BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER’S TRIPODS
Tripod or monopod? Video head, ball head, or gimbal?
All of the above are useful—but what’s your best option? There is no right answer here. It’s a question of different situations requiring different solutions. Sometimes one is better than the others, and another time you might benefit from another combination. Here are a few examples of how I work.
Often the easiest way to photograph flying birds is with a handheld camera. Lighter telephoto lenses (400mm f/5.6, for example) are good for following a fast-flying bird and for photographing for long periods of time without straining yourself very much. And the lighter the equipment you’re lugging around in the field, the better.
However, bird photographers tend to steer toward heavier and faster lenses, those over 300mm and f/2.8–4.0. They are okay for brief shooting sessions with a handheld camera, but normally, and especially if used in a longer session, they require a tripod or a monopod. The latter is popular among sports photographers, and can sometimes be a better option than a tripod for other photographers as well.
For example, a monopod was perfect for photographing eagles from a boat outside Hokkaidō Island in Japan. Using a tripod in a boat full of photographers would have been impossible, so I chose a Gitzo carbon fiber monopod and a Wimberley Sidekick with an Arca-Swiss ball head, and voilà, following the eagles was quick and easy. Compared to handheld, photographing with a monopod is faster because the camera is at the right height all the time. The Hokkaidō photo trips were three to four hours long, and because there was no shortage of subjects to photograph, a handheld camera with a 500mm telephoto lens would have been a huge strain on my arms and back.
Tripods
The heavier the equipment, the sturdier the support needs to be. With the various alloy tripods on the market, weight tends to mean strength. Lucky for us, tripods nowadays come in carbon fiber, which makes them much lighter than metal tripods of the same caliber. The higher price is a drawback, however. Several companies manufacture carbon fiber tripods, but Gitzo is probably the most popular brand, even though they are more expensive than their competitors.
Heavy and solid metal tripods will have fans into the future, but bird photographers, the traveling kind in particular, will find that a carbon fiber tripod is the optimal choice. They are more prone to getting damaged than their metallic counterparts, so they need to be packed more carefully for traveling. Carbon fiber is nice in cold temperatures because it doesn’t feel as cold to the touch as metal. The best material in cold weather is wood, and wooden tripods are indeed very steady. Some photographers prefer wooden tripods, and you often see birders use them with their telescopes. They are, however, longer than carbon fiber tripods, even when retracted, which makes them quite ill-suited for traveling.
Bird photographer Jorma Luhta with a light set of photographic gear
Your tripod should help your camera reach eye level without having to raise the center column because this keeps the tripod more stable. Some photographers want the tripod to spread apart to 180 degrees, allowing photography at ground level.
Video Head, Ball Head, or Gimbal?
Nature photographers use a wide variety of ball heads, but although a good ball head and side mount combination works well in bird photography, ball heads are not necessarily optimal for bird photographers.
Bird photographer Tarmo Syväpuro photographing on Hornøya Island in northern Norway, equipped with a monopod
Whatever the system between the tripod and the camera, it had better have a good quick release mechanism that lets you dismount your camera in a split second.
Side mounts—made by Wimberley and Manfrotto—are very popular with bird photographers because they help balance the camera and a heavy lens on a tripod so they are light and easy to maneuver. I often use a side mount in extreme cold, when the temperatures can make my otherwise favorite video heads sluggish. The reason I choose a video head over a side mount is that side mounts do not offer enough resistance for sideways maneuvers, and I find that following a flying bird is easier with a smoothly turning video head. During most of the year I use video heads by Manfrotto and Gitzo.
A metallic ground pod supports the side mount
A ground pod is handy when photographing at a low angle. Shown here is a Skimmer ground pod.
A shoulder support can be a welcome addition to your kit. It gives an extra point of support for the camera, which can be particularly useful for photographing flying birds. There are a couple of commercially made shoulder supports, but the best ones I have seen were made by photographers themselves.
Ground pods can be used in fixed blinds
Ground Pod
A ground pod is very useful for photographing at ground level. It has a bolt for mounting a head of your choice, or for those who want an extremely low angle, a mount for a quick release plate is available, at least for Manfrotto, Gitzo, and Wimberley. A ground pod provides protection between the camera and the ground. Maneuvering the camera is more limited, but if you are photographing on level ground, where you need to move the camera up or down only minimally, it will be fine. Using an angle finder on your camera helps reduce the strain that the ground pod position inevitably causes on your neck.
You can also use a tripod for ground-level photography, if your tripod legs go to a full split, but a ground pod is easier to fit in crowded spaces, such as a tent blind. I also use a ground pod in a permanent blind; with the metal petal firmly attached to a shelf or table, it is easy to maneuver the camera. Again, the heavier the plate, the better the support for your camera.
There are many kinds of ground pods, made of many different materials, on the market. One of the most popular brands is Skimmer. If you are so inclined, you can make your own.
Beanbag
Beanbags are fabulous little helpers for bird photographers, especially when photographing from a car, but they can also be used in a blind or on the ground to support a camera. You can buy beanbags or make one yourself. Dried peas make the heaviest filling; other good alternatives are sunflower seeds, grain, rice, or macaroni.
A beanbag is great for photographing from a car
Even if handheld photography is easier than before, thanks to digital technology, some type of support is one of the most important pieces of additional equipment a bird photographer needs. You should consider all your options and weigh them against your needs. Good support is particularly important when shooting video because any shaking or other unwanted movement can be very unpleasant in video footage.