Monday, June 15, 2009

Wide-Angle/Low Perspective Shots

Lately some people have been thinking I may not be a true wheelchair user 'cuz I show up with photos like below.



How can I sit and get this shot you ask? We'll it's not all that tricky if you have a few gadgets in your bag. First off, I use a wide angle lens which gets the cool perspective, and then I add my trusty remote shutter control and my super handy Novoflex monopod. Using the monopod, I turn the camera upside down and now I'm at ground level. I wrap the neckstrap around my wrist, and the little foot of the pod gives me a pretty good grip of the camera.

A 12mm wide-angle lens is a lot like a shotgun. You just point in the general direction and you should see some good results. I usually shoot 4-5 shots with the 36" wired remote cable, as I rotate he mono-pod a bit to make sure I get at least one winner.

Nikon is gradually coming out with cameras featuring a rotating LCD which will allow me to use their live mode and actually see what I'm shooting, but as yet I'm not a big user of their live mode so not sure it will even matter.

I also am constantly looking for locations that allow me to get a "ground-eye view" without using the upside down trick. Often parks and commercial centers have ramps and terraces that allow me to roll right beside grassy areas and plants. Now I'm beneath the subject matter without ever leaving my chair.

4 comments:

ss said...

great slideshow!

Quadtographer said...

I've got a Canon 10-22mm. I just bend over and rest the camera on my feet. I aim up and blindly shoot. Works most all the time. I love the different perspective.

Bob

Katie M said...

I am Katie.I have CP. I am doing my senior project on photography. I have had to make a lot of adaptions in order to use a camera. I need to do a research paper also. My topic is how technology and a little cleverness make it possible for people with disabilities to be successful in photography. Can't find any text or online resources. Could I interview you for my paper?

Jason Finkbeiner said...

Hello Loren,

In searching for alternative bite switches than the Conceptus designs I found this blog. My biggest beef was with the lack of AF. Certainly most skydivers use very short FLs and likely just stick it at infinity and go.

I found a DIY design for the same style switch, but am adding another switch for momentary AF function. Some switches I found had it, but were continuous and drained the battery pretty quickly according to reports.

If it works I'd like to contribute the construction information.

My reason for building this is so I can support my body and lens with two hands as your average photog. I have no problems when supporting it under the body & lens with my left hand while shooting with my right, but you add a battery grip or switch to portrait orientation and it's a new game. My current lenses allow me to rest the camera, in portrait orientation, against my head. But I am looking into much heavier, faster glass and will need both hands to use a portrait lens as intended.

Let me know if this would be of value to you or any other way I could help or contribute. I couldn't find a place to email directly so I just left it in a comment.

Jason,
Saskatoon, SK