Recently I went through a Self Portraits class on Skillshare. I was inspired by the creator’s upbeat attitude, as well as some of the camera placements she used for the shots, like putting the camera in the dryer or refrigerator.

It reminded me of watching Good Eats, in which Alton Brown was one of the first creators to have a TV show with the camera in the cabinet/fridge/oven/etc. (I’d go further and say there are very few food videos on the internet that haven’t been either directly or indirectly influenced by Good Eats.)

While in Carrefour on Friday with my camera, I played around a bit myself. In the pet section, I put my a6000 in a carrying case and then used my phone to remotely operate the shutter.

However, the focus is a little off and it was tricky to get the camera pointed at the correct angle. To make setting the angle easier, I picked up a mini tripod that should come in handy in the future.

Speaking of tripods, I’ve been doing a lot of research trying to find a full-size one as well. I haven’t had a tripod for several years now, but I know that many of my images are not nearly as crisp, especially in low light, without one. I was debating on the Benro SystemGo, which had many good reviews, or the Sony VCT-VPR1, which has the added benefit of a Sony-specific controller in the handle. For any future videos, the later could be useful for creating smooth shots.

In the end, I went with the K&F Concept TM2534T. They seem to be a less well-known company, but the reviews I read were positive and made it seem like a tripod that punches above its weight class. Plus, I like that the flexible head can also extend out as a boom if you want to shoot straight down. When it arrives I’ll play around with some more self portraits.