A tripod is an essential tool for my photography. A tripod helps me in the following ways:

• It stabilizes the camera...which creates the sharpest possible image.
• A stable camera allows for blending multiple exposures--which is essential for HDR photographs.
• It permits longer shutter speeds for creative effects such as long exposure photography.
• Longer shutter speeds allow for lower ISO settings...which maximizes image quality.
• Longer shutter speeds also introduce flexibility with aperture settings (i.e., smaller apertures are available for greater depth of field).
• A tripod helps in locking down a composition and ensuring that lines are straight.
• A tripod allows me to use my heavy lenses more easily.

The tripod is so important to my photography that I won't bother shooting certain interiors when a tripod is prohibited.

The problem is that tripod restrictions are becoming stricter each year. Over the past year, I've been told that photography with a tripod is banned not only in certain interiors, but also when photographing exteriors. Last year, I was informed that tripods were prohibited anywhere on the Harvard campus!

As I prepare for my upcoming road trip to California, I purchased two tripod alternative items which come highly recommended and which are supposedly effective at stabilizing the camera:

The first is the Multi-Clamp from Really Right Stuff. This clamp will attach to a variety of surfaces--tables, chairs, railings, doors, etc. In my testing, it easily locks down my gripped Nikon D800 with Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens. My Markins M-10 ballhead quickly screws into the clamp to provide a quick release option to the clamp. The advantage is that this small item is definitely not a tripod--so unless security tells me "no clamps" I should be good to go!

The second item is a very tiny tripod from Really Right Stuff. The tripod is just 6 inches in length--but accommodates my Markins ballhead and easily locks down my gripped Nikon D800 with Nikon 24-70 lens. This tripod fits into my camera bag or pocket. It quickly assembles on top of a table or on the floor. Although it is clearly a tripod, I can't imagine security walking up to me and telling me to put this tripod away!

Armed with these two new camera stabilization tools, I'm hoping to counter some of the tripod restrictions that I'm likely to encounter on my upcoming trip.