I take the majority of my photos with a tripod and every time I share a behind the scenes look at photo shoots, I always get a bunch of questions. I posted a reel on my Instagram sharing how I take these tripod photos, but I couldn’t fit everything into 30 seconds. In this blog post, I will share all of my tips and tricks to get “the shot” with a tripod.
SELECT SHOOT LOCATION – Most of the time I don’t have an exact location in mind but more of a general area or vibe I’m looking for. I usually select a neutral background, whether it’s a plain wall, parking garage, or cityscape. Choose a location that matches your aesthetic.
POSING – I plan my pose ahead of time so that I don’t spend a ton of time at the location deciding whether I want to sit or stand. My pose is determined by my outfit and what I have recently posted. For example, I don’t want a ton of standing poses or all sitting poses back to back, I like to mix it up. If I need inspo for a pose, I usually look through Pinterest. See my inspo here!
SHOOTING THE PHOTOS – Once you have your location and pose, you are ready to start taking photos. I use a tripod and a Bluetooth clicker to be able to control how many and when the photos are taken. Take a test shot with you in front of the camera to test the angle and lighting. If you don’t like it, adjust the location or angle until you get what you want. This takes a little practice to know what you like, but after a few shoots you will be taking tripod photos like a pro. Once everything is lined up, start posing and move around in front of the camera as much as possible taking tons of photos. In a given shoot, I will take several hundred photos to get one that I like. Every few minutes or so, check the photos to make sure you are getting what you want, adjust your pose or outfit as needed. Weed through photos quickly by favoriting the good ones and deleting the others. That way when you go to edit, you won’t be working with hundreds of photos
PRO TIPS
+ Make sure your feet aren’t getting cut off when you move around by finding a spot on the ground, like a water mark or a crack on the side walk. Then use that spot as a guide for where to sit/stand.
+ Turn your sound on and your volume up, that way you will hear when each photo takes. It will give you an idea of when to blink or change poses.
+ I use a lower angle to appear taller in photos. When I take photos from the knee up, I shoot straight on.
+ Hide your remote in your hair, in a pocket, or behind a drink, purse or whatever prop you are using.
I hope you found this post helpful! If you have questions feel free to comment below or shoot me a DM on Instagram!
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