I have used a gorilla pod many times, and although they CAN support a DSLR, I would say do so with extreme caution. It all depends on body size/weight, lens size/weight, as well as the surface you're attaching it to. I stopped bringing mine places mostly because although I would use it and my rig would SEEM stable, I would have to keep my hands hovering around it JUST IN CASE..as sometimes it did topple over.
Also...Night shots ARE possible to get without a tripod as long as you have decent glass (and a little know-how).
For example..I went to the house of mouse this last week and one of my main goals was to get some good night shots. I played around with settings, and eventually came up with some decent results. Could they have been better? of course. But..I also only brought a low end DSLR (D3100 to be exact..on purpose as I wanted a challenge), and a "moderately" priced lens -
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-55-200mm-4-5-6G-Vibration-Reduction/dp/B000O161X0 .
My first HUGE suggestion would be to learn from others. The easiest way to do this is to go on Flickr, and see shots that you like, and then look at their exif data (you can do that within flickr). Check out the F-Stops, Shutter Speeds, ISO settings, etc. I do this a lot and take notes..and from that I came up with some ideas that I decided to try on my trip.
So basically what I did was first and foremost, raise that ISO up. Anything around 1600-3200 worked (3200 had more noise but a good perk of Nikon is that the photo "noise" looks more natural than that of canon). Second, forget about auto focus most of the time. It takes too long to "lock in"..so manual is the way to go. It may seem annoying at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. Third - Shutter priority mode. Yes...manual WOULD be better, but I god some good results with setting my shutter speeds around 100th of a second. Pictures come out too dark? Raise the shutter speed a little. Don't do it too much as then yes..you WILL need a tripod. If you aren't do long exposures (longer shutter speeds), keep the F stop as low as you can get it. Having a Vibration Reduction lens (I forgot the term it is called for Canon..but they have it too) helps a TON. Results?
On a "ride" (ok..so tiki room isnt a ride..but its a dark show):
Walt Disney World Trip - June 2012 by
DreGGs, on Flickr
Outside shot:
Walt Disney World Trip - June 2012 by
DreGGs, on Flickr
All that was needed after the shots was a BIT of touchups in Lightroom (raise the exposure a smidge, boost the saturation, maybe bump up the shadow details)..and vuala! Are they awesome pro-shots? Nope. But for a handheld "quick" unplanned shot...I'd say they are acceptable.
Hope all of this helps.
