I know I must have looked like a complete idiot spinning around with a Painters Pole, but the real reason the HX9V is placed on top is for Pole Aerial Photography. Here's a few samples of today's P.A.P. as I follow along to annoy Olivia during her recent shoot. You can see my shadow on the ground holding up the pole (above)

First image is eye level of the location.

Second image shows more of the scenery. Set the Sony HX9V camera on 10 second timer, and raised the Shureline pole. I used a palm tree in the foreground to give it a little more sense of height.

This will all become much more interesting as soon as my 30' Pole rig is complete...