There was a photo I wanted to take with a tripod. A dot patterned photo. And I wanted raindrops on leaves to be the star of my photo!

So when I was out in the rain, I was thinking this is the best chance I’ll get, and with umbrella in one hand and Befree in the other, I headed off to my shoot.

Being lightweight and compact, its trump is its readiness for action and stress-free use even in bad weather. Handling a tripod while using an umbrella is a bit of a chore, but with the Befree being so easy to operate the set up is effortless.

Raindrops on grass or leaves are often in a position very low to the ground. By simply removing the rubber stopper on the tripod center pole, pulling the latter out from its housing and then reversing its orientation, such shots are completely doable.

With the free-revolving ball head, the shooting angle can be adjusted with ease, and it can be securely fixed in place, so taking photos from a low perspective is a cinch.

Voilà, the dot patterned photo of fresh rain droplets!

After going through the trouble of stabilizing the camera with a tripod, pushing the shutter with the help of a smart phone app or using a 2-second timer are par for the course. With the camera stabilised by the tripod, the “quick release plate” makes it easy to remove the camera and shoot hand-held.

I further wanted to try shooting water droplets on a flower for a ‘droplets on petal’ photo!

With the same super low vantage point, you can set up your shot at very close distances and gradually approach the subject.

Through trial and error, while getting rained on, I discovered some principles for this kind of photography. 1) Put effort into choosing the right water droplets first. 2) Be mindful of your positioning to ensure the background is as you desire. 3) Take the photo from the side. These are my three main points! From there it’s just a matter of manually adjusting the focus, and checking your shot thoroughly before moving on to ensure the photo is sharp.

This is the first fresh droplet on a flower petal that I ever took.

I got the feeling this photo was possible because I had a tripod.

One of the reasons that using a tripod is not my forte is that if you are in a fixed position for your shot, it takes effort to change your composition.
But with Befree, I was almost shocked at how easy the free-revolving ball head makes things!

When you use macro lenses, a change of a few millimeters in the camera angle can change the photo completely. I am now able to make the much finer adjustments than when shooting hand held, this helps me to produce much more satisfying photos.

I want to continue mastering macro techniques using Befree!

Using a tripod broadens your scope for expression.

For example, here is a macro shot I took hand held with the aperture wide open.

By reducing the aperture to F22 for a larger depth of field and using the Befree to steady the camera while I focus, the quality of the glass container is now fully visible.

Taking photos at F22 with just normal indoor lighting, the shutter speed is slow at 1.8 seconds, making hand-held photography difficult if not impossible.

Using Befree, I am able to take photos that are detailed and well lit using only natural light sources!
This can be done with a Befree tripod.
An encounter with new modes of expression.
Expand the breadth of your photography experience.

Sasa
A versatile multi-talented individual also active as as radio personality, organiser and model.
There are many photography events for which she acts as the organiser.
Known as a “camera girl” , she has mastered several kinds of mounts.

In August this year, she will hold an exhibition of her photos at EIZO for the second time.

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