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Great Photo Tools -
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Table Top Tripod as "Chest-Pod"By Dan Davenport
There are times, however, when you want the support and vibration stopping of a tripod, but the subject is moving around way too quickly - you just can't get reoriented fast enough to get the shot: just think about shooting photos of an active child on a playground. But you really do want the steadiness that a tripod affords for sharper photos that can be blown up big and still be eye-catchingly sharp. Enter the classic table top tripod.
And, of course, slowing down a bit, you can use it on hikes to increase the stability and sharpness of your photos while lightening the load you carry. And it sets up more quickly than a full size tripod.
Since the Leitz model is no longer available (unless you find one used), the Slik/Kaiser combination is a Great Photo Tool and a valuable addition to your gadget bag. It gives you a great deal of freedom and flexibility for photographing fast moving subjects while keeping the camera stable enough for the sharpness to encourage large prints you'll be proud to display. This is especially true for newer cameras with image stabilization. The tripod working with stabilization will give you great photos. By all means try this valuable technique. It will really help you get more great photos to make really big prints to proudly display. My partners at Kodak are offering 50 free prints for those folks who join their Gallery Program. This is a fun deal:
© 2010 Dan Davenport
Dan Davenport has been involved in photography for more years than he cares to think about. He worked with Minolta Cameras for over 30 years and taught photography as well as developing the Minolta School of Photography that evolved into The Maxxum Experience photo education seminars. He wants photographers to take the best photos they can and encourages them to proudly display their work for all to see.
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Most photographers today, both amateur and professional, have a Table Top Tripod in their gadget bag for use when photographing small objects on a "table top," or for bracing on top of a car, wall, or fence when a full size tripod isn't available or practical.
(shown above and right and available from my partner, Amazon.com). These folks make many, many tripods in all sizes, weights, materials - you can select just the right one for your needs. The tripod folds up very small, and comes with a typical (though small) pan head. The small pan head is great for table tops, but it is somewhat awkward for chest pod use.
to replace the pan head that comes with the tripod (don't throw the pan head away, you will always find times when you still want to use it). When you are actually using it, you may not want to totally lock up the ball head, just use a slight drag. This gives you much more flexibility to smoothly move with the subject, while giving you the extra support for extra sharp photos.
