digital archive – Page 6 – paddling with a camera

3 Pictures from My Paddling Pond in Fall Colors

September

October

Colorado paddling - October

November

Beaver Pond in Arapaho Bend Natural Area near Fort Collins, Colorado. Camera: waterproof Pentax Optio W10 handhold or mounted on a kayak bow with the sticky pod. Kayak: Sisson Nucleus 100.

Related posts with pictures from fall paddling:

September 20, 2008

Bent Shaft Paddle and Outrigger Canoe

These two pictures of Surfrigger, my outrigger canoe, were shot about a month ago on Beaver Pond near Fort Collins. I used my “big” camera, Canon EOS 40D, with EF-s 17-55mm lens mounted on a tripod.

It turned out to be sort of a still life study with my paddle resting on a canoe bow. It was calm without any wind, but I still had troubles to keep that long (24′) and light boat still on water for photography.

Surfrigger featured in two of my old video clips: Surfrigger I made in winter on the Beaver Pond, and Surfrigger II from Boyd Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir paddling. Both movies were shot with Canon PowerShot S40 in a waterproof case. It was time before my first waterproof Pentax Optio.

The Surfrigger pictures are available for licensing as royalty free from Featurepics.com. You can read more about microstock photography in Pixels Away blog.

September 7, 2008

Less Paddling, More Photowalking, Shooting, and Experimenting with HDR

I haven’t paddled much during last weeks due to a tendonitis in my right wrist. I believe the problem is more related to the overuse of a computer mouse than paddling. The wrist does not really bother me when paddling – I completed the MR340 Race in July without a problem. Nevertheless, it seem that paddling does not help in recovery. So, less or no paddling, but more biking, inline skating or just walking with the camera.

Here is a little gallery of pictures shot during my recent photo walking. They are all HDR (High Dynamic Range) images combined from multiple frames with a different exposure. They were shot with Canon EOS 40D camera and Canon EFs 17-55 mm lens on a tripod and saved as RAW. Multiple exposures were processed into HDR images with Photomatix software using detail enhancer for tone mapping.

The last sunset image comes from my paddling on the Lonetree reservoir, but was shot from a shore with my DSLR camera. I haven’t had much success in an attempt to use my Pentax Optio W30 camera for HDR. It is difficult not to shake this little camera when changing exposure time even if it is mounted on a tripod.

Miller Block at historic old town of Fort Collins, Colorado, just after the sunset. 3 exposures +/- 1.5EV

Union Pacific boxcar, Fort Collins, Colorado — Union Pacific boxcar covered with a colorful graffiti on the siding track near Harmony Mill, Fort Collins. Abandoned? A home of homeless? 3 exposures +/- 2EV

grain elevator, Pierce, Colorado — Old abandoned grain elevator in Pierce, Colorado after heavy rain. 3 exposures +/- 1EV.

Lonetree Reservoir, Colorado — Sunset over Rocky Mountains Front Range and Lonetree Reservoir. 5 exposures +/- 1EV.

It is the same sunset as in 5 Pictures in 1: HDR Image of Sea Wind Canoe and Colorado Sunset. The above pictures can be ordered as royalty free from FeaturePics (different sizes and license types including free thumbnails for blogging).

August 17, 2008

The Last Frame during the 2008 Missouri River 340 Race

I packed my Canon EOS 40D camera with a tripod for the recent MR340 race. I launched 40 minutes before the start and paddled across the Kaw River to shoot 150 boats lining up above boat ramp, then starting, entering the Missouri and heading down the river.

Exactly speaking, there were only 149 boats starting since my Sea Wind canoe was waiting for me stacked in a muddy beach of the Kaw River. Amazingly, I lost not more than 5 minutes to other boats before I was able to launch and start my race. You can see 8 of these pictures in the Fitness Paddling blog.

After 86 miles and more than 12 hours of almost non stop paddling (just a few minute breaks at two checkpoints) it was time to stop and turn my navigational lights on. Fortunately, the Big Muddy offered a beautiful big sandbar for this purpose. I couldn’t resist the quiet sunset and unpacked my camera and tripod. I spend next 25 minutes shooting. I preferred not to count how many boats passed me during that time.

The above picture is a HDR image derived from three 3 frames shot with different exposure time, processed and map toned with the Photomatix software. It is similar to my recent picture of the Colorado sunset combined from 5 frames.

During the 2007 MR340 I also stopped to shoot sunset between Waverly and Miami, but I was about 10 miles closer to Miami paddling a faster Thunderbolt kayak. Mark Przedwojewski and Brian Weber were just passing in their Kruger cruiser. At that time Connie was at Miami looking upstream and shot a picture of West Hansen and Richard Steppe approaching the checkpoint.

This year I managed to shoot Toby is his Sea Wind leaving the sandbar. Why he was in such a hurry?

It was the last time I used Canon camera during the race. My serious photography attempts ended there. The camera and tripod remained packed till Coopers Landing where I left them with my wife. I focused on paddling and shooting with my compact Pentax Optio W30.

July 24, 2008

Kayak and Water Photography by Jock Bradley

I am just reading Kayaking for Fitness book by Jodi Bigelow. I am going to write a review of this book, but the first thing which grabbed my attention was a great photography by Jock Bradley. Certainly, it is inspiration for my picture shooting.

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. You can see his portfolio dominated by kayaking and water themes on his web page: Jock Bradley Photography.

Here is a quote from his professional bio:

Early in my career it was clear that my eye was attracted to water. I found that I loved both the graphic power and the tranquil serenity it offered. Paying bills and raising a family led me along a more financially stable path of doing corporate assignments until about seven years ago. It was then, as a kayaker I decided to finally succumb to my true calling.

At first it was just about athletes kayaking over waterfalls that captivated me. The graceful synergy of the kayaker as he avoided bodily injury or death while plummeting over a sixty-foot waterfall was fascinating. For a few years, I immersed myself and explored the creative depths of this genre. To celebrate this photographic chapter of my life I recently had a coffee table book published showcasing some of my favorite whitewater images.

My vision has evolved from high-risk adrenaline activities to equally graphic and enduring images of people interacting with water. From kayaking, to yachting, to snow sports, anywhere there is water, you will find my camera focused on the activity.

His pictures appear in several recent books on kayaking including Kayak Fishing, Sea Kayaking Rough Waters, and Canoe Camping. I am sure he is involved in more books, but it is not so easy to find them since the photographer is not usually listed as a book co-author.

June 23, 2008

Winter Dusk on the South Platte River

Dusk on the South Platte River below the Plumb Ditch Dam near Greeley. Camera: Canon EOS 40D on a mini tripod. The picture was shot during a short evening paddling workout with Thunderbolt kayak starting at the Mitani-Tokuyasu State Wilderness Area (open till the end of February only) above Kersey.

Some related posts from paddling the South Platte River in winter:

February 22, 2008

CLC Patuxent 19.5 Kayak on the Boedecker Reservoir

06/27/06. Boedecker Reservoir near Loveland. A nice paddling evening. Interesting clouds over the mountains. A distant rainbow, but too weak to photograph it without a polarizer filter. The water level was about 3′ lower than six weeks ago. Some islands were not islands any more. One fishing boat and two canoes.

I paddled my old CLC Patuxent 19.5 kayak. It is already 7 years old! After installing a new seat (bumfortable seat from Steve Gurney as in my Sisson), the Patuxent is much more fun to paddle. I even tried to paddle 1000 m sprint for the virtual race. I started with a good speed around 6.8 mph but after a minute or so I started to wheeze and needed to slow down.

I found a good spot on lake to photograph Devil’s Backbone (the third picture). I need to return back with my SLR camera and a telephoto lens. All pictures above were shot with Pentax Optio W10.

Related posts:

June 27, 2006

Shooting Paddlers – Photographic Adventures with Canoeists, Kayakers and Rafters

Shooting Paddlers: Photographic Adventures with Canoeists, Kayakers and Rafters, book by Toni Harting, a Canadian outdoor photographer, writer and canoeist. 212 pages. Cardinal Publisher’s Group, 2004.

Toni Harting migrated to Canada from the Netherlands in 1970 and has lived in Toronto with his wife and canoeing partner, Ria, ever since. He holds two Master of Applied Science degrees in aerospace engineering, but left his consulting engineering profession in 1974 to build a new career as full time freelance photographer specializing in canoe topics, particularly wilderness canoeing.

You can learn a lot from his book. It is designed to help all paddlers strengthen their ability to see, recognize and record meaningful images. At the same time the book is simply fun to read or browse through it.

There are more than two hundred black and white and color pictures. Some of them are in two versions, e.g. an original picture and the same picture after cropping. Each picture is accompanied by its story and discussion with tips on composition, technique and logistics. Of course, there is also a chapter on equipment but you will not find information on a highly specialized gear, rather tips on using regular 35 mm point-and-shoot and SRL cameras.

There are many amazing shots. You can see a lot of action pictures from canoe and kayak racing and rafting, contemplative scenic or close up shots, pictures from paddler’s life on camping or portage trail. You will not find many pictures from sea kayaking, but a great representation of a canoe including sprint and marathon canoes, voyageur canoes and dragon boats.

My picture of a paddle in my another weblog entry was inspired by one of Toni Harting photos. I just need to work more on that shot… And, I got some more photo ideas from his book.

I always admire people who have sacrificed their “other” career to be a full time photographer. I know enough about photography to recognize how hard photographer job is and that it is not only about shooting pictures. Writing skills help for sure.

Outdoor and action adventure photography books:

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