Category: photography

Pole Saw Picture Taker

A few months ago I saw a guy photographing a parade with a camera mounted on a long pole. He was able to shoot video from about ten feet above the crowd and see far down the parade route. It was such a great idea I had to try making my own!

Elevating your camera is a great way to get a striking perspective. In fact there are several websites dedicated exclusively to pole or elevated photography.

For my attempt I used an old pole saw. It’s a two-section fiberglass pole that extends to about 15 feet. Using a PVC fitting I attached a Slik tripod ball head to end of the pole. A ball head is a simple device, but I sprung for the SBH-100 that includes a quick release plate.

A 1/4″ x 20 screw holds it to the fitting, and I used a small screw to cinch the whole mess to the end of the pole.

Here’s my first aerial photo I snapped in the back yard:

Altogether it took about 20 minutes and  required the $25 ball head, about $3 of hardware and the pole. So far I’ve only used it with my Olympus E-410, but I’m looking forward to using it for video soon!

Bag That Camera

I recently read an excellent review of some compact camera bags in the BMW Owners News. I realize that probably isn’t a common resource for photography gear. But the review was specifically looking at small camera bags that are well suited for use while riding a motorcycle.

The camera bags and backpacks by M-Rock, a company I’d never heard of. The review claimed the gear was well made and reasonably priced. I’d been looking for a decent camera bag and a sling bag for my video camera but was suffering sticker shock. The best known brands like Tamrac, Kata or Lowepro seemed expensive. Anyway, I ordered a couple of M-Rock bags on the article’s recommendation and have been very pleased.

Right now they’re running a special on all their gear- plus you can save another 20% if you enter the coupon code 20PC at checkout!

DSLR Workflow for Filmmakers

The new crop of DSLR cameras from Nikon and Canon are blurring the line between stills and video. But are you up to the task of working with the HD video these new machines can produce?

Here’s a helpful video overview of the workflow involved with transcoding raw video from your DSLR to Final Cut Pro. Similar techniques will also work for Sony Vegas, Premeire Pro or Avid.

DSLR Workflow for Filmmakers


Digital Cameras at B&H Photo

Classic Tulsa Archive

Anyone interested in vintage views of Tulsa should visit the vast archive of photographs from the Beryl Ford Collection. The database has been made available online by the Tulsa City-County Library system and the Tulsa Rotory Club. Prints are also available through the Tulsa Historical Society.

The collection offers more than 22,000 images collected over a lifetime by this humble historian of Tulsa’s early years. This collection is so amazing because of the numerous scenes of everyday life- like this scene showing a traffic accident at 11th and Denver.

Courtesy of Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Historical Society

Set the Wayback for “then” and explore the Tulsa of yesteryear. I think you’ll agree, it’s an invaluable resource for our City.

Browse the Beryl Ford Collection