Sledding

[MarkBarbieri]

Here are a few shots of us sledding during our trip to Colorado last week. It was fun, but I'm glad to be home where it isn't quite so cold.

I also put together a couple of videos of us. The first is 2 minute video of us sledding down the street. The second is a 5 minute video (set to music) of us sledding down a hill at the YMCA camp.

http://barbieri.smugmug.com/gallery/4088287#238286714-A-LB

and

http://barbieri.smugmug.com/gallery/4088287#238413289-A-LB

 

[mabas9395]

Looks like fun.

I'm pretty impressed with the quality of video on Smugmug. I've put a few things on YouTube but have not been happy with the results. I'm already paying for the standard smugmug account, the Power User account really seems worth it when you see the quality of the video.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Looks like fun.

I'm pretty impressed with the quality of video on Smugmug. I've put a few things on YouTube but have not been happy with the results. I'm already paying for the standard smugmug account, the Power User account really seems worth it when you see the quality of the video.

It's a big step up from YouTube, but it's still a big step down from what I see before I send it to them. I'm new to it though, so there might be some tricks that I'm not aware of that will either prevent or improve their recompression.

 

[ukcatfan]

OK Mark, fess up. That looks like you on the sled and it looks like a nice panning shot. You say that you are bad at panning. If you did not take the shot, does that mean that your DW is better at panning than you, or did you throw in some of your Photoshopping skills?

Anyway, it looks like you had a nice time. I had almost forgotten what snow looked like! We are supposed to go down to a little below freezing down here in SW FL tomorrow night.

Kevin

 

[mabas9395]

OK Mark, fess up. That looks like you on the sled and it looks like a nice panning shot. You say that you are bad at panning. If you did not take the shot, does that mean that your DW is better at panning than you, or did you throw in some of your Photoshopping skills?

Anyway, it looks like you had a nice time. I had almost forgotten what snow looked like! We are supposed to go down to a little below freezing down here in SW FL tomorrow night.

Kevin

If I remember, Mark has been known to take some sledding shots, apply some motion blur to the background in photoshop and sit back as we all oooh and aaah over his panning skills.

 

[Gdad]

Excellent Mark! I love the pictures and the videos. I really need to start using my video stuff- especially now since Smugmug supports it.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

If I remember, Mark has been known to take some sledding shots, apply some motion blur to the background in photoshop and sit back as we all oooh and aaah over his panning skills.

Yes, that's me on the sled with my wife taking the shot. Yes, she pans better than I do (who doesn't). There was no photoshop trickery in the pics. The second shot was my best effort at a panning shot.

It was a great trip, but I had about all the cold I could take. Sadly, it appears to have followed us home. I can hear the waterfall running in the pool, which means that it is near freezing outside. That's just not right.

 

[wkrider]

Mark,

I really like the second video. Nice choice of music and audio cut-ins. The little boy on the back of the lady in blue thought it was "awesome". It was nice to see them all having so much fun. Nice wipe out at the end. Thanks for starting my new year off with a video of pure family fun.

 

[DVC Jen]

Looks like so much fun - but waayyy to cold.

Great shots. Panning is something I have no grasp on and you/your wife did a fantastic job at it.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Mark,

I really like the second video. Nice choice of music and audio cut-ins. The little boy on the back of the lady in blue thought it was "awesome". It was nice to see them all having so much fun. Nice wipe out at the end. Thanks for starting my new year off with a video of pure family fun.

Thanks. I'm still very much at the bottom of the learning curve on video. The sound was horrible, with lots of wind noise. I replaced it with the music, but I immediately regretted the loss of the exlamations by the kids. My compromise was the keep the music and bring in the original sound only when it added something.

This video stuff is hard. The video camera makes my still camera look simple by comparison. Shooting is hard because one shot has to cover so many lighting conditions (and I haven't figured out a technique for video HDR yet).

It's kind of interesting going from someone that knows a reasonable amount about photography and photographic equipment to being someone totally clueless about what he's doing. It gives me renewed appreciation for the struggles of photographic newcomers. I had somewhat of a leg up with video because I understand exposure from still shooting, but it's still confusing.

It's a jumble of new technology, new techniques, and new ways of approaching your subject. How and when should I adjust the knee point? What shutter speed should I use when and why? What codec should I use when? How should I capture audio? How should I compose shots - move the camera or keep it still and let the subject move. What's tight enough but not too tight when zooming? When I'm going to be panning, should I level the camera or is it OK to angle it up or down? How can I tell a story with video? I love it because it is new and exciting and I have so much to learn. I hate it because I feel lost and clueless.

I have learned a bunch of stuff. I know what zebra stripes are. I know that high shutter speeds make my video look choppy. I know that manual exposure looks a lot better than letting the camera fiddle with the exposure - unless your lighting is changing a lot and then it's better to let the camera handle it. I know that using a tripod is critical to getting good video. I found that my Expodisc (of marginal use for photography) is awesomely useful for video. Using the same brand of tape can prevent tape mechanism problems (because different types of tape lube can react badly).

 

[MarkBarbieri]

double post