98% of the photos we see are from 5 1/2 feet off the ground, taken in a comfortable, open space. The other 2% are ground photos of our pets and shots off of building tops. For this week's Shooting Challenge...
The Challenge
...find a unique, never-before-seen vantage point for your camera. In other words, stick your camera somewhere it's never been stuck before to get a perspective we don't generally get to see. (Just like this incredible dolphin camera, lead Beverly & Pack.) And feel free to emulate the perspective of something in your environment—like a traffic light looking out at the cars below. Just don't blame Gizmodo if you fall onto a bus and are forced to surf Teen Wolf-style in evasion of the police. Or maybe do blame us, because that experience sounds absolutely wonderful.
The Method
This is probably a challenge of creativity more than technique, but there are a few tools that can help.
Gaffer's tape is truly awesome stuff. It's the duct tape of the film and video world, and has empowered crews to tape one thingamabob to another for decades, all while coming off cleanly once the shoot was complete. No residue!
I could imagine using gaffer's tape to stick the camera into a spot where I couldn't fit, set the timer (or use a remote) and see what I get. If you try this method, be careful, of course.
The Gorillapod, or any short tripod, can also allow you to stabilize your camera in an odd spot. Either solution sure beats balancing your bare camera on a ledge.
The Rules - READ THESE
1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken AFTER the challenge was announced.
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings, technique and story behind shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com, not me.
5. Include 800px wide image (200KB or less) AND a 2560x1600 sized in email. (The 800px image is the one judged, so feel free to crop/alter the larger image for wallpaper-sized dimensions.)
6. One submission per person.
7. Use the proper SUBJECT line in your email (more info on that below)
Send your best photo by Monday, October 25th at 8AM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with "Shove It" in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs, and use a FirstnameLastnameShoveIt.jpg (800px wide) and FirstnameLastnameShoveItWallpaper.jpg (2560px wide) naming conventions. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email along with a story of the shot in a few sentences. And don't skip this story part because it's often the most enjoyable part for us all beyond the shot itself!
When I'm not running Shooting Challenges, I'm managing my new site: Life, Panoramic. Today, we have photos of Chicago.