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

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.

Here is my low water paddling rig I am using recently on local rivers: old Seda Cyclon whitewater kayak with a fin attached and wildwater wing paddle with aluminum tips. The fin really help tracking and moving forward, although, it is a liability when dragging a kayak over obstacles. It doesn’t cause problems in shallow spots.

I am packing my Canon DSLR camera, a tripod, sometimes a second lens or flash and doing short exploratory paddling on rivers like Cache la Poudre in Fort Collins or St Vrain Creek. I am also going to shoot some diversion dams on the South Platte.

I am planning these short trips around the best time for photography, so late afternoon or early morning. After evening paddling, I am trying to shoot something at “blue hour” after sunset like the Fort St Vrain Power Station or Ft Collins downtown.

Problems with a tennis elbow prevent me from more intense paddling workouts right now.

Related posts:
Last Fall Colors on the Poudre River
Poudre River from Fort Collins to Greeley – Late Fall Paddling
Poudre River from Windsor to Greeley with High Water from Horsetooth Reservoir
Old Aqueduct over the Cache la Poudre River
Biking and Shooting along the Poudre River – Fort Collins Downtown
Kayaking on Saint Vrain and South Platte Rivers near Platteville
Shooting Paddlers – Photographic Adventures with Canoeists, Kayakers and Rafter

I started my exploration of the lower St Vrain Creek in spring of 2004. I covered 7 miles of the river from highway 66 to the South Platte near Platteville. Most often, I launch at the Weld county road 19.5 just north of the Fort St. Vrain Power Station and a mile above the confluence. The best flow to paddle there is perhaps around 400 cfs, but there is still enough water to paddle at 100 cfs, especially, if you are just going downriver. You may encounter occasional log jam and one rocky and shallow spot near a high cliff before you reached the South Platte. There is a diversion dam with an easy portage about 1.5 mile above the county road 19.5.

Pictures in this post come from my recent early October paddling on the St Vrain Creek. I was testing my low water paddling rig: old Seda Cyclon whitewater kayak with an added fin and a heavy duty wildwater wing paddle. The kayak was tracking pretty well and I enjoyed upstream/downstream workout. I had enough room to pack a tripod and my Canon DSLR camera.

I finished my paddling at sunset and I was ready to shoot the nearby power station during evening blue hour. Evening Blue Hour refers to the period of twilight when there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. It is the best time to photograph cityscape or industrial scenery with a lot of lights against the deep blue sky. The blue hour starts approximately 15 minutes after sunset and is lasting only 10 minutes, so it is really a short time window.

I see a few way to improve my picture of the power plant. Cold temperatures can add drama by making steam plumes from cooling towers visible. Some snow cover on the foreground wouldn’t hurt either. Finally, water reflections would be cool. The power plant is nicely visible from the diversion dam upstream (see a thumbnail of my 2004 picture). So, it looks like I have a plan for a winter night paddling …

I recently bought Satechi TR-C Timer Remote Control for my Canon PowerShot G11 camera. It can be programmed as an intervalometer, so I can use G11 as my Pentax Optio W series cameras. Well, almost. G11 is not waterproof.

The Satechi Timer Remote Control is a pretty big device as seen on the picture above, but it works as advertised. The only inconvenience is that it has no memory, so after each turning off/on it needs to programmed again.

I set up the Canon G11 on my camera mast – a reversed photographic monopod on the top of a suction camera mounts (my sticky pod). Its design remain the same as described in a last year post (Kayak Video Camera Mast). However, I added a small ball head which gives me more flexibility in controlling the camera.

I took the entire setup and CLC Patuxent kayak (much more stable than my racing Thunderbolt) for a test paddle. A swinging LCD screen of Canon G11 which can be set up at any angle appeared to be very useful since my monopod extends really high up to 50″. With Pentax Optio I was forced to shoot blind at higher camera positions.

The camera together with the intervalometer worked pretty well. I enjoyed a shooting angle and perspective I could achieve with the mast. Unfortunately, the light was not so great at that day, so I used camera flash. Of course, it revealed every piece of reflective tape on my life jacket, spray skirt and a cup.

Related posts:
Kayak Video Camera Mast – Sticky Pod Combined with Monopod

Actually, I had two short paddling and photography workout on Horsetooth Reservoir during the Thanksgiving Day weekend. In both cases I launched Thunderbolt kayak from Lory State Park at North Eltuck Cove. The water level is very low right now, so it required 0.25 mile walking to reach water from a parking spot. It was much longer walk than showed by my video clip from April 2007, but still only about 7 minutes.

Weather was great, sunny and warm during day, and getting pretty chilly after sunset. These deep coves on western side of the Horsetooth are going into shadow of mountains at least one hour before official sunset time. There was some snow on northern slopes and a little of coastal ice.

I did some self shooting with my new Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera with 24-1045 mm zoom lens mounted on a tripod with a time controller. Pictures from a kayak were taken with Pentax Optio W30.

Related posts:
Paddling Horsetooth Reservoir in Winter Scenery (March 2009)
Launching Thunderbolt Kayak on Horsetooth Reservoir from Lory State Park (April 2007)
Paddling Horsetooth Reservoir (River) 6 Years Ago
Paddling and Photographing the Horsetooth Reservoir in Northern Colorado (March 2007)
A New Shooting Angle – Camera Video Mast on Thunderbolt Kayak (June 2008)
Paddling and Photographing the Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins, Colorado (November 2007)
Paddling in the Rain and Wind on the Horsetooth Reservoir (May 2007)
Paddling the Skeleton Coast (April 2007)
Horsetooth Reservoir paddling photography at Mountain Wayfarer (2000-2004)

In November 2007 I started to sell my pictures through microstock agencies. In addition to a waterproof Pentax Optio W30 camera I often carry my DSLR camera, Canon EOS D40, with a tripod for paddling trips. It is a little bit tricky in the case of a low volume racing kayak like my Thunderbolt-X. Most often, I just pack a camera with a tripod and shoot from land. I am also trying to mount my camera on a kayak deck with the sticky pod.

Here are examples of my stock paddling photography from Kayak and canoe collection at Dreamstime, one of my microstock agencies.

My paddling pictures do not sell so well on microstock, at least, in comparison to my table studio production which actually brings me some money. However, is so much more fun to shoot outdoors, so I will keep paddling with a camera.

I am describing my experience with microstock photography including monthly earnings reports in Pixels Away microstock blog.

Canon EOS 40D Camera on the Bow of a Racing Kayak
WSBS Thunderbolt-X Kayak on the Lonetree Reservoir
My microstock referral links for photographers:
Dreamstime, ShutterStock, BigStockPhoto, 123RF, FeaturePics, Panthermedia, CanStockPhoto

Here is a little picture gallery featuring Jeremy in his wildwater kayak from the recent paddling on the South Platte River (Sunday, March 15).

My WSBS Thunderbolt-X kayak shot after sunset at Beaver Pond in Arapaho Bend Natural Area in Fort Collins. Camera: Canon EOS 40D on a tripod.

Jock Bradley is considered to be one of the finest kayaking photographers in the world. His images have appeared in countless magazines such as Canoe and Kayak, Paddler, Kayak Session, Men’s Journal, Outside, National Geographic Adventure and Sports Illustrated. A few years ago he published “Torrent” – a coffee table book collection of his finest whitewater images.