Mar 31, 2022

[Photography] 5 Tips for Beautiful Dark Food Photography

The post 5 Tips for Beautiful Dark Food Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.

tips for incredible dark food photography

Dark food photography has become wildly popular over the last few years. But while dark food photos look amazing, they’re not so easy to create – unless you have a bit of insider’s knowledge, that is!

That’s why, in this article, I share my favorite tips, tricks, and secrets for moody food photography, including:

  • How to select the best props and backgrounds for that stunning “dark” look
  • How to light your food photos for a moody effect
  • How to determine the right settings for top-notch image quality

I also share plenty of dark food photography ideas and examples along the way, so you know exactly what you can achieve in your own food images.

Let’s dive right in, starting with Tip #1:

1. Use dark, nonreflective props and backgrounds

In dark food photography, you should aim to keep the background in shadow and draw the viewer’s attention to the main subject. Therefore, it’s essential that you choose dark or muted props, surfaces, and backgrounds.

You see, white or light dishes and props will draw the eye away from the food and create too much contrast, which is distracting (plus it can be difficult to expose correctly).

So when sourcing props, look for vintage utensils with a patina, which will limit reflections. Matte dishes are also good – the matte surface dampens down reflections – and are best in darker, neutral tones.

utensils with a patina for dark food photography

Some good places to look for these items are thrift shops and flea markets; there, you can often find dark food photography props for a fraction of the price you would pay for them new. Many food photographers use old, mottled cookie sheets in their work, which create surfaces and backgrounds that look great and only subtly reflect the light.

Wood is also a great material for backgrounds and props. Try to find weathered items such as old cabinet doors or old tabletops, which will keep reflections to a minimum and lend a beautiful rustic feel.

Pro tip: Ensure that the wood you use isn’t too warm toned. Warm-toned wood will turn an unflattering orange in your images. A deep espresso color, on the other hand, always looks great.

a dark food photography flat lay

2. Keep your styling authentic

You’ll generally come across two types of food photography styling:

  1. Clean styling, where every item of food is carefully positioned (often atop a pure-white surface!) and all extraneous elements are removed.
  2. Organic styling, where the food is perfectly imperfect, with scattered crumbs or artfully placed smears and drips, as if the food has only just been freshly prepared.

And while clean styling tends to work great for advertising photography, organic styling is better for creating a looser, more organic, more authentic style, and that’s what I’d recommend for your dark food photography.

Don’t get sloppy, of course – every food item should be placed deliberately – but try to make the styling look casual and random, yet still artful.

soup on a dark table

For the carrot ginger soup image (above), I gently swirled cream on the soup surface and carefully placed the croutons off-center to create a focal point. I garnished the soup with pepper and thyme leaves, and I also scattered these on the background surface. While a counter or dinner table would never look quite like this in reality, such extra touches give the food composition an honest, storytelling quality, plus they frame and enhance the main subject.

My best advice?

Think about the ingredients you used in the food. Ask yourself how you can incorporate flour, sugar, spices, etc., in a way that makes compositional sense and complements your main subject.

lentil soup moody food photography

3. Shape and carve the light

If you want to produce moody food photography, you must shape and carve the light to achieve a dark effect while bringing attention to your subject.

I recommend you work with sidelight and/or backlight to create a lovely moody look. And to prevent harshly lit areas, you should use indirect lighting, so that no light sources point directly at the set or the food. (If you plan to do naturally lit food photography, then place the food setup at an angle to the window so that no light streams in and hits the scene directly.)

You should then add in small black reflector cards – you can use black cardboard or posterboard cut into squares – to kick in shadows as needed. Simply place these around your set where you want to cut down the light. Note that you will need to play around with different sizes and placements of the reflector cards to get shadows that work with your story.

For the images displayed below, I wanted the mushrooms to be bright and catch some of the light, yet I wanted shadows to fall on the plate. I used side-backlighting (notice the bright spot in the upper-right corner?) to illuminate the mushrooms, then I placed a black card at the front of the setup, angled to create shadows and absorb some of the light that was coming directly into the shot.

mushroom toast display

4. Don’t be afraid to underexpose

Photographers, especially beginners, often obsess over nailing the perfect exposure

…but for dark food photography, I’d actually recommend you underexpose deliberately for a shadowy effect.

You don’t want to underexpose too heavily – the shadows shouldn’t lose detail completely – but it often pays to drop the exposure by a fraction of a stop or even a full stop. The edges of the frame and the background will fall into shadow, and you’ll get a beautifully moody look.

For the best result, you’ll need to place the main food items in the brightest part of the frame; that way, they’ll remain well exposed even as the rest of the image goes dark. (Make sure that the highlights aren’t blown out, however!)

A couple of additional food photography settings tips:

You’ll want to select your aperture based on artistic considerations (i.e., do you want the entire frame to be sharp? Or do you want a shallow depth of field effect?) and keep your ISO low to avoid noise. If you’re working with natural light, you’ll generally need to adjust your exposure with your shutter speed.

Therefore, it’s best to use a tripod, especially if you’ll be shooting in natural light. With a tripod, you can increase the exposure time to a second or more – and as long as you have some light, you’ll get a properly exposed picture (or properly underexposed picture if you follow my advice!).

If you do shoot at a shutter speed below 1/80s or so, I’d recommend using a timer or a remote release to prevent camera shake and keep your images tack-sharp.

olive oil food photography

5. Spice up your dark food photography with post-processing

Dark and moody food photography generally looks great straight out of camera, but if you want the absolute best results, then you should spend a bit of time post-processing your food images.

In particular, use color luminance sliders to brighten colors individually, and use global and local adjustments to bring out the best in the food. Avoid bumping up the exposure of the whole image, which may cause your shadows to look unpleasant; instead, use the Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks sliders to make global exposure corrections, and consider using adjustment brushes, graduated filters, and radial filters to make more targeted adjustments.

lentil soup arrangement

And always remember:

Warm colors move forward, whereas cool colors recede. The best food photography has a balance of both, which enhances the three-dimensional feel – so spend time playing with the white balance to get the perfect result. Split-toning can also work great as long as it’s applied with subtlety.

Finally, no matter how you carve the light, a bit of a vignette will add extra mystery, and it’ll also prevent the eye from wandering out of the frame. So if you’re after an especially moody effect, try applying a vignette as a finishing touch.

Dark food photography tips: final words

Chili on a wooden table

Well, there you have it:

5 tips, tricks, and techniques for dark and moody food photos!

Remember my advice, practice working with the light, and you’ll be capturing stunning shots in no time at all.

Now over to you:

Which of these tips will you apply first? What food do you plan to photograph? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Table of contents

Food Photography

The post 5 Tips for Beautiful Dark Food Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.



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Mar 30, 2022

[Photography] The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

The post The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

the best Photoshop actions (free and paid)

Looking for the best Photoshop actions to enhance your editing? You’ve come to the right place.

You see, the perfect action will save you time and improve your images – but there are so many options on the market that it’s often difficult to find the right one.

That’s why I’ve written this article, which details the top 20 Photoshop actions available in 2022, including options for creating painterly effects, applying a vintage look, turning your photos into triptychs, and so much more. Some of the actions are free, some are paid, and all are amazing.

You’re guaranteed to find one – or several! – actions that you love, so let’s dive right in, starting with:

1. Painterly Action Set

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

The Painterly Action Set was created by BlackNull for Adobe Create, and it’s free to use on personal and commercial work. With it, you can add texture to your photos for a gorgeous hand-painted effect.

Before running the action, you will need to install the included brushes. Note that the action has been tested in Photoshop CC and on images up to 5000 pixels. There are lots of ways to customize this action, so make sure you read the instructions or watch the video tutorial to understand your options. Alternatively, just give it a try and see if you like the default settings.

2. AI Skin Retouching Actions

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

If you’re into portrait retouching, this pack of skin retouching actions will save you lots of time. It contains a whopping 34 actions, which let you mattify skin, reduce pores, heal blemishes, airbrush, and more with professional-level results.

Most of the actions are powered by artificial intelligence, so you will need Photoshop CC 2018 or newer. Of course, the non-AI actions can be used with older Photoshop versions, but you’ll miss out on many of the best ones. The actions also work in layers, so they’re non-destructive.

3. Graffiti

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

The paid Graffiti action helps you to transform any image into stunning street art in no time at all. The action also includes a pop-up effect, where part of the image appears to be coming out of a wall (see the image above!).

All the layers remain separate so you can fully customize the effect, and it works well with Photoshop CS as well as Photoshop CC.

4. Out of Bounds

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

You may have heard of this “pop-out” effect, which essentially makes your subject pop out of the frame! The Out of Bounds Photoshop action gives you two choices: You can make the subject come out of a flat photo, or you can make the subject come out of a curled photo. You can also customize the frame size, color, and perspective. 

At some point, you’ll need to indicate which parts of the photo should be positioned out of bounds. Other than that, it’s a completely automated process and very easy to use. If you have any problems, there’s a link to a video tutorial on the download page. 

5. Deep Matte

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

The (free!) Deep Matte Photoshop action desaturates and lowers the contrast of your photos for a beautiful matte effect. It’s a great way to create a subtle vintage look, and I highly recommend you try it on portraits, street shots, and travel shots.

Deep Matte is compatible with Photoshop CC 2014 or later, and it’s also available as great Lightroom preset.

6. Cross Process

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Cross processing is a lab technique used in film photography; it works by applying the wrong type of chemicals to your film, which allows you to deliberately alter the look of the image. Happily, you can replicate this effect in Photoshop!

Here, you’ll find many cross-processing Photoshop actions. They create different effects by adjusting the curves, hues, brightness, and saturation of your images. Before downloading, check out the Before and After samples, though you can always get them all (they’re free!).

7. Polaroid Generator 4

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Polaroid Generator 4 is free but available through Deviant Art, which means you need to be a member to log in and hit the Download button. Fortunately, Deviant Art’s free account allows you to download free resources offered by the community. 

The main actions contained in the Polaroid Generator 4 pack include six Impossible PX600 effects, four Impossible PX680 effects, four Polaroid Type 600 effects, and four Polaroid Time Zero effects. There are also some conditional actions to try, such as Extra Emulsion, Frame Polaroid, etc. 

8. Reduce Motion Blur

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

When you’re photographing handheld with slower shutter speeds, your images might end up blurry. It’s bound to happen eventually – if you run into an amazing photo opportunity and don’t have your tripod or lighting prepared, for instance.

That’s what the Reduce Motion Blur action is for: It’s designed to handle any unwanted motion blur. Plus, it’s totally free!

9. Pencil Draw

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Want to make your photos look as if they were drawn with a pencil? This Pencil Draw action is exactly what you need. The action is fully customizable, and you just need to adjust the value of the Gaussian Blur filter to fine-tune the effect to your liking. 

You can download the action for free if you’re a Deviant Art member (even if you only have a free account). 

10. Black and White

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Black and White allows you to turn your color pictures into high-contrast monochrome images. There is an added effect to mimic the grain of film photography, and the cream color adds warmth and additional light to the photo.

Each layer is fully customizable so that you can adjust the effect to your liking. As with the other Deviant Art actions on this list, Black and White is free to download if you’re part of the Deviant Art community. The basic account is free and gives you access to this and other freebies offered by community members.

11. Comic Oil Paint

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

The Comic Oil Paint package includes 10 different comic filters to help you transform your images into beautiful illustrations with one click. The action works non-destructively, so your original images remain untouched and you can tweak the effect on separate layers.

You can buy three different types of licenses for this Photoshop action (Personal, Commercial, and Extended Commercial); I recommend you read the conditions carefully before you buy and choose the license that best suits your needs.

12. Triptych Generator

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Triptych Generator splits your image into three canvases so that you can share it – or print it! – as a triptych. There’s even a 3D visual-effect generator that allows you to preview how the triptych would look when printed.

There are three print sizes available, and the download is completely free. 

13. Infrared Photo Effect

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

If you love the look of infrared photography but you don’t have an infrared-converted camera, then you’re going to love this pack of actions. Download the Infrared Photo Effect pack, and you’ll get eight actions to create gorgeous infrared effects. You can choose from red, orange, yellow, purple, and pink colors, and you even get a black and white version, plus – for the more adventurous photographers! – there are faded and surreal options.

14. Removing White Background

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Removing White Background is designed to help you remove white backdrops from your photos – even if the background pattern is complicated. The free download includes three actions that use alpha channels to speed up the process, and you’ll find instructions to download and install it on the action Download page.

15. Real Snow Photoshop Action

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Looking to add some realistic snow to your winter or Christmas photos? This is the action for you. The Real Snow pack features 3 excellent actions and 10 color presets, perfect for giving your shots that stunning wintry look.

Note that you can run the same action repeatedly and obtain different results, so I encourage you to have fun experimenting. The action is applied in layers so that you keep your original intact, and you can always customize the effect just the way you want it. 

16. Vintage Leak

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Vintage Leak is a free action, but it’s part of a 62 pack featuring multiple light leaks and vintage effects. This action introduces a red-yellow light leak on the left of your image and uses Curves adjustments to give a beautiful vintage look, though if you like the results, you should consider purchasing the entire pack.

Note that every step is created in a separate layer, so you can modify each step individually and customize the look to your liking.

17. Bent Photos

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Remember the days of printed photos, when you’d have a print lying on your desk and it would curve slightly with time and use? That’s what this amazing Photoshop action recreates.

Specifically, the download includes three actions, designed to produce the perfect bending effect by changing the amount and direction of the curvature. The actions also add white borders and realistic shadows to give your images the most print-like effect. The action is completely free, and it’s compatible with Photoshop CS4 to CC 23.1.1 and Photoshop Elements 15 to 2022.

18. Night to Twilight

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

Night to Twilight is a freebie meant to promote a paid package of twilight effect actions, but you can always grab just the free action – which will brighten your night photos to recover details and create a blue-hour vibe.

You can increase or decrease the intensity of the effect by adjusting the layer opacity. Of course, if you like the results and you do night photography often, consider the paid Pro version with its 11 different twilight actions.

19. Animated Glitch

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

If you want to give your photos a glitchy, futuristic vibe, then the Animated Glitch action is the way to go. Simply open your image, apply the action, and you’ll produce a video sequence with glitch effects. You can then create variations using Photoshop’s timeline and any of the 12 color options.

There’s a detailed video that explains how to use and modify the action, and the results can be saved as images, GIFs, or videos.

20. Tiny Planet

The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

The Tiny Planet action creates, well, tiny planets with a single click. The action works with any photo, but certain images are more suitable images than others.

Happily, the download is completely free and the license is for personal and commercial use, though you do need to give attribution – so make sure you check the license agreement before you download.

How do you pick the right action?

Actions automate a series of steps to save you time and effort. Therefore, the best Photoshop actions should handle an effect or process you do often. If you frequently dodge and burn your landscape photos, a landscape dodge-and-burn action may be a big help – but you certainly don’t need a skin retouching action, even if it’s the best of its kind.

Also, before downloading an action, consider the similarity between your photos and the sample images displayed by the action creator. If your images are significantly different, don’t expect perfect result, but if your photos are quite similar, then you can feel confident the action will work well.

Last but not least, make sure every action you download is compatible with the version of Photoshop you work with; it’s no use buying an action only to learn that it won’t work with your software.

Are actions worth it?

The short answer is yes, actions are worth using – whether that involves freely downloading them, buying them, or making your own.

Of course, some photographers will get more use out of actions than others. If you rarely edit in Photoshop, or you rarely edit your photos, period, then actions may be more trouble than they’re worth.

On the other hand, if you’re a frequent Photoshop editor and you want to speed up your editing, an action may be exactly what you need.

Also, if you’re a beginner photographer and your Photoshop skills aren’t top-notch, actions can be a great way to get otherwise unachievable results with just one click.

The best Photoshop actions: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you’ve hopefully found a handful of actions to use in your own editing workflow.

So grab your favorite actions, hit that “Download” button, and test them out! See what kinds of effects you can produce. And have fun!

Now over to you:

Which amazing Photoshop actions do you plan to get? Do you have any additional actions to recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Best Photoshop action FAQs

Where can I find Photoshop actions?

Action roundups – like the one in this article – are a great way to find the best actions. You might also consider joining a creative community such as Deviant Art or visiting a marketplace like Envato. Finally, some professional photographers and retouchers offer actions on their websites.

Can I create my own Photoshop actions?

Yes! You can record any set of steps in Photoshop and save them as an action. You can then apply the action to another image or use it for batch editing.

Are Photoshop actions compatible with all Photoshop versions?

Not necessarily. When you download a Photoshop action, it usually indicates its Photoshop compatibility. This generally includes a list of versions the action has been tested in, though note that it still may work in other Photoshop versions, too.

Do I lose my actions when I upgrade to a newer version of Photoshop?

No. When you upgrade Photoshop, all extra assets like actions, brushes, fonts, etc., remain present. However, it is possible that an action won’t be compatible with the newer version of Photoshop (though this doesn’t happen very often).

How do I apply a Photoshop action?

Open the Actions panel (if you can’t see it, enable it in the Window menu). Browse your actions and select the one you want. Then click the Play button at the bottom of the panel.

Are Photoshop actions free?

You can find free and paid actions online. Free actions are often samples from a paid pack of multiple actions and assets such as brushes.

The post The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.



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Mar 29, 2022

[Photography] How to Buy a Photography Tripod: 6 Features to Consider

The post How to Buy a Photography Tripod: 6 Features to Consider appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

dps-tripod-buying-guide

Are you struggling to choose the perfect photography tripod? You’re not alone.

There are hundreds of tripods on the market today, all with different features and price points, so if you’re new to the world of tripod photography, then picking the ideal tripod might seem impossible.

Fortunately, choosing a tripod isn’t as difficult as you might think. I’ve spent plenty of time purchasing tripods in the past, and in this article, I share all my tripod-buying knowledge. More specifically, I highlight the six tripod features you should consider before hitting that “Buy” button.

By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll feel far less overwhelmed – and you’ll be ready to purchase a tripod of your very own.

Let’s do this!

Best tripod for beginners

Why do you need a tripod?

Before you choose a tripod, it’s essential that you identify why you want that tripod in the first place – because different tripods are designed for different purposes, and you don’t want to end up with the wrong product.

For instance, do you need a tripod for landscape photography to use in rough conditions (e.g., shooting in the wind and rain)? Do you need a tripod for studio product work? Do you need a tripod for group-portrait selfies? Or do you need a tripod for the occasional travel photography shot?

So ask yourself:

Why does a tripod matter to me? What will I use it for?

And once you’ve answered, proceed with the rest of the article.

Waterfall tripod photo

1. Payload (or load capacity)

The first feature to consider when buying a photography tripod is its payload, also known as its maximum load capacity.

In other words: How much weight can the tripod support?

If you’re shooting with a large setup – such as a telephoto lens on a full-frame DSLR – then you’ll need a tripod with a huge load capacity, especially if you plan to work in windy conditions.

On the other hand, if you plan to shoot with a small prime lens or even a smartphone camera, then you can get away with a much weaker tripod.

To determine the minimum acceptable payload for your needs, consider the heaviest camera setup that you plan to use (including accessories, such as flashes and wireless receivers). Individual equipment weights can easily be found via a Google search.

For example, my Sony A7R III body weighs 23.2 oz (657 grams), while my heaviest lens, the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8, weighs 52.16 oz (1480 grams). So my heaviest camera setup would be 75.36 ounces (2137 grams), and any tripod I buy should have a payload of at least that amount.

It is also important to consider the payload of the tripod head (or if you don’t plan to use a separate head, the piece that attaches your camera to the tripod legs). After all, you don’t want to buy ultra-strong tripod legs only to purchase a weak head! Note that some tripods come with a head included, and while this can generally be replaced by a stronger option, it will add to the cost – so be sure to look into heads and their payloads before buying.

Best tripod for beginners

2. Tripod minimum and maximum height

All tripods have a minimum and maximum height, which is expressed in their product descriptions. The minimum height is the lowest the tripod will position a camera, while the maximum height is the highest the tripod will position a camera.

Now, not all photographers need an ultra-tall tripod (which tend to be heavier and/or cost extra). And not all photographers need an ultra-low tripod, which is good for getting down into position for landscape and macro work but generally useless for routine portrait photography.

So think about what kind of subjects you’ll be photographing, and ask yourself:

What is the optimal height for my preferred genres of photography?

Here are a few genres where a tall tripod can be useful:

  • Landscape photography
  • Architecture photography
  • Sports photography
  • Portrait photography

And here are a few genres where a low tripod can be useful:

  • Landscape photography
  • Architecture photography
  • Wildlife photography
  • Macro photography

Of course, the specifics will depend on your photography style and interests, so don’t feel you must follow the lists I’ve laid out.

Note: If you are tall, get a tripod that can reach your eye level, as shooting from a bent position for hours on end is extremely uncomfortable. And if you plan to shoot tall subjects, a tall tripod is an absolute must-have as working from below your subject’s eye level will give you unflattering results.

Best tripod for beginners

3. Overall stability

Next, you should consider a tripod’s overall stability (and your stability needs).

Yes, this partially involves the payload or weight capacity mentioned above, which will give you a good idea of whether the tripod can support your camera and lens combination. But there are other features that can affect tripod stability.

For instance, some tripods come with retractable or removable spikes in the tripod feet. These provide extra stability by sticking into the dirt or soft ground and are essential if you plan to shoot outside on rough terrain.

Other tripods come with a retractable hook at the center, which lets you hang weight to stabilize your setup when shooting in rough conditions. Attaching a heavy sandbag to the hook is often the optimal option, but you can also get creative in a pinch (e.g., you can hang a heavy water bottle or even your camera bag).

If you plan to do serious landscape photography (or even nighttime cityscape photography), these extras can be a lifesaver – but if you mostly plan to shoot indoors, such features probably aren’t worth considering.

Best tripod for beginners

4. Tripod weight and folded length

If you plan to travel with your tripod or use it on the go, you’ll need to consider the overall weight and folded length of the tripod.

You see, while large, heavy tripods tend to be very stable, they’re also very difficult to carry (imagine lugging around a 5-pound tripod while trekking through the mountains; it’s not fun!).

So you need to strike a balance between stability and weight.

Now, the easiest way to reduce weight while keeping optimal stability is by purchasing a carbon fiber tripod. Most tripods are made of aluminum, which is cheaper but very heavy, and carbon fiber is the pricier but lighter alternative.

For the frequent traveler or hiker, a carbon fiber tripod is generally worth the extra cost – but if you’ll be shooting almost exclusively in a studio, an aluminum tripod shouldn’t be a problem.

Also, if you plan to travel by plane, consider the folded length of your tripod. Some tripods are designed to be portable, and they can easily fit in a suitcase; other tripods tend to be long and unwieldy, even when folded completely, and these models are not ideal for the frequent flyer.

Finally, consider the overall ease of folding the tripod. Most tripod legs come in three sections, which means that they get taller with each section you open. Some tripods, however, can come with two leg sections or even five leg sections. More leg sections equate to a longer setup and takedown time, which can be a problem if you’re often shooting in a rush.

Oh, and look at the tripod-locking mechanism, too. Most tripods use a twist-lock mechanism, which can get confusing about the direction you need to twist to lock or unlock the legs, while other tripods have a simple flip-lock mechanism that is much easier to use:

Best tripod for beginners

5. Tripod head and plate quality

As I mentioned above, some tripods come with heads, while other tripods are just legs (i.e., you’ll need to purchase the head separately). So before you buy, make sure you know what you’re getting!

Of course, like tripod legs, tripod heads can be light or heavy, strong or weak. Carefully evaluate prospective tripod heads according to your needs, and be ready to pay big bucks for the sturdiest, most rugged heads.

What type of head is best?

That really depends on your needs. A ball head is the most common type of tripod head, and it allows for 360-degree rotation. While a ball head offers incredible flexibility, many ball heads, especially cheap or low-quality ones, will slip over time and become less stable. Thus it may be worth buying a high-end ball head or looking at another type of head to use on your tripod. Other options include pan-and-tilt heads and pistol-grip tripod heads (the latter are technically ball heads but with a clever twist).

Note that pretty much every large tripod allows you to replace the tripod head with one of your choosing, so if you don’t like the first head you buy, you do have the option to switch to another (though the expense is often considerable!).

Best tripod for beginners

And don’t forget to consider the quality and type of the tripod plate, which is the piece that mounts directly to your camera. Arca-Swiss type plates are one of the most common and universal options, but they’re generally tightened with an Allen wrench. On the other hand, there are tripod plates that feature twist screws, and you can secure these without an extra tool.

6. Extra features

When buying a photography tripod, I’d also encourage you to consider any useful extra features; some tripods include bells and whistles, such as:

Tripod-to-monopod conversion

Some tripods allow you to easily convert the tripod into a monopod by simply removing one leg and attaching it to the center column. If you shoot sports or simply like the idea of working with a more flexible support system, this can be a handy feature.

A 90-degree center column

Some tripods feature center columns that can flip up and sit on the tripod at 90 degrees. It’s a great way to shoot flat lay food or product photography, and it’s also useful for macro photography.

A built-in bubble level

These days, many cameras feature an electronic bubble level, but it always helps to have a physical bubble level to ensure your camera is straight. Some tripods include bubble levels built into the center column or head:

Best tripod for beginners

A carrying case

Some tripods come with a carrying case for easy transportation. If you plan to travel frequently, this is always a nice addition, though you do have the option to purchase a carrying case separately.

How to buy a photography tripod: final words

There are plenty of tripods to choose from, and finding the right one can often seem daunting.

Hopefully, this tripod buying guide has helped you narrow down your options – so that you can capture sharp, well-supported images!

Now over to you:

Which tripod do you plan to buy? Which features matter to you most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post How to Buy a Photography Tripod: 6 Features to Consider appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.



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