From the course: Learning Headshot Photography

Why a tripod?

From the course: Learning Headshot Photography

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Why a tripod?

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- I am a huge advocate of using a tripod for portrait photography. I really think you should learn to do this. Now of course, if you're using a slow shutter speed, you need a tripod so that you can hold your camera steady and not have a shaky picture. Your subject can hold still for 1/10 of a second, and if you're camera is locked down tight, you can definitely make a sharp picture doing that. But besides holding the camera steady, you need a tripod so that you can interact more personably with the people you're photographing. When you're holding this thing in your hands, it's taking up a hand. It's taking a lot of space up. You can't shake hands with people. You can't adjust their wardrobe. If you need to move a lock of hair off somebody's face and you reach up with your camera in your hand, that's like a weapon coming towards their face. It frees your hands. Now besides that, it also frees you to be a person and interact personably with your subject. When as soon as you lift that camera up to your face, people know that it's picture time, and they turn on their smile, and they stop interacting with you. And you will notice that their whole persona changes, because now they're in camera mode, now they're in picture mode, and they know they have to put on a facade when that camera comes up to your face. And so having the camera completely separate allows you to work the buttons with your hand and still talk with people. And you can help people feel more comfortable in front of your camera just by not having that camera in front of your face. Using a tripod will allow you to interact with people and make the best pictures they've ever had.

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