What is my specialist equipment for taking photographs at height?


I have mentioned my spcialist kit a few times. This is the piece of kit that I use to take photographs from up to 6 metres above ground level.

Yes really.

The piece of kit I am talking about consists of three parts.

A Harris Painters Pole. Well two actually. A 2.4m painters pole and a 4m one. I tend to use the 4m one myself.

A painters pole adaptor from Click Snap.

A Manfrotto 200PL quick release plate available from WEX Photographic.

I use these bits of kit in conjunction with my iPhone, securely held in a case with a neck lanyard, and use the Canon Connect software to connect my iPhone to my Canon 6D.

Sounds a bit complicated? It’s not as bad as it sounds.

Basically I attach my camera to the top of a painters pole and and use my phone to take pictures.

This is one of those times where practice really does help.

I trialled this combination of kit in the New Forest, where I managed to get some unusual views, and then near one of my favourite places, The Vyne, where I photographed a PV farm.

I then progresses onto spring fields full of yellow colour viewed from 5m above.

After this I used the painters pole set up to photograph the new buildings recently constructed in Poole, getting my camera to first floor level, removing the vertical distortion altogether, which was an interesting and unexpected outcome. Obvious when you think about it but I hadn’t so that was good.

I have used this set-up quite a few times since, mainly on architectural photography work, and lastly when photographing an industrial shoot, which I wrote about recently.

Things I never thought I would do include hooking my Canon 6D onto a tree 6m above me and then moving the pole like a surgeon to get the camera pointing where I wanted.

Having done that I applied the same technique to get my camera loking over a concrete wall in a gravel unloading quarry type place, which I physically could not get to.

Combine my painters pole with my Playpod Pro and you see how I can take photographs from ground level all the way up to 6m!

Check out this Improve Photography article if you want to know more. 

Rick McEvoy Photography

Industrial photographer

Sunday 30th April 2017

Rick McEvoy

I am Rick McEvoy, an architectural and construction photographer living and working in the South of England. I create high quality architectural photography and construction photography imagery of the built environment for architects and commercial clients. I do not photograph weddings, families, small people or pets - anything that is alive, moves or might not do as I ask!! I am also the creator of the Photography Explained Podcast, available on all major podcast providers. I have a blog on my website where I write about my work and photography stuff. Rick McEvoy ABIPP, MCIOB

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