Ladder and Pole (Pladder?) Setup
In order to get in the right location and the right Point of View, to take the Combat Air Museum panoramic photo, I put together this ladder / pole combination. It consists of a 12 foot stepladder with an 8 / 16 foot 'painter's pole' running up the center and passing through the small hole in the very top of the ladder. The bright orange object just above the fifth step is a Post Level used to make sure the pole is plumb and true.
In this photo, my D700 is mounted at the top of the pole using a Manfrotto 488RC2 ball head...and yes, my camera strap is clipped to the top of the pole as a safety measure..! The pole is extended here to about 15 feet so it extends some three feet above the top platform of the ladder. This allows me to stand on the last 'safe' step of the ladder and still be able to see and frame the shot using "LiveView" to make sure of my composition.
The base of the ladder is large enough to provide a lot of stability and also acts to keep the camera and pole in the correct alignment I use a radio release when I am taking shots with this so that I can maintain my balance and keep my hands away from the camera to eliminate any vibration. I do one button press to activate Live View, double check the image..and then a second press triggers the 7 bracketed shots.
This rig also will allow me to stand about half-way up the ladder and extend the painter's pole up another 10-12 feet while still feeling fairly (!) comfortable about having my gear close to 25 feet above ground..
Ladder and Pole (Pladder?) Setup
In order to get in the right location and the right Point of View, to take the Combat Air Museum panoramic photo, I put together this ladder / pole combination. It consists of a 12 foot stepladder with an 8 / 16 foot 'painter's pole' running up the center and passing through the small hole in the very top of the ladder. The bright orange object just above the fifth step is a Post Level used to make sure the pole is plumb and true.
In this photo, my D700 is mounted at the top of the pole using a Manfrotto 488RC2 ball head...and yes, my camera strap is clipped to the top of the pole as a safety measure..! The pole is extended here to about 15 feet so it extends some three feet above the top platform of the ladder. This allows me to stand on the last 'safe' step of the ladder and still be able to see and frame the shot using "LiveView" to make sure of my composition.
The base of the ladder is large enough to provide a lot of stability and also acts to keep the camera and pole in the correct alignment I use a radio release when I am taking shots with this so that I can maintain my balance and keep my hands away from the camera to eliminate any vibration. I do one button press to activate Live View, double check the image..and then a second press triggers the 7 bracketed shots.
This rig also will allow me to stand about half-way up the ladder and extend the painter's pole up another 10-12 feet while still feeling fairly (!) comfortable about having my gear close to 25 feet above ground..