If you are away from home with your camera but without your tripod,
carry a small cotton drawstring bag loosly filled with rice. Any shape support can now be changed into a ready made tripod to be used regularly or with the self timer.
Hey, I have a patent on the rice-filled camera support :) You mention using a cotton sack... I use old socks.
I have two such supports. One is filled quite full... it's long enough to double up for that extra bit of height. The other is more like a hacky sack. They both work quite well.
sometimes if its not more than 1/10 sec i can use my strap on my camera (round the neck), arms at full length and locked, and havving the cam rest on my knee while i sit down and i can get a decent shot. i carry around a little pocket tripod that i got at fred meyers for longer stuff tho.
When I travel, I usually just a take a table top tripod. They are really small and fit in a pocket. The trick is to realise that you don't have to put it in a horizontal or flat surface - you can use it as a brace on anything. Walls, streetlights, sign posts etc.
You can even collapse the legs slightly to grip around something. This also works really well with a full-size tripod. You can close the legs down and brace it against a wall.
I like to mountain bike on trails around here, and a tripod is just a few more ounces I would rather not tote around. So . . . I fill a gallon sized ziploc bag with flour (double bag actually in case the first opens.) Then, if I see a shot I need a tripod for, I lay my bike down on the side and use the front fork/tire/frame, whatever is the right height as the "base" then let the camera sit on the bag of flour in a nice cushiony position. Not perfect, but it is okay.
I'm just waiting to get stopped by a park ranger or other law enforcement about the ziploc bag. :-/
Has anyone seen Austin Powers in "Goldmember"? Aparently Mini-Me carries along some tripod secrets with him as well. *wink*
I guess I'll be stuck with a "duopod" more than a "tripod" if i go by that way! LOL (of course unless I'm the size of mini Me) damn this is a sad joke!
