With all that is going on with Covid–19 this year I knew I wasn’t going to be able to travel in my usual way. That led to outfitting my Toyota RAV 4 for boon docking, AKA car camping. My photographer friend Jose Robertson who came through in his vehicle when traveling 2 years ago inspired me.
The start
About a month ago Jose came through on another trip I had the opportunity to test my set up under his watchful eye. During his travels we camped at Lake Powell, Arizona for a couple nights. He taught me a lot and showed me I needed a few more modifications.
I’ll be doing a more in-depth article for the online magazine Photofocus.com. For now you can get an idea of how I fitted out the car.
A peek into the build
A look in the back. Cot with sleeping pad. Removable shelf. Bins for organization.
Not wanting to add a lot of weight or to remove seats I added a five-inch cot to sleep flat.
A shelf that is installed with no attachments to the car is a huge help. This went through a few design iterations. Especially since the cot was billed as being three inches tall. The shelf was redesigned with the five-inch actual cot height! The bins help organize. Bottom bin is the kitchen with stove, gas, cooking tools and utensils. Top bin holds my personal such as clothes and toiletries.
Assembled
Testing the setup. I assembled the ‘camp set up’ in my driveway before hitting the road. testing is good… Trust me on that!
Here’s an image from Watson Lake in Prescott, AZ with the vehicle in use. I’ll share more soon I’m heading out on a new lone adventure on Monday!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – my photographer friends will recognize that part of the support for the shade are two background stands I repurposed.
I don’t normally get too political. We are an amazing country with lots to be proud of. Lately though we seem to have been backsliding into a morass.
The Newsroom
I will share this clip from the show ‘The Newsroom‘ and ask that you take a moment to watch, listen and process. I think this was from 2012. Don’t get me wrong. We have a great country. Unfortunately, it appears we have been heading down a track of nationalism and ‘me-ism’ that has derailed many of the things which we valued in the past. As this clip is from 2012 our problems obviously didn’t start in 2015 or 2016. They have been building for years. I liken it to the frog in the pot of water that is set on heat. Because the heat builds up slowly it is not noticed until it is too late.
I believe much of our problem has to do with too much money being involved in our political system.
Believing everything you see and sharing it on social media without vetting the information and the source.
Media outlets being under the control of too few people.
Entertainment shows parading as ‘news outlets’ and spewing hate and derision across the airwaves. Hate and fear sell more. I think the terminology used to be ‘If it bleeds it leads.’ Why do we have to constantly see all the bad news without another voice showing all the good that is happening, Every. Single. Day.
We see so much bad news reported that it becomes the only thing we think is in the country.
The best line from this monologue is, “The first step in fixing a problem is recognizing there is one.”
What can we do as individuals?
Perhaps each one of us can begin the healing process one step at a time. Don’t call names. Check your posts before you share. Share as much good news as you can.
I’ll let the clip speak for itself and ask what can we do to get back on track?
Yours in Creative Photography, (if a bit off subject in today’s post) Bob
Here’s a link for those who are seeing this in my post notification email. https://youtu.be/bIpKfw17-yY
I’ve been enjoying the cooler air at night photographing Nightscapes and Starscapes. Today’s high was 107 here in Sedona, Arizona. Decided to lay low during the day!
Platypod tripod
I’ve been playing with the Platypod Ultra making some time-lapse videos for them. I bought the Platypod about a year and a half ago and wasn’t using it very much. But when they asked me to work it a little more I’ve been finding more and more uses. In addition, it now hangs off my small Think Tank Mirrorless – 20 camera pouch when I go hiking. I’m finding it gives me a stable platform while adding very little weight to my kit.
I spent a couple nights car camping, AKA boondocking, in my RAV 4 during the last full moon. Here’s a time-lapse I made of the moon for Platypod getting up off the horizon. See more of the boondocking story here.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
For those who are viewing this in the Successful-Photographer email notification here’s a link.
https://youtu.be/eDZ22rnivdk
•• The reason I use the Think Tank MM 20 is that it is small but robust. I’ve been using this bag for about five years and it is only starting to show some wear. Know that I am a mirrorless shooter with Lumix and Olympus gear so It’s just the right size. They make larger models such as the MM 30 for larger camera gear
I enjoy infrared photography to extend my shooting day. Harsh light doesn’t do much for regular color imaging. I believe it is beauteous, when captured with a camera that has been converted to infrared.
My current camera was converted to infrared by LifePixel. It is a Lumix G6 (now out of production) I keep a Lumix G Vario 14-140mm lens attached. I stay with the standard 720nm (nanometer) filter. It replicates the original black and white ‘IR look’ I enjoy. I’ve written about IR for several publications.
Here are a few links to try out if you would like to learn more.
Courthouse Butte in Sedona, AZ created with camera converted to infrared
I’m testing out my build on my RAV 4 for boondocking by staying at a local campground. Two nights here and get to play with imagery including water, unique looking rocks and a full moon.
I’ll be sharing some of the things I found out in some future posts. In the meantime here is my office today and a couple quickly processed images.
Here’s my office for the day.
Hopefully a better version of this image is coming tonight as the sun will be higher in the sky when the moon makes it’s appearance. Two images combined.
Earlier in the day I found this dragonfly perch.
More soon…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
The Oly OM-D E-M1 Mark three is becoming a favorite. The Lumix LX100 has become my BTS camera. Fits comfortably in a small camera bag, the Mirrorless Mover 20 from Think Tank There is a newer LX100ii version that is a couple hundred dollars more…
For infrared conversion of my cameras I use LifePixel. Infrared allows you to put an older camera to use and opens up a new time time of day for productive image creation.
Learn Photoshop in a fun environment. Aaron Nace applies the right amount of fun with easy to understand and follow tutorials. Actions and brushes are included with lessons!
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Platypod has become a great resource for being creative in getting your camera gear easily into unusual places. As an Platypod Pro I get to work/play with the gear even before it comes out. Head over to Platypod, subscribe to the newsletter and you will get special discounts reserved only for subscribers.
