see the difference

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Clearly, I didn’t get a 2nd post up on Friday during the day.  Things were a bit..uh…crazy to say the least.  But crazy in a good way!!  More info soon! :)

So here are some comparisons on the difference in photo detail when using a tripod.  Also, the light bounce as really helped as well.  Now I can keep my ISO at a lower setting [higher quality, less noise] because more light is being bounced on the food.  Also the shutter speed can be set slower, [because it’s stabilized] which allows more light to come into the camera.

Here are some of the shots from yesterday, zoomed in and showing the original.

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Ahhh look at those lines!!  They look like wrinkles. :)

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Here are a few from the PB + Apple samich.

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Helloooo grainy bread!

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Now check out the zoomed IN view of some older non-tripod photos.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any with almonds to do a true comparison, but you can still see it.

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The larger version looked pretty clear, but taking a closer look, it’s fairly noisy.  Especially when you compare the detail in the coconut from the sandwich photo above.

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Standard bowl of oats.

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Zoomed in, the focus quality is sub-par.

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So there you have the difference in detail from using a tripod.  I used it again for all of my shots today.  I’m actually enjoying it!  It’s making me think about my shots longer before taking them, since I have to move around the tripod almost every single time. 

Tripods are fairly expensive.  A simple tripod is useful, but you really want one that you can adjust every little part of.  ie: changing height of legs, being able to rotate the head, angle the head, and move the head up and down. 

When looking for a tripod here are some things you want it to have:

  • adjustable legs that lock at any height
  • ability to shoot on uneven surface
  • heavy duty, high quality parts
    • Depending on what your uses are, weight might be really important to you.  For example if you hike with the tripod, you will want it to be fairly light. – However, be sure that if you get a light tripod it’s not just cheaply made.
  • pan tilt or ball head
    • ball head gives the most flexibility for moving the camera around while attached to the tripod
    • we have a 3-way pan tilt head

Basically the more your tripod can move around the more options you’ll have when shooting.

Here is the tripod we have.  They are not cheap!!!

[source]  This is $350 on Amazon.  Chris got a really good deal a few years ago on it for $200. 

Another buying option is to look for tripod legs [for instance these] and then buying a pan tilt or ball head to go with it.    

From what I’ve read, people say to save up and get a quality tripod from the start because you’ll regret your decision if not.  If you’re not ready to take the plunge of spending around $300 for a tripod, check out an option like this Gorillapod. 

[source]

This is a great option because the cost is low, and once you have enough money for a real deal tripod, you’ll still be able to use this one when traveling, hiking, etc.  Just remember since you obviously can’t extend the legs, you’ll always need a stable surface at varying heights for each particular photo shoot.