On Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:59:36 -0600, David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
: Sandman writes:
:
: So I want to make a timelapse movie of me drawing, and I will be
: drawing on paper on a table. I have a DSLR and I was wondering if you
: knew about a good way to mount it above the paper?
:
: I have two tripods and putting them on the table may be a bit
: cumbersome but it's possible, but I don't seem to be able to zoom
: out/move the camera far up enough without seeing the tripod in frame.
: Not a huge problem per se, but I would prefer a mounting solution that
: works without seeing it of course.
:
: Any ideas?
:
: A boom mounted on the tripod (or across two tripods) could put the
: camera directly over the paper and far away from the legs.
:
: The cheapest solution I can think of that meets my standards of neatness
: is one Bogen Superclamp or equivalent. Now, support a scrap piece of
: pipe or lumber of suitable size or something across above the work area
: with suitable quantities of Gaffer's tape (or duct tape if you don't
: have to worry about the finish on anything), and mount camera below it
: using the clamp. A new Superclamp was $36 last time I bought one, and
: they're amazingly flexible and secure. Look in the studio lighting
: sections of stores and catalogs.
:
: You could get about the same effect with one of those "gorilla pods" with
: the bendy legs made of balls. Wrapping the legs around the cross-beam
: would let the camera hang below pointing down. It wouldn't be as stable
: or as secure.
:
: In my own office, I'd just have the superclamp grip the edge of the
: shelf that's conveniently over my workspace. Sometimes the best hack is
: very specific to the space.
:
: If you've got a shelf up there, you could also have the tripod lie on
: the shelf (legs not spread), probably duct-taped down, with the head
: sticking out off the edge supporting the camera.

Even with duct tape or a beefy clip, the end holding the camera is bound to
droop. So include a ball head to correct for that.

Bob