Very high tripod??

[jonathan_lipkin]

I have a platform on my car - use it all the time. Kind of hard to drive a 2wd sedan onto a crowded beach though.

[erie patsellis]

Jonathan,
There are ladders, and then there are ladders. I use 6' and 8' double step ladders in the studio, sturdy enough for two "real" adults (not the 150 lb ratings the inexpensive ladders carry) A bonus is a gap between the two top rungs will accommodate a 3/8" bolt for a tripod head readily.

[Richard Mahoney]

I have a platform on my car - use it all the time. Kind of hard to drive a 2wd sedan onto a crowded beach though.

In this part of the world, probably in the UK as well, not sure about the States, an elderly Land-Rover-as-view-camera-shooting-platform is probably less than many carbon tripods. And how many of those will still be providing splendid service when they are fifty?



(BTW, this is about 12 feet up.)


Best, Richard

[cdholden]

i've never tried one but Gordon Hutchins once showed me a ladder like this he shot his 8x10 from. He actually mounted a tripod head on the top step.

http://www.tallmanladders.com/tripod.html

I'd feel safer doing this with an A-frame ladder instead of a ladder inspired by a tripod. I would think 4 legs are more stable than 3. Just my two cents. The only problem with something this tall is transportation. Maybe a longbed truck or a van, maybe a ladder rack on top.
Chris

[adrian tyler]

what frank says, although the 504 or 505 gitzo, i have the 508 which is the same as th 504 but with a centre column and that gets me about 3m off the ground (112"), the only thing is you need to take a ladder along, and although there are some pretty light collapsable ladders lugging it around with all yr cameras required determination. It looks like the same one St ansel has on the picture on marks post.

massimo vitalli has made an incredible body of work from the top a a scafolding setup he uses.

[jb7]

Here's one I rented in London a few years ago-



Using the Double extension, I'd say the camera would be about 20' high-
It came from a Movie equipment rental company, forget the name now-
the client organized it-

[Frank Petronio]

That's me, just the giant Gitzo.

[jonathan_lipkin]

At the moment, I have my bogen tripod duct taped to a six foot ladder (tripod legs going through the space between the two slats of the paint can rest on the front), giving me about 8 feet of elevation. It seems pretty sturdy. If the photos look interesting, I may go for a more high tech rig or a higher ladder.

BH Photo recommends this rig:

Hi,

Your best bet is to attach your gear to a ladder like you say. I would recommend a very solid ladder with tubular soid frame supports. Then you can think about trying a super clamp with a good head. The item code is MA143 or you can go with a heavy duty light stand with sand bag and attach a head to it, item codes AVA1045CS, AVGS207, MA01438 and MA229 <--------- just paste the item code in our search box and click go.

Rob

[jonathan_lipkin]

PS, it was vitali's work that got me thinking about this series. Does he shoot large format? His prints are exquisite.

PPS, just looked for the gitzos on ebay and BH - couldn't find any.

[Ed Richards]

I have one of those tall Gitzos, but the ladder issue has put me off from using it. It is really handy for shooting over fences. A roof rack for the ladder might be the best bet.

I have thought about some way to put a platform on the roof of my Jeep Liberty, short of paying a lot of money to some custom car shop. Ideally it would be something I could roll out when I needed it, like a wrestling mat, but it would need to be rigid enough to spread my (considerable) weight so i do not dent the roof.