Screenshot image from the tripod plate trick video by Ken Wheeler

Ever had a problem figuring out which way your RC2 tripod plate should go in dimly lit shooting conditions? You probably didn’t think about solving all the hassle and fumbling about with this quick and easy tripod plate trick…until now! If you’ve ever did a shoot in a not so bright location, one of the little, annoying things that you must have struggled with or threw you off your shoot is not properly seeing the right way to mount your tripod plate on your camera. Sure, your tripod most likely has indented guides and arrows to show you the way to do it. But, more often than not, it’s a hassle when you’re doing a quick shoot and don’t have the time to look for a brighter light source and check out the “right way.”

Here’s where Ken Wheeler’s trick comes into the picture. It’s so simple that it probably never crossed your mind, not even in the slightest. But, we’ll let Ken reveal and demonstrate this trick for you in his video below.

Lo and behold, you can properly see the guide! By simply scratching off the paint or coating off your Manfrotto/RC2 Mounting Plate, the arrow guide that points towards the lens glints in the slightest light. As Ken mentioned, this trick should come particularly handy for astrophotographers shooting at night, as any kind of light will reflect on this scratched surface.

“You’re supposed to concentrate on your photography, not your gear!” as Ken rightly says. So go ahead, try out this tripod plate trick and share the word to anyone who needs to make his or her photography life a bit simpler and easier.

While we’re on the subject of tripods, you might also want to take Ken’s recommendation for “the best general use tripod” you can get without putting a dent on your wallet.