DIY Ground Pod Ideas

Recently I watched some Moose Peterson training on the Kelby Training web site. The training was on shooting birds in Florida and during it he used a ground pod. His was a nice looking medal one which he promptly sat in an inverted frisbee so he could slide it on the sand easier. When I saw him using it I knew I wanted one so after checking around online and discovering companies want $150.00 for one I figured there's got to be some sort of DIY solution. There's a great example of one on YouTube just search for DIY Ground Pod to check it out.


While walking through Lowes the other night I saw these bucket lids at the end of one of the rows in the paint department. Immediately I thought about the ground pod so I bought two of them and enough 3/8 inch nuts and bolts to try and create my DIY ground pod. I ended up coming up with 4 ideas for creating a ground pod and this post summaries each of those proposed solutions.

Possible Ground Pod Solutions
Click Image to View Larger

Solution #1 - The bucket lid

Ballhead Mounted to Bucket Lid
Click Image to View Larger

At first I thought the bucket lid was going to be the perfect solution. It was light, made of plastic so I couldn't have to worry about water, and it looked like there was enough room to put the bolt through it and not have it drag on the ground. 

Bad Idea
Click Image to View Larger

In order to not have the bolt drag on the ground I would either need to cut it or provide some kind of spacer to fill this gap (NOTE TO SELF -- use a wooden block to fill the gap -- sorry I had to write that idea down before I forgot it).

Better Idea
Click Image to View Larger

Using this configuration for the nut and bolt allows the ballhead to be mounted closer to the lid but it's still too flexible to use so at this point the bucket lid is a no-go. I'll update this post after I have a chance to try a wooden spacer.

Solution #2 - The Frying Pan

Yes that is a non-stick frying pan. We recently bought a couple of new ones so I was able to use this one for my little project.

Nut and Bolt Attached to Pan
Click Image to View Larger

If you think about it the pan will be sitting on the ground so having the nut and bolt extending from the bottom shouldn't be too big of a deal.

Camera Mounted
Click Image to View Larger

While this setup seems to work who honestly wants to lug around a frying pan all day. I suppose if I cut off the handle it would be a little easier to manage but it's held on with four big rivets and I'm not sure I want to try and grind them off. I think I'll save this for when I have to go shoot some place where I could use a frying pan for protection :)

Solution #3 - The block of Wood

I wanted to try this setup after watching the video on YouTube so I grabbed a piece of scrap wood and drilled holes in it as you can see below.

Counter Sunk Bolt on Bottom of Wood
Click Image to View Larger

Top of Wood
Click Image to View Larger

The mounting method shown below has some promise to it but there's one big flaw. The wood isn't wide enough to provide proper support. When mounted like this everything tends to fall to the left.

Camera Mounted
Click Image to View Larger

Shown below is the mounting method that worked best so far. I think If I added some sort of extension to the piece of wood I may have a workable DIY Ground Pod.

Alternate Camera Mount
Click Image to View Larger

Solution #4 - PVC Pipe


On the way home today I got the idea of using some PVC pipe I had left over from a project so I clobbered together a "T" using connectors, caps, and pipe I had available. Below shows the mounting bolt ready for the ballhead.

PVC Pipe Mount
Click Image to View Larger

Here's the camera mounted on the PVC T and this seems to work pretty well. I think I may be onto something with this one.

Camera Mounted
Click Image to View Larger

Granted I didn't glue the pipes together and you probably wouldn't want to either to keep things portable but there's one problem with this solution as it is now. The weight of everything mounted on the PVC pipe makes it want to rotate at this T fitting. I'm certain this problem could be solved by either gluing the short PVC pipe into the base of the T fitting or drilling a hole and putting a set screw in it to stop the rotation or drilling a hole all the way through the base of the T fitting and using some sort of pin to prevent the ballhead from rotating from side to side.

Rotation Point
Click Image to View Larger

So out of the four possible solutions there's two of them that may work. I'll post and update after I've had a chance to tweak things about. If you've already been there and done that or have any ideas I'd love to hear them.

Time Machine: Next Stop 1984

This weekend I'll be attending my 30 year high school reunion. It still seems like yesterday to me. One thing I did this week was to go through some old photos from years gone by and I found a few that I took while I was in the Air Force stationed in Iceland. I was part of the 667 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron and we were known as "The Bear Eaters" because our mission was to track the movement of Soviet "Bear" aircraft. It was while I was in Iceland that I bought my first SLR. The Canon AE-1 program. I elected to buy this model because it was more advanced than the AE-1 because it had a program mode. You basically set it and left the camera figure things out. So if you've ever wondered how long that green full auto mode has been on the dial well it dates back to at least 1984. Below are four photos from my year in Iceland. These date back to 1984 and were scanned with a cheap all in one printer scanner so the quality pretty much sucks.

Out on the Rocks
Click Image to View Larger

That's me with my trusty AE-1 and 70-300 zoom lens.

Self Portrait - Hair Parted in Center
Click Image to View Larger

Self Portrait - Hair Parted on Side
Click Image to View Larger

I couldn't decide which way to part my hair so I took pictures of two different ways. I'm pretty sure the lens was a 50mm 1.8.

Incoming!
Click Image to View Larger

I guess I've been shooting birds a lot longer than I originally thought :). I remember this shot. My buddy Lonnie Davis and I were out shooting and we stumbled upon a nest for this Tern (I think it's a Tern). Well our presence wasn't appreciated by the bird I looked up and snapped this as the bird was diving down at me to. I have no idea what the camera settings were nor the lens used but to this day this remains one of my favorite photos.

So there you have it a trip back to 1984. Hope you enjoyed the journey :). Donna and I will be married for 20 years in 2012 and we're actually talking about going to Iceland for a week long photo shoot. I'd love to go back as it's a beautiful country.

Book Review: 100 Ways to take better Nature & Wildlife Photographs

I recently finsihed working my way through Guy Edwardes' 100 Ways to take better Nature & Wildlife Photographs and I learned a lot from it. Such as I need to buy more gear :).  The editors of this book were very smart to put the photo on the cover that they did. This is exactly the type of photo I want to take so as soon as I saw the cover I was sold. The book could have been complete rubbish and I still would have bought it. Fortunately the book is far from rubbish. The book is about 90% photo hints and tips and about 10% post processing which is fine with me. I probably underprocess my images but I'd rather spend my time out shooting than sitting behind a computer tweaking an image to the inth degree.

Here's some things I'll be adding to my equipment to buy list and reason for adding them:

1 - Small handheld mirror -- for checking my look, you know I want to look nice for the critters :). Seriously though this is so I can reflect light onto a subject if it's not evenly lit.

2 - Extension tubes -- to allow for closer focusing distances with telephoto lenses.

3 - Small foldable reflectors - to serve the same purpose as #1 but to do so with different lighting.

4 - 1.4x extender - to give me extra reach.  This is probably the first thing I will buy. I can use it with my EF-200 2.8 to give me an EF 280 f/4 which is pretty close to the 300mm focal length that's pretty popular for nature photography.

5 - Battery grip - I've used them with my Rebel XT, 40D and 5D and just need to buy one for the 7D.

I'm sure there's other things I'd like to add to the list but that's plenty for now :).

I really liked the format of the book. For each tip the author described it in detail and provided a photo sample that was taken using the tip. He also included exposure information for each photo included in the book. For me this is a big help. I realize that every shot is going to have its own unique requirements but being able to see what the photographer used to get that particular shot at least gives me a starting point to work from.

A couple of things I learned from it that I've been experimenting with include manually selecting a single focus point instead of using all 19 or any of the focus zones available on the 7D and to slow down and think about the shot before pressing the shutter. Sure I'll still use spray and pray for birds in flight but for static subjects I'm spending more time composing the shot than I have in the past. I suppose another lesson I learned is to just slow down, take it easy and enjoy the environment (which I'll admit can be tough to do when there's gnats or misquitos flying about).

Regarding the cover photo that sold me on the book. That's a Black-tailed Godwit and was photographed in Texel, Holland using a Canon 1DS, EF 500 with 1.4x extender. 1/500th at f/8, ISO 250.

Below is a link for the book on Amazon. If you use it to buy the book I'll earn a small commission and you'll learn 100 ways to improve your nature and wildlife photos.

Rule of Thirds with the Canon Rebel 7D

If you read the previous post I did regarding the Rule of Thirds with the Canon Rebel T2i then you already know the scoop behind this post. If you haven't either click the link above or here's a brief introduction. Below is a series of pictures shot using each of the 19 focus points on the 7D. The objective is to see which of those points line up with a rule of thirds grid.

Simulated 7D Focusing Screen
Click Image to View Larger Version

Another masterpiece I created all by myself. Move over Scott Kelby there's a new Photoshop guy in town :).


Keep in mind the focus point was placed, as close as possible on the hole in the front door of the bird house so we'll be looking at how close that hole is in relation to the rule of thirds grid lines.

01
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken using focus point #1. As you can see using the center point doesn't come close to any of the grid lines but still for birds in flight this is the point I'll use most often.

02
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #2. It's better because it falls just below the upper horizontal line.

03
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #3. As you can see this is very close to falling on the exact intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines. I'll be using this focus point more in the future.

04
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #4. It's not even close so unless it gets selected when shooting using all 19 focus points I'm not likely to use it.

05
Click Image to View Larger Version

This shot was taken after moving the focus point to #5. It's a little low as far as the upper horizontal line goes but because it is pretty close to the horizontal line it's worth using.

06
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #6. Because it falls well out side of either line I'm not likely to use it.

07
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #7. It's close but not really close enough that I'd likely use it.

08
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #8. Like #3 above this one is pretty close to falling right on the lower right hand intersection. This will be a preferred focus point in the future.

09
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #9. Again it's close but not quite close enough in my book.

10
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #10. It would to in a pinch if I couldn't select a better focus point to use.

11
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #11. Close but not close enough. 

12
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #12. Like #3 and #8 before it I'm making it a preferred focusing point.

13
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #13. Nope, doesn't cut it, IMO. Which is odd because 13 has been a lucky number for me.

14
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #14. It will work since it falls along a vertical line but it's not an optimal focus point.

15
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #15. It can join #13 in the I won't be using focus point club.

16
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #16. It's close but not likely to be used very often.

17
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #17. Bingo another one that comes very close to matching the exact intersection. So far we have #3, #8, #12 and #17 in the preferred focus point club.

18
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #18. It falls above the upper horizontal line so I probably wouldn't use it.

19
Click Image to View Larger Version

This picture was taken after moving the focus point to #19. Although it falls below the horizontal line it's pretty close so I suppose it could be used in a pinch.


So in my opinion the optimal focus points to use with your 7D if you want to follow the rule of thirds are #3, #8, #12, and #17. Do you agree or disagree? Discuss....

Induro Gear Guide Part 6 - Wrap Up

Welcome to Part 6 of my Induro Gear Guide. Hopefully the information I've provided in the first 5 parts will prove to be useful to anyone that's going through the process of buying or considering upgrading a tripod, ballhead or investing in a Gimbal Head. Shown below is my back yard birding blind. I know, I have it pretty tough don't I. Nice Lanai (upgraded with a ceiling fan this weekend!) and a glass of wine make for a fine time shooting or just watching the birds. I try to spend some time each day out here shooting and my default setup is what you see here. Depending on my mood I'll either shoot with the T2i or 7D. My investment in Induro gear breaks down as follows:

CT314 tripod - $550.00
Short Center Column - $55.00
BHD3 Ballhead - $228.00
GHBA Gimbal Head - $204.00
Extra long lens plate - $27.00

Did I ever dream I would have invested over $1000 in a tripod setup? Not in a million years but am I totally satisfied with my purchases? Absolutely. If I were doing it all over again there's probably one thing I would have done differently. No, I don't think I would have. Right now having the ability to just use the ballhead or use ballhead and Gimbal Head gives me many more options than I would have if I bought the GHB1 Gimbal Head. When the day comes that I do get the Canon 500mm Super Telephoto you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be buying either the GHB1 or GHB2 to use with it. When it comes to tripods, ballheads and Gimbal Heads Induro will always be the first place I check when it's time to buy new gear.

Birding Location
Click image to view larger

Picture of the Week (POTW) #7

Picture of the week for the period 25 Jul - 31 Jul 2010. Donna took this one while photographing a Ruby-throated hummingbird at our window feeder. This is the same hummingbird pictured in the Bad Hair Day post. In this one as you can see the hummingbird is looking into the house while our cat, Tiger is looking out at the hummingbird. She shot this with her Rebel T2i and EF-S 55-250 lens at 55mm. Exposure was 1/90th at f/4, ISO 125 (the camera must have been set for auto ISO to get that kind of ISO number).

Looking in and Looking out
Click to view larger version

This is two weeks in a row for Donna. Looks like I need to step up my game a bit.

Bad Hair Day

So have you ever wondered what it's like to be a Ruby-throated humming bird and get caught out in a rain shower without your umbrella? Well the photo below should give you some idea. :)

Bad Hair Day

Donna took this one through the window in the dining area of the kitchen. She used her Rebel T2i, EF-S 55-250 zoomed to 250mm, 1/80th at f/5.6, ISO 800.