Better, Stronger, Sharper

Beyond stability and sharper pictures, the greatest benefit I’ve found in using a tripod is that it makes me slow down. It forces me to evaluate a scene more carefully. Rather than snapping a shot and walking away, I observe a scene with much greater care. The slowing down of the picture-taking process has resulted in consistently better photographs. Before I commit to positioning my tripod, I look at varying aspects of a scene—lighting, contrast, tones and composition—without feeling as if I’m rushing.