Love the video. I'm paraplagic and so a wheelchair user, so using a tripod is a bit of a pain, but I've recently learned about the Manfrotto Magic Arm (or, rather, the Variable Friction variant) and use it clamped to my wheelchair. A great way of doing things. To get down low, I can either use the arm, or use a mini tripod. I bought a Nikon D7200 so that I can use my camera as a viewfinder, via wi-fi, when I need to. It's a great camera. I wouldn't be able to get across that sand thoogh, not in my current wheelchair! :-)

As usual your enthusiasm and perseverance made yet another enjoyable video to watch. I noticed your Tripod was sinking in the mud? Just a tip but I carry 3 old CD's (something dreadful that you don't mind trashing like the Spice Girls Greatest Hits etc etc) and I put a CD under each leg and it stops it sinking in the mud. Costs and weights nothing and takes up no room in your bag. Keep up the great videos Henry - I look forward to them popping up in my Must Watch list

The thing I found most interesting in this video is that you went out on a dull, grey day and captured some really interesting photos. Inspired me to get out with my camera more.

Two more suggestions: If your tripod has a hook on the underside of the center column, you can hang a weight (like your backpack) from it to increase stability. And second, I think it would be wiser to use the thickest leg sections first, when you're not using the legs fully extended. Maybe not much of advice, but still, every bit of added stability helps right? This is not a criticism of this video, just wanted to be helpfull. Really liked the video, and absolutely love the pictures you took! Thanks!

To your third point, not sure if your tripod has a hook on it or not (whether on the center column at the bottom or somewhere at the tripod’s top) but adding some weight to the tripod can help to stabilize it. There are also products out there that attach to the legs giving you a ”shelf”, if you will, to add weight. Great job on the video!

I needed to see this video. Your point about not always shooting at head height is well taken.

My own tripod-related suggestions: (1) get a tripod with either a removable center column, or none at all. Getting the camera only inches above the ground literally opens up new vistas and compositions, including macros. (2) Mount the camera via an L-bracket, especially one that's dedicated for your specific camera body. Coincidentally, I just discussed that very accessory in my own most recent video. It will let you center the camera over the tripod's center of gravity in portrait orientation as well as landscape. A dedicated L-bracket (rather than a generic model) will allow access to all ports and doors, and will even permit full use of your LCD if you have a flippy screen like a Canon or a Sony A7SIII.

Many people will leave their camera strap on their camera in windy conditions, this results in even more shake...

A lot of tripods you can get even lower if you need to by flipping that middle pole around vertically and having the camera hanging upside down between the 3 legs.

Pitching in with a tip of my own: many tripods have a hook on the bottom of the centre column, hang your camera bag from it to increase stability on those windy days! Just ensure the bag isn't swinging before hitting the shutter 👍😁 If you know who I'm speaking about, you'll know this is a huge compliment; I'm getting real Adam Karnacz vibes from your speech, mannerisms, the format and quality of your video. First time seeing you on youtube and, although i'm familiar with all the tips you've shown here, i'm happy to subscribe knowing that i'll find value in your videos along the line! Love that boulder image, really nice! Keen to see some more of your work, mate ✌

Best Photo Advice ever: "Thats the hand I ahve been dealt today, and I am going to make the best of it." Thats the difference between a "KZfaq" photog and a real one.

add a sand bag or camera bag to the hook on the bottom of your tripod center shaft to add stability and lo lower the center of gravity in strong wind conditions. Just make sure the weight is sitting on the ground and not suspended, swinging in the breeze.

Hi Henry Good to see you encouraging people to go out in "bad" weather for their photography. A little extra tip for tripod use: when the wind is blowing and the tripod is shaking, hang a weight from under the tripod. This can be a plastic bag that you brought along with you (empty) and you can fill with water, sand or rocks, the heavier the better. Or even hang your camera bag on the tripod. This will make it far more rigid and calm down the 'shakes'. Sometimes I will actually hang the extra weight onto the camera itself and thereby eliminate/diminish the vibration that exists in the linkage between the camera and tripod. When you're finished the whole lot can simply be emptied out and put in your pocket. You don't have to carry that weight around with you.

Thanks for the tips ! 1) An L bracket is key to get the center of gravity of the camera center tripod in portrait mode and you have the same freedom of adjusting. 2) I normally only extend the thick legs half way when I'm not fully extending the tripod, this makes is steadier. 3) For soft soil you can place old CD's under the legs to prevent the legs from sinking in the soil while trying to do a long exposure. Of course longer focus lengts give more (risk of) shake, try multiple shots where you vary the shutter speed - ISO - aperture

Blocking some of the wind with your body might also help next to increasing the shutter speed.

Those sea cliffs for anybody interested: Heysham Barrows. They are eroding fast and can change week to week. There are some interesting fossils revealed- then gone again in the next rock fall-as well as some stone cut graves and the amazing ruins of St Patrick's Chapel. And not far from a shipwreck too. What a great place for photos!

If you're shooting ISO800 at 1/80s then you can shoot a 20 photo sequence, find the 10 sharpest ones, then image average them in photoshop. You'll have an image with an effective ISO80 in terms of noise and 1/8s level of cloud/water motion. But the static objects will be as sharp if not sharper then the original 1/80s photo

4:34 I don't use camera strap anymore because it's annoying. Also don't forget to turn off the vibration reduction on your lens if you using tripod. And I totally agree to find the composition first then start to extend your tripod when you really sure. Low angle is my go to when using tripod but it looks funky especially when you need to lay down very low and don't have that flip up screen haha but okay what's important more is the result. And yea, expose well for the photos. Crank up that ISO, no regret.

Really helpful tips - I tend to set up my tripod first, and spend sooooo much time fiddling with it. I'll try working more on my shot composition and setting up the tripod at the end. Thanks so much for the tip!

Tip for reducing wind shake: take that heavy bag off your back and hang it underneath the tripod. This will greatly increase the stability of the tripod, reducing wind shake. Thanks for your second tip: I’m very guilty of making that mistake

@17:30 about shooting in wind on a tripod. A bad recommendation I always hear, and even some camera manuals tell you, is to turn off image stabilization when using a tripod. That's fine if there is no wind at all but if there is even just a moderate breeze and you are using a long lens there will almost always be considerable shake. Turning on the stabilization all but eliminates any loss of sharpness, and can even work wonders in high winds. There is a limitation to the exposure time at which it will work as there is always some slow drift of the stabilisation that could be counterproductive for long exposures. On my camera I have tried it up to about 4 seconds exposure and it worked fine, it may work for longer ones but I haven't tried. I have a reasonably good tripod, a Manfrotto MT294 with geared head and often find I get significantly sharper shots with the stabilization turned on when using long focal lengths.

Use mirror lock function When extend the tripod legs, extend the top sections first. The tubes are larger and more stable. Nice pics btw

Nice images for such a blustery day Henry. I actually use exposure delay mode rather than the self timer on my D7200 and 750. It serves the same purpose but flips the mirror up prior to starting the timer. Keep up the good work. Have been enjoying your videos.

Haha, I always get nervous when you say 'I see people make this mistake when I do 1:1s'. Makes me flinch thinking, 'oh heck what did I do?!?!' 🤣

Hahahaha, holy shit. I just realised I can do that with my camera bag .... WOW. UNBELIEVABLE.

Some very useful tips here Henry. There are some other things which are useful which I think are worth a mention. For those folk using a DSLR (as opposed to mirrorless) it's worth locking the mirror up before taking a shot as it separates out the movement of the mirror which creates the loud 'clunk', and with it vibration, from the movement of the shutter. This further reduces vibration in the camera. It's also important to avoid using the centre column if you can, as this is much more prone to vibration, especially if it is extended to any degree. (I bought a set of legs which does not have a centre column). Finally, as the tripod gets higher, it's going to be more prone to vibration. In part this is because the bottom section of the legs is likely to be significantly thinner than the top section and also because there is greater leverage on the tripod, especially if it is windy, when it is at full height. Hope these comments are helpful.

I noticed the shutter speed thing the first time I put my new 100-400GM on a tripod at sunset, iso 100 was just not possible. Another tip to help with tripod rigidity is make the narrow bottom section of each leg the last one to be extended. So when you're low and only need one section extended, use the upper thickest portion of each leg.

i often leave the camera mounted to the tripod while walking about. i grip the strap between my hand and a leg on the pod so in case the quick disconnect comes lose i still have control of the camera

Very valuable video for me. I have just upgraded (2 days ago) from an entry level D3200, to a D750 which came with, amongst other things (2 good lenses), a Manfredo tripod. All I have had previously was a very basic tripod bought in the 1970’s. So looking forward to discovering what a real tripod can do for me.

When I started, back in the 80's, one of the things we learned about using a tripod was to extend the legs from the top down, rather than bottom up. The larger the diameter of the tube between the camera and the ground, the more rigid and resistant to vibration it's going to be. This video was the first time I've heard from anyone in recent memory that a tripod doesn't have to be fully extended to be used. Also, the L bracket on the camera acts like a lever, and gives the wind more power on the camera, especially in portrait, sticking way up above the tripod legs like that. The height of the ball head adds to the moment arm of the lever, giving the wind even more power to shake the camera. Personally, I prefer a 3-way head, which allows you to tilt the camera over 90º, while actually making it closer to the legs of the tripod, rather than farther away. But everyone has their own system that develops over time, and works best for them.

I used to take pictures of people differently than "things." Now, I think about "who am I capturing" and "what emotions am I evoking in the viewer" as I'm walking around an area looking for the right composition. Even though it's merely a rock, asking myself those 2 questions makes me choose how I'm going to capture and portray my subject with the composition that I choose. Just like when photographing people, I try to get at "eye level" with the subject I'm photographing, even if it is a rock. I am certainly not a professional photographer, but my pictures have certainly improved because of this technique. I don't know if other people use it, but it works for me.

I always remember a bit of advice I was given from a more knowledgeable person that I - which was always try to shoot using the lowest ISO possible - and only ever increase the ISO if you cannot get the right shutter speed for the shot you're taking.

Some good advice for the beginners. Re the 2sec timer: If the camera doesn't have that function, the best option is to use a cable release. I use a Canon 5DSR with al the bells but I will often use a cable release, especially when using my 70-200mm + x2 Extender (400mm), shoot in live view and when the wind lulls I can take the shot. Also I use a "ROCK Bag sling" suspended from my tripod with rocks in it to help make the tripod more stable in windy conditions. Nice couple of images Henry, Cheers (PS: enjoy the next UK lockdown :(...)

7:00 "Mirror Lock-Up" is another extra setting you can use to ensure that your DSLR is not moving when taking the shot. Combined with the 2 second timer that gives you the most stable camera you can get.

1. Timer works in a pinch, but a wired remote in mirror-up mode is better, giving you control over the timing in addition to removing mirror slap. "Wired" because it ALWAYS works! 2. Completely agree! 3. To his point on a "low vantage point" and stability, NO center column! 4. Shutter speed: I'm guilty of that too often.

When travelling with a tripod I have always used two tricks that my dad taught me. This was the 60's and I was using a Lubitel 120 roll film camera. With only pocket money to spend every shot had to count, so, TIP 1 was to simply loop the top of my camera bag over the head of the tripod. The weight pulled the tripod directly down and it damped a huge amount of movement. TIP 2 was to carry a plastic bag with strong handles that attached to a hook on the lower end of the tripod column. Then I'd fill it with anything heavy that was to hand, like stones, bricks, water, sand, wet sand if I could get it. (Henry please take note) Huge pull down through the centre of gravity with a bag you could use repeatedly and a heavy weight you didn't have to carry to the location or home again.

Only you could go out to that location with those conditions and say they're pretty decent!

I like to use mirror lockup, too, Henry!

Just yesterday, I was on a hill in the night to shoot a panorama of the city and it was very windy. What helped me to still get some good shots (also Telephoto, to make it worse) was: Find some very rigid object to place the tripod on: There were big rocks, perfect. And try to keep the legs as short as possible and spread out as possible to not allow the wind to use it as a "lever" to shake the camera. And in contrary what you'd usually do, I switched shake reduction ON to get rid of the very small vibration that was still coming through. I used an Olympus OM-D which already has a fantastic shake reduction. Although it's not the typical landscape camera, the shake reduction compensates a lot. Often times you can shoot exposures of almost 2-3 seconds right out of the hand without motion blur.

A lot of tripods have a hook underneath the camera head and you can put the camera bag there if you have the tripod high enough to stop it from shaking. If you don't have a hook you can use one of the handles (feel free to choose the most appropriate depending on your bag) over the tripod head (before attaching the camera) and let it hang so it helps with the weight and reduce the shake considerably.

Thank you Henry. Switching VR on/off when using a tripod seems to make little difference. What you didn't mention is what your tripod is standing on. Wet sand is not the most stable base!

Many good points made but walking around a wet scene leaving footprints before shooting is a big mistake. stand or walk around outside the scene / composition and save all that time spent cloning out YOUR own footprints.

Hey Henry, love the channel. Another trap is leaving the lense internal stabilisation on. I learnt this the hard way when trying to sort out soft images when using the tripod. Apparently it's in all the lens instructions but I follow the adage, if all else fails then read the instructions. Leaving the 'is' on when on the tripod can cause the lens to hunt ever so slightly as the lens really isn't expecting a truly stable platform and hence soft images. Turning is off cures the problem

Henry! Monstrously good video! Artful, articulate, helpful, informative, fascinating bleakness! Delighted new subscriber here. Cheers from the States, brother! 💛🙏🏼

I prefer the pan and tilt head over the ball head. Take the strap off the camera if it’s windy, use a remove release or the self timer to take the shot. Hang your kit bag under the tripod so it’s just off the ground to help the tripod being blown over and it can help reduce vibration. Always extend the legs using the upper sections first this helps with stability by reducing flex in the legs. Keep the tripod as low as possible where practicable.

Great photos on a very nondescript day! You said in a previous video "If you're not in, you can't win" and that's so true. Get out there and take photos, embrace the weather! I also love the fact you use tools most of us can afford, including the beast! You don't have the latest and greatest £10k camera but you know how to get the best out of the 7200.

As for wind induced shake. The conditions are rarely constant, and may vary by a lot even over the course of a few minutes. So, in this situation, I would probably capture around ten to twenty longer exposures at ISO 100 hoping for a lucky result + a few faster ones as fall back. This technique is based on what’s called ‘lucky imaging’ in planetary photography (which is one of my hobbies).

On a grey day, I would try converting some shots to b&w to see how they look. You did better than I thought you would for shooting on an overcast day.

Excellent tutorial. I have learnt something which pleases me because if a day goes by without learning something it is a day wasted.. Regards Michael

I agree with Mark Hives about hanging a backpack or even a bag filled with pebbles or sand obtained on site. I have also on occasions applied a downward pressure on my tripod when doing lunar shots with a 300mm lens. I am usually holding my breath while I do so.

Some tripods have a hook in the centre to hang your bag on to help stabilise & stop movement..

Lol 😂 goes home to get a replacement camera and a coat then cracks on with the video! Nice work 👍

"Livin' the dream" I think that needs to be your catchphrase Henry :-)

You're so right about your self-timer (without a cable release). The slightest touch of your camera on a tripod causes movement. THat's why so many film cameras had mirror lock-up as well. Even the mirror slap caused blurring movement. Regardless of how heavy your tripod is. That's why I LOVE the Fuji X-E system - it takes regular old cable releases! I use one from my 1903 Kodak Autographic Special 116 camera on the Fuji. Also, get rid of the center column. The moment you raise the column, you lose stability.

A tip for beach photograph with a tripod is to use something under the legs to stop them slowly sinking in to the wet sand. Old cds work, or tops off jars or bottles that you can put under the legs.

Henry, Just retired and dusted off my old D7000. Going through your videos and learning a bunch of tricks.. Thank You!

I would add one more thing. Mass is your friend. Put your bag on the tripod hook (though if windy something a bit more compact would be better, like a water bottle). Mass lowers the frequency of vibrations. It makes your tripod not fall over and break your lens 😉. It makes the tripod compressed and stiffer.

Good suggestion about using the self-timer, and if you're using a standard DSLR, using the mirror up shutter delay mode will provide significantly more effective vibration reduction than using the self-timer alone (which doesn't remove the vibration from the mirror slap). Also, using a tripod that doesn't have a center column will help as well. Center columns reduce stability. Tripods that have built-in leveling bases without center columns are great, plus you can lower them all the way to the ground without the column getting in the way.

Always use the thickest leg section possible. This makes the setup less flimsy and you get lower center of gravity. I may also help to hang something heavy below your camera (beware of wind). If you are using an old DSLR make sure to lock up the mirror. Use electronic shutter if possible to reduce the risk of shutter shock. Don't move while the exposure is going on,

7:58 minutes there is a beautiful stream of water going towards the sea. Thats a good leading line.

If you really don't want to bump up the ISO or aperture, can also try and shield the camera and tripod from the wind with your body a once you have got the scene composed etc. Granted, it doesn't work when the wind comes in from the same direction you're shooting and it doesn't eliminate it completly, but deffo helps!

Hi I use a remote shutter release I wear at a neckless for a badge. So I don‘t loose it, it‘s always ar hand and I have superior control whean to release the shutter.

Don't forget that most tripods have a hook on the bottom of the center column. This is for hanging your backpack on to help weigh the tripod down even more in those windy conditions. Great video, first one of yours i have seen, you got a new sub :)

I was so happy when I noticed you took the camera off and into your back pack. Many so called pros seem to just leave it on the tripod, very careless in my opinion. By the way just subscribed, like your relaxed approach.

With a real long lens on a calm day the mirror will cause enough shake to blur on my lightweight tripod. Mirror up mode with the remote in that case. Anyway with that camera you can bump the iso even higher with no trouble. VR is incredible too. Elbow to the gut for stability and hand hold that bad boy! I always am amazed when I push it a little, it’s good to know what your skills and equipment can do when you need it. Having learned on manual and film its just amazing what you can do now. So much of the conventional wisdom can be broken.

All true, Mr. Turner. There are alternatives, still. The tripod may be expensive, but it is easily vibrated by wind because of its focus on light weight. You could have a windscreen to block the wind, or a tent like birders or hunters use. Or block some wind standing next to the camera (wind direction and photographic direction permitting). The simplest is to hang weight off the center of the tripod, as long as it is heavy enough to not be brought into swing by the wind (so it depends on how many Beaufort are blowing). And note that straps on the heavy weight again could also be brought into vibration, Some tripods have a hook to hang weight off, but the backpack and a shoulder strap will do if you slightly raise the center column and use that as a hanging post. This may exceed the formally supported weight but that counts for the end of the center column. This also means the viewpoint of the camera must be high enough. At some point you may need a Gitzo Systematic Series 5, though, instead of a new lens or camera. And then decide to not buy an optional center column, or at least generally leave it at home. If you buy an old one from eBay, even an old much heavier 1970s version still holds value, then note that somewhere in those days the 1/4'" and 3/8" thread specification got changed (the way it is cut - IIRC the speed in turns per inch are the same, but the fit is awkward between old and new).

Alternative to 2 second timer = remote trigger. Nothing too fancy, keep it simple. A tenner at most.

A tip i got long ago and sticked to it is always avoid using timer if your camera has exposure delay function as timer waits to trigger the mirror and introduces minor shake, but delay waits after the mirror has been flipped.. Not for the mirrorless of course :)

All excellent points. Another way to combat camera shake is to avoid raising the center post. It's like raising the camera on a flagpole, increasing the leveraging effect of the wind or vibrations on the camera. As a general rule, don't raise the center post if you don't have the tripod legs in their fully extended positions. Notice in the video that Henry fully extended the legs to position the camera at the desired height. In the setup with the large rock it looks like he had the center post raised an inch or two, which wouldn't impact the camera's stability very much due to the low, squat, positioning of the tripod legs.

Exposure delay mode is better because it include the mirror up action. You can see the difference during nightscape shooting. Self timer still have shutter shock.

Long, but IMO worth the read. Thanks. Good info and I love the second photo! I finally got one of my friends to consistently use her tripod and now she gives me the stink eye whenever she sees me with my camera off mine. I told her I need to find the composition first. Still get the stink eye. :-D Do you have the problem with the tripod sinking into the wet sand? I had to buy the foot cups b/c mine would sink fast enough that I could see it happening. My long (even long-ish) exposures weren't coming out. I have the 2 section CF version of that tripod and I have to say I regret purchasing it. Just as heavy as my old aluminum Vanguard plus I had/chose to find replacement feet with retractable spikes that would fit it. None are made for it so parts are for a different brand. +$40. Popping the column back down from it's horizontal position is a PITA. It has to be lined up perfectly or it won't go in. Whoever designed this didn't eat their Wheaties that morning. The thing that actually makes me *Really regret the purchase, so much so that I've considered throwing the tripod away more than once is the retaining ring on the bottom of the red part is so loose and floppy that it has fallen off so many times in the field. This causes the whole assembly to fall apart and tiny little parts to go flying away. A hands and knees search ensues. Putting it back together requires painfully pinching my fingertips and a lot of time. Last week when this happened I was so disheartened by the time I got it fixed that I just put everything away. I hate this tripod. I should just take out the center column, run a 3/8 eye bolt up through a washer and into the tripod head. Wouldn't be the first time I've done that. So an additional nugget of advise would be to get a tripod that isn't a POS and isn't going to make you not want to take photos. Also, put some gaffers tape around a leg of your tripod. You never know when you'll need it to lock down focus or tape up a broken finger. Both of which I've done. Velcro too so you don't have your remote shutter release dangling from the port on your camera.

Your calendar arrived at my home, in Melbourne, today, thank you. My wife uses a calendar for very important events like "put the bins out", so she's pleased. We're both from the UK so we'll enjoy looking at your images, particularly the snow scene in December when we're likely to be sweltering in the summer heat! Thanks for your work, Henry, your enthusiasm is in infectious.

I love the flat light of an overcast day. I'll spend more time thinking about tripod placement thanks to this video.

Buying and using a tripod has resulted in the single biggest improvement I have had in my photography. It slowed me down and made me think more about my settings/techniques and compositions.

Thank you for your video and lessons. As a student, I appreciate every bit of practical information on how to become a better photographer and being able to adapt to the circumstances of the moment without loosing focus on what I want to achieve. Your attitude is very Positive and Inspiring. With gratitude for your Time and the Work you do.🙏 THANK YOU!

Henry, ref your Tip No.3...I picked up tip from Mads Peter Iverson s while ago that in windy conditions turn the lens image stabilisation on (assuming you are using an IS lens). You probably will not need to alter ISO and aperture. I used this on some windy days in the Lake District and it worked fine. Just have to remember to turn the IS off when you have finished. Also keep your centre column down on windy days. Personally I hate tripods with centre columns but if you use one don't have the column sticking up or the wind blows it even more.

Thank You Henry! Just recently found and subscribed to your KZfaq channel and have been enjoying your content and enthusiasm ever since. I'm just getting reacquainted with photography and I appreciate your work. Thanks Again!

Very good advice.. I recently purchased a tripod for an upcoming trip.. Never knew about these tricks. Thank you, Henry

Love the second image! I hope your camera is ok and working again when you get your new lens!

Great stuff with the tripod suggestions. My only suggestion would be to take care not to trash the scene by putting your footprints all through the shot when you are walking around assessing the best location to shoot from

OK now I will use my tripod with confidence (and no blur due to pressing the shutter button with no timer, using VR, or having too low an ISO… yep, I did it all wrong). No wonder my tripod shots were blurry! Thanks so much!

Subscribed at 3:03. The rock at 13:42 is quite nice and way more than I expected from it based on The Weather. I will start by NOT getting the tripod out first, that's what I ALWAYS have done.

Nice simple images with impact Henry. Take care and stay safe during these weird times. Thank you for sharing useful tips.

As a rule of thumb, anything I shoot with my 70-200 gets a 10sec timer. Zoom in X10 in liveview and hit the shutter button, you’d be surprised how long it actually takes for the camera to stabilise, even on a calm day! I’d even consider using IS in mode 2 (panning) at longer focal lengths on a windy day whilst using a tripod 😉 Techniques are just as important as settings imho and when it comes to tripod use, it’s a pretty long list... Superb work as usual ‘H’, if you ever want to venture down to Leicester (when we are allowed to gather again of course), hit me up, it would be great to show you around one particular stunning location that I frequent 🙌

Really lovely shots and great tips! Thank you Henry.

Wonderful shot of the rock and small channels in the sand. Really enjoy your channel. Thanks.

I'm definitely guilty of setting up the tripod before I'm ready to take the shot, then faff for ages tweaking it. I've recently taken to using my phone to visualise shots :)

Love the video Harry .. one more tip I was told from a really good photographer a while ago is turn off IS on your lens when using a tripod as it will help with getting a sharper photo .. i know that sounds wrong but it does work

I also shoot in low levels as I heard and learned from someone else about the different angle of sights that we're not use to seeing it amazes us seeing!

The camera-shake from using the shutter button on your tripod can be more than "microscopic". It's worse with longer, heavier lenses. Instead of a self-timer I'm often using a remote app on my mobile btw.

Nice job, Henry. I haven’t read all of the comments yet so this may be redundant but I always tell people to NOT extend the center column up; you then have a monopod with three legs. Keep up the good work!

I use an Astronomy counterweight hung on the bottom of the tripod to prevent camera shake in windy conditions. Small, but heavy.

The suggestion that you make are very simple, but the simple things tend to be the very things we over look. It also seems that we look to overwork a solution. Thanks for highlighting about keeping it simple and pointing out the little things we may miss.

Thanks, Henry! Your tips and the follow-up tips in the Comments-all really good.

Knowing the amount of wind before you go out is useful. If it's not windy just about any lightweight tripod will do. I have the same tripod you have except aluminium. I take that when I need reasonable stability but even then it moves.

Your second advice is spot on. For the last few weeks I have been spending more time looking for a composition from different angles instead of just plonking the camera onto the tripod and taking a shot!!

Something worth consideration is how you extend the tripod legs. Rather than just extending them fully to the stop every time, see what happens if you extend the the legs fully then retract them a bit. my "max extension" is to fully extend the section then draw it in about 3-fingers or more. by shortening each section by 5-10cm, the overall tripod is much more rigid. another things that helps is to use the larger diameter upper sections for your extension more than the slender lower sections. in mud can see the value in using the lower leg a bit just to keep the clamps out of the mud or water. but that is also the weakest portion of the tripod leg.

Great tips Henry, especially upping the ISO to get the faster shutter speed in windy conditions, when is it ever NOT windy stood on a beach. Will certainly take that on board on next years trip to Orkney 👍 although I won’t have to worry about any trees in the landscape moving 😉

Good tips. Let me add one more: Hang a weight underneath! Most tripods have a hook for this very purpose. It helps prevent it falling over, and it also reduces the amount of vibration from the wind. It's very easy at the beach, you can just take an empty sandbag with you and fill it up when you get there... or just hang your camera bag on it. I'm surprised you didn't suggest this after the misfortune that befell your M50...

The best tips for using tripods....Fantastic.