Thursday, April 11, 2019

Wheelchair Photography

I'm now starting to adapt my photography to see what i can do sitting in a wheelchair.  There are a number of limitations.  My favourite big Nikon camera is too heavy to hold and I'm always limited to taking pictures at eye height while sitting in the wheelchair.  My body is still a bit of a 'bobble-head', so it's hard to sit still while holding a camera too. We stopped at Inglis Falls earlier this week, and it quickly illustrated to me the trouble I'm going to have getting waterfall pictures.

There's a nice millpond above the falls, held back by a small dam that enabled them to direct the water through a flume to the mill.  Trails follow both sides of the pond, but certainly not wheelchair accessible.

Right beside me was the small dam, with some old rusted gears above the entrance to the flume, enabling control of the water flow.

Three different railings interfered with my picture of the dam.  I hadn't thought of railings as a limitation.

Looking out to the brink of the falls the railing interfered again.

But my assistant photographer, Mrs. F.G., quickly stepped up and got a shot from above railing height.

On the other hand, the painting of the mill, mounted high on an outside wall, was no problem.  The two views show the mill from above the falls (the large view), and from below the falls (the smaller view).  More tomorrow.


19 comments:

  1. That's going to require some adjustments. I do like the mural.

    I have heard of these falls, but have never been there.

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  2. You will be starting all over again since life has added so many challenges to you.
    Who knows Mrs. FG could become the Photographer in the family.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  3. I so enjoy hearing about how you are adjusting your life and expectations of how you can adapt to your new situation. It is inspiring to me, and I have the utmost admiration for your ability to keep on trying new things. :-)

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  4. I actually don't mind the railings in your pics at all!

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  5. There is a saying that goes, 'Necessity is the mother of invention' and the primary driving force for most new inventions is a need. You have a need to do things differently now and I'm sure you will come up with a ways and means to continue your photography hobby. You will see things and have to do things from a different perspective than the rest of us and therein lies the innovation for you. Keep up the good work Stu and keep those great photos coming.

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  6. Hi Furry!
    You did a great job...and you’ll only get better...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  7. I'm sure accomplish success with your photography as you've succeeded in many other things.

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  8. Is there any sort of tripod that can attach to the wheelchair arms? Or be a smaller camera on a one leg tripod? monopod? that could clamp onto one arm? Mrs F G, you are stepping up to the line to do all sorts of wonderful things, and this proves, " We gals can do anything" I take my ( not wearing one at the moment) hat off to you every day.

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  9. Despite some frustrating limitations, how wonderful that you can get out and about as well as you do. Especially considering the gorgeous natural world that surrounds you where you live, and which you share so beautifully with us. You are such an inspiration, Furry! I hope your adventures bring you more joy than aggravation.

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  10. I wonder if a new mirrorless camera would work for you? Is there anyway you could mount the camera to a small tripod to give you stability? I have a camera holder that can be attached to a car window...but I have never tried it. What ever pointers you give will be helpful to many people:)

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  11. Now these pictures are very good and we can view the world as you are seeing a different perspective. Keep up the good work.

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  12. I know this is heresy to most DSLR users, and perhaps you have already looked at one, but you might want to consider one of the superzoom cameras made by Canon or Nikon. I've had a Canon superzoom for years, it's relatively light weight and wide zoom range makes it very versatile. Take a look at the Nikon P600 or Canon SX60, both are discontinued and new ones are hard to find, but good used ones are plentiful and cheap.

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  13. A trusty assistant is always grand. I wonder if someone local could rig up a tripod for you...

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  14. As much as a clear view of certain aspects of nature and man made falls is lovely, you have a unique view. Don't stop! I actually enjoy the railing shots. If they were new maybe not so much, but the rustic look is quite nice. You'll find ways to make your photos interesting and it is always nice to have an assistant for other shots.

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  15. I'm happy to see you are out taking photos again!

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  16. Two things, seeing things from a different view can be a good thing. Some of us don't take the opportunity to check things out from other angles. Second, I love the images with the bars and railings. They are artful in their won right. - Margy

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  17. Quite a spectacular area, I like seeing how old mechanical things worked.

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  18. My wife and I are completely different photographers. I am always sqwatting down or shooting through things trying to get that different perspective. She always stands and shoot even though the think is on the ground. Neither of us is doing it wrong but we do get different results.

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  19. This new perspective will offer new challenges for sure. It may, also, give so beautiful different perspective shots.

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