Sure, sometimes, I'd have a climbable hillside on the other side of the road where I could gain height to hopefully see the valley bottom below, but again, it usually didn't work out.
I needed more height to shoot from....
Today, I rode out to Castlewood Canyon Park, the nearest place where one can briefly park one's vehicle alongside the road and peer down to where a dam used to be. It's not a very scary height though rolling down off the edge would not be a good thing for any vehicle.
According to Wikipedia, the Castlewood Canyon Dam burst in 1933, sending a 15 foot wave of water all the way into downtown Denver! LINK
So, here's some shots of the remains of the dam, from a higher angle than normal. No climbing of nearby hillsides involved:
Here's shots from the last time I was here for pictures with Valencia, my 2011 Patrol. I believe I had climbed the small hillside opposite her for the angle:
Here's a shot of Brigitta, my '87 R80 Airhead Beemer, from ground level:
Today's photos were achieved not by climbing a nearby hillside or by the use of airborne equipment but by the use of a fully extended monopod. It's a bit of an effort to hold it steady, but combined with the remote view/activation app on my iphone I can take shots without being near the shutter button.
The app let's you see what the camera sees, you press the screen where you want the focus to be (in this case, the rig), wait till the marker turns green and click the shutter button on the app. Done!
I must have looked quite the sight, to the cagers that drove by as I shot pictures. Some guy in full motorcycling gear and helmet, holding a six foot tall pole with a camera attached on the top!
I see potential benefits to using the monopod when traveling on mountainside roads, to give you an appreciation of the heights above which the rig is parked.
13 comments:
Monopod? Is that the sophisticated word for selfie stick? Love the perspective, I will try that with mine when on my trip.
the monopod is way bigger than a selfie stick.... :)
I like the higher view especially if you are looking down into a canyon or valley. You'll get a good workout holding the monopod up trying to frame your shot.
Alright, I get it. Your's is bigger than mine... but you can still take selfies with it, yes? ;-)
I've tried, a bit heavy.
Very cool angle for the shots.
Rolling a motorcycle over a hill, no matter how slight is never fun especially when it's a rocky incline. What we get when we survive ... that's experience (and possible a couple of broken ribs.) I don't go close to the edge anymore.
VStar Lady,
sounds like the voice of experience?
Trobairitz, thanks, I have high hopes for the next time I'm on some mountain road with a yawning precipice at the edge....
Dom, I'm sensing Bob's influence here. Were you using a Panasonic Lumix with a Leica lens by any chance? The one with the huge SLR image sensor and built in WiFi?
Dave, nope, it was the Sony A5000, stock lens, with built-in wifi talking to app on iphone.
Nice angle for the pics. It is difficult at times to get a good position on a mountain side for photos. Good job.
Thanks Thomas O. We'll see how it works out.
Post a Comment