Saturday 24 November 2012

Time Lapse Results Part 2 - Sunset





(Details of location and shot located below)



My last day at Yosemite marked a most bitter-sweet moment, knowing that I had witnessed and experienced amazing events and at the same time knowing that I may not return for many, many years....if at all.

To make the most of it, I hiked along the "4-Mile Trail" which extends from Yosemite Valley all the way up to Glacier Point. This is where the above time lapse was taken. The trail was not hard and I got to meet many people along the way.....

On my travels I met so many people who were older than me and I observed the following:
- That many of them walk slower and stop more often than me, but covered more ground than me;
- Spoke less than me and listened more than me;
- They are quick to understand yet slow so show it thus allowing the whole story to be told by me.

Taking in the unbelievable scenery of Yosemite and meeting like minded people throughout your treks/trails/hikes will make this one of your life's most memorable experiences.


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Details:

Location:                                  Yosemite National Park
Camera:                                    GoPro HDHERO2
Settings:                                   11 mp on .5 sec interval
Time of Arrival:                          5:07pm
Duration of Time Lapse:          2 hour 5 minutes
Number of shots in sequence:  19,791
Total size used:                         33.6 Gigabytes
Wind condition:                        Negligible
Temperature:                            15 - 20 degrees Celsius ( 60 - 68 degrees Fahrenheit)
Hiking time:                                45 mins from Glacier Point trail head. Coming from the valley would take a bit longer
 Lessons learned:                      Bring an empty mind and fill it with great memories of Yosemite national park!!





Wednesday 21 November 2012

Timelapse Result Part 1 -Yosemite (Halfdome) Sunset




(See below for location and shooting details)

With the Tips and Tricks that i have outlined in my previous posts HOPEFULLY you'd be G'ed up enough to get out there and actually get some awesome shots of your own.

Getting out there is the fun part........
Seeing amazing animals while you get out there is the fun part......
knowing that you're going to be getting some stunning shots is the fun part...........
knowing that  you will see an unbelievable sight...is the fun part....

EVERYTHING is the fun part.....



Everything on this page was taken on North Dome (opposite Half dome). Took about 2-3 hours to hike there from the trail-head but it was well worth it. The sun set was amazing and the view was even better:


















Quite annoying how Blogger cant center photos properly......



Details:


Location:                                  Yosemite National Park
Camera:                                    GoPro HDHERO2
Settings:                                   11 mp on .5 sec interval
Time of Arrival:                          5:07pm
Duration of Time Lapse:          2 hour 3 minutes
Number of shots in sequence:  13,174
Total size used:                         28.8 Gigabytes
Wind condition:                        Strong (especially at sunset) - find shelter when waiting for timelapse
Temperature:                            10 to 15 degrees Celsius ( 50 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit)
Hiking time:                                2-3 hours from trail head
Lessons learned:                      Bring bear spray!!!



Saturday 17 November 2012

Time Lapse Photography - Part 5




Unless you're going to be hiking into the wilderness and camping at your own pace (i.e. no set rigid schedule to be kept daily), chances are that you will only get ONE CHANCE at shooting each of your amazing sights. So the last thing you'll want is for your once chance to be lost due to equipment failure!!!

Thats why we all take photos right? To try to help us remember the things we saw in real life and to show others their wonders.....



I have personally experienced the amazingly red blazing sunlight set over the the Fiery Furnace area of Arches National Park. I took a time lapse of it over a couple of hours and I was so excited to develop it!!!

But when the sun had set and it was time to go home i noticed that my camera was no longer pointing in the right direction!!! Yet, i was certain that i had not touched it or bumped it accidentally!?!?!?!


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Tip #9 - Do Not Use Inferior Equipment


I had set up my GoPro on top of my car's hood and due to a certain angle i wanted to capture, i could not use my tripods. So i slapped a ball of Blue-Tac onto the bottom of my GoPro and stuck it to the hood. UNFORTUNATELY, unbeknownst to me, in the sun's heat, the Blue-Tac became soft and as a result the weight of the GoPro had caused the camera to slowly move/tilt.

Due to to the slow tilting/movement of the camera, i did not notice it. However when you're making time lapse shots it becomes very evident (especially if you're compressing 2 hours worth of shots into 15 seconds). It basically looks like a video of my camera was falling off my car not a video of the amazing red sunset!!

It was almost heart breaking to realize that my one and only opportunity to capture the Fiery Furnace sunset was lost, simply because i used Blue-Tac, instead of taking the time to find a fixed and stable platform to place my camera on.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for  being able to adapt to the situation and if you don't have a tripod, blue-tac works fine. However if stability is paramount, then perhaps you should not compromise the one thing that makes time lapses' photography effective!


LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!!


Here's an example of what NOT TO HAVE after taking a time lapse for two hours...i.e. a CAR DOOR in your shot!!!




BlogCatalog



Friday 16 November 2012

Time Lapse Photography - Part 4


So, its the weekend and probably, just like many of you, I'm trying to catch up on the massive sleep debt that i accrued over the week....Going through the daily grind of work and the rat-race can't be good for us....hence i try to make myself daydream about as many of my past travels / adventures as possible.


The one memory that keeps coming up in my mind was my wanderings through Yosemite National Park in California, USA. This was such an amazing experience it is so hard to put into words!



Let me just SHOW YOU:


(Click on the image to see it in a separate window without Blogger's annoying gadgets and links getting in the way)



From a location just west of the above shot I took a time lapse shot of the sunrise (from pitch black darkness):



(see below for location details)

Standing atop Glacier Point (where i took the above time lapse) and watching the first rays of sunlight EXPLODE over the mountain ranges is something that can only be experienced (and to a lesser extent shown).






 If you only have time to see one thing in Yosemite National Park, make it this!!!!


 What I'm trying to get at with this blog and my ramblings is to tell and show you that you don't need super fancy equipment which costs thousands of dollars. I took the above photo with my little Cannon Powershot D10. Its not an SLR, nor a DSLR, it had no special filters or "thingamajigs". Its more about being at the right place, at the right time and knowing how to use your little camera. I'll cover panoramic photography in later posts.

 Anywho.....let me continue with another time lapse tip...






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Tip #8 - Small Tripods Work Just As Good !!!!


Having a normal sized tripod (the ones that are about 4 feet high), are good....BUT SOMETIMES...it is better to have the tiny miniature ones. I'll explain....

Sometimes (as previously stated) you may find yourself in a very high traffic "touristy" area where there are many people who may "accidentally" bump your camera, my tip was to PROTECT YOUR SPACE....now if you have a big tripod, you'll have more area to protect and also more chances either you or someone near you may bump your tripod's long legs (while you are busy trying to protect your space). A small tripod makes your area of protection much smaller, you can basically cover it with your body and arms!

On top of that, if you are on the edge of a cliff / mountain (which is already very high above the ground), having a tall tripod (i.e. 4 extra feet high) is not going to make much of a difference.

Finally if you have to hike several hours to your special location, you're going to want to minimize your pack's weight. If your little tripod is going to do just as good a job as your big tripod then why take up the extra room and added weight?

The above timelapse was taken using just a mini tripod (shown below):





So having a mini tripod is: light weight, small sized and handy.....but let me also warn you that having such a small compact piece of equipment near a cliff edge is VERY EASILY knocked over/off. So be careful and stay clear of it once you have set your time lapse up.


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Details for the above timelapse are as follows:


Location:                                  Yosemite National Park
Camera:                                    GoPro HDHERO2
Settings:                                   11 mp on .5 sec interval
Time of Arrival:                       5:30 am
Duration of Time Lapse:          1 hour 50 minutes
Number of shots in sequence:  11,875
Total size used:                         17.3 Gigabytes
Wind condition:                        Negligible
Temperature:                            15 to 18 degrees Celsius ( 59 - 64.5 degrees Fahrenheit)
Hiking time:                             10 mins from trail head
Lessons learned:                      Small tripods work just as effectively on the edge of cliffs/mountains as tall ones. Save yourself the weight and space and carry more food, water and clothing instead!



(click on the map to enlarge it)


Saturday 13 October 2012

Time-Lapse Photography - Part 3



(See below for time-lapse and location details)



The one thing that most people would have already realized is that, you'll have more fun when you understand the limits and capabilities of your equipment (i.e. camera). I guarantee that if you don't know how to use your camera you will find yourself witnessing an unbelievable sight only to start fumbling with your camera trying to find the right setting to capture it adequately. Invariably it'll accidentally turn out blurry or IN SEPIA!!!! (Murphy's Law!!!)

The GoPro for example, i have discovered that in slightly cold conditions (i.e. Grand Teton National Park and Glacier National Park - talked about in the previous post), it functions much slower. My default time-lapse setting is set at .5 seconds per shot. However, when in Montana and Wyoming for the first minute or so, the GoPro was shooting at about 1 - 1.5 seconds a shot. Eventually it did however, ramp up in speed later on.

Knowing your equipment is only half the solution.....knowing yourself and your capabilities is the other half. This leads me to my next tip.




Tip #6. Plan your trip


By plan i mean: Scout your location a day or more, before actually heading out there.  In doing so you'll see how long it actually takes to drive and/or hike to your location and also find a good set-up location. You'll also have a vague idea of the trail route and conditions (i.e. is it mountainous, are there multiple tracks, are there sighs/markers along the way to remember etc.), these are all important things (as i will explain). By knowing the condition, distance and route, you will be able to calculate when you need to wake up or leave in the morning to arrive in time to set your equipment up and catch the sunrise.

I was able to "plan" out my trip in Montana and even in Wyoming, however when i got to Moab -Utah, it was a different story. Due to the sheer number of activities i undertook (mountain biking, white water rafting etc.) i was not able to scout out the route to Delicate Arch. So on that morning i got up at 4:30am, got to the trail head started walking. I quickly found that when you hike in pitch-black darkness (with no moon and only a little torch), it is so easy to lose your way. For beginning portions of the track it was easy to stay on the path and also easy to see the footprints of previous trekkers.

The hike to Delicate Arch however also takes you over "slick rock" which is a smooth rock surface, great for mountain-biking, terrible for leaving any footprints!! Because there were no footprints i lost my way a few times (finding the track in the dark is a hard thing to do). To help you navigate "people" (not sure who) have put up "cairns". Cairns are little piles of rocks stacked on top of each other to help mark the way. HOWEVER, it quickly became evident that some TOURISTS who saw these cairns thought it would be fun (or funny) to make them too (PLACING THEM IN ODD LOCATIONS / DIRECTIONS!!!).

So here I am, in the dark, trekking up the slick rock, trying hard to keep on the right path, and suddenly I'm faced with  a hill LITTERED WITH CAIRNS ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!! Needless to say i got lost a few more times there too.

I eventually made it to Delicate Arch but due to my lost time (following the wrong path), i was not able to set up before first light. I was there before sunrise but the sky was already slightly lit and i had missed my opportunity to get the shots from darkness.

IF Had i scouted the location beforehand i would have at least known the route, known it would be significantly challenging hiking in the dark while staying on the right path and also compensated more time for getting lost (i always compensate for getting lost but this time it was frustratingly ridiculous!). This comes back to knowing your own capabilities and having confidence in yourself. I had confidence in hiking in the dark (yes it can be dangerous but i've done it enough to know that i would be able to trek safely). I also had confidence in my ability to navigate, so i knew that if/when i got lost i would always be able to guide my self back to a path or (if it were an emergency), back to help/civilization.


Having said that though i did not let this get me down because i was there, i had set everything up, i caught the sunrise and i had now accomplished one of my life's goals!! :D



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Tip #7. Bring spare batteries


Now, this tip is especially pertinent when you're taking time lapse shots!! The one thing you'll need is enough battery life to last the allotted time (hence the term time-lapse). If you know your existing batteries will not go the distance then find a way to supplement what you already have.

WARNING:  You do NOT want to be taking your camera off the tripod, fiddling with it while replacing your battery, trying to replace your camera back onto your tripod and then after all that hoping it is in exactly (and i mean totally EXACTLY) the same position it in was before you moved it. Once you touch your camera it is near impossible to get back the same location and you will get a "skip" when you process your time lapse.

This is my suggestion to you. If your camera is able to take an external power/charging source, then you may want to get yourself one of these and MacGyver yourself a solution:


Not necessarily the solar charging panel but more so the rechargeable battery pack. This pack contains four rechargeable AA Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries (rated at 2000 mAh each). The battery pack has two charging inputs: 1) a Solar panel jack and 2) a mini-USB jack; and more importantly, one output port in the form of a normal USB port. This USB port will output 5 volts at .5amps, meaning that if you've got the right adapter, you can just about charge any phone, gps OR CAMERA that takes that voltage/current!!!!

By connecting a battery pack to your GoPro, your usage time essentially DOUBLES (in fact at times it lasted more than twice the normal usage of about 2 hours, making it about 4). So with a 32 gig SD card and this battery pack connected, you'd have more than enough time-lapse battery life to capture a a sunrise AND a sunset (if you use your space sparingly!!)

The whole set up should look something like this:

 (I thought my MacGyvered solution was rather clever!)


If you can spare the extra cash, the whole "Goal Zero" package of the solar panel WITH the battery pack is very handy, especially if you do a lot of hiking. Hooking the panel onto your backpack and walking for a day will guarantee you a good charge of your phone/gps/CAMERA during the night, no need for electrical outlets!!!!












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So where did this all take place???






Location:                                  Arches National Park

Camera:                                    GoPro HDHERO2
Settings:                                   11 mp on .5 sec interval
Time of Arrival:                       6:15am
Duration of Time Lapse:          2 hour 5minutes
Number of shots in sequence:  3770
Total size used:                         19.1 Gigabytes
Wind condition:                        Negligible
Temperature:                            10 to 15 degrees Celsius (50 - 59 degrees Fahrenheit) keep in mind this was early in the morning. Arches NP can get quite hot during the afternoon hours!!
Hiking time:                             45-50mins from trail head (if i remember correctly)
Lessons learned:                       Known how fast you hike and how long it will take for you to get to your destination. Work backwards and find out what time you need to leave/wake up!! Always factor in a buffer time just in case you get lost. And, always ensure that your battery life is long enough to capture whatever it is you are taking.....you may only get one chance in your lifetime to do this so MAKE IT COUNT!!!



(click to enlarge the map above. The red dot is the location of Delicate Arch in the National Park)










Wednesday 12 September 2012

Time-Lapse Photography - Part 2







I find the best thing about taking photographs / time-lapse shots (like the one above), is the fact that you have to be OUT THERE.... in the wilderness...in amongst the trees, mountains and animals.

(Well....to be more accurate it is actually the other way around, the taking of photographs / time-lapse shots is the by-product of taking a trip into the wilderness!!!)  :)

I find that there is nothing better than arriving at your destination before sunrise, and knowing that you are the only human about to witness one of the most amazing sights that is taken for granted each day by almost everyone on the planet!!! And in doing so. knowing that you will be the only human to witness the sunrise for your special location, be it a cliff, canyon-edge, prairie, mountain or hill top. HOW SPECIAL IS THAT?!?!?!?!?

Inevitably when you are out there on that cliff, with all your equipment set-up (and your camera snapping away your time-lapse shots), you will have at least an hour or two spare to just sit back, be calm and take in your surroundings.

During this "quiet" and serene time, i find that i can almost feel the life in the trees, the wind, the little animals, the mountain and the very ground that I stand on. And when i say "quiet" i'm not referring to the audio level (i.e. air pressure waves that hit our ears) but the Noise that we all inherently have in our minds and thoughts ....... This feeling of LIFE (or whatever it is), is very peaceful and very addictive!!!!! (Addictive in the sense that when you return to city life you will CRAVE the peacefulness and serenity of the wilderness, you will almost experience withdrawal symptoms!!)

Having said that, being as one with nature, doesn't guarantee you safety from stupidity and dangerous animals. I have to admit that i have, on more than one ocassion, been guilty of the former. This leads me to my next tip...


Tip #4 Never risk life, limb or injury for the shot


One of the first and most important rules of hiking (especially in Yosemite or Grand Teton National Park), is to never hike alone. Another is to always carry bear spray!! I have been guilty of ignoring both at the same time, to my potential detriment. To those of you who have never encountered a situation where there was is potential for encountering a Black, Brown or GRIZZLY BEAR, this may sound quite funny....and for the most part i too found it quite hilarious.

That is...until...the morning i shot the above time-lapse. I had parked my car and hiked (in the dark) a fare way into shrubs to an area where i thought would be a good spot. I had set up my tripod, GoPro and was in the middle of my "quiet time" when i realized that there was very little sound, no birds, no little animals and no movement. You could say that i sensed a "disturbance in the force"!! It then dawned on me that should i encounter a hostile bear, chances are that i would not be able to out run it, not our climb it and definitely not out fight it! My car and the road (i.e. help) was too far to matter and of course i had no bear spray....

Fortunately, the "disturbance" that i sensed was not a bear...it was a small family of ELK!!! They stooped, looked at me, perceived no threat and proceed to walk around me. HOW AMAZING WAS THAT?!?!?!? Yes..i still need more training in the use of "the force"! hahahaha!!!! Clearly i need to go back to the Degobah System!!! ;D

This was not the Elk that i saw while taking my time-lapse, this was taken slightly north of my position.


I digress.......


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Tip #5 Always bring the right gear/clothing for the situation.


I must admit that i was slightly ill prepared for the morning i took this time-lapse. When i got out of my car to start my hike the temperature was WELL BELOW FREEZING. Though the wind chill was minimal the low temperature itself was enough to cause numbness in my fingers, toes and face!

I figured that I my hike would warm me up but unfortunately in the time it took for me to set up my gear and get the GoPro going my core temperature had dropped back down and the ambient temperature had not risen that much! I tried to get a somewhat accurate reading of the temperature so i took off my protrek watch and placed it right next to my tripod. After a few minutes this is what the reading showed:


Just in case you can't see it clearly, my watch shows -2.7 degrees Celsius!!! Thats 27.17 degrees Fahrenheit!!!!!! And as the sunlight had not reached me yet, I quickly began to shiver and shake!!! I had to ride it out till the sun hit me. And i did ride it out...unfortunately.....the temperature DID NOT  rise much after that!!!! So ..I had no choice but to head back as all i had on was a thin shell/jacket, jeans and sneakers! Not hardly what you would call cold-weather gear....


Before i left though i managed to grab a couple of pretty neat snaps!!



(Click to ENLARGE!!!  Taken with my Cannon Powershot D10)

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So Where was this taken??

(Click to enlarge)  **NB the red dot in this case is not as exact as
my map for Glacier National Park as I had wondered for quite some time
before finding the right "spot"



Location:                                  Grand Teton National Park
Camera:                                    GoPro HDHERO2
Settings:                                   11 mp on .5 sec interval
Time of Arrival:                       5:30am
Duration of Time Lapse:          1 hour 28minutes
Number of shots in sequence:  8422
Total size used:                         16 Gigabytes
Wind condition:                         Negligible
Temperature:                            -5 to 0 degrees Celsius (23 - 32 degrees Fahrenheit)
Lessons learned:                       Be mindful of potentially dangerous animals (no matter how "at one" with nature you are) and bring WARM CLOTHES!!!







Monday 10 September 2012

Time-Lapse Photography - Part 1




(See below for details on location, camera, conditions etc.)

Time-lapse photography is one of the coolest things you can do!! However, not all cameras can do this. My little Cannon Powershot D10 can't, and neither can my other point-and-shoots. I do know that some pretty high end DSLRs can do this but i never have one, nor have the $$$ to get one of those, hence as always i used what i had on hand.

I only discovered time-lapse photography when i bought my GoPro. Now this is one odd little camera. It's essentially a box, the size of a match box, with a fish-eye lens. It does not generically come with an LCD screen at the back (purchased separately), nor it have a viewfinder. It does however rate all the way down to a depth of 60m (well and truly more than an open-water diver should go to), and takes HD videos at a rate of 60 frames per second (handy if you're into making super slow-motion shots...i'll talk about that in later posts).

(For more information click on "The Equipment" tab at the top of this blog)

Anyhow, the GoPro DOES have a time-lapse function, it have its limitations but as a whole if works a great!!

So as a brief indroduction, time-lapse photography is essentially a series of photographs taken at regular intervals and played back in sequence. This series of of photos (as like any other ordinary digital photo), can be taken at any resolution/size you want. The total number of photos you take would be determined by how long you want to capture the scene for and the time duration between each photograph.




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Tip #1. The smaller the time interval the smoother the time-lapse


As an example I keep my resolution on 11 megapixels, and a time interval of .5 seconds (i.e. it will take a photo two times every second). With a 16 gigabyte SD card this will last about 1 hour 25 minutes (give or take 10 mins). Also it is important that you get an SD card that is Class 10. This means that information/data is able to be written to this card quicker, and you need this because you'll be take an 11 megapixel photo every half second!!!! If you by an SD card that is a lower class, then this will slow down each shot and you will not be taking a photo every .5 seconds.

In the 1 hour 20 mins that this 16 gig SD card lasts, the GoPro will take about 8600 photos (give or take 200 shots).

The really cool thing about time-laps shots is that when you stand there and watch things happens, you basically see NOTHING because things move so slow...but when you play it back it is TOTALLY AWESOME!




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Tip #2. Secure your tripod / camera!!!

 

This, trough first-hand experience, is REALLY hard to do when you, your tripod and camera are standing exposed on the side of a hill/mountain and the wind is blowing so strong that trees are bending and leaves/gravel are flying around!! So what i suggest is, if you can and if it is your budget, get a good, sturdy tripod. Even better get a tripod that enables you to hook your backpac onto its fulcrum (area where all three tripod legs join). What this will do is use the weight of your backpack (mine was quite heavy), to help keep your tripod down and not move around with wind. Of course you'll have to get all your necessary equipment / food out first, you can't touch your backpack once its hooked onto your tripod and your camera shooting.

If you dont have a backpack or a hook to hook your backpack on, then adapt! Make sure there is no loose gravel under the feet of your tripod. Make sure that the feet of your tripod are flat. Once this is done perhaps consider putting a few large rocks on-top of the tripod feet/legs to make sure that it will not be blown over. Move any loose branches or rocks AWAY from your tripod legs. With the wind, branches can move, causing sticks and rocks to roll down hills and bump your tripod / camera.


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Tip #3. Do not touch your camera once you have started!!!


The trick with time lapse shots is that it is vitally imperative that the camera does not move (not even a millimeter, not even micrometer!!!!). The reason for this is that if you're taking a very large scene, say a canyon, mountains or just open scenery, any movement (even the slightest touch), will be persevered as "camera shake" when its played back in sequence. This is very hard to get rid of and will frustrate you even more if the scene you are taking is a very beautiful one, distracting attention to the shake rather than keeping it on the actual scenery.

My suggestion to you would be once the camera is securely on the tripod and the tripod secured to the ground, step away from it!!! The temptation will be to hang around close to your camera but inevitably you will move around and each time you move there is a chance you will bump your camera, or you will bump something which will roll down to your camera. Either way something will touch your camera causing a slight change in camera angle.

Timelapse shots can take up to several hours and you would not want to have all those hours wasted with your beautiful time-lapse shots RUINED just because of a slight accidental "bump". This tip becomes very pertinent when you are shooting in an area with lots of people/tourists. If you MUST go to a very "touristy" spot which is in a high traffic area you MUST PROTECT YOUR SPACE!!!

 In some cultures it is very normal to stand right next to someone rubbing shoulders with them while they take a photograph/shot. For what you're doing DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN WITH YOU AND YOUR TIME LAPSE CAMERA!!! Yes they may be unaware that what you are doing is very sensitive and they may accidentally push/bump you or your camera.... but in doing so, all those hours you spent capturing your time-lapse shots will be wasted and you might as well pack-up and go somewhere else.

This warning extends not just to being bumped but to having someone/mass-toursts shake or alter the ground/foundations that you/your camera is on (e.g. loose floor boards, railings, platforms etc). So be aware when setting up. Don't position yourself in the middle of a footpath or walk-way, make sure there is always room for someone to go around.





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The Fun Part!!!!!

Below is an example of a time-lapse taken in Glacier National Park, Montana - USA. Specifically it was on the eastern side of the "Going to the Sun" road (see map below, red dot marks the spot, click to enlarge). The whole National Park is littered with totally amazing areas to photograph or set up a timelapse. But i found this one spot to be the best....If you're in the area check it out! When you see the sunlight rise over the mountain peaks during dawn and sunrise, you will find that it's a sight that is beyond words!


(Click to enlarge)

Details:

Location:                                  Going to the Sun road, Glacier National Park (east), Montana USA (Big Sky Country)
Camera:                                    GoPro HDHERO2
Settings:                                   11 mp on .5 sec interval
Time of Arrival:                         5:00am
Duration of Time Lapse:          1 hour 22 minutes
Number of shots in sequence:  8813
Total size used:                         16 Gigabytes
Wind condition:                         Strong
Temperature:                             0 - 5 degrees Celsius (32  - 41 degrees Fahrenheit)
Lessons learned:                       Due to strong wind conditions, my tripod shifted a few times. Tremendous difficulty and frustration was encountered later while trying to fix/ reposition the photo on the computer !!!! Hence, secure your tripod with something heavy (rocks on tripod legs or bag on tripod fulcrum). Also due to the low temperatures and high wind conditions, ensure you have warm clothing or at least some sort of shelter.














Friday 10 August 2012

Freediving / Underwater Videography


 

Taking video clips underwater uses very similar techniques as taking a photograph underwater, so all the previous tips apply. There are however slight differences. When first starting off you will find that your videos will be shot "blair-witch-project" style (i.e. very rapid movements which don't allow the eye to focus on any one thing)...which is horrible...you cant see much and you'll make whoever watching it really dizzy. So this leads me to my first tip....


Tip #1. Have a very steady hand


Again I totally understand that this is very hard to do given waves and sea currents, but the more smooth you are the more watchable your videos will be. You will see in my example below that i too often struggle to keep a steady hand! Employ the old "grab on to something" trick and you'll find that things get much better.

If you are adventurous you can try swimming underwater while filming at the same time....but given that your camera will most likely be in your hand, and we humans naturally tend to move our hands a lot (especially underwater), you have to be extra vigilant in keeping your camera hand LEVEL and STEADY.

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Tip#2. Do Not Chase Your Target

As humans, we evolved out of the sea many millions of years ago and grew legs, but those animals that STAYED in the sea retained their fins and have become very proficient at using them, i.e. you will not be able to swim faster than a fish, turtle, shark, manta-ray, moray eel, whale etc. As such if you try to swim after them to get a shot, you will most likely scare it off and you will not be able to catch up to it! Take a look at the video below you will note some turtles towards the end of clip, i "tried" swimming after them and they just swam away as fast as we humans would walk away from a chasing snail!!!!

My suggestion to you suggestion to you would be to STALK your target...swim around it and slowly approach it. If you want to go down underwater, do it at a distance or with the cover of larger coral (i.e. use the geography to hide the fact that you are creeping up on it). When you get close, move slowly and take your shots/clips. Again, difficulty exacerbated by the fact that you have to do all this while holding your breath!!!



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Christmas Island (Australian Territory) - Indian Ocean


Below is a YouTube video i compiled from a few clips thrown together of my time free-diving/snorkeling just off Christmas Island (CI) . I know CI is predominantly known for more troubling circumstances pertaining to asylum seekers however this does not negate the fact that of all the places i have visited/lived in, CI has the clearest waters i have ever seen and also the most beautiful coral gardens!!

The varity of marine life is second to none, including massive whale-shark migrations (i just missed seeing this), turtles, stingrays, sharks, octopuses, eels, GTs, squid, lobsters and giant coconut crabs!!!!

In the clip you will see the pictures i have shown you in the previous post relating to underwater photography and also a couple that i threw in for good measure. The entire video clip was taken and filmed with the Cannon Powershot D10. Take a look!

Well this just about brings my underwater segment to and end (for now). Hope you enjoyed it!!!






Sunday 8 July 2012

Underwater Photography - Part 4

On my travels i have not met many people that do not enjoy floating in the sea and watching fish or cephalopods swim around you!.... Or enjoy looking down into an amazing and infinitely colorful coral garden where tiny little fish swim and play!

So...your challenge now will be to try to capture "some" of what you see when you are amongst all those amazing sights. I find that you will never be able to capture everything you experience or feel! But when has that ever stopped me so "try" to do any way..... :)

So without further rambling let me get to my next tip.

Tip #6 Look beyond your target.


What i mean by this is, inevitably behind "that fish" or "that piece of coral" there is likely to be an amazing backdrop. The scenery itself can be totally breathtaking! I realize that when you get into the water there is so many things to look at and its hard to "take everything in". But if you have the time and you know you'll be there for a few days or at least a few snorkeling session then "slow down" and try to force your eyes to "look around".

Also just like above-sea-level geography (where there are cliffs and drop-offs and gullies and hills), the same thing can be found underwater as well! And these are just as nice to take as above-sea-level ones! So if you look beyond your intended target you may see some of these. Below are some examples...








To the left is a picture of a coral garden that is also a natural gully...almost like a foot-path along a garden..... It has formed something like a nice little miniature canyon (if you were the size of the fish).
























To the right is an underwater CLIFF!!!! Fortunately unlike above-land geography you CAN NOT FALL TO YOUR DEATH!! Instead you can fly and float on-top of it!!! You can try to swim down to it but underwater cliffs/drop-offs tend to be very deep!











Any how that't it for now....got to forage for some food and get ready for work....I hope some of the things written here has helped you in some way.....


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Saturday 7 July 2012

Underwater Photography - Part 3

Now...chances are that some or most of you have gone to the sea before and you've tried snorkeling/freediving. As such you'd probably be thinking to yourself by now "Yeah Right!! As if you can ever stay still long enough in one spot to compose and take a shot!!!"

You're right....it is indeed difficult to hold a steady position/angle simply due to the waves and current in the water. Not to mention the fact that out to human physiology/buoyancy if you dive down a couple of meters, your body is going to want to float upwards naturally. SO...when you've dived down or when you've snorkeled to your "spot" here's what i suggest....



Tip #4. Grab onto something!!


But BE CAREFUL!!!! There are many things in the marine world that can hurt you, quite a lot of them have very sharp spikes/teeth and some even have venom! On top of that coral themselves can be very sharp and will easily graze/cut you. Finally, be careful not to damage the coral, they are living organisms too!

By grabbing onto, say a large rock with one hand, you'll be able to stay underwater without having to constantly swim downwards. Plus with your other free hand you can be holding onto your camera and snapping away.






Grabbing on will give you those precious few seconds to steady yourself, compose your shot, take the shot and then shoot up for AIR!!!! I know this sounds crazy but after doing this a few times (and over a few days/weeks) you'll find that you'll be able to stay underwater for longer periods of time. You'll still need air of course but your body will be accustomed to you holding your breath. This leads me to my next tip...






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Tip #5. Once you've reached your spot, be calm!


When i first started to do this i was flapping about trying to get the shot, kicking my fins/legs frantically trying to keep myself at the right depth (i hadn't learn Tip#3 yet, i.e. to grab on to something). But in doing so all the marine life got scared off!! So try your best to be smooth, quiet and calm when diving down to your spot. Once you've reached your spot, just compose  your shot and stay still for as long as you can (or as long as your one breath will allow you too). You'll find that the fish will come back, the colorful clams will open back up, the little playful clown fish will swim out of their shelters and you can snap away to your heart's content! But they will not come out if they fear you......








Try your best not to be flailing your arms about, or kicking the sand up, the faster you blend into your surroundings, the faster the marine life comes back out! The shot on the left was taken at about 7m and it didn't take long for the fish to come back out once I settled near the coral at the bottom. It was really amazing to see the three brightly colored yellow fish almost dancing in synchrony!!








Underwater Photography - Part 2

Part 2

So it seems like I'm back for more of this "blogging" shenanigans...i dont mind it really.... I mean, some of these things took me ages to learn (and often i did it the hard way) and if i can save you (the reader) a few minutes of pain/frustration then I would have succeeded!

So without further stalling, let me continue with more tips for taking underwater photographs....

Previously i discussed the scenario if you entered the sea and the visibility was  bad....but WHAT IF the visibility was good!!?!??!?! Happy Days is what!!! :) Besides the most awesome fun you would have just swimming/snorkeling/driving about amongst the amazing marine life and sea-scape you "may" find some time to take a deeper plunge down and take a few snaps!! Of course this is subject to your penchant/desire to take a freedive down to a deeper depth.

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely no pro at diving or freediving, the absolute max i can hold my breath for is probably 45 seconds and max depth i've gone on one breath probably 15m and thats REALLY PUSHING IT FOR ME! (i.e. struggling to resurface and feeling like i'm about to pass out!! yes, i realize this is not very smart but sometimes curiosity just gets the better of me when i see something facinating!).

There's no need to go deep though, in fact i found that i've been able to take some very nice sea-scape shots closer to the surface! Plus, the closer to the surface you are the more sunlight will hit your target and make it Shine for you ;)



Tip #3. Be the Rock...or in this case..."Be the Coral"


You can take some nice shots while floating on the water's surface but i find that if you try to get a little lower and shoot from at least 45 degrees downwards, your shots get much better. Try to avoid a direct 90 degrees shot downwards unless thats what you really want!! To the left is a shot that kinda shows an angled shot, showing shadows below corals and their relative sizes compared to each other.


















If you can manage it, try taking a sea-scape at level or just a little below the level your target, I find this really brings out the sunlight rays, gives "perspective" and generally looks better. The below photo is taken at an angle just above level with my target....



To give you an idea...the following three photos  are taken just about level with my target (which is in this case a nice clump of coral/rock that has caught my eye and caught the Amazing Rays of Sunlight). Each photo is taken from a different perspective BUT OF THE SAME CLUMP OF CORAL .....but each time I've moved back a little and swam around a little...


  









Photo #1. This photo is rather close, but it captures the colors and structure of the coral quite well



















Photo #2. In this photo (of the same clump of coral), I have now moved a little further back to capture a more clusters of coral



























Photo #3. In this photo I wanted to show not just the color but the size of entire structure with a background for perspective.





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Waw...this post is getting rather long...perhaps i should bump the next tip into the next post.....



Friday 6 July 2012

Underwater Photography - Part 1

Part 1




So this being my first ever post i thought I'd start off with something i find really cool...i.e.  taking underwater photos!

I'm no expert but I've spent enough time in the sea to have a few tips of my own. My methods aren't complicated and have basically been gathered through lots of trial and error (mostly error!!) hahahaha!!!



I know this should go without saying but first of all you'll need a camera that can function/operate underwater. Preferably one that goes to about 10m underwater. There are a number of these on the market these days Nikon, Cannon, Panasonic, Pentax and even Olympus makes a couple. My choice and my favorite so far however, is the Cannon (left). I've used the Cannon Powershot D10 to take some pretty neat underwater shots (all my underwater shots have been taken with the D10).




This is the Cannon D20, and its something i'd really like to try out but have not had the opportunity yet....it offers HD recording which the D10 doesn't have...i'm sure it has other goodies as well.



I have used the Olympus too and though i do prefer the body / physical structure of the Olympus (to the left), the Cannon chip/processor still is second to none (in my opinion). The colors/sensors tend just pick up more and is more vibrant.









Having said that though though I am a very firm believer that it is not the equipment that makes a good photographer but instead it is the photographer's skill and ability to see and "feel" where a really "neat" shot can be taken from. You can have the most fancy-shamcy gear but if you dont know how to use it then its no use.... With the most modest of cameras (as i have), you could take some pretty decent shots!

Anywho.....I was on Christmas Island not too long ago, and though this tiny island has had some bad press lately, I have come to love the amazing marine-life and underwater sea-scape.


So Tip #1 Sunlight Is Your friend!!! 

You can never get enough sunlight....The reason for this is that naturally, there are particles in the seawater which in greater quantities reduces visibility drastically (which is bad). You cant control the visibility of the sea water so you're going to have to make do (i'll explain this later). The more sunlight you have the more vibrant the colours of the marine life come out!! Even mundane creatures like the common (and very menacing) sea urchin displays almost luminescent qualities! BUT DONT GET TOO CLOSE trying to get the shot, you know you WILL get stabbed their needles!! The below photo was taken completely with sunlight and no other light or flash of any kind.



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Tip #2 If in doubt...go MACRO!!


In the event that the visibility is crap (but there is still good sunlight), then adapt and experiment with Underwater MACRO Shots!! Most point-and-shoot cameras have the Macro function, and "most" of the time it works fine...but i would advise you to try going into its manual manual settings and seeing how close you can get without spooking the marine-life:

Example A - the tiny little Christmas trees you see on the side of coral, very elegant and very colorful but if you spook them they'll just disappear and shrink into the rock!


Example B - Your ordinary clam, often overlooked by snorkelers/free-divers as its so common...but in fact they are very colorful!






















The auto-focus Macro function may not always work smoothly underwater (i know my little D10 had a bit of trouble), i suspect that it is because, inevitably underwater, you will always be moving (even just slightly) and the little camera's processor can't keep up. Hence if you go into manual mode and lock it at a certain distance, you can always try to anchor your hand near your target and take several snaps at its sharpest image.
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So remember, if you've got good sunlight but low visibility underwater it does not necessarily mean "game over" for your day of taking underwater snaps...just experiment, play around with your camera's settings. Its all about having fun, understanding what your camera likes and how you can best feed it! :)

Ok that's it for Part 1, its getting late over here and I didn't realize its already 11:48pm!!