Telescopic Pole Camera

Telescopic Pole Camera

This photo was carefully planned, for the time of year (trees are in bloom), the location, and a somewhat unusual downward angle. The human experience here (Boston Public Garden) includes sky and nearby skyscrapers. I chose to eliminate the sky and skyscrapers through use of a high camera position looking down. However, elevating the camera can be a difficult problem if there is nothing to stand upon.

One of my favorite photographic tools is a telescoping pole with a camera mount at the top.  Combined with a camera equipped with wi-fi, the camera can be raised up to 20 feet and operated from a mobile  app on a smartphone.

A telescoping pole is often the best choice for a camera height of ten to twenty feet.  To photograph from a height of forty feet or two hundred feet, I can use a small aerial drone. While a drone can be used at altitudes of fifteen or twenty feet, that could readily be a distraction and a nuisance to people who are trying to enjoy the park. 

On multiple occasions my photographic intentions have been thwarted by the presence of utility wires strung upon poles.  While I could have flown an aerial drone above the wires, I instead chose to use a telescopic pole and place the camera twelve to eighteen inches below the wires.  Personally, I don’t want to fly a drone that close to wires. Unlike a drone camera, a pole-mounted camera can’t move suddenly and potentially collide with wires.

For comparison’s sake, I shot the same scene with the camera at eye-level.  The location I chose for my photo was occupied by a nine-foot-tall shrub.  The pole-mounted camera enabled shooting over the top of this shrub in the foreground.

Photograph Amusement Park Rides at Night

Bright colors.  That’s pretty much what it’s all about when photographing amusement park rides.  Daytime photographs pale in comparison to night photographs of the rides.

Long exposure of midway rides (at Washington County Fair)
Long exposure of midway rides (at Washington County Fair)

This photo here is from the Washington County Fair (Rhode Island).  Although there was a fabulous pink sunset, I did not see it in time, so missed that photo opportunity.  In this photo here, there is just a hint of the pink color in the bottom left background.

The best time is dusk.  Just after the sun sets, there is still some light in the sky, but it’s darker than the lights, resulting in some contrast.

OK, so … it’s dark.  Can your camera make a photograph?  Sure.  But you may need a long exposure, longer than 1/30 second.  This shutter speed for this photo here is 1.3 seconds.

A slow shutter speed implies the camera could move slightly during the exposure and mess up the photo.  So you need to stabilize the camera.  Tripod is the right solution to this problem, but in this example here I had a monopod (just one leg).  With the camera on the monopod, I braced it against something solid.  A telephone pole will do; in my case, it was an above-ground pool, on display near the midway.

The last ingredient in this photo is, of course, the zoom effect.  With the camera set to 2-second delayed shutter.  I pressed the shutter button and poised my hand on the zoom ring of the lens.  When the shutter clicked open, I rotated the zoom ring.

 

Photographing Freestyle Ski Jumping

Very excited to photograph freestyle ski jumping this week!
For photography, winter can be dull, particularly if there is no snow … the grey season, the season of sticks without leaves. But NOT this week. This is an international event sponsored by FIS, the international skiing authority. The ORDA has authorized official Press credentials, which allows me a bit more freedom of movement than regular spectators, to achieve shooting angles I need to create good images.

Because the freestyle ski jump competition is preceded by a mogul competition, I will arrive a day early in order to catch the mogul competition.  Although I don’t “need” this shoot, I’m going to be right there and it could be fun (I simply haven’t thought about it much).  One extra night’s lodging is all it takes … and maybe rent a pair of skis so I can reach the top & middle of the slope.

Logistical arrangements have required a significant investment of time.

  • Lens selection & rent
  • A  couple of (smaller) equipment purchases
  • Contact ORDA for official Press credentials
  • Find a place to stay (difficult because I made a reservation only 1wk prior to the event)
  • Couple minor things regarding my car (before driving 500 miles)

(The weather forecast for Friday is *COLD*.)

I have selected a 70-200mm f4 zoom lens and the Canon EF 400mm f4 DO lens.  Having never used the DO lens before, this is a bit of a gamble.  However, at 4.27 lbs, the DO is significantly less weight than the 400mm f2.8 or even the 300mm f2.8.

While the weight of the 400mm DO is hand-holdable, I want a monopod so that I do not have to hand-hold it. But my cheap old monopod (really cheap) is not enough for this task.  So I purchased a new monopod (Feisol).  With this particular item in mind, I went to my local photography shop (Hunt’s Photo & Video) and looked at the other options (Benro, Induro, etc).  Lucky for me they did stock the Feisol and that is ultimately the item I had in-hand when I left the store.

When used on snow, a monopod (or even a tripod) will punch a narrow hole in the snow and sink, because of the very narrow footprint. A few monopods do have an expanded “foot”, but the model I selected does not have this feature. So I cut up the plastic lid to a peanut butter jar and attached that to the bottom of the monopod.

Mo’ Gitzo

This week I took advantage of a trade-in program offered by Manfrotto and Gitzo, to replace my small tripod with smaller “traveller” model, small enough to pack in a suitcase.

I tend not to be brand-loyal about anything, though I have owned three Gitzo tripods. I looked at Giotto when they began offering carbon fiber tripods a couple years ago, but I did not like the fact that the leg locks require more turning compared to Gitzo. This week I looked at tripods by Fiesol (www.feisol.net); solid lightweight carbon fiber construction and 30% less expensive than Gitzo. However, with a trade-in and a rebate, the cost of a Gitzo was reduced to a price akin to Feisol. Price no longer a differentiator … I bought my fourth Gitzo. (www.gitzo.com)


In the trio of tripods shown here, notice that two do not have a center column. I personally like this configuration because the tripod can lower all the way to the ground without the center column getting in the way. The big model 410 shown here is quite heavy and is overkill for most applications. The mid-size tripod is carbon fiber, to replace the big heavy 410. The small one with center column was just replaced, but I could not justify the large price tag without trading-in the one shown here. The old tripod was more than 20 years old, made in France before Gitzo was purchased by Vitec Group.

When the Light is not quite what you want

Friday evening, as Hurricane Irene thrashed the coast of Florida, the weather in New England was clear and the warm glow of the setting sun raked across the land.  I went a short distance down the road to photograph the river.   But, to my surprise, the light on the weeds and grasses was largely back-lit and unflattering.  So I planned to return and try again Saturday morning, as the weather forecast called for overcast clouds.

Soft light / overcast sky

As expected, the morning provided soft diffuse light and I snapped a few images.  To get a bit of elevation above the river, I used two familiar tools.  One, a portable telescoping ladder.  Two, a tripod fully extended and raised far over my head.  The latter requires a bit more shutter speed to compensate for the unstable camera perch. 

A bit later, after returning home, the sun was peeking through the clouds and I considered repeating my brief excursion in different light.  But, in the end, I did not.

As you can see in the image here, the soft light features no distinct shadows.  This is not automatically good or bad.  A diffuse light avoids high contrast and specular reflections, but it can also reduce sense of  shape and depth.  A moderate light from the side (side light) will wrap around a subject and enhance the subject shape.  But too much and the shadows may be too dark, loosing all details.

When dealing with natural light (not electronic flash), sometimes we can anticipate the light we want.  But sometimes, the light really is not doing what we expect or want.  When that happens, sometimes the right thing to do is simply try again after the light has changed.

 

 

 

Tripods – is Good and Inexpensive possible ?

You can find tripods in any department store that sells cameras. You might find a good tripod, though perhaps the odds are against you. You can find tripods in any specialty camera store; these are a bit different than the department store variety and they can be far more expensive.
A couple years ago, I went hunting for a good tripod around $100; here is what I found.

There is one quality that a tripod must have above all else; it must be sturdy. While this might seem a good opportunity to denegrate a lot of department store tripods, I am not going to to that. Why? Because “sturdy” means one thing if your camera weighs 10 lbs and means something quite different if your camera weighs 10 oz. A tripod of the department store variety is typically intended for lightweight cameras. For the intended camera, some of these tripods can be quite sturdy, while others simply defy the notion of “sturdy” no matter the camera. Decades ago, my first tripod could be readily described as flimsy; the parts were not fitted together with any precision to prevent the parts from moving about. Without comparing it to other tripods, I knew no better. Of course, there is an argument to be made that any tripod is better than no tripod at all.

The second quality I look for in a tripod is good control of the camera movement. Camera movement is a funciton of the tripod head, as opposed to the tripod legs. The two most common types of tripod heads are the ballhead and the tilt & pan head. Tilt & pan heads are often referred to as video heads because they are particularly useful for video cameras. These heads have long handles attached so you can pan and tilt the camera very smoothly without jerky motion. Ballheads are more compact, basically a ball and socket with one knob that loosens/tightens it. Loosen it and the ball can move in any direction, forward, backward, side to side. A good quality ballhead will have a tension adjustment to prevent the camera from suddenly falling to one side when you loosen the ball. A bigger ball will support a heavier camera compared to a smaller ball. A bigger ball will move more smoothly than a smaller ball. A bigger ball usually has a bigger price tag.

Good tripods are often sold in two separate pieces, the head and the legs. The connection point between the two is a simple screw afixed into the top of the legs. While European tripods may use a different standard, there are two english measurment standards for tripod screw mounts, 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch. If you buy the head and legs separately, just make certain that the mount is compatible. Some tripods sold with both legs with head actually have a detachable head, which gives you the option of upgrading the parts later. Simply be aware of which screw size is used. If it has a 1/4 screw mount, that does not necessarily mean you cannot use a tripod head with 3/8 screw mount. You can employ a 1/4 to 3/8 adapter. However, a set of legs with 1/4 screw mount is intended for smaller cameras; I recommend that you don’t put a 10 lb camera on a set of legs that is not designed for that much weight.

For hundreds of years, tripod legs have been made from wood and these are still available today. However, most legs today are made from aluminum. Innovations over the past 10 years have led to the use of other materials such as carbon fiber. Regardless of the material used, most tripods are adjustable in size for simple reason of portability. A common design consists of sections of tubing that fit within each other like a telescope. When the legs are completely stowed, the tripod has a minum height. This measurement is important for reasons of portability, particularly if you intend to carry your tripod onto an airplane. Fully extended, each tripod has a maximum height. Most people will want a tripod that is tall enough such that you need not bend over to look through your camera’s view finder. Two tripods with the same maximum height may have very different minimum height. In particular, if the tripod legs are each comprised of four sections, this will typically collapse to a size that is significantly smaller than tripod legs having only three sections or two sections.

So here was my task; find a good tripod, not too expensive, nothing too fancy, too heavy or too expensive. Considering the particular photographer, this would be her first tripod; while I insist upon a quality product, I didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars.

From my own experience, Gitzo tripods are superb. Unfotunately, the cost was a higher than I was intending to spend.

One of the most respected names in tripods is Manfrotto. Manfrotto model 190 was just the right size, with easy-to-use lever locks to extend the legs, 3 leg sections. Legs adjust to 4 different angles and will drop flat to the ground (for ground level photography) with use of a piece (included) that acts as a center-column replacement. Leg tubes are somewhat triangular, stronger than simple round tube. Cost is $125 with no head. Adding the cost of a separate tripod head, this was not inexpensive.

Manfrotto did offer less expensive tripods but they all seem to include a permanently attached head and are rated to support only 2-4 lbs. This might be acceptable for the particular photographer I was shopping for, but I felt that it was a undesirable compromise for anyone using an SLR camera.

You will find Slik tripods in department stores as well as specialty camera stores. Slik model 330 and 340 seemed pretty good, but I felt that the leg-locking levers are too small / under-designed. The model 500 corrects this, but is a significantly larger tripod. Levers are better on Calumet. I believe the included head is removable/replacable.

Giotto has been offering tripod products for a few years; a relative newcomer compared to Manfrotto and Slick. Excellent quality. Better legs than Calumet. However, legs are extended using a twist lock similar to Gitzo and I think lever locks better for a new photographer. Furthermore, each takes 3 turns to lock/unlock, whereas Gitzo is only 2 turns. Extending the Giotto is tedious.

Giotto ballheads, purchased separately, were also very good quality; includes tension adjust. Hoever, the ballhead cost $90 without quick-release and $120 with quick-release; so the combined cost of the legs plus the head was a bit too much.

Tilt-all has made photography products for decades. Unfortunately, the tripods I saw were unacceptable. Every part had a cheap finish and the twist-locks on the legs were lousy.

Induro tripods looked interesting on-line, but I could not find these products in any local stores.

In the end, I found a clear winner … Calumet. Similar to the Manfrotto 190, but the legs were constructed from cheaper thin-wall round-tube aluminum. Legs were locked/unlocked via easy-to-use lever locks. Four leg sections instead three (so collapses smaller). Legs adjust to 3 different angles. Though the center column prevents it from going flat to the ground, the bottom half of the center column can be removed or the entire column can be inverted. Includes a pan-tilt head with quick-release; and the head can be replaced with a good ball head (1/4 inch thread). Three year warranty. Cost $50, wow! I would have expected $90. I bought it.

In a later post, we’ll take a closer look at ballheads.