Shooting Dead Horse Point from a DJI Phantom quad-copter... are you crazy?

So I got in my head that I really need to go and shoot several of the really well known locations of natural wonders that we have here in Utah at least before I get told that I can't.  So I headed down to Southern Utah, and tried to go to both Dead Horse Point and Arches.  I had exactly 4 hours of shooting time and the following is the best of what I came away with.  Enjoy.


So here are the things that I learned:

1. Don't try and shoot this much in so little time.  People don't like when you tail gate them because you are racing to spot to get a good shot.
2. Moab is a cool little town.  People have told me this, but I was skeptical.  Lesson learned.
3. Always bring tools.  My GoPro locked up on me and I didn't have an allen wrench to take it off the DJI Phantom to reset it.
4. Don't be so scared of flying.  I told myself that I was willing to risk the $1,500 to get the good shots, but I held back because of my fear of the wind taking the copter.
5. Always have a good model with you for those people related shots.  Or at least carry a model release so you can have strangers fill in for you.

Shooting a wedding... prepare, and then be flexible

I got the chance to shoot my wife's cousins wedding and reception on last Saturday.  I felt like I really had my stuff together and was as prepared as I could have been.  It felt like it was planning for going into battle.  All the things that I have read and learned from all sorts of sources on the internet made my time really enjoyable, and challenging.  So I tried to do it all.  Shoot video and shoot photos.  I kick myself for missing things, or wishing I had X piece of equipment handy, or not doing more.  I look back now and realize that I could have done so much more.  But all that doesn't matter now.  All I can do is put together the best possible video and edit the best possible photos to capture the day.  In the end, I loved it, and I think they will love the final product too.

Here is what I came away with for the video:
Here is the link in case the video doesn't play. http://5d2.smugmug.com/Weddings/Jen-Wedding/i-R8gpQJd/0/1080/JenWeddingCompilation-1080.mp4

Here are the photos:
http://5d2.smugmug.com/Weddings/Jen-Wedding

Things I did right
I brought almost everything that I own, equipment wise.
I made a shot list for all of the "wedding events" so that I knew what was coming, and what was left.
I watch other wedding videos to get ideas.
I made people laugh and got some very good shots.
I didn't settle with good enough shots, I took on complex shots that paid off.
I stayed out of the way.  I did my thing, and hopefully was not distracting to the guests.
I got all the shots on my shots list.

Things I did wrong
I left the Zoom H4N on Phantom power, which sucked the batteries dry in minutes, not hours.  Lost audio files of the ceremony because of that.
I didn't carry both cameras with me at all times.  I should have.  I need a belt/holder for second and third cameras.
I didn't start the GoPro because of my fear of running out of battery in the middle of the ceremony, and I didn't have any good spot, or way to mount the camera in trees.
I didn't bring an assistant to hold a reflector or a diffuser.
I didn't set the shutter speed and ISO on some of the inside shots and got harsh shadows.   Single flash system does not hold up well with large wedding parties.
I didn't balance the stabilizer to perfection so I had to post stabilize.
I didn't use the jib for the wedding ceremony, to get shots over the crowd standing for the bride entering. Although, this was probably good since I would have had to change the depth of focus and could have really screwed it up.

Things that I learned
In the end, I am happy with what I was able to do.  It was worth the hours of planning, the equipment testing. But here are the little things that I learned along the way.

1. Don't try to be the photographer and the videographer.  You really need multiple cameras and multiple people shooting to do video well.  There are so many angles, and movements that you need to do with video to make it interesting.  And of course to capture all the little moments you really need a dedicated photographer.  Switching back and forth, and making sure all the settings for the cameras switch as well, is not a good place to be in.  It can be done, but I would not recommend it.  Also, don't try to shoot anything if you are suppose to be in it.

2. Don't let the batteries run out on a Zoom H4N while recording.  If you do, take out the card and put a new card in so that you have a chance of recovering what you did record.  There is a good chance you can, but not if you replace the batteries and continue recording to the same card.  Don't leave phantom power on, if you aren't using a powered condenser mic.  I had the Sennheiser G3 wireless mics that don't need phantom power, and I left it on and got maybe 30 minutes of record time.

3. Learn how to make people laugh.  People are usually pretty solemn at weddings, but if you bring out the joy, however you can, you will be remembered and you will get shots that look like people are really glad to be there.

4. Plan ahead as much as possible.  Get there early, and if possible, go there before hand to scout out the great locations for shots. If you are looking for good spots while people are waiting for you, they will get bored and frustrated.

5. Learn how to direct people to do what you want.  Chin down, turn to your left, step forward need to be direct and assertive.  For those few moments, you are the boss and you can't be timid about asking for what you want.  This does mean that you have to do it in a way that stops people relaxed and happy.  Don't be a photo Nazi. Be a stewardess on a first class flight to Hawaii.  Happy people make better photos and video.

6. Don't waste people's time trying to get your camera to work.  You should take a test shot as people are gathering for you, check the settings to make sure you know what is best for the situation, and then shoot.  Talk to people while you are shooting so that they have some feedback.  If you are stuck staring at the back of your camera, or spending time adjusting things, people will get bored and not listen.

7. With large groups of people, take lots of shots.  If there are kids in the shot, don't try to hard to make them look at you, chances are that if you are being entertaining to the group, the kids will look as well.  So catch them when they do by taking more shots.  If you are any good with Photoshop, you will be able to edit the perfect shot with a composite of multiple shots.
 
8. Make sure you set expectations up front.  Shooting is about 1/6 the battle.  Remember that for every good picture, I spend about 10 minutes per photo.  From every 1 minute of good video, I spend about 6 minutes of editing.  So, why does that matter? Because you want to set expectations about what it will take before someone is going to get your final product(s).

Canon 5D Mark III with Magic Lantern In-depth review

Hi all, Dave here.  For a very informative and very helpful review for anyone looking at the decision to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera, watch the video.

For those that like to read, here is a summary text of the review.
Reasons why I was looking at the 5D Mark III to replace my 7D.
1. Moire and poor anti-aliasing.
2. Lens purchase decisions fork in the road (crop vs full frame)
Compared to the 7D, the 5D Mark III is better at everything, higher quality build, built for video, full HDMI out.  Then came the 6D, full frame.  Mega pixels, focus, no headphone jack, but GPS, Wifi, didn't have the video quality of the 5D Mark III.
Compared to 5D Mark III and the Cinema series C300, C500 to get to 4K $$$ and missing features

And then came Magic Lantern video raw...
 -24fps 14bit raw video that blows away 8bit compressed video and competes with RED at least at 1080P
 -Promise of even better future... MLV format, ISO less HDR video (14 stops of dynamic range), compressed RAW, Sound, stabilized features/bugs

Things I love about the 5D Mark III
Camera features:
 -focus speed, FPS photos, auto-focus settings
 -no aliasing, no moire,
 -sensor is better, beautiful photos,
 -less noise at high ISO
 -600EX flash, High speed sync,
Magic Lantern features:
 -video quality
 -color depth 14bit amazing dynamic range ,
 -focus peaking,
 -zoom, mixed with 70-200 IS II L, amazing 600mm Zoomed video at F2.8
 -intravalometer,
 -histogram,
 -scopes,
 -advanced bracketing,

Things you will have to live with...
It is not perfect... yet.
- Setup/install/update of Magic Lantern not for the weak (hard to find and know the instructions are correct)
- Upgrades fixed pink frames but removed audio
- Raw video post processing steps/time (Rawanizer -> After Effects/Camera Raw-> Premiere)
- No audio sync, all separate and external (Zoom H4N)
- Sometimes flaky (video recording errors, pink frames, slow to start recording)
- 11 minutes of video per 64GB better know what you want and not waste time rolling
- Shooting Raw video in full hot sun temp issues

Is it worth it...
 - Resounding YES!  For the price and the quality and features, YES, you would have to spend $$$$$ on RED + accessories to get the quality with not all of the features (no photos), or double on Black Magic Cinema and get a cropped lens coverage with less features (no photos).

Accessories that you have to have:
 - A video editing capable computer to process the Raw video
 - Komputerbay 64GB(1000x) $120 or 256GB (1200x) $600
 - CarrySpeed VF-3 (used to see live video focus peaking)
 - Zoom H4N, H1, H6 (Quality sound recording)
 - Tripod with a Fluid head for smooth video pans

Fire dancers in video raw

Hi all, I had the chance to attend the Luau at Thanksgiving Point this year. It was my first time. I gotta say, it was fun! When I got there, I was thinking that parking was going to be a nightmare. It wasn't. Smooth as silk, easy in, easy out. After parking, the line for getting in was at least a quarter mile long. I got in line thinking that I didn't even know if they were going to be sold out, or worse, run out of food. But the line moved pretty fast and I got in pretty quickly. The lines for food were fairly robust, but the cater company was keeping up nicely.  I waited until most people got their food before getting mine, it gave me time to walk the gardens a bit and shoot some video.

If you haven't been to Thanksgiving Point Gardens, or if you are like me and thought that the gardens were just in back of the shops, first of all you would be wrong, and second, you really need to see this place.  It is tucked away just to the north of the golf course clubhouse.  It is HUGE!  It will take you a couple of hours to walk around this place.  There are waterfalls (and they are not tiny), streams, hills, and the flowers of every variety and breed, all manicured and on display.  Seriously, you couldn't find a more amazing place hold, and to shoot, any type of event.

You see, if you take a camera into the gardens, it will cost you a photography fee of $100.00.  You can bring 2 people with you but anyone beyond that has to pay $10.00.  If you just want to walk around and take pictures with your iPhone, only $10.00.  The luau cost $21 for entry and food.  So, I figured if I was able to go to the luau, and take pictures with my equipment, I was saving myself 100 bucks.  Turned out I was right.  I brought everything but the quadcopter, which would have been cool... but after the latest news report of someone crashing into a crowd of people, I think it might be best to stay away from formal crowds of people.

So I shot some with the Canon 7D (16-35L II), and most of the Luau entertainment with the Canon 5D Mark III (70-200L IS II) using Magic Lantern Raw video.  Take a look.

Wild Tarantula crossing... up close and personal

So another day out looking for amazing video... Today's venture took me to the west side of Utah Lake. A long stretch of two lane highway with shooting ranges and beautiful views of the mountains all around.  I haven't been out there since I use to ride my bullet bike at speeds faster than I should have.  The weather was stormy, but not a bit of wind.  Perfect conditions to fly the DJI Phantom quadcopter.  I flew around for while, trying to capture some the beautiful light that was shooting through the clouds.  Got some footage.

It wasn't until the ride back that things got interesting.   It was about 7'oclock when I saw something on the road from quite a distance. As I came by and passed it, I realized that this thing was a big tarantula!  I flipped my car around and drove back to find this guy hanging out in the middle of the road.  I grabbed the camera and went to get up close and personal with him.  I realized that this guy was not going to move, despite the danger of staying in the road.  I grabbed a stick and helped him along to get out of harms way.  Luckily all the cars that passed stayed out of the lane and he safely made it to the other side.  I got back in my car and started driving home again.  I wasn't another mile later that I saw yet another one!  I decided that I wouldn't go back this time and kept going.  Another 1/2 mile, and another one and this one was even bigger than the last two.  I stopped and got the camera, and the tripod and got right up in this ones face.  Wow, what a face.  These creatures are amazing.  They are so tall when they stand up and get all defensive.  So I got some good video of that one and set off again.  I saw 3 more on the road.  I knew that we had tarantula's here in Utah, but I had no idea where they were, or how many there must be.  Scary!

So here is the video.  I added some of the flight video as to not scare you too badly.  Watch in 1080p if you aren't scared at all.


As always, this was shot with Canon 5D Mark III, Magic Lantern Video Raw (14bit), 24fps, DJI Phantom with GoPro Hero 3 attached to Zenmuse H3-2D, 1080P 48fps and color corrected in Adobe Premiere.

Ice Hockey at Seven Peaks Ice Arena

Hi all.  Yesterday I invited myself to a hockey game that my daughter's-boyfriend's-friend plays in. It is a C-league team called the Mudds.  As you can probably tell I am trying to learn about shooting video and want to try and get better at it.  I decided to once again shoot with the 5D Mark III, Magic Lantern Raw (of course) and the Canon 70-200 F2.8 L II lens.  I gotta say, this lens never ceases to amaze.  The stabilization that the lens has makes it really great for video.

So here is what I learned.  Following a puck and keeping everything in focus is hard to do... and I thought football was hard!  I started out really getting up-close and personal with the zoom, mostly keeping everything at F2.8 and ISO 100.  I ended up, near the end of the game, shooting at F8 and ISO 1600 and keeping the zoom to a minimum.  Oh, I also ended up mounting a GoPro Hero 3 above the goal to catch the action.  I shot it at 1080P, 48fps, Spot metering: Off, Protune On.  This is because when I merge the footage of GoPro and the Canon it looks much better to have matching frame rates.  I know that people will tell you that Adobe Premiere can handle different frame rates, and it can, it just ends up skipping frames.  For me, this ends up looking jerky and not good.  The 48fps makes it so I can slow the action down for those really cool instant replay action shots.

I also asked the people running the place if I might be able to fly the quadcopter above a game.  They said "maybe... let me get back to you", so at least it wan't an outright "no".  I think I would have to have FPV googles to pull it off though.  It would be fairly hard to follow the action without seeing what the camera is seeing.

Here is the video.



I also took some stills.  Stills are what this camera is really meant to be able to do.  And it truly does!

 Gooooooooaaaaaaaalllll

Pads, who needs pads. 

 You talking to me?

Nice save

A little football anyone??? Lone Peak vs. Bountiful and the dynamic camera combo

Bountiful High School vs Lone Peak High School

Hello blogger readers.  Today I did some testing of the Canon 5D Mark III with Magic Lantern software installed shooting a high school football game.  I am going to be shooting a professional lacrosse game in a couple weeks and I wanted to test out the 70-200 F2.8 IS II mixed with high action and fast moving sports.  We all know that this lens and this body are amazing at sports photography... but what about video?  Can this dynamic combo really hold it's own when shooting video?  Well, I think it can, but can I.  Well, after looking at the footage, I need to get a lot better at controlling the focus and don't let people stand in front of me during big plays.  Other than that, I am amazed what this combination can do.  I'll keep trying to learn and get better to be worthy of this camera.

Congrats to the Lone Peak football team, they won 32-14!

As always, watch at 1080p... it's the gear icon, just below the video.

Here are some photos from the game...

Wild Buffalo on Antelope Island...how close is too close?

Hey everyone.  Take a look at wild buffalo on Antelope Island up-close-and-personal that I shot on Saturday.  It was an amazing day.  As I pulled across the causeway, the water was as still as a millpond.  No wind at all.  But then 3 minutes later, the wind picked up to about 40 Mph.  Needless to say, I didn't get any aerial shots but I did get some amazing shots of the wildlife. There is one shot where the buffalo walked across the road about 15 feet in front of me.  Didn't need a telephoto lens for that shot!  Enjoy




If you want to see more, check out my Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/dbrentwatson?feature=watch for reviews, and amazing video.

Where to shoot photos in American Fork

There is a little known secret about this amazing hidden park here in American Fork.  Surrounded by trees, you can't really see it from any road, but step inside and you will find one of the most amazing locations for shooting portraits and video.  You have colorful rocks and stairs in the amphitheater, and then flowers and hills that make this place large enough for a huge wedding, and small enough to feel intimately close to nature.  Just up the hill (as you will see in the video) is the American Fork LDS Temple.  Enjoy some amazing flowers video and hidden gems in the park.



Shot with Canon 5D Mark III
Magic Lantern Firmware July 27, 2013 build
Canon 24-70 F2.8 L
ProAm DVC200 8 ft Camera Jib

Music by David Watson

American Fork Steel Days - Parade and Festivities

Part of the reason that I love living in Utah is that you really can find the small town feel in just about every town across Utah.  American Fork is no different.  Every year there are week long festivities that everyone is invited to join in.  The finale of the week is a parade, where kids chase floats sharing candy, where beauty queens from all over come to wave, and the bands get to march and play.  We have one of the best marching bands in the country and they never disappoint.  Anyway, enjoy the video.

Pioneer Day Raft and Run in Provo Canyon

I set out this morning to take some video and photos of the the first ever Pioneer Day Raft and Run in Provo Utah!  You can see all about the race here.  The race began at Canyon Glen Park (Provo Canyon) with buses taking participants in buses to the upper Provo river. Teams of eight to twelve ran the river with a raft guide to steer. I got to meet Dave, the organizer of the event and some of the volunteers, all great people who were very helpful and friendly.  I hope you enjoy the video Dave.  Make sure you watch the HD 1080 version.  

After the rafting race, each team had to run a 5k down the canyon from Vivian Park.  I was able to catch most of the competitors coming out of the water, and then starting down the canyon.  The race ended up at Canyon Glen park and I got to shoot the Quadcopter at the finish line at the end of the run.  It was a bit windy and the canyons always hinder the GPS signal so I didn't go very crazy with it.  

It was fun to see people having such a good time.  A couple of friends of ours came in first for best costume!  Congrats to Tina and the Rootin' Tootin' girls.

Practicing for the DJI Innovation Zenmuse

July 4th, time for everyone to take off work, spend time with family, and celebrate.  A few weeks back, I pre-ordered the DJI Innovations Zenmuse H3-2D gimbal for the Phantom.  I was hoping to be able to shoot some of the festivities on the 4th.  Well, to my dismay, I found out I am in the second or third shipment on Monday, so the fourth was definitely out.  Oh well, better luck next time.  I decided that I was going to shoot all the same and learn as much as I could, even though some of the shots may not be up to my own standards.

So I headed down to the Freedom Festival hot air balloon launch early morning on the fourth.  I took every bit of equipment that I could carry.  Alas, no launch today.  Turns out launching balloons in potentially wet, windy and lighting is probably not a good idea.  So I had 3 fully charged Phantom Batteries and no place to shoot.

So I decided to go and practice shooting some of the other shots that I have been waiting for the gimbal to shoot.  To the temple!!  It was almost midday by now, and the sun was getting pretty hot, not necessarily a bad time to shoot with the GoPro.  I have found that if you are angling the shot down and the sun is directly above, you can usually avoid the lens flare and reflections of light that get in the way. Wasn't quite directly above so I did catch quite a bit of light in the lens.

So the shot challenge that I was looking to accomplish is to fly toward the temple at ground level, and as I approach the building, fly up the building, and get up to Moroni (the guy at the top of most Mormon temples) and then circle around and back down.  Check out the video to see how I did.

Then, that night, we went down to the Freedom Festival fireworks. This time I tried out the new 5D Mark III Raw Video capabilities using Magic Lantern, (June 27 build).  Check out the video below.