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Photography and motorcycling

If you all were out on a less-traveled road and you spotted a scene you wanted to capture, would you stop? Pull to the side, even if there was no or very little shoulder, turn on the flashers and take the shot? So many times I have seen a picture and there was no place to pull over. I use a Canon 40D and it is not a P&S camera and it is too heavy to use one-handed.

Larry

Larry, I use a Canon SX260 HS p&s camera. Many are outstanding nowadays. I no longer bring hefty cameras. I value how a p&s camera can fit in a jacket pocket. It typically is either there or in the tank bag, but I don't take photos with one hand while on the move. I've done it before, but I prefer not to. Sometimes I extract a still out of the helmet cam. Anyway, when I see the sunlight, the clouds, the colors, the road, etc. come together I'll pull over onto the shoulder, reach in the pocket or the tank bag, and capture the setting.

A couple of days ago, when noticing early signs of autumn...
kenoshaautumn1.jpg
 
What do you photographers do to protect your camera and lenses? How much camera gear would you take on a trip? I saw a DVD of Helge Pedersen in Iceland and I was amazed at the amount of camera equipment he was carrying. Couldn't figure out where he kept it.
 
What do you photographers do to protect your camera and lenses? How much camera gear would you take on a trip? I saw a DVD of Helge Pedersen in Iceland and I was amazed at the amount of camera equipment he was carrying. Couldn't figure out where he kept it.

This can definitely be an issue, I destroyed two bike mounted cameras when the automatic lens covers got jammed with bugs. Both were repairable, but required a visit to a Canon Tech.

Around my neck, I usually carry a G11, and sometimes the DSLR when I'm in rural areas away from traffic and typical riding hazards.

Typically, I have a couple of GoPro and a couple of p&s, usually the high zoom Sony and sometimes the DSLR.
 
deduce
verb
conclude, reason, work out, infer; glean, divine, intuit, understand, assume, presume, conjecture, surmise, reckon; informal figure out.

Whatever you call it, your conclusion is wrong.

It wouldn't be the first time.
Anyway, I hope you stay safe and your Canon doesn't injure your neck and my tax dollars don't wind up taking care of your extended care requirements.
 
It wouldn't be the first time.
Anyway, I hope you stay safe and your Canon doesn't injure your neck and my tax dollars don't wind up taking care of your extended care requirements.

There you go again, bro. I have good health insurance. :stick :D

I don't always ride with the thing, you know. Seldom, actually.
 
There you go again, bro. I have good health insurance. :stick :D

I don't always ride with the thing, you know. Seldom, actually.

I'm also into photography and actually looking to fit a camera to the bike or the bag. Gotta get acquainted to the new bike more before I choose some solution.

Don't anyone worry that tommy and I are not playing nice. We're just funnin' with each other...
 
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What do you photographers do to protect your camera and lenses? How much camera gear would you take on a trip? I saw a DVD of Helge Pedersen in Iceland and I was amazed at the amount of camera equipment he was carrying. Couldn't figure out where he kept it.

Very little. My DSLR and lenses are kept in a Touratech tail bag that sits on the rear deck of my GS (rear saddle has been removed). My one attempt at protection was to put some bubble wrap on the bottom of the tail pack and a sheet of thin foam over the bubble wrap.

The cameras and lenses have held up fine and my riding sometimes include rocky, rough dirt roads (and bike crashes that sometimes occur on such roads).
 
I'm also into photography and actually looking to fit a camera to the bike or the bag. Gotta get acquainted to the new bike more before I choose some solution.

There's an Aerostich clamp on thingie that has a 1/4-20 stud for camera mounting. I've used that quite a bit, but don't recommend it unless you have a real lens cap, not one of those built in things. Tethering the camera is also a good idea. Bike attachment works better with a lighter camera, better yet waterproof like the Canon D-20.

The main advantage of carrying the camera around your neck is that your whole body acts as a shock absorber. The disadvantage is that it bugs CVW. :evil

You should also set the camera for fast shutter speeds or one of the "action"modes that come with the common P&S cameras. And no matter what, you're going to be throwing away 75% of your shots.

Helmet mount for the GoPro (and similar) can work well if you edit out all the head turns and avoid riding into the sun. The adhesive mounts are quite secure and you can face the camera either fore or aft on the same mount. The mounts can also be removed without a trace, but they're a bugger.
 
Tom,

Heavy fishing line will help you get that mount off easier. Use it like a saw but would not recommend wrapping the ends around the fingers. :thumb

<snip>

Helmet mount for the GoPro (and similar) can work well if you edit out all the head turns and avoid riding into the sun. The adhesive mounts are quite secure and you can face the camera either fore or aft on the same mount. The mounts can also be removed without a trace, but they're a bugger.
 
Tom,

Heavy fishing line will help you get that mount off easier. Use it like a saw but would not recommend wrapping the ends around the fingers. :thumb

Thanks, Mack. Did you buy an HD2? I know I told you the HD was overrated last year. I do like the HD2 much better.
 
I guess the original question was about gear and how others manage it on a bike. . .
I always take a P&S, usually a Canon G11, in the tank bag where I can get at it easily. I don't take pictures while riding because you'll get a better picture if you stop.
Depending on where I'm going, I often will also take a SLR with a couple of lenses. The SLR stays in the tank bag with a small prime (usually a 50mm F1.4) mounted, for landscapes or travel shots. The bulkier lenses are either inside the tail bag or in pouches hung off the tail or seat pack, where I can get them out at a stop.

I take a lot of photos, sometimes from very difficult places (like hanging out of airplanes) and I have two suggestions for carrying gear when you need protection without bulk. . . .first, Aquatech soft wraps are neoprene stretch sleeves designed for lenses and camera body that provide protection against water, dust, and general banging around. They dont take up space when not being used, and are ideal for a lens or camera body tossed in your tank or tail bag . The second suggestion is Think Tank modular lens pouches, which are belt-system lens and camera pouches made for professional photographers, very high quality and easy to hang off a tail or seat bag; they come with rain covers and are pretty much indestructible. The advantage of the pouches is that you can get the lenses out without getting off the bike, or pop the pouch off the bike and put it onto a harness or belt if you set out on foot.
 
The pillion is in charge of photography. In 9 days she snapped over 1500 photographs from the back of the bike. Seven of them were actually quite good!

A very frantic pounding on my shoulders means , "Go back! I missed the shot of something good!" Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. We did go back to take the photograph of the swinging bridge, but did NOT go back to take the photo of the mamma bear with her tiny cub as they stood along side the road in the rain. :bolt
 
Yes, I take one of my hands off the bars and take pics...when conditions allow.

I wouldn't do it in rush hour traffic...well, I have done that too. Don't folks take the hands off the bars to raise a visor, adjust glasses and such? Don't think it relates to texting inattention at all.

I have been doing it for some time now and most likely will still continue to do so. I also ride my bicycle with both hands off the bars on many occasions.:dunno

After hundreds of pics only one camera drop and that was most likely due to it being below 30 degrees and having bulky gloves on.
I use a P&S and keep it in the tankbag...shoot lot's of pics and toss the ones I don't care for. We do stop and get H's better camera out at times...but for a wide variety of shots its Ride,Point & Shoot.
 

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and this wouldn't be as much fun stopped

ooops, she has a hand off the bars in this one:whistle
 

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Just getting my new bike set up, but my plan is to carry a P&S in the tank bag and my DSLR and a lens or two inside an F-Stop ICU in my pannier. I have a backpack that the ICU goes in, and I'll just strap it empty on the back with my duffel. I'll strap my travel tripod on a pannier as well.

When I take photos I'll stop and get off the bike and maybe hike a bit. ;)
 
GO PRO HD with remote. Can be mounted on helmet, body, bike, or hand held. Witha 32gig SD card you can record video for hours. Ride Safe
 
GO PRO HD with remote. Can be mounted on helmet, body, bike, or hand held. Witha 32gig SD card you can record video for hours. Ride Safe

Just got the remote for mine and am looking forward to plating with it.
 
One of the questions was how do you carry your camera gear. I carry only a DSLR and I carry it in a soft lunch cooler that is the size of a 6-pack. It either goes in the tankbag or the tail box. If I take it out it looks like I am carrying my lunch.

I aquired an attitude about my cameras while living in a third world country. My buddies were carrying their Nikons in these fancy aluminum cases the just as well had a sign on them that said " Valuable, Snatch, and Run". I converted an overnight makeup suit case into my camera kit. It contained 1 SLR. 2 lenses, a small tripod and film. There probably isn't any thing in a makeup case that is worth stealing.

My Mother-in-Law looked at it and said "So why didn't you use a diaper bag.?
 
Keeping camera handy for photos whilst oot 2-wheeling

I have been known to take my Canon 7D DSLR with my Canon 17-40L 4.0 wide-angle lens attached, sling the whole rig around my neck when I'm in an area where fastastic scenery abounds, and traffic is "very light to none." I don't recommend doing it unless you are very, very comfortable with your bike's operation. I suspect many will criticize this practice, which is fine, but to each according to his own abilities. I believe it would be much more comfortable and easier to do this with a small rig like the Canon G3, which I also own. Another good use for the G3 is attaching the camera in whatever method you can find..say, the back luggage rack, or back panel if you don't have the rack, and set it in movie mode, and film your ride. I've done this a number of times in recent months, and its a tad cheesy and wind-noisey if you don't have a special sound mike, which I do not. But its ok for a fledgling effort. I'll attach one for perusal if I can figure out how on this site......Stephen Hill ( Boone, NC )
 
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