Another 'Using a Tripod' in Europe (France) post.

Chrismat · Aug 6, 2017

I am going to be in Paris for a few days next month and and have been reading a lot of posts regarding restrictions on tripod use. My goal (hopefully) is to be able to get some nice 6x6 (Provia, mostly) shots of stained glass windows on a day trip to Chartres Cathedral. I have read older posts from some people who were able to use them and others who could not. I'm thinking that it all depends on the day of the week, who is in charge, etc. One of the reasons I'm going in September is that there won't be as many tourists and hopefully I'll have some luck. I'll be using a Mamiya 220 with a 180 Super and a 80mm 2.8 lens.

I'm interested to hear from people who have been in France fairly recently.

Thanks.
Chris

stormpetrel · Aug 6, 2017

Chrismat said:
I am going to be in Paris for a few days next month and and have been reading a lot of posts regarding restrictions on tripod use. My goal (hopefully) is to be able to get some nice 6x6 (Provia, mostly) shots of stained glass windows on a day trip to Chartres Cathedral. I have read older posts from some people who were able to use them and others who could not. I'm thinking that it all depends on the day of the week, who is in charge, etc. One of the reasons I'm going in September is that there won't be as many tourists and hopefully I'll have some luck. I'll be using a Mamiya 220 with a 180 Super and a 80mm 2.8 lens.

I'm interested to hear from people who have been in France fairly recently.

Thanks.
Chris

Hi Chris

Bringing a tripod in such place or any castles/ public gardens could be an issue in France
I would suggest to contact them http://www.cathedrale-chartres.org and explain what you would like to do (non commercial picture without flash but with a tripod).
Ask them if your require a permit, if not ask them when would be the best moment to go to the Cathedral to not interfere with the mess and the religious activities in the cathedral.
Tell them you will be also happy to contribute with a donation
Those place could be very busy and the last thing they want is a photographer interfering with religious activities and/or flow of tourist in the cathedral....
Better to be prepared but it would be worthwhile, the Stained Glass are fantastic!
If you travel not far away from Bourges, I would suggest to visit also its cathedral, less busy than Chartres but with great stained glass too.

Dominique

cowanw · Aug 7, 2017

As a fallback, I bring a beanbag that attaches to the bottom of my camera.

jeffreyg · Aug 7, 2017

As mentioned rules will vary and the beanbag may be helpful. Also a camera strap used tightly as a support, the back of a chair etc will work best with a cable release. Here are two I took with no tripod and available light. Both were in Italy. Sometimes I get lucky.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

Hatchetman · Aug 7, 2017

I was just in France/England for two weeks. I never saw anyone with a tripod in any of the tourist sites and often saw "no tripod" signs. I would investigate other options. For example bring a monopod in your bag and sit down somewhere and partially extend monopod while you are sitting. Improvise. I got some good exposures at around f2.8 1/30 handheld. TLRs are pretty easy to hold steady.

bimmey · Aug 7, 2017

I've used a Gorilla Pod placing the feet to my chest. Gain a couple of stops compared to hand held.

Sounds like a great trip.

TheFlyingCamera · Aug 7, 2017

I did some stained glass color work at Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. I shot Portra 800 in my Rolleiflex, hand-held, and got this:
Dead Link Removed
So a tripod would not be necessary.

wiltw · Aug 7, 2017

The camera resting on the back or a pew or chair works well in many cases...even better if you have something like a beanbag to further prevent motion as you press downward on the camera. Sometimes using something improvised, like a jacket wadded up firmly to rest the camera on, is better than nothing. The point is to reduce the number of degrees of freedom of motion of the camera+lens.

Chrismat · Aug 7, 2017

Great advice and nice images, thank you. I'm going to have to take some 800 Portra with me in case I cannot use my tripod. I'm really aiming for 6X6 transparencies since I purchased a 6X6 slide projector. Normally on most trips I use black and white for 75% for my shooting but it may be the opposite for this one.

RalphLambrecht · Aug 8, 2017

Chrismat said:
I am going to be in Paris for a few days next month and and have been reading a lot of posts regarding restrictions on tripod use. My goal (hopefully) is to be able to get some nice 6x6 (Provia, mostly) shots of stained glass windows on a day trip to Chartres Cathedral. I have read older posts from some people who were able to use them and others who could not. I'm thinking that it all depends on the day of the week, who is in charge, etc. One of the reasons I'm going in September is that there won't be as many tourists and hopefully I'll have some luck. I'll be using a Mamiya 220 with a 180 Super and a 80mm 2.8 lens.

I'm interested to hear from people who have been in France fairly recently.

Thanks.
Chris

all the places I went to I gained written pre approval.Alternatively,use a monopod; they are less blocking and more easily accepted;Also,learn some French;they hateEnglish speakers demanding English in their country; diplomacy and courtesy always help; arrogance never does.

Chrismat · Aug 8, 2017

RalphLambrecht said:
all the places I went to I gained written pre approval.Alternatively,use a monopod; they are less blocking and more easily accepted;Also,learn some French;they hateEnglish speakers demanding English in their country; diplomacy and courtesy always help; arrogance never does.

I do know some French, and I recently purchased some French language cds to try to relearn what I learned in school. I'll be doing some lessons tonight while processing a roll of 35mm Acros.

I will be bringing a monopod with me as well.

Fin · Aug 8, 2017

Chrismat said:
I will be bringing a monopod with me as well.

Dammit! We're going to that Europe in September and may stop in Paris at some point. That's another piece of photography equipment I never knew I needed!

Sirius Glass · Aug 8, 2017

Fin said:
Dammit! We're going to that Europe in September and may stop in Paris at some point. That's another piece of photography equipment I never knew I needed!

I carried a tripod to France so that I could take photographs of the Eiffel Tower at night with Portra 400 from my hotel window.

Chrismat · Sep 30, 2017

Postscript: I had no problem at all using a tripod in Chartres Cathedral. I had e-mailed them before I left for France and the response I received said that as long as I was not going to use the images to sell, there is no problem. I received the chromes in the mail today. I used a Mamiya C220 with a 105 and a 180 lens.
For film I used Provia and a Sekonic L-228 zoom light meter. Chartres was the only place I used a tripod. One of the things I made myself do is after I shot what was to just put the camera away and to sit down and take in the magnificence of the place. I hope to visit someday again.

WilmarcoImaging · Sep 30, 2017

Thanks for the feedback. Well done on the images.

Kino · Oct 2, 2017

Late to the show, but another good trick is to make a "string or rope stabiliser"

Take length of thin, strong cord that only stretches slightly and make a loop into which your shoe can be inserted. Take a 1/4 inch eye bolt with a single jam nut and screw it into the bottom of your camera. Thread the cord through the eye bolt and stretch the cord to a length just short of the distance from your instep to your eye and tie off the cord with a good, non-slipping knot.

When you want to make a shot, simply step into the loop, pull firmly straight up on the camera and squeeze off the shot carefully. Works pretty good for up to a full second, maybe more if you breathe slow and steady...

It can be stored in a very small pouch and is unobtrusive.

benjiboy · Oct 3, 2017

RalphLambrecht said:
all the places I went to I gained written pre approval.Alternatively,use a monopod; they are less blocking and more easily accepted;Also,learn some French;they hateEnglish speakers demanding English in their country; diplomacy and courtesy always help; arrogance never does.

Just remind them if they object to your tripod, we got them out of two world wars they didn't complain about English speakers then, and before somebody gets on his P.C. high horse this is a joke

Another 'Using a Tripod' in Europe (France) post.

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