Mini Test
L-brackets
Shoot both horizontal and vertical compositions with ease with these five handy accessories
We all know the value of using a tripod for shooting landscapes. Not only does it keep your camera rock-steady through the duration of an exposure, it’s also a vital composition aid. It enables you to carefully compose your scene, then wait for the opportune moment just before firing the shutter.
Jobbing pros also know that to maximise the sales potential of their shots, they have to shoot in both landscape and portrait orientations, so that their images are suitable for magazine or brochure spreads and covers.
However, tripods are primarily designed for shooting horizontally. While most tripod heads can be tilted by 90 degrees to flip the camera into a vertical orientation, this shifts the position of the camera to the side of – and often below – the original shooting position, so your carefully considered composition needs to be redone from scratch.
It also shifts the centre of gravity from directly above the tripod legs, potentially destabilising the entire setup.
What the L?
An L-bracket is a camera plate that wraps around the camera in an L-shape, with the tripod mount running underneath and to the side of the camera. To change the shooting orientation from horizontal to vertical, you pop the camera off the tripod and remount it using the socket on its side.