Sunday morning problem-solving

Posted by on Aug 14, 2011 | Comments Off

Sometimes photojournalism is more about solving problems than actually taking pictures.

I knew I wanted to set up a remote camera to shoot the annual Washington State Junior Horse Show here in Yakima. I wanted to photograph the competition from a different angle and I figured, because of the horses, I couldn’t actually position myself close enough to the action to take the photo.

So, a remote was needed.

I couldn’t find my decades-old Vivitar mini-tripod on which to mount the camera so I took a slightly taller tripod from the office gear pool. That tripod turned out to be too tall. So, time for some Sunday morning problem solving.

No tripod? No problem. A remote camera set-up at the Washington State Junior Horse Show at State Fair Park in Yakima Aug. 14, 2011. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

I propped the camera on my Think Tank waist pack and rested the lens on the lowest fence rail. To level the camera I stuck my wallet under on bottom edge of the Canon Mark IV. I laid the Pocket Wizard on the ground beside the pack. And, of course, I taped down the zoom and focus rings (SOP for all remote shots!).

It wasn’t the sturdiest arrangment but I figured nothing would  bump the railing or the camera so I was pretty confident the arrangement would work for my purposes.

The results:

Shelby Duvall competes in the jumping competition Sunday, Aug. 15, 2011 at the 49th Annual Washington State Junior Horse Show at State Fair Park in Yakima. Duvall, a member of the Carlton Classical Cavaliers 4H club in Snohomish County, won the senior division. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

And this (which is  my favorite from the whole take at the show):

Riders in the jumping competition at the annual Washington State Junior Horse Show jump the barriers as they walk through the course before the start of the competition at State Fair Park in Yakima Aug. 12-14, 2011. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

So even if you don’t always have the right equipment some creative thinking and problem solving can save the shot.

–Gordon King