I’ve been on a tear to lighten my camera bag!  It all started a few months back when my doctor asked if I would like to have some more shoulder surgery!!!???   I said no way, and he said then stop carrying a 25 pound camera bag!  So I’ve been working on how to lower the weight, it’s an ongoing process!  My tripod, which is my constant companion was another thing all together!   Those of you that know me, know I live and breath by a tripod!  I’ve often said the only person that can hand hold a camera completely steady, rigor mortise has set in!  If you have a heart beat you’re moving…..  So how to get a really sturdy tripod that cuts the weight in half???  Thankfully in the last decade a lot of progress has been made in tripods!  My go to, everyday, tripod is an old Gitzo 1348 Carbon Fiber 3 series, it has served me faithfully for almost twenty years!!!!  I own other tripods and use them for special applications but they almost never travel with me, just too big and too heavy!  So recently I picked up two new smaller, but still very good quality tripods for my new lighter travel system.  First why not another Gitzo?  Well, frankly cost.  There is not questions that, at least in my opinion, Gitzo is still king of the hill, but they are not cheap.  I have several friends that were using a couple of other brands and spoke highly about them, so I bought two different ones, and like them so much I’m keeping both!!!  Ugh, more weight!!!!!

 

The first is the Induro CT-214.  the legs alone are around $400. and it is extremely well made and feels very substantial, yet has shaved several pounds off my normal Gitzo carry tripod.  I’m using the Really Right Stuff  BH-30 head and it works great and has really reduced the weight.  It’s also short enough collapsed to fit in most of my suitcases which is a big plus for travel.  I bought the shorter center post so I could take it almost to the ground, a must for me.  I do also own the Kirk Low Pod, which I find great for ground level close-up work and for close-ups in the studio!  My friend Vincent Versace loves his Induro and I’m glad I took his recommendation, this is a great and affordable tripod!

 

Another shooter and good friend, David Akoubian, showed me his Vanguard tripod which had a very unique feature which I’m finding very valuable, a tilting center post for extending the camera out over the subject.  When I first was shown the feature I didn’t think much of it, then a friend, Eric Wojtkun,  made a killer shot at the Southeast Train Museum with a tripod that had the same feature, when I saw him use it and saw the shot, below, I was hooked!  This tripod I picked up is the Vanguard Alta Pro 254 CT and it is another big time winner!  Just like the Induro it is made of high quality carbon Fiber, has great one twist leg locks, and the center column tilting feature works super easy.  For around $320 it is another steal!!  It is slightly smaller than the Induro which is not a bad thing, yet  it is very sturdy and well built.  It came with their BBH-100 ball head that accepts Arca Swiss plates, it is very well made, and functions solidly!

By being able to make the center post go out or down you can get a new angle on the subject as Eric did on the model train shot below!!  While I would not recommend hanging a D4 with a big lens out to the side a smaller camera like Eric’s Pentax K-5 can be supported very well indeed.  By placing the camera over a barrier and right over the subject Eric was able to make a shot I wanted but could not make with a conventional tripod I was using!!!

 

I think these kinds of devices can be more useful than I had imagined when using a smaller camera.  Thanks Eric for opening my eyes to another great way to approach and make a shot!!!

 

Here is Eric’s wonderful HDR image!

 

 

So the moral of the story is, if you can’t foot the bill for the most expensive tripods out there, we now have some very capable and affordable alternatives!  Now if I can just figure out what to leave out of my camera bag or reconfigure my carry system, maybe I won’t be doing any more surgery!!!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

Epilogue:  After publishing Eric’s image, he sent this one from our recent workshop, just too good not to be the ending shot! 

 

 

 

 

Well, what a week!!!!  I’ve had a blast working with all these great shooters and being on this wonderful Island!  I had this last morning on the beach to prove to myself what I’ve learned.  The shot above is the money shot, the one that got a way all week, thankfully on the last day, I got it!!!! I shot from the beach just to the right of the active runway.  I shot 6 fps burst, up to 18 frames of each plane that came in, best shots below.   At the very end you can see the full 18 frame burst on the KLM 747 above.  Tonight we pack and fly out tomorrow, so this will be last post from St Maarten.  I sure hope someone from Nikon comes down next year to enjoy this great event!  The Latin American Nikon team, the Boolchand’s Camera crew, the St. Maarten’s Tourist Bureau, and Robby were all great!!  If you like airplanes, the Caribbean, and want a great vacation attend this event next March!!!

 

Well there you have it, practice pays off!  And to finish this trip right I went over to try the claimed “Best Burger on St Maarten!!!”  And I concur, in the states, it would have been a solid 4 pickle scale burger!

 

 

 

Blessings from St Maarten!

 

the pilgrim

 

After the last of the airplanes were landing yesterday, walking around the resort, I couldn’t help but notice how lush the islands plants were, especially in back light!  I went to the room and mounted a 60mm micro lens and did some close-up work.  This was done casually, hand held, which I almost never do, but I was pleased with the take.  Though not tack sharp, in all instances, the the images convey what I was feeling looking though the lens and enjoying the wonderful light!  Hope you enjoy them….  This early afternoon one more shot at some of the big planes that fly in, the AirBus 320’s, Boeing 757 and 747.

 

 

This trip has been a good rest in prep for a killer schedule in April, and it has been spiritually a wonderful opportunity to reach out.  God has provided numerous chances to fellowship and share, in some cases at a deep level with those He has placed in our paths.  It is always a grand adventure to go out into the world and see what He has prepared for us!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

No KLM 747 arrival today, so I worked the big American Airlines flight from New York.  I used the D800 and 14-24 right on the beach!  This was the three shot sequence that I captured.  Freaky being under such a big plane and watching others standing on their toes reaching for it!!!!  Human intelligence is vastly over-rated!!!!  Enjoy!

 

 

Oh well, one more chance tomorrow!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim