Induro Blog

A groups of artists recently journeyed to the North Pole to make some pictures. That’s their ship, above. You can read all about the voyage in The New York Times, but here’s a quick parse:

We are 14 artists, 2 scientists, and a crew of 4 sailing as close to the North Pole pack ice as we can get away with. Aboard the M/S Noorderlicht, a hundred-year old Dutch schooner, we left Longyearbyen one week ago in the Norwegian territory of Svalbard, the most northerly point in the world with regular air service, for several weeks traveling the Arctic through open sea and sheltered bays, stopping along the way to respond to the landscape in uniquely artistic ways.

WOW. That’s kind of amazing. I happen to know one of the artists on this voyage, Willy Somma, and am happy to report that she and the others returned safely. There was, however, a bit of a problem with Willy’s gear, specifically her tripod. We won’t say who made said tripod, but it wasn’t Induro, and there were issues. For example: it was heavy, it slipped all over the ice, and the grips froze in place in the cold weather, so it became nearly impossible to manipulate. Frustrating.

I asked Willy which tripod she’d bring if she were to go to the North Pole again, and she chose this one, the CT414. It’s a BEAUT.

The largest of the new 8X CT-Series, it can easily hold Willy’s Large Format camera.

These tripods are light and strong, and have some amazing features. These two would have been helpful in the North Pole!

As it was, Somma leaned on railings and such when her tripod was acting up. She got some pretty amazing shots.

The Money Shot.

The Northern Lights looked white in person, but came out green in the images.

I love these, they feel like paintings.

Of course, they’d probably be sharper if Induro was on the case.

File this one under “you can’t make this up”.  Photographer Michael Hoffman wrote on his blog yesterday about saving a life with his new Induro tripod. Really!

This was the lifesaver, the C214:

The new, even more awesome CT214 was just released– see specs below. This one could probably save TWO lives.

CT214
INDURO CARBON 8X CT-Series tripods are the strongest, most stable tripods ever offered. A wide stance cross-braced magnesium alloy spider, ultra-light 8X layer Carbon Fiber legs, oversized center column lock and enhanced leg angle locks all contribute to a tripod with up to 35% greater stability, rigidity and higher load capacity. Includes interchangeable rubber feet and stainless steel spikes, a tool kit and deluxe carrying bag and strap.
Height: 20.9″ Folded / 61.2″ Extended

Apparently strong and stable was just what the doctor ordered for Hoffman. Here’s what happened, in Hoffman’s words:

Once in a while, you get far more than you expect from a piece of gear. On Saturday, I used my tripod to help save a life.

I was happy to have purchased Induro’s C214 Carbon 8X CT-Series tripod back in March. I have found the C214 to be lightweight, sturdy, reliable, and most importantly, affordable! Combined with the Induro DM12 ballhead, I have a budget minded gem of a tripod, just right for my mid-sized SLR rig.

This weekend, though, I got my money’s worth and more from my Induro. My wife and I joined my parents in the mountains of northern Georgia, land of a thousand waterfalls. It being the peak weekend for fall foliage in that area, we were taking in the scenery and visited some of the local waterfalls as well, including Helton Creek Falls near Blairsville, GA. I was able to capture some nice pictures such as the one below:

We were up near the area where you see the man standing, and a tourist had ventured out onto the rocks to snap a few pictures upstream. As I looked on from the edge, I saw him slip, his feet went out from under him, and he began sliding over the edge!

Fortunately, I was there with my tripod, already fully extended, and was able to stand in the relative safety of the bank and offer him the end of the tripod. He grabbed it, I pulled him up, and aside from being shaken up (and likely having a bruised backside) he was fine.All’s well that ends well, but what a nerve-wracking experience! I’m glad I was there to help, thankful I had the Induro tripod, and relieved that it is made a solid and sturdy as it is. A life depended on it.

Yikes! That’s some scary business! Here are some calm, beautiful sunsets from Mr. Hoffman to calm us down:

See more of his work, here.  And remember, never underestimate the importance of a sturdy tripod! Also: be careful around slippery waterfalls.