What can tall photographers do about tripod height?

Question

I'm in the market for my first tripod, and have noticed that they generally top out around 175cm(5'8") tall. I'm 200cm(6'6") tall, and while there aren't many people taller than me, there are some.

What do other tall photographers do?

• Suck it up and hunch over, as we must for most things in life? (cars, doorways, kitchen counters, etc.)
• Customize your own tripod?
• Find a boutique "big & tall tripod" retailer?

Answer

There are quite a few tripods that are taller than you (without a head), and many more that would come to eye level comfortably with a head. Brands include Benbo, Benro, Berlebach (wooden), Cullman, Davis & Sanford, Giottos, Gitzo, Induro, Kowa, Linhof, Majestic, Manfrotto, Slik and the 3-Legged Thing. Some of those you would need a stepladder to use at their full extended height. If you're a studio shooter, most camera stands go to eight feet (240cm) or higher. To go shopping, I'd suggest using the B&H Photo and Video site and it's excellent search filters. (You don't need to buy from them, but their site is probably the best way to find out what you want to buy.)

But that's not the whole story in any case. I'm not particularly tall (5'9"/173cm), and while I have used the Benbo 2's full reach (253 cm without a head) out in the field and spent some time on a ladder with studio camera stands, that's not the normal state of affairs. Hunching, crouching, kneeling and lying down are. That's not because of the height of the camera support, but because the subject demands it. One of the pleasures of working with real fashion models was that they were some of the few people I could shoot even part of the time from anything like a standing height (take somebody who stands a little taller than me, then add heels, and I'd barely have to bend to get down to a good level for a 1/2- or 3/4-length shot -- but I'd still have to bend). You can always put people on risers, of course, but landscapes are rarely cooperative in that way (and there are Laws of the Universe stating that the best angle for a landscape will always be something other than your normal standing point of view; like the time of arrival at a restaurant, it is a recipriversexcluson).

So yes, you can find a tripod that will let you work comfortably, but you'll find that comfort and photography are almost mutually exclusive.

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