More Self-take Photography

My previous blog post below seemed quite popular so I thought I'd add just a few more words and pictures. 

The air-release bulb is a popular method for self-takes but as I said most cameras don't have a thread in the shutter button so need a bracket that can be purchased at a few outlets online. SRB Griturn are one company that supply various size brackets and an air-release and they are at http://www.srb-griturn.com/shutter-releases-246-c.asp

 

It doesn't happen very often but doing self-takes in the rain can be a problem. The camera can be positioned in the bivvy doorway but that isn't always practical. The picture shows how I do it now. 

The 'umbrella' is actually a shade off of a child's pushchair. They are meant to be just a shade I think so they won't keep anything dry in a downpour unless you treat it with a coat of Fabsil or similar. They are good enough as them come though for light rain and for short periods of time...

It has a clamp on the base that easily tightens onto a bankstick. I wouldn't advise attaching it to the tripod as it will more than likely cause camera-shake. If you're using flash be sure the shade is tilted back a bit or high enough so as not to cast shadows in your shots. 

The one shown is a Mamas & Papas Buggy Parasol/Shade. I purchased mine from eBay for about £15. Most are garish colours but there is usually the odd black one to be found. They fold down very small and can easily be kept in a bankstick pocket of a rod holdall. 

I think that's it for now. I hope some of this is useful and makes your self-take photography just a little bit easier. 

Tight lines. 

Craig. 

Self-take Fishing Photography

I've used loads of methods of doing self-take pictures over the years. From self-timer to wink detection. I'm certainly no expert on the subject and others experiences might be different so don't take any of this as gospel and ask around for more advice.

Built-in Self-timer - I think this method is unreliable and not very fish friendly as you have to leave the fish alone to mess with the camera. Sometimes the camera doesn't focus correctly either. The options to do more than one picture at a time is limited on many cameras. 

Hand-held infra-red remote - I'm not keen on using these, they are sometimes a little fiddly. They work ok but I'd rather concentrate on holding the fish with nothing else in my hands. Sometimes a fin gets in the way too. 

Wink/smile detection - some cameras have this facility now and it sounds perfect. It involves just winking or smiling at the camera to trigger the shutter. The truth is wink detection is unreliable in my experience. Perhaps I just don't wink well enough. Smile detection works most times but you can feel a little silly gurning at the camera by yourself. For both methods the camera has to be able to 'see' you so these functions are no good in low light or at night. 

Wired guitar foot-pedal - if your camera can take a wired remote and you are good with electrics or know an electrician this is one of the best options. It requires buying a wired remote, cable to extend it, 2 stage micro-switch and a foot pedal wired in to replace the hand-held switch.

Air-release bulb - one of my two favoured methods now. Most modern digital cameras don't have a thread on the shutter button so a bracket needs to be purchased to position the air-release plunger over the shutter button. There are two sizes of bracket - one for small cameras and one for larger compacts. They don't fit some large SLR's like my Canon 600D. I had to modify mine by replacing the base with a longer piece of aluminium. 

I find the most comfortable and practical place for the air-release bulb to be under the heel. Occasionally things don't work smoothly because the bulb fails to re-inflate or the ground is too soft and the bulb just squashes into the grass instead of triggering. (It usually works perfectly on the practice shots!) Generally speaking though this is a great method. 

Wired programmable timer - I find I'm using this more and more and it is becoming my preferred method. They are about £15 on eBay, plug into the camera and have about a metre of cable. They plug into the cameras remote socket and the delay before starting, number of shots and interval between shots can be set individually. Eg. after 15 seconds take 20 shots, at 3 second intervals. 

So lean over fish to press start, pick up fish, take the required amount of pictures, return fish. Delete the duff shots.

Depending on how well the fish behaves you can be done after half a dozen shots and you can either cancel the timer or leave it to finish while returning the fish. 

Advantages of these are they are not seen in the pictures and hands and feet are free to do as you want so you can concentrate on the fish. 

The interval between shots may need to be increased when using the flash to give it time to recharge. The interval also depends on how long the setting is for image review. 

The connectors vary so be sure to buy the correct one for your camera.

I think that just about covers everything I have used in the past and currently use.

My camera of choice at the moment is a Canon EOS 600D SLR with a 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens. 

This is very good for self-takes as it has a flip-around screen. 

There are many other cameras with this screen function - mainly Canon models, some Panasonic Lumix and one or two other makes.  

Be lucky. 

Craig. 

I Bloody Love Fishing Me!

Happy New Year! 

The title is a line I Tweeted recently. It was during the Christmas holiday and I was sat at home in between sessions and I was itching to get on the bank again. It amazes me that I am still so eager to go fishing even at this time of year in aweful weather conditions. I think it reflects just how great and never-ending this pastime truly is!

The fact I'd caught a lovely, mahogany-coloured common a couple of days before Christmas might have buoyed my mood somewhat.

24.2 dark common

Following on from that, I went back to the deep pit and bagged another within a couple of hours of arriving. This one from 60ft deep! And what a corker of a mirror that turned out to be when it popped up from the abyss! It more than made up for the soaking i got while setting up and kept a smile on my face while i sat there in the mud. I thought with a start like that there was more to come but not so much as a bleep for the remainder of that session. That's fishing...

Stunning 21.2 mirror

Anyway, here I am again, 9pm, doing this live from the bank lying on my bedchair in the pitch black all cosy in the bivvy. Kettle is on the stove so i'll be breaking for tea and biscuits in a minute. The fish are very quiet so far this trip. The conditions are not as good as they were to be fair - the wind has gone, the sky is clear and the pressure's rising. Not ideal but there's always a chance. 

I busied myself today with watching the water, reading Tim Paisley's 'More From The Bivvy' (excellent book by the way) and taking a couple of pictures with my iPhone. Here's a surprisingly nice one from a different perspective... it amazes me what phones can do now...

 

It's deathly silent out here tonight, if a fish moves I'll hear it. I would like to write a bit more now but this blogging software is proving to be a little unfriendly on a mobile device at the minute so i'll cut it short for now and see if I can add a bit more soon. Where's those biscuits...