A tripod is an essential tool if you are into food and product photography. It is necessary to click everything from flatlays to stop motion videos. Tripods also provide stability. Choosing a tripod can be daunting for many, considering how many types and choices are available in today’s market. It is crucial to choose a tripod that best suits your needs. The images you click should look professional and effortless. But which tripod should one opt for?
We at boy.eatsworld have curated a list of the best food and photography tripods to help make this easier.
Why is a tripod vital for photography?
There are three reasons why every food photographer must own a tripod:
- Images shot using a tripod are Sharper: The tripod stabilises your camera and avoids the camera shake that your hands would cause. Stable equipment produces crisp images even when capturing long exposures. It enables you to keep the ISO low and use a slower shutter speed.
- Tripods lead to efficient compositions and styling: These two are key whilst shooting food or products. When you fix your frame, it gets tedious to constantly put down and pick up the camera. Using a tripod will help you style and compose your photos swiftly and work efficiently.
- Tripods create precision and consistency: It is impossible to achieve consistent shots without a tripod. Using a marker or tape to mark the tripod’s placement is a great photography hack. That way, you’d get multiple shots from the same position.
Factors to consider before investing in a tripod:
Some tripods are heavy, made of carbon fibre, with different parts and accessories.
Tripod portability and construction
Weight is one of the most important factors when choosing a tripod. You want to invest in equipment that is light, portable and easy to carry. But, tripods are generally heavy and occupy space. So it is important to choose something that truly works for you and your working style.
The lightest tripods are made of carbon fibre, which is super stable, long-lasting, stable and doesn’t rust. Whilst carbon fibre is the best material for a tripod, it comes with a hefty price tag.
The next best material is aluminium. It is heavier than carbon fibre. Today, most cheaper variants are made using aluminium.
In terms of total weight, go for a tripod that measures 2.3 kgs without the head. Usually, carbon fibre legs weigh between 1.3 to 1.8 kgs. Aluminium legs can be between 2.3 to 2.7 kgs. Another option is the basalt lava tripod which weighs and costs in between the other two.
Which bracket and/or provision for overhead lateral arm
Investing in a tripod with a detachable L bracket and an overhead lateral arm is super important for photography of this genre. A lot of food and product shots are flatlays or overhead shots and you simply cannot make do without this feature.
Which one should you buy? A monopod or tripod?
Monopods and tripods offer more support than shooting handhelds. Whilst they are similar, they have major differences too.
A tripod is more stable whilst a monopod is more mobile. A tripod has three legs. Whereas, a monopod has just one leg. One may be better suited to your working style. But, you may want to use both in certain situations.
Now that you have a fair understanding of the tools. Let us take a look at some great models that you can buy
- Amazon Basics Tripod
If you are looking to invest in your first tripod, this is a great buy. It’s affordable and does the job just right. Try experimenting with this first and once you are confident with using tripods, you can always upgrade. - Vanguard Tripod VEO 3+ 263CB
This is a high end, durable tripod that will last for ages. It also has a built-in L bracket which is a bonus. - Manfrotto MK055XPRO3-BHQ2
Another game-changer in the world of photography is Manfrotto. Italian made and simply brilliant, this is luxury.
To choose the perfect tripod for food and product photography, check out multiple options. Get a feel of how they look, feel and function.
Incorporating a tripod might take some getting used to. But it will help you step up your food photography game so incredibly that you’ll wonder why you didn’t invest in one earlier!
Hi! How are you today?
My name is Sohail Nath and I welcome you to my happy place, @boy.eatsworld.
This blog, my creativity’s nest covers travel inspirations, authentic yet homemade recipe and food blogs.
