All photographic tripods have three legs and a mounting head to couple with a camera. The mounting head usually includes a thumbscrew that mates to a female-threaded receptacle on the camera, as well as a mechanism to be able to rotate and tilt the camera when it is mounted on the tripod.

When used by itself, it eliminates camera shake in the vertical axis. This is usually used in selfies for clearer shots by ensuring that the camera is not in motion relative to the body. With a special adapter, monopods can be used as a "chestpod", meaning that the foot rests now on the chest of the photographer.