Shooting upside down?

I use a Manfrotto tripod that enables me to reverse the centre column for work close to the ground, but of course that means the camera is upside down.

The auto rotate facility in the camera takes care of the image, but not the controls layout.

I can use a ball-head to mount the camera at 90 degrees to the column, into portrait mode, but anyone know of a way to turn the camera body 180 degrees so it's low to the ground but correctly oriented in landscape mode?

I'm thinking a C shaped bracket of some sort that would offset the camera to one side of the centre column.

I could also use FluCard etc to 'remote view' the rotated image and enable some control over the body, but would prefer 'hands on',

Can you stand on your head?

Hang on if we cross him with a bat problem solved lol

Just buy a table top tripod

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I should have guessed what the responses would be like!

Although Algernon's might be the way to go.

Get a Bean Bag

Lie on the floor
I've done that befor at car shows

I use one of these (though not for the same sort of work) http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-manfrotto-131ddb-accessory-arm-for-4-heads-bl... . The heads can be clamped in any position on the column at any angle so would do what you require. Can be found much cheaper second hand.

Thanks guys. Given me some ideas, including using a Manfrotto clamp/ball head on a tripod leg, so wouldn't be using an inverted column.

Checking my huge collection of stuff, I've found several small tripods, a Jessops 'Pod', magic arm, flexible arm, etc.

Just need to play a bit.

Can't your tripod go low? Certainly with some you can just splay the legs out on the ground, but many will go quite low if you don't open all the sections and splay the legs as far as they will go.

If you go the clamp on a leg route make sure your tripod is very stable or it could topple with the weight in the wrong place.

Gimbal set of some sort.

Thanks Gwyn. The constraint is the centre column. Splaying the legs out gets the tripod lower, but the centre column needs to be left raised.

Ah, OK.
I have two tripods, both tall enough for me to use without the need for a long central column- I'm 5' 6". The one came with a long and a short column, and I use the short column just to hold the ballhead. It is tall enough that His Nibs can also use it without extending the column, and without bending - he is 6' 1". It came with a long and a short column as well.
I don't use a column at all on the travel tripod. It is tall enough for me not to need one. Both go down really low, but not flat.

UNI-LOC tripod. Nuff said. Any position you want. Up a tree, down on the ground, in the water, Look at their adverts. It has been said many times they are like a demented octopus until you get used to them but then you wouldn't have anything else.
CHEERS Vic.

Uni-Loc is pretty much identical to Benbo in design. I have the Benbo which I got from a colleague. I only use it occasionally, it's very strong but can be a bit of a handful to set up! But it can do things no ordinary tripod could do.

Regards
Mike