Do I Really Need a Tripod? Really? Why Rick, Why?

🎙️ Do you actually need a tripod? Not the answer every photography guide gives you — the honest one. Sometimes yes. And sometimes, genuinely, no. In this episode, I'll tell you exactly when each is true, what to look for if you decide to buy one, and the single most common tripod mistake — and it has nothing to do with the tripod itself. Whether you're thinking about buying your first tripod or wondering why the one in the cupboard never gets used, this episode will give you a straight answer in plain English.

📋 In this episode:

1️⃣ Your photo is blurry and you don't know why — here's what a tripod actually fixes

Start here. Understand exactly what a tripod does — and how to tell whether it would have fixed your blurry photo.

2️⃣ Two situations where a tripod stops being optional

Low light and long exposures. If either of these is on your photography list, a tripod belongs in your kit.

3️⃣ Good light and fast subjects? You probably don't need one

The honest other side of the conversation. In good daylight with image stabilisation, you often don't need a tripod at all.

4️⃣ Right, you've decided you need one — here's what to actually look for

Stability, load capacity, ball head vs pan-tilt, leg locks, height. Everything that actually matters when you're choosing.

5️⃣ The alternatives worth knowing about

Monopod, beanbag, natural supports. These are more effective than most photographers realise — and often more practical than a full tripod.

6️⃣ The cheap tripod problem

A wobbly tripod is worse than no tripod. Here's why cheap is false economy, and how to spend wisely.

7️⃣ The most common tripod mistake — not taking it with you

The best tripod is the one that's actually there when you need it. Buy for your real photography life, not your imaginary one.

📖 Full guide and show notes:

rickmcevoyphotography.com — Episode 235 show notes

🎙️ Related episodes:

Episode 96 — Do You Want To Know How To Take Photos On A Tripod?

Episode 234 — Oh No. Another Blurry Photo. Here's How to Stop It Right Now.

💝 Next episode:

What gear do you actually need as a beginner? Not what the photography industry wants you to buy — what you actually need, and what to completely ignore. Episode 236 publishes Friday 3rd July 2026. Subscribe now so you don't miss it.

▶️ Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy.

🌐 Website: rickmcevoyphotography.com

📚 Courses: rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

🔧 Resources: rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

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 If you want to start taking stunning sunrise photos, and why wouldn't you,  check out my Photography for Beginners: Sunrise in Mexico course at rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses.

Transcript

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📸 You've been told you need a tripod. You don't want a tripod. Let's settle this.
You've been told you need a tripod. Or maybe you already have one sitting in a cupboard, unloved, because nobody explained when you're actually supposed to use it.
Either way — you want to know if you actually need one. And you want a straight answer.
Now, if you've heard Episode 96, where I went through exactly how to use a tripod once you have one — this is the step before that. This is the decision. Do you need a tripod at all? And if you do, which one, and why?
Because the answer to "do I need a tripod" depends entirely on what you're photographing and when. In this episode I'm going to give you three things: when you genuinely need a tripod, when you don't, and — if you've decided you do want one — exactly what to look for without wasting money on something that will frustrate you.
Seven things. And before we go through them, here's the frame.
The first three tips answer the decision: do you need a tripod, and when? I'm going to be direct with you. Sometimes yes, sometimes no — and I'll tell you which is which.
Tips four through seven are for if the answer is yes: what to look for, what the alternatives are, where people go wrong, and the mistake that costs you the shot even when you own one.
📸 Tip 1: Your photo is blurry and you don't know why — here's what a tripod actually fixes
You took a photo in low light. It came out blurry. You're not sure if it was your technique or something else.
Your camera takes a photo by opening a shutter, letting light in, and closing it again. The longer that shutter stays open, the more light gets in. In good light, the shutter opens and closes in a fraction of a second — fast enough that any small movement from your hands is invisible.
But in low light, the camera needs more time. The shutter stays open longer. And the longer it stays open, the longer your camera has to move. If it moves — even slightly — your photo is blurry. Not soft. Blurry. Everything in the frame, with a slight directional smear if you look closely.
That's what a tripod fixes. It holds the camera completely still for the entire exposure, however long that is.
If your blurry photos happen in good daylight, a tripod is probably not the answer — go to Tip 3. If they happen in low light or indoors, keep reading.
🌙 Tip 2: Two situations where a tripod stops being optional
There are two situations where, if you want sharp photos, a tripod is the answer. Not a suggestion. The answer.
The first is low light. Indoors, at dusk, at dawn, anywhere the light is struggling. To get a correct exposure in low light, your camera needs more time. The shutter stays open longer. You can push your ISO up to compensate, but that introduces noise — grain in your photo. The tripod sidesteps all of that. You can use a slower shutter speed, a lower ISO, and a smaller aperture, and your photo stays clean and sharp.
The second is intentional long exposures. Silky waterfalls. Light trails from car headlights. Star trails. The Milky Way. These require the shutter to be open for seconds, sometimes minutes. You simply cannot handhold that. A tripod is not optional — it's the tool that makes the photo possible in the first place.
If either of those subjects interest you, a tripod belongs in your kit.
☀️ Tip 3: Good light and fast subjects? You probably don't need one
Now for the equally important other side of this.
In good daylight, your camera can use a fast shutter speed. A fast shutter speed means the shutter is open for a fraction of a second. A fraction of a second is not enough time for camera shake to show up in your photo. You handhold the camera, you press the shutter, you get a sharp image. No tripod required.
Modern cameras and lenses also have image stabilisation built in — in the body, the lens, or both. This technology can compensate for a surprising amount of hand movement.
And if you're photographing moving subjects — people, children, dogs, birds, sport — a tripod can actually work against you. You need to move the camera to follow the subject. A tripod gets in the way of that.
So no, you don't always need one. That's the honest answer.
🔍 Tip 4: Right, you've decided you need one — here's what to actually look for
You're standing in front of a range of tripods, or scrolling through options online, and there are a lot of them. Here's what actually matters.
Stability first, everything else second. A tripod that wobbles under the weight of your camera is not just useless — it's worse than nothing. The maximum load capacity tells you how much weight the tripod can hold steadily. Make sure it comfortably exceeds the weight of your camera and heaviest lens.
The head matters as much as the legs. A ball head lets you position the camera quickly and lock it in any direction — brilliant for most photography. A pan-tilt head has separate controls for each axis — better suited to video. For general photography, a ball head is the friendlier choice.
Leg locks. Twist or lever. Lever locks are easier and faster, especially in cold weather. Twist locks are more compact. Either works.
Height. Can it reach your eye level when fully extended? Does it go low enough for ground-level shots? Check both before buying.
💡 Tip 5: The alternatives worth knowing about
A tripod isn't the only way to stabilise your camera.
A monopod is a single-leg support. It doesn't stand on its own, but it takes a lot of camera weight off your hands and reduces camera shake significantly. Brilliant for wildlife photography, sport, or anywhere a full tripod would be impractical.
A beanbag is remarkably effective and almost nobody talks about it. Drape it over a wall, a fence, a car window ledge, a gate, and rest your camera on top. It moulds to the shape of the camera and holds it steady. Light to carry, cheap to buy, genuinely useful in the field.
Natural supports: a wall, a gate post, a car roof, a railing, a flat rock. They're everywhere if you think to use them. Combine with the self-timer and you remove camera shake from pressing the shutter button entirely.
⚠️ Tip 6: The cheap tripod problem
This is the one I wish someone had told me earlier.
A cheap, flimsy tripod that wobbles is not a bargain. It is false economy. You will spend money, set it up, take your photo, look at the result, and wonder why it's blurry. Then you'll blame yourself, or your camera, or your technique. But the problem is the tripod.
There is a floor below which tripods simply don't do their job. Read reviews specifically about stability under load. Look at the maximum weight capacity and stay well within it.
A decent tripod at a sensible price will last you years. A cheap one will last until the moment you actually need it.
🎒 Tip 7: The most common tripod mistake — not taking it with you
I've done this myself. You own a tripod. It's sitting at home, or in the boot of the car, because it's a bit heavy and a bit awkward to carry. You go out to photograph a sunrise, or a coastal scene at dusk, and the light is extraordinary — and you're trying to handhold a two-second exposure and wondering why it keeps coming out blurry.
Think realistically about when and where you'll use a tripod. If you're walking long distances, weight matters — consider a lighter carbon-fibre option, or accept that a monopod is more practical for you. If you're mostly shooting from fixed locations — viewpoints, harbours, heritage sites — a heavier tripod is fine.
Buy the tripod that fits your actual photography life. Not the one that looks impressive on a shelf.
⚡ Quick Recap
‍  ‍

• A blurry photo in low light is usually caused by the camera moving during a long exposure — that's what a tripod fixes.‍
• Low light and long exposures are the two situations where a tripod stops being optional.‍
• In good daylight, with image stabilisation doing its thing, you often don't need one at all.‍
• When buying, prioritise stability and load capacity — a wobbly tripod is worse than no tripod.
• Monopods, beanbags, and natural supports are all legitimate alternatives.
• Cheap and flimsy is false economy — spend enough to get something that actually stays still.
• The best tripod is the one you take with you. Buy for your real life, not your imaginary one.

📱 What If I Use a Phone to Take My Photos?
You're using night mode and wondering if a tripod would make any difference. The honest answer is: yes, sometimes, and it's easier than you think.
Night mode works by taking multiple frames and merging them together, with AI noise reduction on top. In many everyday low-light situations, your phone handles it without you needing to think about a tripod at all. But night mode has limits. When light gets really low, your phone needs you to hold it still for a couple of seconds. Have you ever noticed it asking you to do that? That's exactly why. Move during that window, and the result suffers.
The good news: phone tripod adapters are cheap and widely available. They attach just like a camera having a tripod thread in them and hold your phone just as securely as a camera. A small, lightweight travel tripod with a phone adapter is a genuinely useful combination — especially if you're shooting video as well as stills. This is how I shoot my videos of me talking to, well me!
And if you're thinking about moving from phone to camera, one of the first things you'll notice is how much more visible camera shake becomes. The larger sensor picks up movement that your phone's processing would have hidden. That's when a tripod starts earning its place in your bag from the very first shoot.
🎯 What Do I Do?
I own two full-sized tripods and five mini tripods. One tripod is for travel, and is small and compact with a ball head, but not that light to be fair. And the other one I use for all my photos of buildings. All my photos of buildings. When I am photographing a building I will take every photo with my camera on my tripod.
And there is a reason for this.
I don't really care about the shutter speed as I am photographing buildings and they are not moving. I want the aperture that gives me the highest quality and the depth of field that I need. And I want to use the lowest ISO for the highest quality.
So I use AV Mode, or aperture priority mode, aperture f/8 and ISO100. I pre-focus using back-button focus. I use the camera 10-second self-timer to activate the shutter.
So when the photo is taken the shutter speed is what it is. I don't notice or particularly care to be honest.
These things allow me to get the highest quality image captures that I can.
And I also prefer taking photos with my camera on a tripod. I get better compositions. I also get better, technically correct exposures much more quickly.
This saves me time later and ensures that I get the highest-quality images. I very rarely take rubbish photos, never have problems with out of focus shots, nor blurry photos caused by camera shake. And no noise.
If these things matter as much to you as they do to me you need a tripod.
When I am taking photos of sunrises and sunsets, I do the same. And for landscape photography. And if I am walking around somewhere on holiday, I will not need a tripod as I will only take travel photos in nice bright weather.
And that is what I do.
✅ Here's Something for You to Do, Dear Listener
This week, I want you to go out and take one photo specifically in low light — inside your home, in the garden at dusk, anywhere the light is genuinely struggling. With the ISO at 100.
Try it handheld first. Look at the result. Is it sharp? Or is there some blur?
Then try it again with the camera resting on something solid — a table, a windowsill, a wall. Use the self-timer to avoid pressing the shutter and causing movement. Look at that result.
The difference between those two photos is the argument for a tripod in a single experiment.
Do let me know how you get on — you can text me directly from the podcast feed. How utterly splendid.
🎙️ Related Episodes
If this episode has settled the decision and you want to go deeper on technique — exactly how to set up your tripod, which settings to use, the self-timer trick — Episode 96 covers all of that:
Episode 96 — Do You Want To Know How To Take Photos On A Tripod?
And if blurry photos have been frustrating you more broadly — not just in low light but in all kinds of situations — Episode 234 goes through every type of blur, how to identify which kind you've got, and the specific fix for each one:
Episode 234 — Oh No. Another Blurry Photo. Here's How to Stop It Right Now.
💝 Next Episode
In the next episode I am going to be tackling a question that comes up very soon after you start using a camera. What gear do you actually need as a beginner? And more importantly — what should you completely ignore?
Because the photography industry is very, very good at making you feel like you need everything. I'm going to tell you what you actually do — and save you some money in the process.
That's Episode 236, publishing on Friday 3rd July 2026. I'll see you there.
Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Photography Explained Podcast. 🤝 I do hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. If you have any questions 💁 or suggestions for a future episode, please let me know. 🙂
And if you did love this episode why not subscribe so you get every new episode straight to your listening device of choice. And if could tell one person all about my splendid podcast that would be greatly appreciated.
For everything else — courses, resources, my weekly email and lots of other good stuff check out RickMcEvoyPhotography.com. And you can find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy. And text me from the podcast feed – how utterly splendid.
This episode was brought to you by a cheese and pickle sandwich, consumed before settling into my homemade, acoustically cushioned recording emporium.
I've been RICK MCEVOY. Thanks again very much for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast, and for giving me 27-ish minutes of your valuable time. I reckon this episode will be about 23 minutes long after editing out the mistakes and other bad stuff.
Thanks for listening. Take care. Stay safe. Cheers from me, Rick!