A relatively long distance between the mount and the pilot leads to big leverage along the longitudinal axis of the glider. The wing mount also demands a counter-weight. The advantage of a heavy mount is stability and less risk of blurred pictures, as there´s a bigger moment of inertia in a head wind. With the camera so close it’s necessary to compensate for the short distance with a wide angle lens. Since I’m normally working with heavy mounts and SLR cameras, I don’t usually go further than half way along the wing due to the weight. How far away from the pilot the camera can be fixed on the wing depends on the weight of the whole mount and the choice of the lens. This usually makes for a good place to fit a mount on the wing tube. With a standard glider, there are fewer possibilities although most gliders have a zip close to the wing tube and about half way along it to facilitate short-packing. Obviously, for every location you plan to attach the mount you need free access to do so.įor this reason my glider was specified with three extra zips in the under surface of the sail, allowing a camera to be mounted at three different points along the wing. For a solid mount the wing tube offers a good location, as well as the cross bar.Īdded reinforcement at both ends of my glider’s cross bar reduces the risk of damage caused by overly tightening the mount. This perspective is perfect for catching the steeper angles and stresses of a steep turn whilst also capturing the terrain below.įor these type of shots you need a solid, stable place to fix the camera which also remains free of vibration at all speeds. Some of the best shots taken in hang gliding come from mounting the camera outboard along the wing so it looks along the wing past the pilot towards the other tip. It’s the photographic suitability of the landscape as regards the scenery, light conditions and contrast – the search for a perfect picture that consigns bad handling further to recesses of my mind. The clear air of autumn fills the valleys, thermals reach altitudes of 3600 metres and soon it’s no longer the location and quality of thermals that bother my mind. I have a green light for the rest of the day. Today, the camera responds and I can hear the soft clicking of the shutter release. If a push on the button results in nothing but endless silence, the point is reached where the photographers´ mood sinks to the bottom of the the deepest of valleys: no pictures and a broken down camera system hanging on the glider for the rest of the day. Only now is it possible to see if the hours spent mounting the camera was just a waste of energy or not. Despite more fighting than piloting, I’m now about to climb up, slowly but surely, and whilst slowing down to stall speed prick up my ears with high expectations…The barely audible sound of a camera’s shutter might seem tiny and unimportant, but for a photographer, the whole day depends on it. If any fellow pilot was to mention tonight that my flying was crap, I would simply have to agree.īut today, my personal priorities are different. ![]() Up to now, I have barely managed three circles in a thermal without getting either thrown out or diving to the inside. Instead, I’m seriously thinking of grabbing one of the downtubes to improve the efficacy of my piloting. ![]() None of the sensitive handling and its delightful climb performance, which gave me such pleasure yesterday seems to be left. Today, my hang glider reminds me more of a tank than of a wing. Published in Cross Country magazine in 2004 ![]() These days Felix Woelk is one of paragliding’s best known photographers – he shot this video for GradientĪce hang gliding photographer Felix Wolk shows us how to rig a camera for that most classic of hang gliding perspectives, the wing mounted shot.
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