Smile for the Flymount
There is a new product on the market called the Flymount and it is here to change the way we think about taking windsurfing photographs.
There are always incredible photos in the windsurfing media from mast/boom/board mounted cameras, the Flymount allows you to take these style of photos with ease yourself. I am sure many of us have also been talked into staying ashore and to take photos of the boyfriend/husband/brother/male friend who happens to be about to go windsurfing, and who are never quite as quick to return the favour! With Flymount this is a problem of the past, FLOW has caught up with company secretary, Imogen Knapton to find out more:
Amy with a Flymount
Where did the idea of Flymount come from and how did it get developed? My husband Joe has been an obsessive windsurfer since he was a kid. It made sense therefore, to move to Tarifa as soon as he could. Although I didn't know Joe at this time, I always think of his mid twenties as this magically selfish period of his life when he could windsurf every day the wind blew. Which in Tarifa, was almost every day. In 2006 he bought an early Pentax waterproof camera which revolutionized his windsurfing experience. Having had to persuade the unsuspecting bystander to film his moves from the beach, he could now be in control of the filming himself.
All the components
Attaching the camera to the equipment was another thing.. Gaffa tape was the only solution, which worked in part but required so much tape and often obscured the view finder. Around the time we met, he developed a 'homemade mount' from a plastic bulldog clamp found at the supermarket, but this was flimsy and unable to cope with salt water. He needed something that could take a good thrashing. And by now, I was getting in to windsurfing myself, so I was not going to be holding the video camera if his inventions failed! Everyone around us was having the same difficulties, so we decided to get serious.. We were spurred on by the fact that although there was a rapid increase in demand for cost effective waterproof / shockproof cameras, there were no accessories. It seemed crazy to produce such brilliant cameras without any way of mounting them to sports equipment. The idea that you could film yourself windsurfing, then take your holiday snaps all with same camera really made sense to us.
Boom cam
Our product designer Kevin McDonald, has been involved with windsurfing since the early days of the sport. So he really understood the product from the outset. It took over 3 years of research and development, but we couldn't be happier with the results. The Flymount is a brilliant, light weight, all weather, all action camera mount to be proud of! And the feedback has been amazing.
Why does a female windsurfer need a Flymount and what other sports/ways can they be used? The Flymount is great for female windsurfers because it allows us to film ourselves windsurfing, which is great for checking technique. It's so lightweight you won't even notice it on the top of your rig. It's a perfect alternative to a tripod when traveling too - stick it on a handrail, or tree branch, anywhere for a group photo, or stick it somewhere on your bike for even more footage. The Flymount will attach to most cylindrical objects found on action sports equipment, - windsurf rigs, mountain bikes, bmx's, jet skis, SUP paddles, motocross, hang gliders - the possibilities are endless, just use your imagination!
All photos courtesy of Flymount
Where can I get my hands on a Flymount and how much does it cost? The RRP for the Flymount is £51.24 (plus VAT) and it comes with 1year full guarantee.
You can currently buy a Flymount from www.flymount.com and www.actioncameras.co.uk but there will be more stockists announced soon.
For more information and to keep up to date with the latest Flymount developments at www.flymount.com
Thanks alot Imogen, looking forward to having many more Flymount pics in the Gallery!
