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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Oh, all right, I'll ruffle mine too

I dearly love the gentle Carolina Pigeons (Mourning Doves) who visit our yard. Yesterday, shortly after noon, this pair sat together on the top edge of a fence plank for about ten minutes, while I pressed and pressed and pressed the shutter cable release.





I even made a movie (although I need to practice the wobble out of my technique).

Posted by Moristotle at 6/09/2012 03:58:00 PM
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10 comments:

  1. SteveSunday, June 10, 2012 at 6:26:00 AM EDT

    Much nicer than the first attempt.

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    1. MoristotleSunday, June 10, 2012 at 11:49:00 AM EDT

      Steve, are you referring, perhaps, to my slow-motion movie of birds feeding on thistle?
          The problem with my setup for movies is that I can't see how to stop recording without shaking the camera—unless I simply let the movie run its limit.
          I haven't looked lately whether there are any free movie editors available on the web; did you ever find anything? Thanks.

      Delete
  2. SteveMonday, June 11, 2012 at 6:18:00 AM EDT

    Mo, no the first photos you did a little earlier. I did like the slow motion movie.

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    1. MoristotleMonday, June 11, 2012 at 8:24:00 AM EDT

      Oh, yeah, right. I probably shouldn't have shared those here, they were so fledgling. But you know me, full-ruffle disclosure. (Or nearly?)

      Delete
  3. motomyndTuesday, June 12, 2012 at 2:08:00 PM EDT

    As a photographer who has endured countless frustrations working with long telephoto lenses, I continue to be amazed by your digiscope results. For editing, Windows Movie Maker is apparently available as a free download and it receives very solid reviews.

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    1. MoristotleWednesday, June 13, 2012 at 8:32:00 AM EDT

      Motomynd, Thank you for the tip about Windows Movie Maker, which I of course (I just checked) have on my computer as part of Windows XP Professional. My first project will be simply to delete the shaky opening and ending of the Carolina Pigeons movie.

      Delete
    2. MoristotleWednesday, June 13, 2012 at 2:42:00 PM EDT

      First thing I learned is that Windows Movie Maker doesn't handle my camera's filetype (.MOV), but I downloaded a free converter (to .AVI, for example, which Movie Maker does handle). I opened the .AVI version of my pigeons movie in Movie Maker, then had to confront my ignorance of its lingo and protocols. I'm going to have to ease into this, but eventually I'm going to be able to add titles and transitions and special effects and all! But right now I need a break; my head is spinning and my vision is blurry.
          The free converter is ConverterLite.

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  4. motomyndWednesday, June 13, 2012 at 5:00:00 PM EDT

    Please do share any knowledge you glean from your experiments in video editing. I am currently making the leap (or possibly plummet) from still photography as a full-time career to video imaging as a part-time pursuit and possible next career. Right now I am taking a break from trying to choose between Adobe, Sony Vegas, etc, as the best software on which to wager the future, and the options indeed seem enough to make one's head spin.

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    1. MoristotleWednesday, June 13, 2012 at 8:51:00 PM EDT

      Motomynd, this is the first I've heard you mention doing video imaging (other than your having videos on your website). How long have you had this in mind?
          The "media center" in the basement of the UNC-Chapel Hill Undergraduate Library (between The Pit and Wilson Library) has digital editing equipment and software (and individuals well practiced in training students); it might be useful for you to nose around in there and ask questions? Tell Scott Hamilton I asked you to say "hi." He is (or at least was) a supervisor in there. The media center houses the campus's movie and other recordings collections (music and recorded books, for example).
          Also, I just thought, the UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem has a Film School, so some contacts there might be in your future....
          And I'll of course share what I learn about using Movie Maker.

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  5. motomyndWednesday, June 13, 2012 at 11:17:00 PM EDT

    Moristotle, thank you for the tip and the permission to drop your name; I will be getting in touch with Scott Hamilton!

    As for how long I have had the switch to video in mind...off and on for the entire 30 years I have been a full-time still photographer. As with many people, I stayed with what I knew and that comfortably paid the bills instead of pursuing what I might rather do. Having lugged mountains of gear to four continents and across the U.S. more times than I can remember, and having earned credits in upwards of 500 publications and photographed more than 700 weddings (and more politicos than I would even want to remember) now was the time to leap. It is not unlike leaving a stressful UNC office job to spend more time photographing birds and nature, if you could imagine.

    While I will freely admit that the "digitizing" of the photography pay scale in recent years was a factor in the decision, getting back on a motorcycle a couple of years ago was actually a much greater influence. Why travel in gas-guzzling vehicles hauling cumbersome gear to create still images for print media that most people barely notice, when you can instead travel on two wheels at 65 miles-per-gallon, carrying miniaturized cameras designed for modern electronic media, feeling the wind, the sun, and a smile on your face?

    My answer to that question was to launch the website you mentioned, Motomynd.com, and use a motorcycle as a vehicle (pun intended) to redo past projects and travels in a new and much more exciting fashion.

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