pictures, video, stories, reviews, tips & gear for paddling photography
My First Paddling on the South Platte River near Greeley
I discovered the South Platte River for paddling almost 8 years ago in January 2001. I believe it was the first river I paddled in northern Colorado and, for sure, my first winter paddling here. Here is some old writing on these day trips with my CLC Patuxent 10.5 kayak. It was originally posted on Mountain Wayfarer site. At that time, I was shooting slides with Canon EOS 2AE SLR camera.
I was launching my kayak at Mitani-Tokuyasu State Wilderness Area just below the mouth of the Cache la Poudre River. This place is less suitable for paddling now days. It is open only during a hunting season and closes by the end of February. A parking space is limited to 4 cars only. See my GPS/photo river guide for other access points.
Poll: Your Paddling Camera
I am adding polls to my blog. The first poll is about your paddling camera. What a compact digital camera (i.e., a point-and-shoot camera) do use for paddling? So, this pool does not cover DSLR, prosumer cameras or camcorders. Multiple answers are allowed. You are welcome to add any comments or remarks, especially, that you have a camera that doesn't fit into the questions below. As visible on the picture above I own three models from Pentax Optio line: WP, W10, and W30. However, my first paddling digital camera was Canon PowerShot S40 with a waterproof case. Do you have any suggestion for future polls which may be interesting for "Paddling with a Camera" readers? Related posts: Waterproof Digital Cameras for Paddling and Water Sports - A Shopping Guide 10 Reviews of Pentax Optio W60 10 Reviews of Pentax Optio W30 3 Reviews of Olympus Stylus 1050 SW 3 Reviews of Olympus Stylus 1030 SW3 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.Spencer Xtreme and Thunderbolt in November Paddling Workout
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.Paddling Photography a Year Ago – November 2007
A year ago I started to shoot hot air balloons. We went to Hot Air Balloon Harvest at Greeley in the end of October, then I drove to southern Colorado for another balloon festival at Rocky Ford. I took for that my Thunderbolt-x kayak and tried to explore a very shallow John Martin Reservoir.My another paddling trip further from home was Lake Dillon with Sea Wind canoe: cold and windy, but with some interesting light for photography. Horses below were shot from Surfrigger canoe when paddling my local Beaver Pond near Fort Collins.
3 Reviews of Olympus Stylus 1050 SW Waterproof Camera with Tap Control
A month ago Olympus introduced a new model to the line of their waterproof and shockproof cameras: Stylus 1050 SW. It features a brand new digital camera feature - Tap Control. Tap Control is intended to help photographers wearing gloves access camera controls. I have found three reviews of the new camera. There are rather moderately enthusiastic, but Olympus Stylus SW has its fans.Flip Ultra Camcorder + Waterproof Case = Video Camera for Paddlers? Part 1
Flip Ultra is the model interesting for paddlers because you can get a waterproof case for it just for $30 or so. Waterproof cases for Canon point-and-shoot cameras are almost 10 times more expensive. Of course, you don't have so many control buttons in Flip camcorders.Unfortunately, there is no tripod socket on this waterproof (there is one on a camera) case which limits paddling applications of the Flip from my perspective. I like to shoot movies with a camera mounted on a kayak deck or use it as a helmet cam. There are at least three solutions to this problem.
Marek – what do you know about the condition of the South Platte put-ins/take-outs and river courses traditionally used by the Joint Clubs March event? Poudre and RMCC are organizing for 2015 and looking for information
Thanks!
Bill Ashworth
RMCC
I haven’t paddled the South Platte this year yet. Last year, I paddled the river around Kuner and Kersey – no significant changes in river character or access after flooding there. I haven’t seen Riverside Park in Evans after re-opening. I may have some updates in the next couple of weeks.
Hi Marek – Great pictures! This canoe stabilizer and platform may help if you have a tripod on your Penobscot.
http://wingmanoutfitter.com/blog/
Hi Larry. I go to southwestern Wyoming where my dad lives and saretm fish with sinners and do some fly fishing. Been doing it every year since I was in third grade. Lots of water up there this year so fishing was slow but still fun. Love to pan fry smaller trout or wrap them in tin foil with some butter and garlic and put them on a grill or in the coals of a camp fire for about 30 minutes. Can’t go wrong with either method.RG