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Category: Action & Sports Pictures

Photography Question 

Sebastian J. Scalora
 

Tripod Vs. Monopod


 
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Sebastian J. Scalora

 
  Chris Houston
Chris Houston
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Sebastian J. Scalora

 
 
Well, I have this nice 28-300mm lens and I finally have been able to make it down to the fields for some NFL action! Of course, I know that I should be using a monopod like everyone else but my first chances on the fields were unexpected and it showed. Many of the high zoom shots had blur... duh... I expected it. But my question is why not use a tripod on the field? It is sooooo much more stable than the monopod. Is it because a monopod is easier to aim and move?


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January 18, 2008

 

John Rhodes
  Sebastian, I suspect (and this is a guess) is that tripods aren't allowed along the sidelines for safety reasons, both for the players and photographers. I've seen too many games where a player was forced out of bounds at high speed and plowed photographers down left and right. Imagine getting tangled up in a tripod. Plus, as you said, you cannot follow action fast enough with a tripod.


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January 18, 2008

 

Sebastian J. Scalora
  Thank you for your input.


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January 18, 2008

 

Oliver Anderson
  No tripods allowed at 49rs and Raiders games. Sebastian, next time on the field, rent a faster 300mm, 400mm or 500mm lens, and you'll capture some INSANE images.


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January 20, 2008

 

robert G. Fately
  Sebastian, the blurriness in your shots has to do with the motion of the subjects more than anything else; you need to do as Oliver suggests and get some fast glass down there.
The real reason to use the monopod is to give your arms a break in terms of holding up that large lens - it's really not about steadying the camera to avoid blur. I mean, it might help a little, but even if you had a tripod on those shots, they'd be blurred due to the players' motion - so you need a faster shutter speed, which means you need faster glass.


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January 20, 2008

 

Oliver Anderson
  I find the carbon fibre monopods are best to WHACK opposing players. You need them to be lite in order to be able to quickly smack the shins of the Saints opponents...ask Tanya Harding...steel is just so lame.


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January 20, 2008

 

Sebastian J. Scalora
  to Oliver A:

LOL oh my.. LOL I know what you mean!!! the head shots do nothing due to the helmets but if you put out the spikes on a tripod you have three spears with which to gaff as opposed to one!!!!


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January 21, 2008

 

Eric S. Percival
  I know this is a little off topic, nut how did you manage to get down there onto the field?


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January 22, 2008

 

W.
 
Palm greasing


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January 22, 2008

 

Oliver Anderson
  In England...you take your clothes off and run like Hell.

At baseball games...as a breasty woman you just jump the wall and kiss your favorite player.

At football games...you gotta get a Media Pass from a Newspaper or know AP or other professional photographers. They have limited passes and background checks are run


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January 22, 2008

 

Sebastian J. Scalora
  Without getting too specific, and Im sure you guys can understand why not, lets just suffice it to say, that with a little shmoozin.. you got nothin to loozin...No gresin, no streakin,.. I happend to be at the right place and the right time...just once.. and I have been able to recreate the situation on two other occasions intentionally. and it worked.


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January 22, 2008

 
- Gregory LaGrange

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  Somebody let him get down to the front row seats.


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January 23, 2008

 

James Scott Stone
  Just stick with a Monopod that work the best. I, shoot a lot of college sports along with high school to. My media pass is that iam College student work for School paper that work for me.


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May 02, 2008

 

W.
 
Curious that a 'college student' working for a 'school paper' doesn't use college level spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation.
Makes one wonder about that college's standards.


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May 03, 2008

 
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