Originally posted by ronthejazzguy When I was teaching college level photography back in the '90s, I used to tell my students that a tripod was the 'single most important factor in learning composition.' Still true today!
I tend to shoot a lot of landscapes and a few years back when I shot (B&W) film, I used to shoot my landscape shots off of a tripod almost exclusively.
After taking a break from photography for a few years, I bought a digital camera and thought "Why bother with the tripod? Shake reduction and using a high ISO means you don't need a tripod." So I started leaving my tripod at home. It was a relief to not lug my tripod around. Shooting hand-held was fast and convenient. And my shots were acceptably sharp.
However, I'm coming to the realization that my composition has suffered as a result of me not taking the time to compose my shots carefully. I've started to move back to shooting my landscapes from a tripod to the extent possible.
I admittedly had gotten careless. I need to slow down and take more time before taking my shots.