Who rents pickup trucks ?

[Ken Lee]

http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/aatruck.jpg

It occurs to me that from the bed of a pickup truck, one can set up the camera at several feet higher than normal - sort of a poor mans's version of you-know-who's vehicle pictured above.

Are there companies that rent pickup trucks - or other designs that would work nicely ? I'd like to travel somewhere, rent a truck, and not have to customize anything.

[Jon Shiu]

Ken, I know Enterprise rents pickups.

Jon

[Jim Jirka]

As well as Lowe's and Home Depot.

[mrladewig]

One thing though. Shooting from a pickup is not that easy. Its not real stable, so you've got to have no wind and you've got to stand still while shooting. Another vehicle that would work well is a jeep wrangler with a softtop. Put the top down and take the back seat out and you could work in the back.

If you're in Colorado you could rent my pickup. Gets 4mpg on a good day. Might not run for more than 60 miles. (just kidding about the renting part)

Mel-

[Ron Marshall]

How about a nine foot tall Bogen and a stepladder?

[Vaughn]

I rented a small pick-up (Ford, extended cab) in New Mexico. Cheaper than a car. It was from one of the major car rental companies at the airport...Budget perhaps (5 yrs ago).

Vaughn

[Mark Sampson]

Never mind the IH Travelall... I want the '39 Pontiac woody wagon or the '50 Cadillac wagon with the roof platform.

[Toyon]

I always suspected that picture of Ansel was fraudulent. Standing on top of a truck that is suspended on leaf springs over rubber tires in a windy valley is one of the least stable platforms I can imagine.

[eddie]

i shoot from the top of my ford wagon with a tripod....it is not all that difficult or unstable. the hardest part is being sure you do not fall off the roof!

eddie

[Alan Davenport]

I always suspected that picture of Ansel was fraudulent. Standing on top of a truck that is suspended on leaf springs over rubber tires in a windy valley is one of the least stable platforms I can imagine.

Adams discussed shooting from his car-top platforms in several of his books. I suppose he could have been lying, to protect some secret method he really used...

[Turner Reich]

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.

[John Kasaian]

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.'

[Daniel Grenier]

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.

[Tom Perkins]

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.

[Ken Lee]

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:


http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/cherrypicker.jpg

[Ron Marshall]

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:


http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/cherrypicker.jpg


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

[David A. Goldfarb]

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.

[Hollis]

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.

[Clement Apffel]

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 !
:rolleyes:


regards,

PS: sorry about metric units :)

[anchored]

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.....

[Jon Shiu]

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

Hi, how do you deal with having access to the front and back of the view camera? Get off and move ladder to front, then back, then front again? Maybe have 2 ladders and assistant?

Jon

[Ken Lee]

I suspect that movie studios and cinematographers have solved all these problems, many decades ago.

[Frank Petronio]

When you are on a step ladder you simple focus from the rear, make note of the "degrees" or make a mark on the rotation axis of your tripod head, then rotate the camera around, make adjustments, rotate back to your mark and do the shot.

Or use a mirror to see the front of the camera.

I used to set on a pick up truck bed, it wasn't unstable, just use common sense.

If I did architecture I'd have step ladder and a super tall tripod though.

My current tripod goes to 82 inches or so, so sometimes I will stand on a milk crate or case or whatever is handy.

[Clement Apffel]

Hi, how do you deal with having access to the front and back of the view camera? Get off and move ladder to front, then back, then front again? Maybe have 2 ladders and assistant?

Jon

hi Jon,

Actually i kinda know my camera all by heart so i don't need to "see" the front in order to tilt, swing, shift, set the aperture and so on...
and for more unexpected adjustments, i indeed use a mirror to see the front of the camera.

this said, this is possible because i'm quite tall and i have very long arms :)
another fact is that I mainly use 90mm and 150mm lenses, so the front standard isn't miles away.

I used to mark the tripod with rubber band and rotate the camera to access front, but i didn't like that solution, because for some reason, the leveling was affected by the double rotation making me leveling again and again...

regards,

[Jim Ewins]

what kind of a guy leaves the passenger door open on a narrow road?

[Kirk Gittings]

Hi, how do you deal with having access to the front and back of the view camera? Get off and move ladder to front, then back, then front again? Maybe have 2 ladders and assistant?

Jon

from an earlier thread;

Gordon Hutchins solved this problem with an "orchard ladder" with a tripod head mounted on the top. It worked well even for 8x10. Kirk

I thought about that Kirk but it's hard to get to the controls of a 450mm while on the back of the ladder. Vinny

Vinny, I have a somewhat similar tall tripod setup. I have been doing this little trick to solve the problem you mentioned for 30 years. The panorama base of my tripod head has a dial with incremental marks on it and an arrow marker. After I focus and compose, I note the location of the arrow in relation to the dial marks, loosen that panorama lever, spin the camera around facing me, set the shutter speed, aperture, cock the shutter etc., spin the camera back around to the registration point, lock it down, insert the film holder and shoot. Did that make sense? Works like a charm for me. I use it often with architecture. Kirk

[Alex Hawley]

I shoot the 8x10 and 7x17 from the bed of my pickup quite frequently, in one of the windiest regions of the USA. No problems with camera shake or stability, even with slow film and exposures, down to 1/4 second. I'll do one-second exposures on a calm day. Doesn't bother me to do it at all, but I grew up in pickup truck, so its second-nature.

[Carsten Wolff]

what kind of a guy leaves the passenger door open on a narrow road?

:) But Jim, THE LIGHT WAS CHANGING.....:)

[Preston]

I have made photos from the bed of my Tacoma 4x4 many times and agree with the observations regarding effect of the wind, lack of room to move around, and stability.

Having an aluminum toolbox is handy: I set my camera pack on it. Another trick I use is stand still for a minute or two to allow any vibrations to damp out before I make the exposure. My truck bed has a liner with good sized corrugations in it. By placing the feet of my tripod in them, the rig has less tendency to slide around.

I hadn't thought of the idea of using the degree scale on my ball head to re-orient the camera--cool.

Jacking the frame would certainly solve the vibration problem, but I would be concerned regarding the safety (or lack of it) during the jacking operation. Please be careful if you do that.

-PB

[EuGene Smith]

Things might have gotten a mite testy for old Ansel had a log truck rounded the curve about the time he was set up as in the photo. Whew!!

[Ed Richards]

I have one of those old tall tripods, but I have not found a good folding ladder - any recommendations?

[Clement Apffel]

In France, such things can be found in any "tool shop".

To me, the best are the cheap aluminium ones. because they are very light although they might be a bit unstable and fragile as they are cheap.

the unstability can be handled if you are carefull and the fragile aspect... well I don't care as long as buying another one is still cheaper than a heavier pro version.
and in addition to this, "fragile" for a step ladder is quite relative...

"oh my god ! i scratched my step ladder ! I can't use it anymore !"

you got the idea.

The light weight is my top priority, and i know that all other parameter can be handled.
So that is the only thing I compare when buying one. and they usaly are the cheaper ones.
but I have no brand or precise model to submit here.


regards,

[Don Boyd]

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.
Hollis, Adriel Heisey built an ultralight and photographed from it using a gyroscope attached to, first a Pentax 67, later a Pentax 645, and recently, I believe, a digital back affixed to a different medium format camera. He was a pilot for the Navajo Nation for a while and got frustrated at flying to high and too fast to capture what he was so much enjoying from the air. So, he built an ultralight and customized it so that he could fly it with his knee velcroed to the joystick while concentrating on his image making. He did trailer his aircraft and often took off and landed on roadways when nothing else was available. More recently, Adriel has purchased a fixed wing craft that allows him to both fly to his destinations without trailering it and that still fly slow enough to allow him to shoot with the doors removed at low speeds. His work is gorgeous.

I have put a sheet of plywood atop the rack on the shell of my Ranger pickup and sometimes shoot from the top of it. With no wind, it makes a fine shooting platform and the approximately 10 foot vertical distance (ground to tripod top) allows me to get beyond the roadway edge and get a fair amount of real estate in focus.