Master tripod basics

Hold steady with Jason Parnell-Brookes as he shows you how and why you’ll want to take the time to set up your tripod correctly

Get perfectly composed, shake-free shots with your tripod

There are rules of thumb you can adhere to ensure your tripod remains steady. There are also a few shortcuts to help you get set up

What can go wrong when using a tripod? Well, there are lots of moving parts… but there are rules of thumb you can adhere to ensure your tripod remains steady. There are also a few shortcuts to help you get set up.

Many of us start out by buying a camera body, kit lens and a tripod, and we look up f/stops, shutter speeds and ISOs in order to get to grips with our new gadget properly. But how many of us take the time to learn how to set up the tripod correctly?

Starting from the bottom and working our way up we’ll look at the feet, how to unfold the legs and which portion of the legs you’ll want to extend first for maximum stability. You’ll also learn when and why you might want to use the centre-column, and how to maximize stability at the base of your tripod.