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As we wrap up this last week in 80 DAYS OF IMAGES, I am happy to announce that the search term “80 DAYS OF IMAGES” now has the first three spots in a Google search, which is then followed by “80 Days Around the World.” They can have the fourth spot. We’re content.
The last two weeks for me has been learning video. Once the 5D Mark II came out with HD 1080p abilities,I have been dying to get my hands dirty doing some filming. Well, I got my opportunity with an assignment from the Himalayan Kitchen in downtown Salt Lake City. The Himalayan Kitchen is run by Surya Bastakoti and wife Carmen Fournier and staffed by some of the world’s friendliest people. From the Tandoor Chef to the dishwasher, I wanted to portray the people in their environment and happy doing their work. I set up in one area of the restaurant where the soft light was entering from one side and set up a continuous softbox for my main light. To make sure my sound was spot on during the interviews, I used a rented, expensive lavalier mic system. The interviews went well, and there were plenty of candid moments to choose from for the final selects of film. In addition, the “B” roll from the kitchen was probably my favorite. There was something about filming the actual process of making this delicious Nepali and Indian food that made it so enjoyable. Check out the promo:
Learning the Final Cut Pro enough to produce a good piece of footage was not easy. Just learning enough to put out this video still took about 25 – 30 hours of online tutorials and trial and error. If you are serious about learning such a program and have never cut video before, I would highly recommend subscribing to http://www.lynda.com and watching the tutorials as you produce your edit. A note to those who use the 5D Mark II: your footage needs to be transcoded from 29.97 to 30 frames per second. This is important! There is a good PDF tutorial online here if you don’t want to search about figuring how to conform this footage. Learning new programs, new systems is what the 80 DAYS OF IMAGES is all about. I challenged myself to learn new things every day and photograph (and now film!) more than I usually do. Final Cut Pro and filming overall were definitely some of the more difficult things I’ve learned yet on 80 DAYS.
"Mesa Sunset" Green River Overlook, Canyonlands National Park. ©Joel Addams
The week was wrapped up last week with a fun chance to teach a workshop in Canyonlands and Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. What a great way to spend a Saturday! We met up for some basic instruction on Friday night for about an hour or so, and then reassembled at the crack of dawn…well, about 5 a.m. well before dawn. We first took on the Delicate Arch from the viewpoint side and spent the time juggling the difficult light of sunrise with some Singh-Ray filters. We moved on to Balanced Rock and then searched out some great textures near the Windows. After an editing session and some instruction during the day, we continued on to Canyonlands National Park for an afternoon and sunset shoot on the Green River Overlook. Winds are common at sunrise and sunset in the Moab area, and Saturday was no different. As the air cools and heats, it moves fast up and down the canyons and we were blasted on both occasions. The participants did a great job of keeping their cool, keeping their tripods down, and moving around to find the best compositions. What’s the key to a great workshop? Great participants who are flexible with the weather conditions and who really want to get out there and learn.
A participant at the Red Rocks Workshop in Moab, Utah. ©Joel Addams
"Two Stones" Green River Overlook, Canyonlands National Park. ©Joel Addams
Thanks to all who have submitted images to the 80 DAYS OF IMAGES. Keep them coming! Also, feel free to log into Facebook and check out the submissions people have made. Drop a comment. People love feedback. The 80 DAYS OF IMAGES will continue for me in two days in Spain as I try to complete the Camino de Santiago trail across northern Spain. Walking. No, I’m not Catholic, I just wanted to film and photograph on a great outdoor adventure that seems to have a lot of meaning for pilgrims. I’ll keep the Facebook updated and maybe take some shots of how you carry all your equipment on your back for such a trek.
Keep moving and keep shooting.
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