MEDICUS MARCH 2016

F R A M E D

A tripod & remote control - your best friends for travel photography

Denis Glennon AO

Lion eyes: A tripod and remote control enables you to capture sharp images, as you avoid camera shake.

N obody likes carrying a tripod, even a lightweight carbon fibre one. Whether it be street photography in Mumbai, hiking in Patagonia, photographing the Milky Way or panoramic photography of a city skyline, a tripod and remote control can be your best friends. Why? Helps you to photograph in low/very low light. The best light for compelling photography is pre-dawn/dawn and sunset/post-sunset. This golden light gives a beautiful look and feel to photos. In this low light, you will be unable to hold a camera steady at shutter speeds slower than say 1/30 seconds but, a tripod and remote control enables you to capture sharp images, as you avoid camera shake. Don’t contemplate photographing stars without a sturdy tripod. Helps you create more artistic work. When the sun is bright, and you are photographing fast flowing rivers, waterfalls, waves or surf and you want to create that smooth, milky look on

the water, you will need neutral density (ND) filters and use slow shutter speeds i.e. long exposures of perhaps 20 secs or more. Hand holding a camera for this length of time or even taking the shot on a tripod and using the camera shutter button and expecting sharp images is asking near the impossible. Allows you more time to pre- visualise what it is you wish to photograph. A hidden benefit of a tripod is that you are not connected to your camera by having to constantly carry it. Hence, you will spend more time analysing a scene rather than firing off many shots hoping for one or two good ones. This leads to you pre-visualising the shot you want to take and in fact, helps set the scene, for example, waiting for clouds to change, someone to walk into the photo or a lion to start a hunt. Helps you to take photos from unique angles. A tripod allows you to take photos at more attention-grabbing angles, and shoot from positions that you would not be able to otherwise. Setting your

camera at a very low level with a tripod, means that it is held much steadier, and using the camera’s live view function and a remote control saves getting yourself wet or dirty. To hold a flash away from the camera. Sometimes it is useful to use a flash at a different position to the top of your camera. When you need to light a subject from the side or back, instead of straight on, the tripod comes to the rescue. If you want to capture the best photos, in the best light, and have them sharp and low in digital noise, then a tripod and remote control are precious friends. ■

Rottnest magic: To create a smooth, milky look on the water, you will need neutral density (ND) filters and use slow shutter speeds.

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