Craft & Vision just released a new and free e-book 11 Ways You Can Improve Your Photography edited by David DuChemin. It’s a compilation of articles from their library of e-books. A lot of of great information!

1. Make your images more dynamic by Piet van den Eynde
2. Tame your digital exposures by David DuChemin
3. The power of the print by Martin Bailey
4. Learn to direct the eye by Michael Frey
5. Understand the stages by Alexandre Buisse
6. Create projects and collaborate by Andrew S. Gibson
7. Refine your composition by Nicole S. Young
8. The power of the moment by Eli Reinholdsten
9. Forget the lens stereotypes by Piet van den Eynde
10. Slow down and learn to see by Stuart Sipahigil
11. Make stronger portraits by David DuChemin

I have downloaded and read several e-books from Craft and Vision including two books by Piet van den Eynde on using off camera flash, Making Light, and (micro)STOCK From Passion to Paycheck by Nicole S. Young aka Nicolesy. And, of course, I am also a fan of paper books by David DuChemin:

VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision
Vision & Voice: Refining Your Vision in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Evening paddling on the Horsetooth Reservoir with JKK Supernova sea kayak – warm and calm with a beautiful sunset.

I did about 10 miles from the South Bay to Orchard Cove and back. There was a construction going on a hill slope in the South Bay. A helicopter was carrying a load of concrete from a highway uphill. If these are residential houses they will not be cheap … And, a surprise: I met a sea kayaker in the northern part of the lake . He was paddling from the Satanka Cove. All boat ramps were closed, so no power boats.

All pictures were shot this time with Pentax Optio W30 which remains my main paddling camera. I am a few models behind the new developments in the Pentax line of waterproof cameras. Certainly, the newest addition, Pentax Optio WG-1, with GPS and waterproof remote looks interesting. There is also a cheaper version without GPS.

Related posts and resources:
Horsetooth Reservoir map
9 Pictures from September Paddling in Northern Colorado
Early Morning Paddling on the Horsetooth Reservoir
Springtime Paddling on the Horsetooth Reservoir
Icy Horsetooth Reservoir – Opening Lake Paddling Season

November 12, 2011. A very windy afternoon on Beaver Pond in Arapaho Bend Natural Area in Fort Collins. There were wind gusts up to 50 mph. I paddled JKK Supernova sea kayak and Rob Bean his Sawyer Loon canoe. Most of the time were hugging the west shore to get some protection from the wind.

All pictures were shot with GoPro HD Hero camera set in an interval mode (a still picture every 30s). The camera was mounted on a telescoping mast and Sticky Pod suction cups nn the stern deck of my kayak. The mast was extended to about 50″ above the deck. The camera was looking forward first, then I turn it 180 degrees to look back. Unfortunately, the camera was collecting some water splashes due to high wind.

Related posts:
A Bird’s-Eye View of Kayaking with GoPro Hero Camera
First Snow Paddling with JKK Multisport Supernova Kayak
3 Kayaks: JKK Supernova, WSBS Thunderbolt-X and Sisson Nucleus 100
South Platte River with GoPro Hero HD Camera and Thunderbolt Kayak

A bird’s-eye view? Well, it’s more like a low flying goose perspective.

I am testing GoPro HD Hero camera mounted on a telescoping mast a few feet above kayak deck. My camera mast remains the same as described a couple years ago in this blog. A reversed Gitzo monopod is mounted on My Sticky Pod platform with three suction cups. I am using a toy table tripod at the top end of monopod as a tripod mount for a camera. I used plastic ties and gaffer tape there, so no permanent modifications or damages to my carbon fiber monopod were made.

The pictures come from a recent paddling on Beaver Pond (Arapaho Bend Natural Area, Fort Collins) with JKK Supernova sea kayak. The camera mast was set up on a back deck of the kayak. I cannot mount the sticky pod platform on the steep front deck with a center ridge. I would have to figure out some more creative approach. I mounted the GoPro Hero with a single suction cup in my recent paddling with this kayak.

GoPro LCD Bacpac, a detachable LCD screen is really helpful in setting up the camera and reviewing shots.

The camera was setup on a fully extended mast, i.e., about 60″ (152cm) above the deck. The stability of Supernova was not really affected. It was a different story with a more tippy Thunderbolt kayak. I wish I could place my DSLR camera, Canon 5D, that high in a kayak.

I just started my 2011/12 cold season of paddling on the South Platte River. On October 14 I took the Thunderbolt kayak for upstream/downstream paddling workout starting at Kersey. I did a little bit more than 3 miles up river just passing the confluence with the Poudre River. It was a beautiful summer weather and the river had a good flow > 700 cfs.

I was testing my new GoPro HD Hero camera. I didn’t shoot video, but I started from my favorite interval mode taking still pictures every 60 seconds. I did a lot of this kind of shooting with my Pentax Optio cameras. GoPro Hero was mounted with a suction cup from Sticky Pod on the front deck of my kayak. A detachable LCD screen makes it much easier to position the camera and play back there results of your shooting. I will be reviewing features of the GoPro camera and different mountain options, especially, the GoPro Hero suction cup mount with my own based on Sticky Pod product.

The pictures turned to be pretty good. Of course, the pictures shot in full sun were in general too contrasty. For this post I choose pictures shot in a partial shadow or after sunset. The initial shot under the bridge, not particularly scenic spot, is quite interesting. The concrete bridge structure acted as a huge reflector. Well, it’s all about light.