Tripod bags

Full-sized photography and videography tripods are usually supplied with bags, and the bags usually have slings on them, so that when the tripod has been placed in its bag it can be slung over the shoulder.
This is a good idea; it’s pretty easy for photographers and videographers to carry their equipment when it’s slung over their shoulder – it’s much easier than carrying it when it is held in the hand, or in both hands.
Or rather, it’s a good idea if the photographer or videographer isn’t carrying something slung over the other shoulder.
Typically, that ’something’ will be a camera bag.
So what’s the problem? Surely it’s easy enough to carry a tripod bag slung over one shoulder and a camera bag slung over the other shoulder?
Hmm, actually it isn’t easy.
If shoulders were exactly level the tripod bag would stay in place, it wouldn’t tend to slip off the shoulder. But shoulders aren’t exactly level so tripod bags do tend to slip off the shoulder, usually at an awkward moment.
Some photographers get around the problem of straight shoulders by slightly raising the shoulder that is being used to carry the tripod bag. This way, the tripod bag tends to stay in place.
The problem is, this has the effect of lowering the other shoulder.
This, of course, is the shoulder that is supposed to be carrying the camera bag. Naturally, when it is lowered, the camera bag tends to slip off it.
One solution might be to develop a special walk, with the left shoulder for example being raised every minute or so to prevent the tripod bag from slipping off it, and the right shoulder for example being raised every minute or so to prevent the camera bag from slipping off it.
Seriously, there are various solutions to the problem of tripods and level shoulders, apart from the possible solution of major surgery to the offending shoulders, and I’ll look at these solutions in a future post.