The Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne Falls

We are always looking for fresh exciting images, and sometimes we run out of ideas. I know I do. At schools we’ve got a changing bunch of people and the same old  bunch of buildings to work with, and at some point the chapel, the schoolhouse, the gym have all been done to death — with a wide angle, a low angle, a high angle, and maybe even teetering on a stepladder, for the truly motivated.  A bird’s eye view would be different, but helicopter shots are so costly. Your photographer could rent a truck with cherrypicker, but that also requires a big budget, plus it tears up the lawn something awful. And what if you want to shoot indoors, from way up high inside the athletic center, or the chapel or the theater?

Enter Upshots: Photographer Frank Siteman and his sleek Jack and the Beanstalk style tripod, which is operated from the ground. It’s 45 feet high! He calls it Upshot. I call it Skypod.

There is no noise and no air pollution. Since Frank is shooting from a land-based tripod, he has the stability to shoot in very low light and make evocative dawn or dusk images. On small rubber tires, Upshot rolls silently and safely into restricted spaces, formal gardens, elegant interiors, and provides breathtaking views from an novel and previously unattainable perspective.

A breath of fresh air.