3 Legged Thing just introduced their 2023 lineup of monopods, and Shutterbug had a chance to evaluate the model of our choice several weeks in advance. Here’s why the 3 Legged Thing “Taylor 2.0” works for us.

If you doubt for a moment that you need a monopod, read this story Shutterbug published last year: Why You Need A Monopod. If you’re still unconvinced after that, think back to that time you were stuck in the back of a crowd and wished you had a way to raise your camera above the heads of the 6-foot, 9-inch people in front of you. That’s only one of the many reasons you need a monopod. Of course, the main reason is to get sharper photos.

Overview
Advocates of monopods and tripods that we are, we were pleased when 3 Legged Thing offered us an early opportunity to preview and evaluate the model of our choice from their new lineup prior to introduction. We chose “Taylor 2.0,” the very affordable, travel-friendly magnesium alloy monopod in the entry-level range that was named in honor of the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. That’s not the reason why, of coruse.

The other new models are in the premium range and feature carbon fiber construction.

“Alana” is a travel-friendly 5-section unit that stretches to 62.3 inches, and “Lance” is a super-tall 4-section monopod that reaches over 79 inches fully extended. Alana was named after skateboarder Alana Smith, the youngest person to ever earn an X Games medal. Lance was named for former Bones Brigade skateboarder Lance Mountain.

Specifications Comparison Matrix

All three models are available alone or in a kit with the 3-legged Docz foot stabilizer that can double as a table top tripod. Also, all three are offered in 3LT’s relatively new, rich matte-black Darkness coloration; Taylor 2.0 also comes in Metallic Blue, and Alana in Metallic Slate Gray. Yes, Lance, this means you are in Darkness only.

We typically do not put product model names in quotation marks, but 3LT is not a typical organization. They describe themselves this way: “Headquartered in a converted chicken shed (The Chicken Shed) on Kinsbourne Farm, in Stagsden, Bedfordshire, 3 Legged Thing is a small, British company of passionate people, creating and innovating camera support systems for photographers and videographers, and has a sibling brand, Toxic, that creates innovative bags for all people.”

3LT’s product-naming scheme is so refreshingly creative and unique, we put the names in quotes up to this point to head off potential confusion among the unfamiliar. Check 3LT’s website if you’re still slightly puzzled.

Taylor 2.0 Key Features
Travel Ready: Just 17.4 inches (44.1cm) folded, fits inside carry-on luggage
Light Weight: Weighs under 1.5 pounds (677g)
Tall: 62.2 inches (1.58m) or 64.2 inches (1.63m) with optional Docz
Durable & Sturdy: Supports nearly 50X its weight, 66 pounds (30kg)
Versatile: Compatible with 3LT’s Docz 3-legged foot stabilizer
Flexible Usage: Can be used as microphone or camera boom
Comfortable: Extra-large handle is triangle-etched for a firm grip
Surefooted: Accepts several foot options (spikes, etc.)
Includes: Rotating wrist strap
Doubly Affordable: Just $89.99 alone or $139.99 with the $59.99 Docz

In the Field
Taylor 2.0 is light and easy to carry—that’s very important to everyone—but still sturdy enough to use with confidence, and that’s even more important. It supports up to 66 pounds (30kg) which is about the weight of an average nine-year-old male child in the US if I’m reading the CDC’s charts correctly. Yet Taylor 2.0 weighs less than 1.5 pounds.

I lashed it to the bottom of my WotanCraft Pilot 7 shoulder bag and it was not cumbersome at all. Unlike when I carry a travel tripod with the legs extended to shooting height, I did not have to worry about bludgeoning someone when I negotiated human traffic at a busy local wildlife center.

The grip on Taylor 2.0 is extra long and nicely knurled, so it’s easy to hang onto. Combined with the wide wrist strap, it was a snap to maintain control while using and when transporting.

I found it easy to loosen the large twist locks and extend Taylor 2.0 into position, and equally easy to lock everything tight and secure. There is nothing worse than to have one section come loose and slip down suddenly—and that didn’t happen to me even once.

The rubber foot included with Taylor 2.0 is suitable for most surfaces, including hardwood floors, carpets and miscellaneous outdoor areas, but as you’ll read momentarily, there are other options for special circumstances.

Docz is available separately or in a kit with any of the three new monopods. It has three collapsible legs and provides sturdy, 3-point stabilization when attached to the bottom of Taylor 2.0. Mainly I used Docz to add more rigidity and to help me maintain proper vertical orientation. Docz makes it easier to keep the camera in the same space between shots. Although you obviously have to be careful and use common sense, it’s possible to balance a lightweight camera on the Taylor 2.0 + Docz combo and let go. I’m not recommending that, please understand; I’m simply pointing out its stability.

I didn’t use Docz as often as I thought I might because it adds more than a pound of additional weight to the setup. That said, there were several times when I was glad I’d brought Docz along in my gadget bag. Docz can also be used as a table top or ground-level tripod.

In addition to the Docz 3-legged foot stabilizer, there are several other foot options. 3LT offers Heelz (spikes) which are very useful when working on turf or bare ground, plus Stilettoz (long spikes), Clawz (ice grips) and Vanz (dual ball/spikes). Simply unscrew the included rubber foot and replace it with the accessory. The Clawz proved to be a blessing following the recent record rainfall in my area. Note that the optional feet are sold only in sets of three—which is no burden if you also own a 3LT tripod or compatible brand that has a standard 1/4-20 or 3/8-16 screw at the leg bottom.

Worth mentioning, Taylor 2.0 has a 3/8-16 screw at the top to accommodate a ball head or other camera holder. It features a clever spring-loaded bushing that slips down out of the way if you need to attach a head accessory that uses the smaller 1/4-20 fitting, or directly onto the camera or lens.

Conclusion
I need a monopod and you do too. Taylor 2.0 offers an overabundance of features at a pecuniary-favorable price. If you shoot any video, buy the kit which includes the Docz foot stabilizer. 3 Legged Thing has been around for a long time and has earned a leadership position through high quality, innovative design and sensible prices.

If every ounce of weight is critical to you, opt for carbon fiber Alana. You’ll save about 11 ounces (.03kg) but the cost is $50 (67%) higher. For my needs (and budget) Taylor 2.0 is the most rational choice. Or the buy the Taylor 2.0 kit that includes the Docz foot stabilizer and still costs less than a naked Alana.

Lance is the same price as Alana and extends to a whopping 79.52 inches. Lance features four leg sections and is made of carbon fiber. When connected to Docz it reaches 6.8 feet (81.5 inches, 2.07 meters). I can’t imagine needing that much stretch unless I planned to also use it to coax wayward felines down from treetops.

Price & Availability
Taylor 2.0 and his kin can be purchased directly from 3 Legged Thing or from a local 3LT dealer. To find an authorized dealer near you, click here. Price for Taylor 2.0 is $89.99 alone or $139.99 for the kit which includes the Docz 3-legged stabilizer (Docz normally costs $59.99 by itself). Alana and Lance can be purchased alone or as a kit as well. Either monopod alone costs $149.99, and the kits will run you $199.99, representing a $10 savings.

Become a Member of the Shutterbug Community
Register for a free account. Sign up for our newsletter. Spend five minutes (or less) uploading your best shots once every week or so. Potentially become a Shutterbug Photo of the Day winner. Enjoy viewing the fantastic work being done by thousands of photographers all over the world—and add your images to the enduring collection.

—Jon Sienkiewicz

Autumn colors are reaching their peak here in Colorado, making it one of the best times of year for landscape photography. I just spent a weekend in the mountains photographing cottonwoods, scrub oaks, and especially aspen trees showing off their deep reds and brilliant yellows. If you also want to photograph the fall colors, here are the things I recommend focusing on!

There are a variety of techniques for sharpening photos during the editing process, some more effective than others, but none are quite like the method you’ll learn in today’s tutorial that photographer Jethro Stebbings developed himself for bringing images to life.

Stebbings is a British landscape photographer who notes that some conventional sharpening techniques are only effective with certain types of images and don’t work particularly well with others. That’s why he created his own approach in Photoshop that he says will enable you to “tackle any scene and any subject matter with confidence.”   

This 13-minute episode is somewhat more involved than others we’ve shared, so we suggest jotting down a few notes for future reference, but you’ll be justly rewarded for your efforts. Stebbings also explains how to negate the negative effects that often occur with sharpening so that you’ll consistently achieve “super-clean” results.

Stebbings walks you through all the important steps while editing a stunning seascape image photographed in Cornwall. His goal is to sharpen the shot in a way that adds texture and impact to the prominent rocks in the foreground and mid-range, as well as to a cliff face in the background.

One reason why this technique is so effective is that it doesn’t rely upon global adjustments to sharpen the entire image at once. Instead, Stebbings separate the photo into three distinct sections and makes selective adjustments to each. As he explains, “this means we’re going to employ different strategies for each area or plane.” As you’ll see, this makes total sense because one overall adjustment simply won’t work to perfection.

Stebbings creates three layers for each plane he intends to sharpen. He then tuns to Photoshop’s High Pass filter that you’ve likely used in a different way before. Here you’ll want to move the Radius slider until you start to see the image come to life. In basic terms this means “you want this filter to essentially make an outline of the details that are there.” For this shot a Radius of six or seven pixels seems about right.

The next step in Stebbings technique is reducing Opacity, and you learn how this contributes to the final result. He then completes the precision transformation by dealing with any remaining negative artifacts. You be impressed when you compare the before/after images.

There’s much more to learn on Stebbings’ instructional YouTube channel and in a tutorial we posted earlier, explaining how to solve the challenges of wide-angle landscape photography.

If you’re looking for a few ways to spice up your fall landscape photo you’ve come to the right place, because the tutorial below from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel demonstrates six quick-and-easy techniques. And don’t worry, these have nothing to do with dreaded pumpkin-spice flavors.

German landscape pro Christian Mohrle is a favorite among Shutterbug readers who appreciate how his lessons simplify potentially complicated tasks. The Lightroom effects in this episode are guaranteed to give your outdoor images a unique and eye-catching look. You may want to download Mohrle’s Raw files using the link beneath the video and make the changes yourself as they’re explained.

We all love shooting autumn photos because of the breathtaking colors that occur as foliage transforms before trees drop their leaves, and that’s the topic of Mohrle’s first creative effect. This technique for enhancing fall colors involves the use of Lightroom’s HSL and Calibration adjustments.

The trees in the demonstration image have yet to fully display the amazing warm tones off fall, so Mohrle opens the HSL panel, explaining that the “the most important setting you want to change is found under the Hue tab.” Here you can use simple sliders to modify green, yellow, and orange tones to get the exact look you’re after.

After also adjusting Saturation and Luminance the green colors of spring are gone and the image now has a realistic autumn look, but there’s more you can do to complete the natural-looking transformation by opening Lightroom’s Calibration tab. As you’ll see, simply adjusting two sliders quickly gets the job done. Mohrle stresses the importance of taking a subtle approach so you don’t bias blue tones in the sky.

Mohrle’s second trick is what he calls a “Polarization Effect” that’s just as simple to accomplish. Here the goal is to darken the sky with deeper and more intense blue tones—just like you’d do when shooting with a polarizing filter on your lens. A positive byproduct of this method is there will be more contrast in your image.

You’ll learn four more special effects by watching this 12-minute video so pay close attention. These include creating “bokeh balls,”  and an “Orton Glow,” as well as adding fog and glowing areas to your shots. Once you’re done take a look at Mohrle’s instructional YouTube channel for more ways to add impact to landscape photos.

We also recommend watching the tutorial we posted earlier from another image-editing expert, with an easy Lightroom method for enhancing your autumn landscape photographs.