No Tripod
4/2022
Most of us shoot with a tripod, either all or most of the time. But tripods can be limiting, taking time to set up and often just not viable in some settings. Going without a tripod allows us to react to a scene faster and quickly adjust camera placement with fewer constraints. For this challenge, we asked you to show us your best handheld images. We want to congratulate the twelve photographers featured here, and hope that everyone enjoys this gorgeous collection. Thanks to everyone for participating, and make sure to enter our next challenge by using #spm_lookingup on Instagram through September 30, 2022.
A Moment of Solitude
Image by: Darian Putnam
The sun was starting to set later in the day, and I finally had some time to ride my bike around the lake after work. I didn’t want to bring too much gear, so I only brought my camera and wide-angle lens, leaving my tripod at home. I stopped for a water break in this spot and noticed one purple flower amongst the grass. As I got low to capture the flower, I liked how the tree branches pulled me towards the setting sun and, in that moment, I captured this image and then watched a beautiful sunset.
Quiet Sounds of Nature
Image by: Alexandre Berner
Fell in love with this place as soon as I saw it. Climbed the cliff looking for a spot where I could keep dry and emphasize the waves’ size by adding some foreground for scale. I usually shoot with a tripod, even when I don't need one. Fortunately, this time the tripod had no good place to be but in my backpack. I was free to listen to the images the waves were forming on the sensor as I slowly built up to the perfect moment I was looking for.
Ibis Between the Lines
Image by: Nelson Stegall Photography
Most of the time I am shooting off a tripod. I just recently purchased the Nikkor 200-500 and have been practicing my hand-holding. In this case, I was crawling around in the mangroves in south Florida following about 6 American White Ibis. A tripod would have been very cumbersome and the beating and banging would have disturbed the ibis.
Desert Defense
Image by: Brad North Photography
A tripod can be a useful tool when taking photographs, but I often find myself bringing one and almost never getting it out. With the advancement in stabilization, both bodies and lenses, and ISO performance, there’s rare times I would need a tripod. Without one, I feel like I can react to the scene or subject in a different way, acting on impulse for what interests me, without carrying all the extra weight.
Arbortrator
Image by: Jimmy Arcade
In planning for my wintery Yosemite trip, I had envisioned creating images of trees obscured by snowflakes. However, the atmospheric snowfall I hoped for was isolated to higher elevations. Yet, the trees were so heavily blanketed with snow that they would periodically drop huge amounts. Observing these mimicked snowflakes, I’d patiently wait for a tree to release its snow, then quickly turn my telephoto lens toward the tree. With virtually no time to compose, I had to forgo both a tripod and refined composition, relying heavily on instinct, intuition, and patience. I was delighted to create this unique, dynamic image.
Before the Hail
Image by: Lewis Nelson
As I was walking up this hill I could see the light doing some amazing things in the distance. I knew there was an opportunity for a photo if the clouds continued moving the way they were. I didn't bother running, just carried on patiently trudging up the hill. As I got to the top, I took the camera out of the bag, the sky opened up, and I took the shot. No tripod, no rush, no stress.
Evanescent
Image by: Julie Boyd
The ability to freeze time would certainly be a desirable superpower for most photographers. Extending golden hour or the beautiful hues of a sunrise or sunset could yield endless hours for creativity. Unfortunately, us mere mortals must work quickly when we notice something special about the light in a scene. This image was created during one such fleeting moment. As I was photographing a larger scene of a snowy mountain at sunset, I noticed the sun had illuminated a small patch of snow near me. I knew it wouldn't last long so I quickly took my camera off of my tripod and snapped this handheld so I would not miss the fleeting light.
Spring Hike
Image by: James Rodewald
On this late winter/early spring day, my son and I decided to head out for a hike during his brief weekend home from college. Photography wasn’t the goal that day, more so just a chance to soak up the time alone with him. That said, when he pointed out this patch of ice that caught his eye and he told me to shoot it I totally obliged. So yeah, iPhone 13 Pro in hand and a careful composition I came home with a nice hand-held memory of a beautiful morning spent together.
Rose Leaf Droplets
Image by: Julia Vaughan
When it rains (all too rare these days in California), I can’t resist taking out my macro lens to capture droplets. I delight in the compositional freedom that comes with hand-holding my camera for macro images. On this particular day, tripod-free photography allowed me to get the perfect angle to highlight the droplets on this rose leaf, illuminated by the diffuse light of an overcast sky at midday.
Ghostwood
Image by: Michele Sons
Before the very first of the sunrise light at Oconaluftee Overlook, I spied this pre-dawn woodland scene of pale trunks against the darker background and decided to shoot it handheld to introduce some blur into the scene. I love the cool blue-green tones and the texture makes me think of bamboo or skeletal shapes.
Farewell the Light
Image by: Patrick J Krohn/Once-Eyed Dog Studios
Each spring my daughter and I go into the azalea in our yard for a portrait shot. This year, when we were done, the sun was still highlighting a few of the blooms. The light was constantly shifting, as it would spotlight one set of blooms, then another. No time for a tripod that evening, as I moved from flower to flower like the bees that were buzzing around. I raised my ISO to 800, so I could hand hold as the blooms moved in the slight breeze and I quickly looked for good angles.
Liquid Luck
Image by: Kirsten Packer
I did not expect bluebird skies to give me golden conditions on my autumn visit to the creek. As I crouched down to the water to inspect some fallen leaves, I stepped into the wardrobe and fell down the rabbit hole into an entirely different realm. Swirls of blue and gold danced, conducted by oak leaves. I took this photograph handheld, as the best angle to capture the magical reflections involved me jamming myself under a giant fallen tree trunk. I was not doing the tripod tango in that situation!