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Colorado Adventure and Editorial Photographer

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When and how to use a monopod.

April 18, 2017 • Shooting Tips

I just returned from shooting in Mexico, and much of my time was spent aboard a boat.  Since I knew I would be photographing wildlife like dolphins, whales and birds, I brought along my 500mm F4.  This lens is incredibly sharp, and I love how the background blurs at F4 with wildlife photos.  But all the wildlife I was going to be photographing would be moving quickly and unpredictably on both sides of the boat.  Obviously a tripod wouldn’t work, and hand holding this lens only works for awhile until your arm feels like it is going to fall off.  What to do…enter the monopod.

I’ll admit I don’t use a monopod very frequently.  Generally I use my 500mm with a sturdy Really Right Stuff tripod and gimbal head.  But shooting from a boat is one situation I use my monopod.  A monopod takes the weight off my arms, is very portable for fast moving shots, and it gives you an amazing amount of stability.  Combined with VR image stabilization, I produced a lot of tack sharp images shooting from the boat using a monopod.

Fort Collins, CO.

Monopod technique is pretty straightforward.  I attach my lens to a Really Right Stuff MH-01 monopod head mounted on the monopod.  This head only tilts back and forth, no side to side movement, which is better than using a normal ball head.  Extend the monopod to eye level, spread your feet apart to form a tripod between feet and monopod, and you are ready to go.  I grab the handle on my monopod and camera to hold the setup.  Monopods take some practice, but if you need fast portable stability for a long lens, monopods are the answer.

 

 

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