock-up system at the same time.

Live view will flip up the mirror also, so shooting in live view will have same effect as mirror lock-up.

Try these techniques and share your experiences with us. Looking forward to hear from you.

Happy shooting!