Emergency tripod? Piece of string!

The main problem of taking photos free-hand is that your hands aren’t particularly sturdy. Myself, I find using a heavier camera makes it a lot easier (the inertia of the camera means it is reluctant to move, so up to a point, a heavy camera is easier to hold still for the duration of a photographic exposure than a very light camera.), but what about lighter cameras?

The obvious answer is a tripod or a monopod, but these devices can be terribly heavy, and they are not particularly portable. One solution is to hold the camera against a surface (a tree, a building, or a signpost), but that doesn’t always work either, and none of these items offer an awful lot of flexibility.

How?

I often find myself thinking “Damn, if there was only a way to anchor the camera to the ground…”, and I recently found a solution that works: A String Tripod (also known as a Chainpod)!

It is a laughably simple device: You get a wing nut bolt (or anything that screws in) that fits into the tripod hole of your camera (you are looking for a bolt with 3.5×8″ threads), and drill a small hole into the bolt. Then, you attach a length of string to it, with a loop at the end. If you use the shearing lines available for tents, you can vary the length of the loop, and, as such, the height of the camera.

To use one of these string tripods, put your foot (or feet) through the loop, and pull the string taut against your foot. Now, out of nowhere, your camera will be a lot more stable, as it has an axis against which it cannot move (up/down). This means that you can hold the camera a lot calmer – you would be surprised how much of a difference this can make!

But… But…

Sure, it will never replace a proper tripod or monopod, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you gain a couple of stops on your shutter time by using this system. And the best thing? Making one of these is going to cost you less than a bottle of milk and a loaf of bread!

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Freehand with a fast shutter speed. Depends on what I’m doing, but I like to shoot as high a shutter as I can and lower depth of field to isolate the subject. I tend to shoot candids, and carrying a tripod either isn’t practical or can’t be set up fast enough to be of any use.

this is one of this things in photography. a tripod needs to have a certain weight. of course i hook on my back-back to the tripod to stabilize it. personally i believe a tripod needs to weigh at least 2.5kg to make a good job!

Problem with that poll is the variety of answers. I use almoust all of them. I have Tripod, monopod, minipod and DIY stingpod. Everyone of these is good for many places and purposes. Also efective flash that can be aimed to the roof to create nice looking illumination and reduce need for flash is also many times good answer. My Canon 5D can also shoot pretty usable pictures in quite dark with ISO 1600 setting and canon 50mm f/1.2L lens without any stabilizer. I also use trees, walls, roch etc… to stydy my camera. IS zool lens is also very usable in many cases. Only one of those alternatives that I do not use is Quadrapod. I think I need every one of those triks. They all have they benefits.

Still it is very good that you bring this thing up. Really important! Only thing that I did’t like were the choises in that poll.

If you make the string double so when tied down at the bottom ends, the resultant inverted V will add even more stability.

Also consider making up the V with some like a fish hook { like NOT equal } and if you measure for the right height for the camera to be at you eye, You hook the bottom of the string or strings to your shoe laces .

It also helps to fire the shutter after the exhale of your breath and before the inhale.

Bi pods work great!

Incredibly smart device.

Unless its technically covered by the IS zoom lens you forgot antishake sensor mounts or lense array. Thats what I use mostly on my new camera, works quite well. However I think the capturing mechanism is slower than what its rated but thats a different argument.

Mostly free hand I guess, I’ve been dying to make one of these ever since I went to the Sears Tower and they got after me quickly when I opened up my tripod. As my camera’s mount isn’t in line with the center of the Lens I don’t think I’ll try to take as many Panorama shots because of the multiplexing errors I’ll unavoidably get.

I agree with the VMethod talked about here and when i read about this however if I had the equipment and money I’d like to go fast lens and minor physical sensor adjustment all the time where freehand was acceptable.

The more stable chainpod with two strings (shaped like an inverted V) can be made even simpler by using a *loop* of string. Place both feet on the loop and spread your feet to shoulder width apart for a simple, stable chainpod.

Haje Jan Kamps

Haje is an author and editor of photography books: Always hunting for the perfect photo, or the most eloquent way of explaining why he didn't quite manage to capture the photo he wanted, but could have if he had tried harder.

When he was 16 years old, Haje discovered that there ... View Profile »