Oh the selfie. Hate ’em or love ’em they’re here to stay. And with the invention of the “selfie stick” they’ve become more popular than ever before with blogs dedicated to awesome wins and epic fails.
But here’s the funny thing… selfie sticks are more useful than you’d think! People have gotten very creative with them lately. So instead of wasting time with “duck face” self portraits, Pruvan’s also found a new and creative use for selfie sticks. Use one with your Pruvan device to get your work done faster and safer!
Need to look inside some duct work?
Need to grab photos of a roof?
Pruvan has got you covered! Attach a Pruvan device to a selfie stick and use the self-timer feature in Pruvan to snap lots of photos of dangerous or hard to reach places!
But like anything else, there are some great products out there and there are some real duds too.
The iStabilizer ($26 on Amazon) is not a winner if you’re using it with Pruvan for servicing or inspection work. It expands to a mere 3 feet and is rather flimsy.
Good for duck faces! Not for roofs. Now this selfie stick, on the other hand, means serious business. This here is a contraption that we put together at Pruvan that is tall enough and sturdy enough to reach some of the highest roofs and get inside some of the tightest nooks and crannies. To build your own industrial strength selfie stick these are the parts you’ll need:
1.) Get the stick!
This extension pole from Ettore ($28 on Amazon) is our top choice. It’s extends up to 16 feet, works well in wet or inclement weather, and is very lightweight (only 3.2 pounds).
2.) Get the adapters!
We found that the folks over at ClickSnap.com have one of the best adapters out there. Their ProPole ($20 on Amazon) screws onto almost any painter’s pole and is quite durable.
The second adapter you’ll need is a mini ball head camera mount. We really like this one from Giotto that’s highly rated on Amazon (available for $17).
3.) Get the phone clamp!
Now it’s time to hook your phone up to the dang thing! Our favorite here at Pruvan is ReadyCam’s Smartphone Tripod Mount. It’s great because it fits both standard and larger sized smartphones due to the included XL conversion kit ($27 on Amazon), it’s made of sturdy aluminum and steel, and the clamps have these nifty ridges that keep the phone tightly in place even 20+ feet in the air.
4.) Put it all together!
Now all you need to do is put it together! Attach the painter or extender pole to the ProPole, attach the mini ball head camera mount to the ProPole, and attach the smartphone mount to that.
Next, load up your project on Pruvan, set the self-timer feature on the app (you’ll be able to take 20 photos in 20 seconds), and secure your device in the mount.
Now you’ve got an easy and safe way to take photos of hard to reach spots like roofs or inside HVAC ducts. No more of this dangerous nonsense. Stay safe out there!
*Images of products from Amazon.com