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I use the Naturescapes ground pod. It's easy to slide it along the ground, and I can attach a carabiner and hang it from my backpack. Usually I mount my trusty Nest gimbal head on it. Most of my ground level photography is nesting shorebirds.
I've been meaning to try doing this because so far the only thing keeping me from trying a ground pod is a visceral revulsion to spending $100 on a plate with a screw in it.
I made mine from a $2 plastic plate from Walmart. I intended to use a Frisbee but they didn't have any.
I have issues with my neck so can't lie down and shoot in prone position. So I get down on my knees and flip the screen out. It takes a little practice to shoot that way. But once you get used to it you can do it impromptu without a pod.
Hah! For me, the getting down & staying down is the easy part. The getting up - well that's an entirely whole 'nuther thing! You are right about the sand & snow vs rocky surfaces. I've never tried to use it on that.
My tripod does the same when the center post is removed. However, I find the ground pod much easier for those really low shots when I need to move around rather than stay in one spot. Tonight, I'll be shooting Burrowing Owls and my ground pod will stay in the car. The tripod will be my go-to tool for tonight's task. The owls at this particular burrow tend to stay pretty much in one spot.
Most of the time I use my Nest gimbal head & it gets me low enough. If I need to get lower, I remove the head, flip the ground pod over & just set the camera right on the overturned ground pod. Of course, you need to wash or brush the sand, dirt, or snow off first. I just realized that I shot my avatar on this site using my Nest on my Naturescape. I was lying on my stomach in a tidal pool.
I use my ball head most of the time, it's between three and four inches tall; my gimbal would put the lens higher. If I wanted to get lower I'd use the ball head that I use on my version of a Platypod when using my macro lens to photograph wildflowers, that ball head's a Neewer GM-LO28-DK 28mm Low Profile Tripod Ball Head (neewer.com/products/neewer-professional-28mm-low-profile-tripod-ball-head-360-degree-panoramic-rotating-with-bubble-level-66600796). However, I use Olympus cameras and lenses and I'm not at all sure that ball head would handle large cameras with telephoto lenses.
Exactly right. I did the same. I still have to use it, though. I have plans for it this summer for the loons on the lake at the cottage.
www.ifootagegear.com
Get yourself some kneepads. I don't go out without them. Too easy to miss shots when all it takes is dropping to one knee.
