Raven flys through spruce trees in the morning fog, Denali National Park, interior, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4L, 1/640 sec @ f/11, ISO 400, manual focus shot from a bean bag out my sunroof.
Finding the all-round vehicle that suits multiple purposes, including photographic adventures, is not only difficult, but ultimately a compromise somewhere. I decided to own just one vehicle due to a proclivity towards minimalism (I’ll save breaking that rule for camera gear). In my search for a car there were a few important aspects I looked for:
- Room to sleep/camp in the car (and not in a back seat)
- Automatic opening doors on each side.
- A sunroof large enough for me to fit through
- Reasonable gas mileage
- All wheel drive
This led me to the Toyota Sienna, which as I’ve been told is a woman’s car, ideal for taking the kids to soccer tournaments and grocery shopping. Perhaps. My gender identity was not threatened in the purchase, even though the husband of the wife who I bought it from could not imagine a guy driving that car, as he glanced over his shoulder at his Lexus. The vehicle has the added benefit of looking like all the other family vans on the road, which provides a slide into the anonymity of the masses and much less prominent presence on the roadways.
Back to the sunroof. I knew from owning previous vehicles that shooting from the top of the vehicle was essential, since there are many times while driving that I see something and need to shoot fast. Getting out of the car is not always an option. So I throw my Kinesis Safari sack (bean bag) on the roof and shoot out of the sunroof opening.
I’ve catpured many images in this manner, and here are a few that make me very happy that I searched all over the U.S. to find that car with the sunroof!
Caribou travel across a mountain ridge in the Alaska range mountains, Denali National Park, interior, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4L, 1/1000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400. I saw these caribou coming down a ridge and barely had enough time to stop the vehicle, throw the camera up and shoot fast. Taken from a bean bag out my sunroof.
Great Gray owl in black spruce trees, southcentral, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4L w/1.4x (700mm), 1/500 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 400. I could not believe this owl hung around long enough for me to get a few shots. I saw it perched on a tree alongside the road, quickly stopped, backed up, and took a few frames while resting on a bean bag out of my sunroof.
Looks very practical Patrick, it makes sense. Do you take this vehicle on the Haul Road? Do you need to stand on your seat to shoot out the sunroof? I’m guessing you must ware slip off shoes are something similar.
Thanks,
Ron
Ron,
It is not the perfect vehicle, in particular it was designed for the metro-driver, and thus has pretty low clearance. However, it does surprisingly well in snow and handles very good. I can’t do much off-road stuff, but I have feet for that. Yes, I take it up the haul road in all seasons, just so i can trash the windshield :-). Per the sun roof, I stand in between the two front seats (I took out the console) so no need to worry about the seats.
As you know, some wildlife in the state are fine with cars, but like to bolt when you step out of a vehicle, so it is a good alternative. Another great aspect about the vehicle is to be able to open both rear doors by pressing a button from the drivers seat, then step back between the front seats to shoot out the either side of the car. It would be hard to give up that kind of universal shooting access. I know there are much better “camping” rigs out there, but they don’t even compare in terms of a vehicle to shoot from. But then again, we can just get out of the car and do some real photography!
I never would have thought to use the sun roof like that. Very interesting article. I really like the new blog updates. The color scheme is similar to your your stock images site, now. The new twitter box at the top is a great idea. BTW- the photograph of the raven in the fog is one of my all-time favorites. -Eli
Eli,
I’ve had a short time to do a few web and blog tweaks, trying to get things synchronized across data platforms. Still refining the FaceBook page. BTW, the raven shot is also one of my favorites, and quickly becoming my favorite bird as well. They are amazingly crafty and intelligent.
Patrick
Love this article and it validates my wishlist for my next car! I never thought I needed a sunroof and considered one somewhat of a luxury, but after trying to photograph wildlife at the National Bison Range and Glacier NP, realized how practical and useful it could be for photography! Fortunately, I can fit my 5’3″ frame on the backseat of my Accord (or a reclined front seat with the dirty clothes bag as a foot rest), but it certainly could be better…
Kristi, I would not own a car without a sunroof, when it comes to photography!