Camera Stands

When I was pregnant I got a coupon from Olan Mills to get my baby's portrait done for free. So I went up there the other day. I was paying more attention to my baby than their equipment, but I noticed that the camera was attached to a pole and they could move the camera up and down and tilt, and vertical to horizontal with ease. When I got home I started thinking about that stand. It was very neat. I went to B&H and looked at their camera stands and WHOA are they expensive! From $500 to almost $10,000!!! I never knew a stand could cost so much. Obviously this is something the average photog will not have; are there any affordable/easy alternatives to this? Just get a good tripod? The baby was basically on the ground and the camera could get down there really easily. Can someone tell me more about this area?
Thanks!
Julie

Camera stands are wonderful for studio work. Of course a tripod can do the same basic job for a fraction of the price and also go on vacation with you. Sometimes you can find stands at very good prices from retiring photographers or studios closing down. But if you don't have a studio, what are you going to do with it in your home when you aren't using it?

When I worked part time in a studio the owner had these in all three studio rooms that he had. We were shooting with RB67 ProS cameras and if you had to go down too low you just changed from the eye level viewfinder to the waist level viewfinder. Worked like a charm.

They are way more versatile that a tripod and much more expensive. You have to have a pretty robust business to afford these things.

I'd like to have a studio one day, but not at this time. I guess for now I can get one of those tripods that can go really low to the ground.