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Learning how to use a tripod is an essential early skill with which to get familiar as a serious photographer. 

The entire reason you’re using a tripod in the first place is to be able to get better pictures or to capture things that are hard to do without a tripod. While much of how to use a tripod is fairly intuitive, I’ve compiled some tripod tips I’ve learned that are useful and practical.

Throughout the tripod tips, I’ll be using images of a great tripod for mirrorless and other more compact system camera users, the Vanguard VEO 2 204AB aluminum travel tripod. 

You can find it right now on Amazon for right around $100, making a good first-purchase tripod. You can also use it as a secondary tripod for traveling or as a gift for your photographer friends and family.

On to the tripod tips for how to use a tripod!

Table of Contents:

• How to Use a Tripod Opening Thoughts
• Before the Purchase
• Extend the Tripod with Stability In Mind
• Center of Balance for Large Lenses
• Adjust for Level - Legs First
• Use a Remote Release
• Choose Good Footing
• Add Weight When Needed
• Use Extra Quick Release Plates
• How to Use a Tripod Closing Thoughts
• Recommended Photography Gear

How to Use a Tripod Opening Thoughts

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Before we learn how to use a tripod, we should understand why we want to use a tripod. 

In my experience, there are two primary reasons for using a tripod. One, we want the sharpest images possible, so we’re trying to eliminate any camera movement that can cause unsharp images. Two, we want to use a method that requires us to have the camera in the same spot through multiple shutter snaps.

A couple of other reasons also come to mind. Such as using Graduated Neutral Density (GND) filters with a center line that needs precise placement. Or, some like using a tripod because it forces us to slow down and think about what we’re attempting to capture. 

All of these are good reasons for learning how to use a tripod.

Before the Purchase

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When asked for recommendations about photography equipment, I like to narrow the options by asking what you want to accomplish, what level of size and weight you’re comfortable using, and what price range you like.

When buying your first tripod, I like to suggest a moderate-size tripod that can extend up to a decent height and collapse to a compact size for travel and storage. As a first tripod, you don’t want a flimsy model, and you probably wouldn’t want a full-size ultra-heavy-duty version.

Travel tripods can be pretty small, but the type encompasses a wide range of sizes. The Vanguard VEO 2 204AB is a great first tripod in that it is definitely small and lightweight so that you won’t be put off by the inconvenience of lugging it around, and yet is plenty steady to allow for all sorts of uses to capture those special images you want.

Here is an overview of the Vanguard VEO 2 tripods from the Vanguard YouTube channel:

The Vanguard VEO 2 204AB is fitted with the VEO 2 BH-45 ball and socket head, making it quick and easy to set up and adjust regardless of where you are. It is equally at home in your home studio for portraits of small product photography as it is when you are out on city streets capturing architecture or in the wilds of nature, creating beautiful views of landscapes.

From the collapsed length of just under 16”, it extends up to 53” in height. The legs can be set at various angles independent of each other. It has attachment points for adding extra weight, and one leg has a rubberized grip for comfort when carrying it by hand or moving it during setup. There is even a bag for protection during transport and storage.

Extend the Tripod with Stability In Mind

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When extending the tripod to the height you need, think about strength and stability first. A good rule of thumb for using a tripod is that the camera rig on top will be more secure and less prone to movement if we have the widest stance possible.

As a thought example, if we want our camera and lens to be at 2 ½ feet high, we have a more stable platform if we have legs taking up the majority of that height. Extend the legs first. 

If we set up with the legs about 1 ½ feet high and use the center column for the final foot, the rig is less secure than if we use up as much leg as possible, giving a wider footprint on the ground. Think of how a football lineman crouches down into a stance with their feet shoulder-width apart and their body lower to the ground. It gives them strength and stability compared to standing straight up with their feet together. Apply that same principle to setting up your tripod.

Center of Balance for Large Lenses

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Your camera center of balance is important as well. With a mirrorless camera and a long, fast telephoto lens, the center of balance is pretty far away from the tripod socket on the camera itself.

This is why many of these lens styles have a tripod mount of their own on a collar surrounding the lens. Using this tripod mount provides more stability than you would have with the camera’s own tripod socket.

Adjust for Level - Legs First

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Another part of how to use a tripod is getting the rig adjusted for level. Just as when adjusting for height, we get better stability when we adjust the legs first.

If we are on sloped ground and we raise our tripod to the height we want and adjust for level using the tripod head, we might have created a situation where the center of gravity actually makes the rig prone to fall over.

If your tripod has independently adjustable leg angles like the Vanguard tripods, try that control to get the top of the tripod closer to level before fine-tuning by adjusting the head. You can also vary the extension of each individual leg to get closer to level. On some terrain, you’ll be using leg angle and leg length adjustments at the same time.

Use a Remote Release

Since you’ve got the tripod, you might as well make as sure as possible that you are eliminating movement by using a remote release to trigger the shutter. You can choose a wired version or wireless, either IR or radio. 

Remote releases can be found for all of the various cameras, either as the brand of your camera or from a 3rd party. Many are virtually a remote multi-control, letting you set up long exposure interval times, and some smartphone apps used as a remote release can even adjust camera controls.

Choose Good Footing

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Back to that lineman analogy, if he’s standing on slippery ground or in fine sand, he might have some balance issues, likewise with your tripod. How the feet interact with the ground (floor, sidewalk, glacier, whatever) impacts how secure and stable your rig could be.

When you know what the ground will likely be, you can prepare for it. Vanguard tripods generally have rubberized feet, which are usable on most surfaces. They also have optional spiked feet for grabbing into turf, gravel, ice, and hard-packed sand.  

If you are setting up in soft-packed sand or powdery snow, you can always use Tupperware lids or paper plates to create a larger footprint and reduce sinking down too much. Sometimes, though, your tripod will just sink down. If that happens, be sure to clean it up so dirt or moisture doesn’t collect into controls or leg tubing.

Add Weight When Needed

 

 When the wind is really blowing, you can add more weight to your tripod to dampen vibrations. Vanguard tripods make this easy to do with a hook that you use for a sandbag, plastic dumbbell weights, or your own camera bag. 

Use Extra Quick Release Plates

A great feature for tripods is the quick-release plate. When you learn how to use a tripod, a step that can take up some time is screwing in and unscrewing your camera or lens onto the tripod. Quick-release systems make this simple and faster.

I like to recommend having multiple quick-release plates attached to my camera if bringing an extra camera and any lens with its own tripod collar. That way, when in the middle of your photo shoot or photo trek, your camera and lens changeouts go smoothly and rapidly.

How to Use a Tripod Closing Thoughts

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With this short primer on how to use a tripod, you’ll be well equipped, both with the right gear and the knowledge of how to use it, for whatever challenge you undertake photographically. Use these tripod tips with your new tripod and enjoy creating and capturing fantastic images.

Recommended Photography Gear

 

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Learn More:

• Monopod vs Tripod: Which Is Right for You?
• Carbon Fiber Tripod vs Aluminum: Which Is Best?
• Why You Need a Tripod