Time Lapse Crazy

I'm not saying that these time lapses are amazing, unique or terribly interesting, but they have been good practice in fully understanding the functioning of the camera they were created with so that we are not wasting time trying to figure it out on the day of Help-Portrait. Time lapse is hardly our first priority but it is something that would be nice to be able to include in our coverage of the day's events.

This time lapses just simply of me making Monday's photo for Challenging Reality regarding the pros and cons of sparkles as a disabled man. The post will be live at the usual time, 7 AM on Monday morning but, until then, here is your sneak peek of the photo being made along with the always amusing change in expression and behaviors of a person sitting at a computer, in this case Angie.

2013 West Coast Vacation Video

Can you believe it!? Finally I am finished the video presentation of our trip to the West Coast. I promised it for a long time, worked on it when I had time, wrestled with the software that I am quite unfamiliar with until I was able to come up with a result that I felt worthy of sharing with you. Then, over 17 hours of time to uploaded to YouTube, two hours for you to to process and get it ready for presentation and it is finally ready. And that does not include the time it took to make all the photos and video clips that were used to create this. But, that was just a bonus of our trip.

For those interested in the technicals, as mentioned in the video, the vast majority of the content was created using a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and a Samsung Galaxy S3. A couple of our self photos done by the bay were made on a small Canon power shot. For commentary, my nasal voice was recorded on my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using the voice recorder app. The video was compiled and edited in Lightworks 11.1.1.1d and worked flawlessly once I knew what I was doing with the software. It's been a long time since I did any video editing and this was far more in-depth than anything I had done before. The next video I plan on making embeds multiple frames together and I imagine I will lose a few more handfuls of hair getting that to work the way I want it to. :-)

Aside from the introductory track, the music was provided by David Hildebrandt's album "Instrumental Classics" which he was gracious enough to allow me to use royalty-free since I made the cover photo of that album as well as doing all the photography for his album "Ordinary Man".

The only note that I did not put in the video was the disappointing transition from the same class of highway from the United States to Saskatchewan. If you watch near the end just before the photos at the cabin you will see two highways, the first being in Montana, the second being in Saskatchewan, just minutes apart. I guess we have less population and more highways to maintain but it was a big difference in the comfort of driving just a few kilometers apart.

You can watch it on this embedded video but I may suggest that you click on the YouTube button in the bottom right and watch it on YouTube, in full-screen at full resolution. I took the time to make it is large and crisp as I could so it would be a shame not enjoy it at that quality.

Thanks for watching. Maybe in a few years I will have another video from Vancouver and Victoria to share with you.

Problem Solved, For Now

All photos in older posts are now appearing properly. If they are not showing up for you after a Ctrl+F5 please let me know.

The problem was that the server hosting the files was switched at 500px. That's why older photos were not working but newer ones were. So why did the links to get to the photo on 500px still work?

That address is like an information desk. Your computer asks where to get information on the service you are looking for. They direct you to a manager. Your computer goes looking but the problem is that the manager no longer works there. Left standing in a huge building, surrounded by thousands of other pieces of information, without the information you seek, your computer can only give you a blank look. Kind of like us at the West Edmonton Mall this past weekend.

Actually, we had a great trip. The roads were great when we travelled, navigating was a breeze, we enjoyed our room, our meals, our shopping and our own bed when we got home. Our stops included, in order: the Olive Garden, the Kingsbury Mall, Massage Supply Outlet Store, Ikea (but not before we missed the exit and were 10kms toward Calgary before we could turn around, ironically on the same road that would lead us right to the Deerfoot and Ikea in the south end of Calgary), Edmonton South Commons Shopping Centre, Joey's, The Royal Alberta Museum, West Ed Mall and the Cheesecake Cafe.

It was a good trip, but great to be back home and begin our new routine with Angie now working from her home office.

I didn't take my D700. Just the iPod and a key chain camera. Work with what you have and stand behind my belief that it's the photographer, not the gear, that makes a photo. The caveat being that there is obviously a point in which a $6 key chain and iPod meets its limits.

For now, I offer a collection of photos and video from our awesome supper at Joey's. I'll be having that Panang Prawn Curry Bowl again! It was the best atmosphere I've ever experienced. When asked if we wanted to be in the lounge, dining room or poolside I immediately and simultaneously thought, "They have a pool!" and "Eww, chlorine smell while we eat?" The poolside was more accessible, and not for swimming (smack my forehead), so they placed us there. I'm very happy they did.

Help-Portrait Saskatoon 2011 Video is Up

I am very happy to share with you the video of our efforts on December 10, 2011 at the White Buffalo Youth Lodge.

I have said it before, but I will say it again, it was a great day and felt good to do what we did.  This video really helped those of us who were busy doing something get a glimpse of what else was going on around us while we were working.  I should have taken more of my break time during the day to make a round and observe the other people as they gave.

Help Portrait Saskatoon 2011 from Crimson Filmworks on Vimeo.

The support given to us by Potash Corp, CUPE, Beagle Productions, Whitespace, Hard Pressed Printing, and all of the other sponsors was greatly appreciated.  It made a lot of things possible this year that were not possible last year.

But, as much as the money helped, it came down to people committing their time, effort, equipment and hearts to the event.  I still feel in my mind that that is greatest in value.  Krystian Olszanski and his wife Aleksandra made it possible with their organizing and communication, meeting planning and all of those often thankless jobs.  Even now, over a month later there are still some loose ends to be cleared up and we appreciate their hard work.

I'm looking forward to next year's event and hoping that it is even more successful than this year.  We have learned much from successes and mistakes and have nowhere to go but better from here.

I love watching the video and seeing the familiar faces, both participants and clients, from the first year.  What a community building way to become familiar with someone.  The next step, perhaps, would be to ask to get to know them more than just recognize their face.

Time Lapse Coffee

I would say that the move was successful. I can see to statistics that people are still visiting the site so I know it is not lost to them and that access is available to the public.

I know I've not been posting any of the photos uploaded to 500px.com but the new uploads are visible, with links to them, in the right-hand bar below the collections section. Ultimately, I would like to find a way to provide a thumbnail of the images, but until I figure that out the text that leads to the image will have to do. And of course you can see the whole gallery by going to the link at the top right of the navigation bar.

As time permits I will try to post a few of the photos as they upload, even though most of them are old. It's really an inopportune time of year for this to all be done. January is an excellent time of year for digital housekeeping. Late summer and fall is not as I try to wrap up all the errands and tasks that are best done before the snow flies.

Earlier this week, while enjoying my first French press coffee with Jason at Museo, I set up the iPod for another time lapse.

It would have been better but for the very restless patron in the purple bunnyhug. I hope you enjoy it, anyway.