GET A HEAD START

Jason Parnell-Brookes shows you how to set up your tripod head correctly, and explains the pros and cons of different types

- Jason Parnell-Brookes

1 HOUR A tripod has two main components: the legs and the head. While the legs provide support, the head facilitates the movement of your camera once it’s fixed to the legs, so it’s an equally important part of the setup, and one that you need to choose carefully, because this is the part you’ll mostly be adjusting as you compose your images, using the legs for stability and levelling. In this tutorial we’ll be covering the basics of tripod head use, and the different kinds of head you’re likely to come across

There are several different kinds of heads, but there’s no one-head-fits-all solution, as each has a specific use. Some tripods come with heads as part of the package, but you can also buy the legs and head separately. Cheap tripods don’t give you the option to change the head, so if you want to up your photography game, these are best avoided. Here we’ll look at five common types of tripod head, and the pros and cons of each, and show you how to adjust a head.

The aim of the head is to provide a panning movement (horizontal ‘yaw’), tilting movements (both vertical ‘pitch’ and sideways ‘roll’), should you not be able to get the tripod legs level. They all have different payloads (weight limits) and some are designed for very heavy loads, like the gimbal head. Let’s take a look at the various options…