Tripod Work

Most of my picture taking is hand held. These are at places with a lot of light. Mostly outside. Fast moving people on the street. I don't often have the luxury of using a tripod. And I don't really like the overhead of carrying one around, although I do have a little tiny mini one that I occasionally don't use either.

But, I had an assignment to photograph the inside of a fabulous old church. I don't usually care much for churches, but this one was kind of special. It was built in 1914 and was just incredibly interesting with its stain glasses and multiple balconies. I had the place completely to myself.

I was left to my own devices pretty much for lighting and had to hunt down where the switches were. I finally found an electric panel in a back room. But, they control only a little bit of light. This meant, that I would need the tripod that I had brought along with me to take time exposures of the interior. This would be the first time I used it in years.

Even though it was very dark inside, taking these long shots made it look fully lit. Each shot would take 20 or 30 seconds in addition to the time to setup. But, it helped challenge me to think about the pictures differently. (I'm not usually that patient when I shoot).

Because it was pouring rain outside, I will need to take exteriors on a different trip. I won't need a tripod (but just may bring one anyway).