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Thread: Who rents pickup trucks ?

  1. #11

    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    One note, if you rent or photograph from the top of a truck, put jacks under the four corners unless you like circus rides in the wind.

  2. #12

    Join Date
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    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    i've shot from the bed of my old truck. Here are my observations:

    Yes it can be done successfully and the roof of the cab makes for a handy 'table'

    It doesen't work well in windy conditions--with the bellows racked out there, exposed and all it makes for one fine sail---and it is a lot farther to the ground from altitude!

    I've got pretty heavy springs on my truck so motion wasn't really a problem even without jacks or outriggers if I did my part by not rocking the truck.

    Spreading the tripod legs didn't allow for much room for the photographer, and this in a full sized short bed truck.

    Leveling the camera was an issue and while I'm not a fan of ball heads, one certainly would have been useful in those circumstances but I was able to get by with my pan head.

    It does offer a useful perspective though and roadside signs are often 'under the radar.'
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    White Lake, Ontario.
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    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    It is indeed a handy thing for some shots. I have an 07 Ford Sport Trac with a rigid cover over the bed. I can either shoot from the bed or right on top of the cover, That's close to 5 ft above ground. Changes perspective favorably in many cases.

    Beats the goofy contraption I first tried on the roof of my 79 Volvo years ago... nearly killed myself climbing up and down that thing.

  4. #14

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    Minden, Nevada
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    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    I use it once in a while and it works good. You do have to stand still when you release the shutter. If you're used to moving the camera and tripod around until everything is just right, it can be a challenge to put the truck in the correct spot.

  5. #15

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    Massachusetts USA
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    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    Thanks for the advice. I will give this a try on my neighbor's pickup truck, before making any plans.

    What I would really like, is one of these:


  6. #16

    Join Date
    Feb 2005
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    2,955

    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Lee View Post
    Thanks for the advice. I will give this a try on my neighbor's pickup truck, before making any plans.

    What I would really like, is one of these:


    Be honest Ken, what you really lust after is an ultralight airplane!

  7. #17
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    Mar 2000
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    Honolulu, Hawai'i
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    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    As long as you've got the truck, there's no restriction on how much tripod you're carrying. You could use a Majestic tripod with the extension legs and double column and get plenty of height, put it on the stable ground, and stand on the vehicle (or a ladder), so you don't have to worry about the stability of the truck.

  8. #18
    Hopelessly Lost
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    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    Speaking of ultralights, who is the photographer (non-LF) who tows the trailer with the ultralight stowed inside with its wings folded? He just drives somewhere, unloads the plane and takes of in either a field or a road. Very cool.

  9. #19
    Clement Apffel's Avatar
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    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    I have to agree with those saying that a 3 meters high tripod with a stepladder is a much more convenient solution.

    -first of all, it's much more stable.

    -next, you can set it up quite everywhere. by that i mean, you can't stop your pick-up everywhere.

    -once set up, it is more easy to move the whole system a quarter of a feet to have your perfect frame. rather than folding the tripod, getting off the truck, moving it blindly from the cockpit and climbing it again to see if you managed to place it where you want.

    -the most common fact people object to the tripod and ladder solution is that the system is bulky and heavy... but a pick-up isn't a butterfly is it ?


    I use an old metal 8kg gitzo and if I add to this the pan-head I use plus the camera on it, the final height of the lens is around 3,05m. And without column ! because to me, you can't rely on column to have stable enough setup.
    the aluminium ladder isn't that heavy and i find this solution to be the best "high point of view" solution I was given to test.

    unfortunately it seems that neither gitzo, manfroto or majestic build 3 meters high tripods anymore.
    the max height with today's tripod technology seems to be 2,7m or so. (around 9 feet)

    it seems that photographers wanting to reach the 3meters spot have to carry on with old, heavy, bulky, outdated tripods.


    but personally, I'm happy with it.



    but i guess the question now is :

    who rents commercial vehicle in order to carry all this gear !



    regards,

    PS: sorry about metric units
    Last edited by Clement Apffel; 27-Mar-2008 at 02:33. Reason: clarity

  10. #20
    Glenn Mellen
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Southlake, Texas
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    207

    Re: Who rents pickup trucks ?

    There's a fellow on another website I visit that uses a 50-foot "monopod." He uses it primarily for architectural photography (taking photos of houses and buildings... mainly for real estate companies). He's done some really nice photos with unique views using it. Attaches to a hitch attachment on his pick-up truck. But then again, he also mounts a DSLR to it and fires and works the camera via remote control and computer assist.

    He's declined my request to borrow it and him so I can mount my Linhof to the top... my request to borrow him was to shimmy up the mast in order to fire the camera... I'm afraid of heights.....

    I owned and flew ultralights for a few years (a Hurricane)... not the best of platforms to use for shooting. Those contraptions vibrate quite a bit (required 1/500th sec and higher shutter speeds), are very cramped for space, and if an open design the howling wind is rather tough to hold a camera out into. Besides... not much room available for those large tripods.....

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