Ossum!

The other day I met a photographer who had never heard of a Gorillapod. My flabber was well and truly ghasted. My ‘pod is probably my most useful purchase so far. I just don’t know what I would do without it, so I think it’s only fair that I spread the good news a little.

My 635 doing its best impression of a drunken H.G. Wells critter

Ok, so I was lying, I know exactly what I would do without my simian friend, becuase I used to do it all the time. If you’ve browsed my photos, you will know that I love urban night shots. I’ve used the Gorillapod for almost all of them. It sure beats my old method of balancing Sarah Jane (more about that later, for now you’d know her better as my 400D) on a folded up bit of clothing and hoping desperately that she settled down before the self-timer tripped the shutter.

The Gorrillapod is basically a clever little articulated tripod, with legs that can bend in directions that would suprise a contortionist. The legs have a rubbery coating too, which helps prevent it sliding down poles, fireman-style.

The biggest nuisance for me is that it doesn’t have a movable head (although you can buy one for a bit extra). I often have to level out the horizons in post-production, but this is hardly a deal breaker, since those are normally shots that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

I was concerned that the joints would go loose with time, but I have been using mine heavily for a whole year now, and the legs are still as stiff as when I got it. There is still a little spring in them though, so it is often best to use a self-timer or remote trigger to prevent wobble when you press the shutter.

It may seem pricey, but if you like long exposures when travelling, or find a full tripod too bulky for table-top macros, then get a Gorillapod. Seriously.

P.S. There is a dinky little version for compact cameras too, which I am guessing is pretty cool, but I have never tried it myself. If you have, let me know.