Most people buy the recommended equipment to make their photography endeavors easier and more convenient, like the all-useful tripod. However, most standard tripods aren’t necessarily compact or easy to carry around.
Photographers who don’t or can’t lug around tripods can find it difficult to switch to photographing handheld. Fortunately, many camera accessories today can help you to get your dream shots, even without a tripod. In fact, there is a growing market for these products.
According to findings from Future Market Insights, the camera accessories market is expected to reach $12.34 billion in 2032, in line with innovations and advancements in technology.
Today, we’ll look at four alternative ways you can upgrade your photography equipment without a tripod.
Invest In A Quality Camera
Handheld photography can be tricky with shaky hands, especially when your camera is sporting a huge lens, or you’re just not used to holding anything bigger and heavier than your smartphone.
If you don’t have access to a standard tripod, having the right camera with the right features can help.
Among camera models, you could consider buying the Canon EOS R6 Mark II as it features an in-body image stabilizer, which offers up to eight stops of protection against camera shake when shooting handheld.
Most modern digital cameras will have built-in image stabilizers by default. Still, if you want to focus on handheld photography, investing in models that boast features such as fast AI autofocus and 5-axis optical stabilization won’t hurt.
It’s also important to note that the right camera for you depends on the kind of photography you will be doing. If you’re focused on portraits and landscapes, a good DSLR camera with features that can capture the most details will be a reasonable purchase. If your handheld photography will be mainly used for non-professional purposes, such as vacation pictures with friends and loved ones, a compact point-and-shoot may be enough and will be easier to stabilize without a tripod or special equipment.
Make Sure You Have Enough Storage
Photographers were once limited by how many rolls of film they had left, but these days, the storage on your memory card can make or break a shoot. Great tip to live by is to empty your memory cards.
It may seem trivial, but running out of storage in the middle of a shoot, or even before it starts, is a more common occurrence than you think.
Handheld photography is often more dynamic than still photography with tripods, which means you usually try to capture the action from different angles and distances quickly — something a lack of memory can ruin.
Getting a shot of a golden sunset can be difficult when you suddenly need to switch out memory cards or delete images to make space. Fortunately, memory cards these days come in much larger capacities, such as the Nextorage B1 Pro’s 1330GB capacity which boasts record-high read and write speeds for a smooth workflow.
A good photographer’s instinct relies on awareness of memory and storage. For that reason, it’s not always necessary to spend on the newest and most expensive memory cards.
Instead, building habits such as backing up and offloading your data regularly can prevent running out of storage at crucial photographic moments.
Look For Faster Shutter Speed
If you’re outdoors during daytime, a higher ISO setting will allow more light in, meaning a faster shutter speed will reduce the possibility of blurred, shaky pictures.
In contrast, lower ISO settings suggest you might have to hold your position longer when snapping, as your camera will let less light in. Models such as the Fujifilm X-T5 still use mechanical dials for core settings despite their digital capabilities, so you can always play with your ISO sensitivity while at a photoshoot.
Just keep in mind that higher ISOs will cause more exposed pictures — unless that’s what you’re going for.
Aside from shutter speed, you can also look into buying new lenses for your camera. Like the ISO setting, some lenses will allow more light in than others.
The lens’ focal length determines its field of view, meaning the greater the focal length, the more light enters. A wide-angle lens, for example, is perfect for landscape and nature photography as it will allow ample light in for more detailed results.
If you’re more of a portrait photographer, a telephoto lens will let you get close to your subjects, capturing every detail you need.
You are your own tripod
Lastly, no equipment will rival your own body. When taking handheld photos on your camera, try stabilizing yourself by leaning on a solid structure like a wall or a tree.
Depending on the angles you need, you can also get low on the ground and rest on your elbows. Sitting down and using your knees for your camera to rest on can also be helpful.
Remember, photography is an art, so be creative when getting your dream shot.