If you are struggling when shooting vertical photos on your tripod, consider an L bracket

 

 

With a simple tripod plate on your camera, it is a breeze to capture sharp images in a landscape orientation. However, as soon as you want to rotate your camera and capture shots with a portrait orientation, you run into issues. While it's typically possible to manipulate the tripod such that you can shoot vertical images, it may require adjusting the height of the tripod legs to have a level horizon or it may make your entire setup unstable.

A much easier way to capture vertical shots is to attach an L bracket to your camera. Numerous manufacturers make L brackets for specific cameras, allowing you to simply rotate your camera and attach it to your tripod head. In the 149th episode of David Bergman's educational series, Two Minute Tips, Bergman discusses how and why you would use an L bracket and shows off its advantages when working on a tripod.

(Via Adorama)