Did you ever want to take pictures while you drive?

Harpper · Mar 7, 2004

I was driving in the countryside a few days ago when I saw several great shots. The only problem was that, for one, I didn't have my camera with me, and secondly there wasn't a safe place to stop. It was a one lane road without an emergancy shoulder lane. The only thing I could do was enjoy the view myself while waving at the car tailgating behind me. :wink:

I guess if I was a dedicated photographer I should have drove through one of the fences on either side of the road and then tear my car apart in an attempt to make myself a camera out of car parts. :wink:

So how about everyone else? Were there times when you wish you had a camera with you while driving? How many of you take your camera where ever you go?

vonnagy · Mar 7, 2004

good post, i was going to post something similar, i think there may have been a post like this a while back.

pretty much when i go traveling, my d10 goes with me, rain or shine. not so much city travel because i don't feel safe to keep it in my car if i have to get out. Yeah, trying to pull over with a nasty tailgater or when there is a cliff on your side is tricky business, but if ya don't mind walking a bit once you find your 'safe place' then its worth it. I think me camera is an extension of my own body at times.

i was going post something like do you take your beloved camera outside - rain or shine?

photogoddess · Mar 7, 2004

A camera of some sort is ALWAYS with me. Usually my 10D. I don't leave it in the car though. Too risky. I lug it around earning the comment that I always have a camera bag growing out of my side. :lol:

As a passenger, I occassionally stick my head out to take a picture while moving since the hubby stops for nothing.

While driving, if I see something really cool, I either stop then or make a mental note to return at a later date. You just never know when you might find something cool to photograph.

mrsid99 · Mar 8, 2004

Happens all the time and mostly where there's no place to stop.
Quite often I see what looks like a great shot but there's something in the way or there's no way to get the vantage point needed (wish I carried a helicopter with me) or some other impediment.

GerryDavid · Mar 8, 2004

Harpper said:
I was driving in the countryside a few days ago when I saw several great shots. The only problem was that, for one, I didn't have my camera with me, and secondly there wasn't a safe place to stop. It was a one lane road without an emergancy shoulder lane. The only thing I could do was enjoy the view myself while waving at the car tailgating behind me.

I guess if I was a dedicated photographer I should have drove through one of the fences on either side of the road and then tear my car apart in an attempt to make myself a camera out of car parts.

So how about everyone else? Were there times when you wish you had a camera with you while driving? How many of you take your camera where ever you go?

It seems to me that you see 10X more great shots when you dont have a camera with you. :0) I also try to keep a camera with me, but I dont always take one. Like when im going to the city and dont want to leave something expensive like a digital camera in the car I dont always take one. Or when I know Ill be leaving it alon ein the car for many hours when its -40C or +40C. What I need is a mini slr camera or mini digital 3mp with manual settings that I can keep in the glove box, maybe in a thermas bag or something. :0). Was thinking that in the summer, maybe get a thermos bag and keep an ice pack ontop of it to keep the temp in it descent for the electronics.

I was on I81 not to long ago and I seen a fair number of great shots, but your not suppose to stop on the interstate unless you have car issues. Plus the shoulders are not all that wide so if you stop theres a good chance that youll get rear ended. Plus I wasnt driving and I hate to ask people to stop, plus when they do stop your usually like 5 minutes walking time from the shot so youll annoy the people in the car for 5+5+what ever length it takes you to get the shot. :0). The other day I was driving back from the city and the lights looked great for a picture, and when I did eventually stop, the camera didnt see what I seen from the car from inside the windshield. So that was a bit discouraging. :0)

LaFoto · Mar 8, 2004

Well, it may or may not have to do with my membership in this board, but during the past couple of weeks I've tended to have my camera with me almost all the time.

But only "almost"!
So, of course (!!!), I did not have it with me when I saw those workmen do the new asphalt flooring in that big barn from liquid asphalt, and they carried it in from the tank in which it had arrived having real YOKES on their shoulders. I have NEVER before seen anybody carry anything anywhere in buckets on a yoke! Oh, how I wished I had my camera with me THEN!!!

Yes, there's one stretch of countryside also that I see daily on my way to work, but it is plainly IMPOSSIBLE to stop and take its photo. I've taken the side road (prohibited for traffic! :shock: ), but even that one doesn't take me quite where I wanted to get. I walked over the meadows a bit, but...

With other motifs, I have, indeed, noticed them in driving by, and stopped and walked there on an extra nice day in order to get my photo. Some of them keep fascinating me to the day!

I've got myself a camera BACKPACK, so I don't have the camera bag hanging from my shoulder all the time. I quite enjoy that. But I don't have overly much equipment, anyway, so there's not too much to carry around all the time.

Harpper · Mar 8, 2004

GerryDavid said:
It seems to me that you see 10X more great shots when you dont have a camera with you. :0)

I would have to agree with you on that one. Now that I've gotten more into photograpy I'm starting to noticed more possible great shots but my camera is stuck at home. It's starting to get to a point where my camera is like my wallet...I should never leave home without it. Right now I have a cheap P&S digital camera so I'm not too concern with bringing it along but there is still the issue of heat and robbery when left in the car. The camera isn't small enough to put in my pocket so it can be rather inconvenient to always carry around.

vonnagy said:
i was going post something like do you take your beloved camera outside - rain or shine?

At first I was going to say no, but this hobby is starting to get addictive. Like photogoddess my camera is starting to become an extend of my body. A lot of my shots aren't worth posting but they are still fun to take nonetheless.

But Mark did bring up a good point, how do you guys protect your cameras in bad weather? I'm planning on getting a DSLR soon and would like to protect my investment put not constrict my picture environments.

LaFoto said:
I've taken the side road (prohibited for traffic! ), but even that one doesn't take me quite where I wanted to get. I walked over the meadows a bit, but...

I understand what you are talking about. Sometimes the best compostion for the shot is right on the road itself. Since I don't like playing chicken with on coming traffic, I have to live with secondly pictures off to the side.

Big Mike · Mar 8, 2004

I don't recall the guy's name but I was reading about how he drove across America with a camera in his vehicle set to snap a picture every mile. Interesting idea anyway.

Face · Mar 8, 2004

i have a 45 minute commute every day so i spend time evaluating the colors, the contrast, how i could make it a good picture... it passes time...

urameatball · Mar 8, 2004

When I'm passenger, I sometimes take a few snapshots here and there.

When I'm driving, I've been known to pull out a camera once in a while... my knees keep the steering wheel locked forward, point camera, set to at least 1/1000sec shutter speed and SNAP!

I tend to only shoot buildings while on the road... I drive too fast to notice anything smaller than a 5 storie building