paddling with a camera

Tag: Featurepics

  • Thunderbolt-X Kayak Portrait

    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. I was trying to shoot in a style similar to my Surfrigger canoe pictures.

    Beaver Pond is still open, but I noticed some floating ice during yesterday paddling.

    The picture of Thunderbolt is available for purchase from Featurepics.




  • 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.

  • 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).