Patrick Eckersley on Monopods

One small problem with shooting in low light even after you have racked up your ISO to the limits is that digital doesn’t really like slow shutter speeds. obviously a tripod is the answer I hear you say. Well that’s great if you are doing static subjects , buildings and the like , or you manage to persuade your subjects to stay still for a second or two, but what if you want to do those off the cuff moments or just remain relatively unnoticed as you take your pictures . A mono-pod is the answer, probably the most underrated piece of kit in your bag, you wont see many sports photographers with out one.You can cope with shutter speeds down to half a second and possibly get away with it! You run the risk of looking like an old man with a walking stick , but if you hold it by its tether you might look as if you have just stepped off the ski slopes , how cool is that.

I use a Manfrotto carbon fiber monopod with a quick release hand grip head, see image. It is very light, extremely versatile, tough, and tucks away to a small item.  This will set you back up to a couple of hundred sterling however there are cheaper options.