Travel without a tripod

Packing a tripod when you head off on holiday is a great way to extend the shooting day, allowing you to take some stunning night time shots with streaking lights and illuminated landmarks. If you re pushed for space, though, check out this trick. Balance your camera somewhere sturdy and safe, disable the flash and set a slow shutter speed or two seconds or more.

Now set your self timer, fire the shutter release and let go of your camera so that you won t cause it to wobble. By the time the self timer countdown expires, any residual movement caused by your hand letting go should have evened out, so your camera will sit still and steady throughout the exposure for a crisp, sharp result.We took this using the self timer and a long exposure. Avoid the temptation to squat in Rome s rush hour traffic.