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Ever Wish You Had A Chair, Stool or Even Knee Pads?
Okay, I turned 50 this March so I am not as young as some of you guys and gals but I frequently find myself with the camera mounted in a pretty low tripod position or I’m trying for that low, low shot near the ground and boy! do my knees and elbows ache from the pressure and rubbing –
Have you found any useful solutions? I was thinking even a small pillow to rest one knee on would be better than nothing!!
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10 Replies
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Go to your local hardware store and purchase some knee pads from the tiling section.
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Camping supply stores have various sized folding stools and chairs. Also the gardening departments of Home Depot, Lowes and Walmart, etc. have cushioned canvas covered knee pads for working on the ground. I carry them all on shoots.
Ken -
Yep, all good ideas – In certain situations, like filming in a client’s corporate office, marching in wearing knee pads might look a little odd (but maybe that’s just my vanity speaking) but certainly a small camping stool would be ideal. Outdoors, by myself, knee pads, elbow pads, heck even a crash helmet if I thought it would help would all be fair game 🙂
I even thought of those thin blue camping foam ground coverings designed to go under your sleeping bag would be good for lying down on the ground.
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These are great little folding step stools. Very light weight and fold up to about the same size as a set of 2K barn doors.
https://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1378227
Good quality knee pads should always be in the kit. Extended kneeling when shooting handheld is much easier with pads. So is gaffing down long runs of cables. For places where this wouldn’t be fashionable and you’re not moving around a lot, one of those door mat sized carpet samples is nice to have on hand.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
All of the clients that I have (national tv, regional tv and local) are substantially more impressed by one who is imaginatively prepared for various shooting situations than one who is not. I carry what I need for a job and I don’t care what it looks like to an unsophisticate . . . and I’ve been shooting for over 60 years.
Have fun. -
We use one of these. $26 at Harbor Freight.
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Have you discussed this with a doctor? Maybe it is just the inevitable passage of time, but I started noticing that kind of aches and pains around age 40 and it turned out to be the early stages of arthritis. I now have medication for it and at 48 I’m effectively in better shape now than I was 5 years ago (arthritis isn’t really cureable, but the modern pills are very good at keeping it under control so having it doesn’t affect my lifestyle). I hope that doesn’t sound like scaremongering, I wouldn’t want anyone to jump to any conclusions (or get sucked into the alt-med fraudsters) without speaking to a medical professional.
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I suggest checking out the gardening suppyl section of a hardware store for a simple foam pad designed for kneeling.
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I have both!
Folding three leg stool is the most used for interviews, just the right height for me to look up into the VF and not get sore for the hour or so I’m shooting. Kneepads, and heavy gloves as well.Malcolm
http://www.malcolmproductions.com -
I had just finished up filming a clip on a little sand dune on the beach and upon getting up (not being very coordinated to begin with) I ending up rolling partway down the small dune because of my awkward crouched position. 🙂
A little stool would have been ideal there…still haven’t gotten one BTW but I am always thinking about doing so…until then I will be rolling down small hills I guess!
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