Kamchatka, Russia

[Delta Blue]

Confirmation from Harry about Freewell filters received: all filters except Grad filters made from optical glass with multilayer coating. Grad filters made from Resin optics.

The irony of fate: in previous message I said that can't understand why color graduated filter exist but Harry included set of this filter as a gift in my parcel ))) And now I must use them.

Here it is sample of shooting with Freewell ND16 filter:

Looks very nice to me...My friends and I used to stay up into the wee hours of the night playing the Parker Brothers game, "Risk" when I was a child. Kamchatka was at the very eastern edge of the board. If any others liked that game they will know what I am talking about. It is great to see your aerial videos and photos from what was a sort of legendary place to me.

 

[Delta Blue]

I just watched your movies and I think you get it. By the way, I especially liked your editing for sunset on Avancha Bay, particularly for an early effort. Of course, living in Kamchatka is like living in Alaska or Iceland; when you inhabit one of the most beautiful spots on earth it isn't hard to come up with a good photo (or movie). It's nice when you have such great material to work with.

As regards being new. I hoping to start a discussion here on film making
New photographers like to blame poor photographs on their equipment so they tend to spend inordinate amounts of money on equipment. I've noticed drone pilots tend to be tech guys, more than artists, you can see it in their films and photos. Great photographers can take great photos with a pocket instamatic. As far as equipment, a camera, some ND filters and Polarizing filters are about all you need, there's a reason Autel and Tiffen issued a small set of 4 filters. Everything else is a distraction (learned the hard way after spending way too much money on equipment in an effort to improve my photos). Composition and perspective matters a whole lot more than equipment. Read everything you can in every photography and movie magazine and internet article you can find. I notice a number of drone movies ignore C&P and go for displays of height and endurance, but I recently saw a competition, on this forum I think, where the winner introduced Iceland. I threw my latest movie in the dust bin after seeing it, that pilot inherently was a master. I've a long way to go. Iceland's color, composition and perspective were perfection. That pilot used height, but just as important, they didn't. Too many pilots go up to 400 feet and putter along, thinking the fact of the flight is enough to entertain viewers, but all they actually create is a boring movie. A movie should cut a slice of the place you are and serve it up in a way that makes the viewer want to rush there to see it for themselves (this is what you did with Avancha Bay). The earth looks flat at 400' (120m); the best texture is seen at a closer angle. Your XSP comes with a grid. I never turn it off, There is a classic artists formula for composition photographers call the rule of thirds, and happily the XSP has a 3x3 grid. The rule of thirds can be seen working in great photos from the 1850's and has worked since the days of the rennaissance artists.
Lastly, take 10,000 photos and as many movies. Then review, edit and throw 9,999 of each away. What remains will be your best.

Regards

David

I enjoyed reading your insights. I agree very much with them. I have seen many drone videos that have seemed to make the flight itself and the pilot's flying abilities, or daring stupidity, the subject, instead of capturing something artistic and beautiful with the drone's camera. You are right to suggest the grid on the X-Star...that's the one thing I think I have not tested yet and it is now on my list. Leaving it on would be a constant reminder on the importance of composition. Thanks for mentioning it!

 

[Alexey]

Thanks all for positive thread!

But today I have another story - first crash on one of the biggiest sled dog race "Beringia 2017 Prologue". Not real crash, just did not have time to brake and hit at the tangle of branches then slide to snow. Pumpkin - smart birdy, fell head over heels, so gimble with camera not dive in snow. Just half of body and top of gimble. Temperature was about 0 (Celsius) and this was very dangerous. I blow out snow from holes and fly up three times about minute each flight. After third flight I landed and wait next participant of sled dog race. But one motor start to twitch. I think it is water froze inside. At home I wait about 4 hours and start motors - all revolving normally without propellers. Tomorrow I'll test X-Star and hope that my stupidity do not cost me money and time (time more important because delivering parts from Autel or CarolinaDronz to me takes about 3-6 weeks). I understand my mistake. I have to switch off X-Star immediately after falling, dry it at home and then test but...the devil finds work for idle hands to do.

 

[DDay41]

Nice video. Every time you post one I want to visit eastern Russia. The ND16 certainly added depth and color.

I'll be intrigued to see what you can do with a graduated filter, now that you have one.

The debate over graduated colored filters isn't so much holy war as class war. There are always photographers who insist the only real photo is one taken with ambient light, they'll ll wait days for perfect light, then criticize those without the resources or time to do the same. Graduated filters are nothing more than a tool to test creative boundaries. In the late 1990's digital photography was considered by some "impure" for the same reason, the photo could be manipulated. Now it's called "post-production". The result is what counts. There is no good or bad, no pure or impure, just art.

 

[Alexey]

Every time you post one I want to visit eastern Russia.

I have friend who has tourist business only for incoming foreign tourists. Let me know when this really needed and I'll give you link to his site.

The ND16 certainly added depth and color.

Nope ))) Depth and color similar to footages without filters. May be ND added just a little. I like color and add at least 30% in Lumetri module in Premiere Pro and play with other adjustments in it.