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| Ranch House |
Wednesday of last week, the Altamont crew ventured out to Mission, or what most in the lower mainland refer to as "the Wilderness". While unable to communicate by mobile phone (yes, it was that far out), the peacefulness and simplicity only served to highlight the beauty surrounding us.
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| Sunny - aka, "The Beast" |
Nestled deep in the valley, we were situated on a ranch with the fall leaves looming, horses grazing, and snow-capped mountains in the background. Oh, and a beast lurking/protecting us (see beside... he was a BEAST). This gentle giant (at least around people) is known for chasing off coyotes and other threats to the horses. He even seemed to take a liking to Jesse's dog Camilla.
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| Jesse's Puppy Camilla & Sunny |
Once we set up our ground station, it was time to play with our toys. Pachi being the pseudo meteorologist was monitoring flight conditions and recording flight data, Chas is our PIC (Pilot in Command), and Jesse, well, he looks like something out of Star-Trek with his first person camera goggles. That, or Ray Charles. Needless to say, it was humorous watching them all work together to both fly the chopper and navigate through the minefield of cow patties littering the property. As for my duties, Jesse enlisted me as the "Still Camera Operator". My first reaction was "uuuuuuhhhh.....". Being new to the industry, and never seeing myself as a particularly artistic person, I thought "sure, let's give this a whirl". Until that point, I didn't understand what the craze, and seeming "fad" was with photography. I get it now. It's addicting.
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| Pre-Flight Check |
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| Weather Ops |
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| Peak-a-boo |
With our awesome advances in technology, it's easy peasy. The auto-focus function is a true blessing. Here's a totally unsolicited plug for Canon... Our Canon 5D MK II is a blast. I'm no gear-nerd, but I can certainly tell you there has to be some fairy-dust and wizardry going on inside. Not going to pump my own tires, but the shots speak for themselves.
Now for the shoot...
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| Someone's nosy... |
We did our test flight in super high winds and we were getting tossed around like a baby in a UFC fight. The wind Gods answered our wishes and gave us a period of calm. That's when, we put on the Red. The Red Scarlet is the bee's knees of cameras. Zigging and zagging, up, down, sideways, Jesse and Chas are like a well choreographed ballet, working together to get the perfect shot.
Check out the preview.
Jesse's now in Colombia and will also be shooting stills in El Salvador and Peru for the Clinton Giustra Foundations "Sustainable Growth Initiative".
Projects are going out as more come in and we're having a blast. We look forward to chatting with you soon.
Don't be afraid to drop by "Lot 11", our new office in North Van, or "holla atcha boy" as the cool kids are saying these days.
A few weeks back, Jesse packed up his truck and headed back to his motherland, Saskatchewan (known around the office as Saskabama) to shoot a music video for the up and coming group, "The Deep Dark Woods". 