dreslism
08-26-2006, 01:22 AM
Here is a fun game to play you can all try out.
You must do this solo with no help from anyone else or it does not count.
Get yourself setup for an AP flight by doing the following.
1) Setup your heli with camera and mount on the ground ready for takeoff, but no batteries plugged in yet.
2) Setup your tripod with lcd display and downlink about 3-5 feet from your heli.
3) Under the tripod set 2 extra sets of battery packs, one spare camera, one camera bag, one blade holder, and 1 Tx. ( Make sure your Tx is a high end one that is synthesized and costs about $400-$500 or more.)
4) Stand about 3 feet back from the tripod and pretend your waiting for the right time to go airborne to get the picture. ( Good photographers are patient right??)
5) Oh yeah, almost forgot, carry all this crap about 3-400 yards from the car by yourself when it is 85 degrees out, and about 2000 % humidity, and make sure the place you're carrying it to is overdue for a grass cutting so the mosquitos are really bad.
Now have the automatic sprinklers in the field you are on pop up instantly and be pointing about 2 feet away from your tripod and everything under it, and have the sprinklers start moving toward your tripod, and have them continuing on towards your heli next (remember your camera mount and camera are under the heli, and just for fun, make sure it's an electric heli with a nice big expensive HV ESC on the side that would first get hit with water.)
Ready, GO!!!! Pick up everything as fast as you can and see if you can do it without any of it getting hit by the sprinklers.
OK, how'd you do?
Anyhow, that was my evening today. I actually managed to get it all up and out of the way of the sprinklers.
The shoot went well. I shoot football stadiums for an artificial turf client of mine. They have been telling me the schools have been asking if I can come shoot their home openers with the crowds in the stands and the stadium lights on. I did not think there was enough light at kickoff to do it, but have had enough requests that I went out for a test shoot tonight.
For the safety concerned. This was from a practice field that butts up against the fenced in main field and I was at the far end of the football field on the practice field. I was at least 150 yards from the fenced in
main field. I went up about 100 feet took some shots and came down. 2 minutes in the air. It was all cleared with the AD and the school.
My wife was sports shooting the football game. She had field access and was at the far end of the football field in the endzone, she took a few shots for me. She had to be pushing 300yards away when she took the shots.
Hey who's the creepy guy watching the game all by himself?
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_0149.jpg
Remember the game about the sprinklers?
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_7309_600.jpg
Heli shot from 300 yards away.
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_0175.jpg
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_0176.jpg
Shot of field during game.
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_7367_600.jpg
Oh yeah, I forgot one more thing to make the game even funner. After it is all done and you land, be real anxious to see the pictures. Don't wait till you get back to the car. Take the camera off the mount, and look at the images. Then put the camera in its bag, and put it your already overstuffed shorts pocket. (remember spare batteries and stuff are already in there.) Carry all this stuff 300 yards back to the car, you're dying now remeber 2000% humidty and 85 out. Put all the crap in the car and want to look at the picts again in the air conditioned car. Hey, wait a minute, where is the camera that took all the pictures from this shoot???? :shock:
Run as fast as you can back to the shoot site, retracing your steps looking for your camera. Get to the shoot site and find your camera in its bag laying in the field and guess what's headed for it? Yup, the sprinklers have now moved over to their next zone, heading for your camera. I got it before it got wet. :D
Get back to the car and take about 4 bazzillion napkins you have and try and wipe some of that sweat off your face so it quites rolling into your eyes and burning them. Go drive the car around to the normal parking lot, head down onto the field and meet up with your wife who's shooting the game.
OK, who wants to play???? :lol: :lol: :lol:
Funny, I did a shoot on Monday clear across the state, and drove 450 miles that day and everything was flawless. This shoot was 10 miles up the road, and all heck broke loose.
And don't forget now kids, when you talk to the AD and ask him if it's OK to fly from that practice field, ask him if there are any sprinklers in it and what time they will be going off!!!
You must do this solo with no help from anyone else or it does not count.
Get yourself setup for an AP flight by doing the following.
1) Setup your heli with camera and mount on the ground ready for takeoff, but no batteries plugged in yet.
2) Setup your tripod with lcd display and downlink about 3-5 feet from your heli.
3) Under the tripod set 2 extra sets of battery packs, one spare camera, one camera bag, one blade holder, and 1 Tx. ( Make sure your Tx is a high end one that is synthesized and costs about $400-$500 or more.)
4) Stand about 3 feet back from the tripod and pretend your waiting for the right time to go airborne to get the picture. ( Good photographers are patient right??)
5) Oh yeah, almost forgot, carry all this crap about 3-400 yards from the car by yourself when it is 85 degrees out, and about 2000 % humidity, and make sure the place you're carrying it to is overdue for a grass cutting so the mosquitos are really bad.
Now have the automatic sprinklers in the field you are on pop up instantly and be pointing about 2 feet away from your tripod and everything under it, and have the sprinklers start moving toward your tripod, and have them continuing on towards your heli next (remember your camera mount and camera are under the heli, and just for fun, make sure it's an electric heli with a nice big expensive HV ESC on the side that would first get hit with water.)
Ready, GO!!!! Pick up everything as fast as you can and see if you can do it without any of it getting hit by the sprinklers.
OK, how'd you do?
Anyhow, that was my evening today. I actually managed to get it all up and out of the way of the sprinklers.
The shoot went well. I shoot football stadiums for an artificial turf client of mine. They have been telling me the schools have been asking if I can come shoot their home openers with the crowds in the stands and the stadium lights on. I did not think there was enough light at kickoff to do it, but have had enough requests that I went out for a test shoot tonight.
For the safety concerned. This was from a practice field that butts up against the fenced in main field and I was at the far end of the football field on the practice field. I was at least 150 yards from the fenced in
main field. I went up about 100 feet took some shots and came down. 2 minutes in the air. It was all cleared with the AD and the school.
My wife was sports shooting the football game. She had field access and was at the far end of the football field in the endzone, she took a few shots for me. She had to be pushing 300yards away when she took the shots.
Hey who's the creepy guy watching the game all by himself?
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_0149.jpg
Remember the game about the sprinklers?
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_7309_600.jpg
Heli shot from 300 yards away.
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_0175.jpg
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_0176.jpg
Shot of field during game.
http://greatlakesap.com/recent/clarkston/IMG_7367_600.jpg
Oh yeah, I forgot one more thing to make the game even funner. After it is all done and you land, be real anxious to see the pictures. Don't wait till you get back to the car. Take the camera off the mount, and look at the images. Then put the camera in its bag, and put it your already overstuffed shorts pocket. (remember spare batteries and stuff are already in there.) Carry all this stuff 300 yards back to the car, you're dying now remeber 2000% humidty and 85 out. Put all the crap in the car and want to look at the picts again in the air conditioned car. Hey, wait a minute, where is the camera that took all the pictures from this shoot???? :shock:
Run as fast as you can back to the shoot site, retracing your steps looking for your camera. Get to the shoot site and find your camera in its bag laying in the field and guess what's headed for it? Yup, the sprinklers have now moved over to their next zone, heading for your camera. I got it before it got wet. :D
Get back to the car and take about 4 bazzillion napkins you have and try and wipe some of that sweat off your face so it quites rolling into your eyes and burning them. Go drive the car around to the normal parking lot, head down onto the field and meet up with your wife who's shooting the game.
OK, who wants to play???? :lol: :lol: :lol:
Funny, I did a shoot on Monday clear across the state, and drove 450 miles that day and everything was flawless. This shoot was 10 miles up the road, and all heck broke loose.
And don't forget now kids, when you talk to the AD and ask him if it's OK to fly from that practice field, ask him if there are any sprinklers in it and what time they will be going off!!!