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Tripods - who needs them?
I won't get the next guide finished by today, so I thought I'd share with you my experience with Tripods. I have never used them in my photography - ever.
It is not because I think they are useless... far from it. There have been many times I have wished I had a tripod around. What do you do in such a situation? You improvise. Look around the built and natural environment for a while, and you are likely to find something that will do. A fence, a log, even the ground.
This is one of my favorite shots, which I will use as an example (click for larger).
This was taken while resting the camera on the ledge of a bridge. The exposure time was 20 seconds, so you can imagine how long it had to stay still for. Worse still, the ledge was slanted so I had to apply pressure onto the camera or else it would fall off. The shot turned out great though, I was pleasantly surprised myself.
While a tripod is ideal for a shot like this, don't let the lack of one stop you from trying. I have never used a tripod because I really can't be bothered carrying one around. It will be another piece of equipment needed on my travels, and more weight is the last thing I need.
Most of my photos I adjust so that the shutter speed is fast enough for me to do it hand-held. I have a pretty steady hand and anything faster than 1/60s is what I aim for, and 1/30s if I really need to go that low.
I find that using found objects around you can sometimes give you shots from interesting perspectives you may not have thought about otherwise. So next time you go on a trip and are hesitating to take that tripod along with you - don't. You'll probably enjoy your trip more, and end up spending more time taking photos than setting up a tripod 
