Want a rock-solid, stable tripod base for photography? Of course you do. Here are a few quick tips to make sure your camera is safe and secure. Create a nice, wide base Ideally, you should spread your tripod legs nice and wide to form a pyramid. You want all three of the legs angled out completely. A wider base means a more stable base. Make sure the camera doesn’t appear to be leaning. Don’t use a center column If possible, try not to use a center column. Extending a center column automatically introduces instability because it strays from that solid pyramid I just mentioned. If you must use a center column, try not to extend it very far. You’re more likely to introduce small vibrations as well. None of my main night photography tripods have center columns. Lock those twist locks twice I often adjust the tripod. Because I might be concentrating on adjusting the tripod so it is good and straight, I might not tighten them completely. I always try to make a point of tightening them again. Jam the tripod hard into the ground Sounds ridiculous? It’s a good way of making sure that it’s firmly implanted in the ground. This is especially true if you are on dirt or sand. Also, you want to make sure that your tripod is locked down good and solid. You cannot always visually determine if it’s locked down. This is another way of making sure that your camera is good and stable. Draw attention to your tripod if photographing in the dark I use glow-in-the-dark tape as well as reflective tape for my tripods. Some people hang dim lights on theirs. These are great for alerting people that there’s a tripod nearby. As a bonus, they’re also great in case you forget exactly where you put it. It’s far easier to locate it if you have glow-in-the-dark tape! I’ve mostly discussed stability in terms of safety. But of course, all this helps your long-exposure night photos, landscape photos, or anything else remain tack sharp as well.