Key Moments with Key Grip — PROMASTER BLOG

As fall continues to ﬂy by, I’ve taken my travels across the country as an opportunity to really put new (and old) tools to the test. Throughout Montana, Colorado, Michigan, and Washington, I leaned heavily on two tripods: Key Grip and Epoch. As a landscape photographer who often shifts between grand, massive landscapes and quieter, more intimate scenes, I need gear that can keep the pace with how I approach my work, and these two tripods have each proved their worth in very memorable ways. Here’s a look at how each played a role in my recent travels and why they’ve both earned a permanent spot in my kit, both with speed and stability.

So, what was I looking for in these tripods? Full disclosure, I had already been using Epoch since February, so the ﬂavor and experience was already there. Once I heard about Key Grip, however, I knew I wanted to try something different. I’m a photographer, not a videographer, but tools that encourage me to step out of my comfort zone will always be welcome into my kit. With how much travel I was preparing to do, it was the perfect opportunity for me to put Key Grip through its paces.

Now typically, I prefer driving places when traveling. I love the freedom of the open road and the ability to stop along the way for detours or storms if I’m lucky. With Epoch, I fell in love with the routine of quickly deploying on the side of a road and having my scene leveled in an instant. Especially for storms with ripping winds, Epoch never skipped a beat for me, and I loved that aspect of its aluminum build.

For these fall trips, I ﬂew. It was important that I honored the limited space I could travel with, and that’s where Key Grip came into play. With shorter legs and a carbon ﬁber build, I was able to attach it to my backpack and ﬂy with it under my seat on the plane - something I had never been able to do before with tripods. For a ﬁrst date with Key Grip, this was an appealing start to its journey.

Key Grip’s size shined bright at Colorado’s Maroon Bells, a well-known spot for its stunning fall colors and crystal-clear reﬂections (if you’re lucky). However, shooting in such high-trafﬁc locations often demands some serious ﬂexibility, especially in terms of personal space. With an intense reservation system in place during the pre-sunlight hours of Maroon Bells, the entire bank of the pond lined with tripods of other photographers. As for me, I wanted to be respectful, but also in position for the best foreground possible. It was with Key Grip’s smaller leg buildout and more vertical height that I was able to sneak in between two other photographers and have the exact scene I was hoping for without, impeding on anyone else’s compositions. Impressed would be an understatement.

Another on-site experience with Key Grip that ﬁlled my cup was a week later in Michigan. Originally in the Upper Peninsula for fall colors, our goal quickly changed from shooting what was in front of us, to what was above. Three nights in a row of spectacular auroras danced overhead for us to photograph, and with the assistance of Key Grip, I was able to quickly change my composition from shooting forward to up in a moment's notice, resulting in one of my favorite shots of the year along the coast of Lake Superior. What made this different from what Epoch could do, though? Epoch has its four-way head that I’ve loved since day one, so tilting up wouldn’t be exclusive to Key Grip. What made this unique was how I originally leveled my scene. At the base of Key Grip, you have an integrated leveling base allowing you to ﬁnetune prior to panning or tilting. Since I was on a slope of a beach, this enabled me to level out, then pan and tilt to my pleasure as quick as the auroras moved. Without this feature, I may have missed the timing of this substorm.

I do want to give Epoch points for the stability it offers, though. Key Grip has proven to be its sturdy brother, yet shooting long exposures is an area where the Epoch truly shines brightest. Its ﬁnetuning capabilities have allowed me to easily lock in my settings since my ﬁrst experiences with it. In Montana, I found myself shooting longer daytime exposures of Bowman Lake, courtesy of the HGX Prime VND filter that I use. Along the rocky coast, waves were slowly crashing ashore, moving the rocks ever so slightly. The strong aluminum build of Epoch combined with the wide stance of the legs made my composition perfectly still.

While each tripod has its specialties, they both bring one essential quality to my work: patience and thought-provoking compositions. The most recent example of this was particularly crucial in Washington’s Cascade Mountains and Hoh Rainforest, where I faced everything from mist and rain to shifting moments of light on damp, uneven ground.

I believe that the most important question to ask yourself when using a tool in your kit is, “does this encourage me to be more creative?” With both Epoch and Key Grip, I’ve stretched creative muscles I previously had left unattended. Key Grip promotes an active approach with changing scenes and a style of shooting that lets me change on a dime, which I love. Epoch, on the other hand, slows me down in all the best ways. It encourages me to analyze the edges of my framing and be diligent with my compositions. With its 4-way head, I can slow down, dial in each setting, and make sure each element is given the credit it deserves.

Both tripods make a powerful team, covering the different needs that arise across varied terrains and shooting scenarios. For anyone seeking to be a hybrid shooter - someone who moves between swift shooting and more deliberate, controlled compositions - having both options at my disposal has been a transformative experience. These tripods have encouraged me to shoot more creatively than ever, and now I’m encouraging you to give yourself that same chance.