paddling with a camera

Category: pictures

  • 3 Bow Shots from November Sunset Paddling

    I really enjoy November paddling in northern Colorado. Evenings can be calm with a glossy water and beautiful sunsets. No mosquitoes! It could be cold with ice on a kayak deck, but this year November is very warm.

    I selected these 3 pictures from my paddling tonight on Beaver Pond in Arapaho Bend Natural Area near Fort Collins. Basically, the same “classical” snapshot showing the bow of my Thunderbolt-X kayak. However, I hold the camera, Pentax Optio W30, at different height from eye level to almost fully extended arms over my head. It gave quite different perspective. Of course, the light was changing.

    Unfortunately, it was too dark for shooting when some geese, actually, a few hundred of them, tried to land on my head …

    Fort Collins kayaking

    sunset paddling in Colorado

    Thunderbolt-x kayak after sunset


  • Spencer Xtreme and Thunderbolt in November Paddling Workout

    November 8, 2008. Beaver Pond in Arapaho Bend Natural Area near Fort Collins. All leaves were gone, but it was a nice afternoon for paddling.

    Rob was paddling laps in his Spencer Xtreme Canoe. I took my Thunderbolt-X kayak for easy paddling and testing a Flip Ultra camcorder as a bow camera. I attached the Flip grip from Wet Stuff to a suction cup mount from Sticky Pod. The mount worked OK, but batteries died and I didn’t manage to shoot video much of video on water. Recently, I more used to paddle with gadgets with rechargeable batteries. I don’t leave home without fully charged battery in my Pentax Optio or Garmin GPS.

    All pictures were shot with Pentax Optio W30. I am using mostly my DSLR camera, Canon EOS D40, recently. So, I couldn’t not notice a shutter delay in Pentax camera when trying to shoot fast paddling Rob. Well, each shot included catching him first in my Thunderbolt.




  • Paddling Horsetooth Reservoir (River) 6 Years Ago

    During two years, 2001 and 2002, the Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins, Colorado, was drained to just few % of its capacity to allow repairs to the main dam. The 6 mile long lake was reduced to three ponds connected by long narrow channels with some whitewater. The flow was supported by water diverted from the Colorado River within the Big Thompson Project.

    Paddling was very interesting, but quite challenging in these narrows channels with a strong current. It was quiet, no motorboats since boat ramps didn’t reach water. Low water uncovered many structures at the lake bottom.

    Below you can find 10 selected pictures from these dry years on the Horsetooth. For more pictures and stories visit Mountain Wayfarer: Horsetooth 2001 and Horsetooth 2002. I believe that all pictures were shot with my first digital camera, Canon PowerShot S40.

    Horsetooth Reservoir winter

    stone fence posts

    paddling Horsetooth Reservoir

    Horsetooth Reservoir

    whitewater at Horsetooth Reservoir

    Horsetooth Reservoir

    Horsetooth Reservoir

    Horsetooth Reservoir


  • A Big Pipe Feeding Boyd Lake

    Boyd Lake State Park

    When I paddled Boyd Lake last time in summer it was pretty low. Today I was skating on a bike trail along the lake. The water level is rising. It may be a nice time to paddle there. I didn’t see any motor boats, just one catamaran sailing and a couple of windsurfers having fun with a strong wind.

    After my skating I had a long photo session featuring a big pipe supplying water to the lake from Horseshoe Reservoir on the other side of highway. You cannot see that pipe behind the marina at high water.

    Canon EOS 40D on a tripod, different angles, different shutter speeds – I shot more than 100 pictures, and I am still not completely satisfied by the results. You can call it “Obsession by a big pipe.”

    Boyd Lake State Park

    Both pictures and other shots from Boyd Lake State Park are available for purchase/license directly from stock photography portfolio.

  • 3 Pictures from My Paddling Pond in Fall Colors

    September

    Colorado paddling - September

    October

    Colorado paddling - October

    November

    Colorado paddling - 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:


  • 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
    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).



  • 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.



  • 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.

    Related post: Kayak Photography Links – Tips and Hints for Paddling Photographers

  • 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: