I had a great Christmas Holiday!

One of the highlights of the week was a photo shoot in Barrie. Bill Minton and Christopher O’Driscoll rented a hall and organized this shoot. 7 models and a makeup artist and a great location made for a great day. However I decided not to take photos, rather I took video since that is what I am working towards doing mostly.

After I got home and looked at the footage, I realized I need more practice. I did get enough shots to put this short video together. I had allot of footage that did not work out for a number of reasons.I do know what went wrong and I learned allot and had a blast. Thanks to everyone involved, I want to try this again!

Moon Eclipse on Winter Solstice

I heard the news and got all excited and started making plans for a night of creativity. Well it turned out CLEAR, very important to have a clear sky. Unfortunately when the sky is clear is is always cold and it was very cold. I was concerned for batteries, lenses and tripods. My plan was to set up a time-lapse with my canon 60d. I used a photo tripod and my 70-300. I had a problem with movement of the moon would pass through the view of the camera more than once. I had to wait until the moon was almost out of the frame them move it to the other side of the frame at least 5 times. I set the lens to manual focus so it would never change. The other challenge I had was exposure, As the moon changes through the eclipse. Every so often I had to get out in the cold and change shutter speed so I could see the red part of the moon in the dark or not blow out the moon at the bright times. the intervolometer worked well taking a shot every 10 seconds.

The next issue I had was in post. I set it up in Photoshop opening the first image and check box set to open folder as a movie. Then I had to export as a movie at the correct settings and wait until it finished rendering.

Next in Premiere pro CS5 I imported the clip and used the tracking feature to keep the moon stationary in the frame. It was a bunch of work and the end product is very short. Have a look!

Winter Solstice Moon Eclipse

Then I took some of the best shots and made this image in Photoshop.

I also took my Pentax K-7 and attatched my 2000mm telescope with a simple adapter. I had to shoot with mirror up and use a remote shutter to reduce camera shake. I could not overcome the movement of the moon

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Comments?

Creating Again

I have been busy with photography and video before Christmas. I was working on a self promoting video for my video business. I felt like I was sticking my neck out…way out on a limb and petrified I would look stupid or embarrassed. I know it is important to be transparent, open and real to market in this new era. So I sat down and worked this concept until I was satisfied with the final product.

So have a look and leave a comment even if it is critical. It was fun to make and it took a long time. I need to know how to make my work better. I suppose practice is the best way. I am also looking for companies who need a video for there website or showroom.

 

Why Video?

New Video

I recently finished up a new video and posted to YouTube.

It is a Shameless promotion for my video business. I am sure it won’t be for everyone but it came from the heart and I just started working on that format until it was done. I am thinking of other ways or formats to try. I am looking for actors!!! So if anyone ever reads this please leave a comment of your thoughts. If you don’t like it let me know! I have thick skin but mostly want to know if I am on the right track. Also tell anyone who might be interested in getting in front of the camera. I am not looking for models….just people who want to have some fun experimenting.

Canon 60D & Winter

 

   I recently Purchased a Canon 60d! I finally gave up on Pentax. I have been very unhappy where Pentax has been going with their cameras. Not enough low light capabilities and not up to speed with the video. Both of these issues became clear with the announcement of the Pentax K5, I knew I was going to have to switch and I needed a second video cam for my business. My last shoot I tried AGAIN with the K7 with terrible results. I am selling my whole Pentax kit if anyone knows someone who would like parts or all of it.

                          

Canon 60D

   Let me know if you would like a review or answer any questions. It seems on the web allot of folks were disappointed in the build quality compared with the 50D. I don't mind one bit. I am very happy with the camera and cant believe how good the low lite is compared to the Pentax. I am working hard to figure out the menu and functions so I can shoot without having to think about the camera settings. My favourite features are the video functions, the low lite capabilities and the picture quality is just amazing

Pics taken with the 60D of My Wife Maureen after the first snow of the winter and the Cogeco studio during the live Rotery auction.

I have not bought any expensive lenses  yet and probably wont for a while. the video resolution is only 1920 x 1080 so the cheaper lenses are more than capable enough for those resolutions. So I give it a big thumbs up. I will post more on this camera along with some video accessories I have just received and playing with.

Chev Duramax

Again it has been too long between posts! Things have been busy here with Video, new truck, TVCogeco , work and getting ready for winter. Cogeco had me do a story on the dog walk for the Animal Shelter, The Rotary Auction, Two Santa parades and Town of Huntsville council meetings and a story on North Words Literary Festival, I found the festival to be very Fascinating! There was a great turnout and I talked to a couple writers and looked around thinking books are not dead and I should read more.

   Oh ya. The new truck! its a 2011 Chevy Duramax diesel. I wont bore anyone with details so I will just say amazing! I did not get the fancy model, rather I got the towing and work options. The RV is heavy and the old Dodge was at its limit. I had to get a 4x4 model this time because there were no 2wd ones at all. It will make selling a truck esier with 4x4 and I have used it a few times and it is a blast.

   A long time ago Randy Mitson from Algonquin Outfitters started planning some web videos. This fall we got it done. I went out to the Oxtongue store on a partly sunny and windy day to shoot 5 videos. Everyone was all ready and we had a plan. I got my brother Dave to give  me a hand. It worked out very well with the gear and the actors and the weather even helped us ok. I had alot of fun shooting. It took almost all day and it flew by. I have been editing off and on now for a few months and now they are ready. We got 6 clips out of the footage and they are quite pleased with the results. They have not posted them yet but it will be very soon and will make another post when they are.

Mountain Bike Adventure

My latest video project was awesome and unexpectedly fun. We loaded up the RV and took off to Haliburton to get some mountain bike race footage and some interviews of local racer Samantha Brett.

 

 

This being one of my first personal video projects I was excited to get going. The goal was to get some creative mountain biking shots and good interviews.  I have found in past and this time it is very hard to get good creative shots during a live event because you just cant take the extra time for fear of missing the action. Getting set up for a shot takes time and bike racers are fast!

 

 

I got a good interview with Sam on Saturday evening after she finished a 72km race that day and a big crash where she hurt her hand. She is a tough woman!

    That night we set up the RV in the parking lot of Sir Sam's Ski Resort where the race was starting the next morning. We had a relaxing evening with some music and prep for the next day.

   Early Sunday morning I got out with the cam as Chico Racing was  setting up for the race. The fog was thick with a damp cold feel and no sun yet. One of the owners of Sir Scams “Chris” was awesome and drove Me and a crew from RideGuide TV, to the best vantage points of the 2 laps around the resort.

   I took a short lunch break then headed up to the finish line at the Halliburton forest. It wasn’t long before the faster riders started to come in. There i got some finish line stuff and a few interviews. Next was the awards that I could not miss because  Sam came in 3rd overall in the woman under 40 class.

Overall I had a fantastic time and accomplished everything I had set out to do. I will be posting more video’s from the weekend.