I want to get higher, and higher....any suggestions?

Trugga wrote in post #18328443
This photo was a 7D with a 8mm fisheye, hoisted up on the end of a mono pod, held at arms length - possibly ~14'

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/fCiG​ft
Lawrence_Fowler_IMG_29​94_tn by Lawrence Fowler

That's a really cool looking perspective!

What are all of the orangish colored lights toward the top of the frame?

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I use a Rode boom with my Gear 360 and Panasonic GM1. Clamp my phone to the base and can control/liveview via wi-fi.

The other option is a kite rig. KAPshop for cheap starter kits

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18328551
Is that a 1/4-20 thread? I'd think you'd want a 3/8 to mount a ball head.

yeah, good point...lucky for me i have 1/4 to 3/8 adapters already, but your post made me look for them...amazingly i found them quickly

not going to lie, i kinda wish i had a ball head that just attached directly to the camera, something about the quick releases on mine are scaring me a bit

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18328811
That's a really cool looking perspective!

What are all of the orangish colored lights toward the top of the frame?

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i think they are just a string of lights

Spacemunkie wrote in post #18328849
I use a Rode boom with my Gear 360 and Panasonic GM1. Clamp my phone to the base and can control/liveview via wi-fi.

If you want to go higher, then DRONE! AliExpress for dirt cheap crash-and-not-care gear. I just got a Syma X8 that'll take the Gear 360 or a GoPro - 85 bucks!

Spacemunkie wrote in post #18328852
The other option is a kite rig. KAPshop for cheap starter kits

yeah i also bought a pole clamp to attach my phone to the pole to make composing and firing a shot easier...i was at the beach today, and saw someone flying a kite...and totally thought, i wonder if i could attach my gopro to that...i figured a balloon like mentioned earlier would probably be easier though...don't even know if i know how to fly a kite still

I've used a Manfrotto 234RC monopod tilt head on top of my painter pole for real estate photos. It works well and the plate is locked onto the head.

DreDaze wrote in post #18329113
yeah, good point...lucky for me i have 1/4 to 3/8 adapters already, but your post made me look for them...amazingly i found them quickly

not going to lie, i kinda wish i had a ball head that just attached directly to the camera, something about the quick releases on mine are scaring me a bit

Use 2 inch gaff tape to secure the camera strap to the pole.

Phantom 4 pro

Talley wrote in post #18329604
Phantom 4 pro

I'd probably opt for the mavic...but as i said they're pretty much not allowed anywhere i'd want to use them around here

A friend of mine bought a 15' Manfrotto Super Stand and attached a ball head to the top. He made a DIY 3 point rigging plate for the top to attach guy lines to stabilize the stand in its fully extended length. The guy line ran out to regular tent stakes. He connected the camera to his tablet via a cam ranger and it was just a matter of a little trial and error to get the right angle for the best field of view. The only thing that would have made that rig better would have been some kind of motorized remote controlled ball head. The images as a result of that setup were very impressive.

A couple things of note I learned when helping him were that you definitely need an assistant. You can try doing it yourself but you open up to disaster. As he was raising the stand I ran out the guy lines to provide some stability. Once raised you will need a three point guy line minimum for stability. The stand also requires a fairly flat surface for the best stability. Wind influences the mast considerably. We needed a faster shutter speed than normal to compensate for mast movement and mast vibration. Once set up, we had to lower and raise the mast several times to adjust the viewing angle of the camera (hence the desire to have a remotely controlled head). Wider angles worked better than longer focal lengths (for obvious reasons).

We ran these tests in an open public park with no people around us. At 15' we needed a good 25' diameter for the guy lines (3). These guy lines would have needed some kind of visual signal, attendee or just roped off area to avoid becoming a trip hazard. If you are talking 25' you need to consider other things like aerial hazards like power lines. If safety clearances are required, a 25' mast would need a minimum 50' diameter safety zone. A modest 10' pole with a two pound weight would be very difficult, at best, to stop from crashing down should you loose balance.

-Duck- wrote in post #18329956
. . . you definitely need an assistant. You can try doing it yourself but you open up to disaster.

Once raised you will need a three point guy line minimum for stability. The stand also requires a fairly flat surface for the best stability.

Wind influences the mast considerably. We needed a faster shutter speed than normal to compensate for mast movement and mast vibration.

Once set up, we had to lower and raise the mast several times to adjust the viewing angle of the camera (hence the desire to have a remotely controlled head).

At 15' we needed a good 25' diameter for the guy lines (3). These guy lines would have needed some kind of visual signal, attendee or just roped off area to avoid becoming a trip hazard.

A modest 10' pole with a two pound weight would be very difficult, at best, to stop from crashing down should you loose balance.

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This is the most extreme example of "the gear getting in the way" that I have ever heard of!

If one is so concerned about the set-up, then how can the photographer's mind be free to "tune into" the scene and the subjects? To feel their rhythm? To adapt instantaneously to subtle shifts in the ambient light? To slide slightly to one side or the other, depending on the movements of the subject? To release the shutter at precisely the "decisive moment"?

Sounds like a lot of hassle and difficulty, just to get 15 feet above ground. It seems like it'd be very hard to get the composition absolutely precise (I mean, like, framing things within an inch or three of absolute perfection).


Wouldn't it be a lot better to just use a 14 foot super lightweight orchard ladder? Then you could stand up there holding the camera, and thereby exercise absolute control over exactly where the camera is aimed.

The ladder can be set up in a very stable manner within a few seconds, and a 14 foot ladder will allow you to easily shoot from a height of 16 feet. In fact, I have been able to shoot at a height of 15 feet with my little 12 foot ladder, but I will admit it would have been much safer from a 14 foot ladder.

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Our Easter Egg Race (not a hunt, too many kids not enough volunteers to hide them all).... Winds were about 20mph or more, very gusty. I had somebody convinced I was on a roof.

Just an example of getting a bit higher than poles allow, and very easy to do, took very little time to launch and orientate to take the shots. Have 2 movies that are about 3GB too, that have to be edited.

At time of set up, then as kids start filtering outside after service... 2nd image is just a quick windows frame capture from the MOV file, so it's not great.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18330234
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This is the most extreme example of "the gear getting in the way" that I have ever heard of!

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Yes, it can be a pain in the you-know-what, but we were testing the system to shoot landscapes. In this case it would be for a more stationary setup. These are just my observations for his particular setup. I'm sure there are more 'fluid' and mobile setups available but hopefully it also introduces some discussion on safety and crowd management for event photographers.

yeah, i just don't see any guy lines being set up...i'm going to be out there solo...for now i'm thinking i can just angle the ball head down, and then tilt the pole back if i'm too far down, or just experiment and find a spot that's the best...i'll be using my 8-16mm, so i'll be plenty wide...supposed to get the adapter friday, so hopefully some experimenting with it on the weekend...for now i'm just going basic pole only...and we'll see where i go from there

To possibly help steady the pole, you could look into something like a patio table umbrella base. It would at least alleviate some of the pressure you would have to exert keeping the pole upright and steady? If an umbrella in light winds can be held in place, I would think a camera at the end of a telescoping window washing or painter pole should be fine.

I used a 200' painter's pole for this, with 5 x 400' guy wires.

Family out practicing softball after Easter service... I forgot my phone, so I had to fly this visually and try to guess where I was aiming the camera. It worked well enough for this shot though.

I then brought it down to hover just a few inches off the ground, this thing is pretty versatile!