Anyone who knows me knows that I am always looking for another way to hold a camera. I have tripods, my Platypod Ultra, and all kinds of little pieces of camera gear. Now I have come up with something new — I made a little tripod system for my cell phone.
The idea started with two simple pieces of equipment: a metal cell-phone holder and a SmallRig clamp with a small ball head. Put them together and suddenly I have a very small, very portable camera support.
The phone holder gives me a good solid grip on my cell phone, while the SmallRig clamp lets me attach the whole setup to things around me. Instead of carrying a regular three-legged tripod, I can clamp my phone onto a railing, table, post, fence or another solid object and position the phone with the ball head.
For me, this is really another version of my Platypod philosophy: why carry a big tripod when something tiny can do the job?
It should be especially useful when I am walking around Toronto. If I want a steady photo, a group shot, a long exposure or even some video, I can pull this little setup out of my camera bag and have my phone mounted in a minute.
And then there are the places with the Tripod Police.
We have all been there. You walk into a building with a regular tripod and suddenly somebody is telling you, “No tripods allowed.” Well, my new cell-phone tripod doesn't have three legs. In fact, it doesn't have any legs!
I can just smile and say, “Tripod? What tripod?”
After all these years of photography, I am still finding new ways of doing things. Sometimes the most useful piece of camera equipment isn't the biggest or most expensive. Sometimes it's just two little pieces of metal screwed together in the right way.
Another homemade addition to Bob's camera bag — and another weapon in the never-ending battle with the Tripod Police!
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