Had an architectural shoot out at Lake Holiday today. What an awesome place to shoot. Gonna have to get back there some day to really explore.
The pristine Lake Holiday in Frederick County, VA. | Order a print of this image.
DJI
Wetlands
I was out doing some mapping photography today and got a preview of the coming Fall colors. I think I’m heading to the national forest next week to shoot some photographs with my UAV. I might even fly at 401 feet. I’m such a rebel!
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Flat
I spent the day at the local city park shooting cyclocross. I don’t race cyclocross and never will. My license plate even indicates that I’m a road cyclist. Anyway, I don’t know what the cyclists were complaining about all day – that Belgian wall looks pretty flat to me. Easily rideable.
The Belgian Wall at the Applecross cyclocross race in Winchester is approximately a 45° angle, which is eliminated with this top-down, mapping view.
Quick
What a great opportunity for aerial photography. I’m finding more and more ways where getting above the mess on the ground creates these unique opportunities for photography. I had my aerial cam in the car, but I didn’t have an SD card for it so I had to be quick about getting home this morning and going through the pre-flight stuff to get up and get this shot. It was worth the rush.
I got up in time to get some pretty cool images before the sun burned off all the fog. | Order a print of this image.
Workshop
Teaching creative workflows is tough. I’m quickly learning that I really need to back up and start from the beginning.
I took this group of Handley students/faculty through the workflow of capturing an aerial image and editing it with a miniature effect.
Futile
It’s very difficult for me now to resist sending up the aerial camera when the skies look like this. I have a feeling that I’m going to be posting lots of aerial images throughout the coming Fall season.
Train!
You’re not supposed to walk along the train tracks. I get that but I was scouting out a location for an aerial shoot and a train needed the tracks. I actually heard the gates closing before I heard the train. It was a total Back to the Future moment (you know, at the end of the third one – anyway…). I jumped off the track and launched really quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I thought for a second I was going to hit the train on the way up. It really wasn’t as dangerous as I’m making it out to seem. The train was moving fairly slowly, I wasn’t anywhere near the tracks when the train passed, the aerial cam was well clear by the time the train passed…
…just enjoy the image.
The train tracks that run through the Abram’s Creek Wetlands Preserve.
Chillax
I read somewhere about someone flying theirs while lying down. It was kinda relaxing. Look at Waldo there just chilling.
It’s a word. Look it up. I did.
Race
About 10k from finishing my ride this evening I realized that it was going to be an awesome sunset. All I could think about was getting back in time to send up the aerial cam and get some great shots. The race was on. That was a pretty fast 10k especially at the end of the ride.
My view at the end of my ride this evening in Clarke County, VA.
Auto Pilot
There’s a feature on the aerial camera that I didn’t think I’d be using, but it came in handy last night. It’s not really auto pilot, but for a photographer it comes pretty darn close. The camera can be set to snap a photo every 30 seconds for as long as I want. So I can concentrate on getting some cool HDR series on the ground while the aerial cam just hovers and snaps away. I used it last night to shoot an awesome sunset. I sent it up as the sun was hitting the horizon and just left it there until I was done on the ground. Pretty cool if you ask me.
This is my go-to spot for awesome sunsets. I’ve never been disappointed. | Order a print of this image.
And I did promise that I would reveal what last night’s photo actually was. Here’s a before/after comparison.
Crazy
The big downside to landscape photography is the incredibly early start times for the day, especially for shooting the sunrise. On a good day I could be up as early as 3 and as late as 9 that same evening just to shoot the sun. Am I dedicated or crazy?
I’m pretty excited to be heading into that time of year when the sunrise isn’t at some ridiculously early hour of the morning! | Order a print of this image.
New Chapter
Started my next chapter last night teaching Broadcast Video Production in the building I called “home” for seven years. Can you see me? Not a lot of time to get out and shoot today as I pack for California. Hopefully I’ll have some great images to post along the way.
Golden Hour
When you can get above all the mess on the ground level, that golden hour is more like a golden hour and 15 minutes. My class ended at 6:30, but I was determined to get the sunset today because I just had a feeling that it was going to be a good one. I think I made a good call.
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Pride
pride
/prīd/
noun
1. a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.
- “the team was bursting with pride after recording a sensational victory”
- synonyms: pleasure, joy, delight, gratification, fulfillment, satisfaction, a sense of achievement; “take pride in a good job well done”
How is Handley Different? by Dr. V. Doug Joyner
From letter jackets to lunch lines, Handley isn’t outwardly intriguing, nothing differentiates us from any other high school across the nation-but step inside the checkered hallway; have a seat in the auditorium; cheer for the football players at a game and you will find there’s something else that lingers in the hallways. It’s an unfettered force that the community refers to as “Handley Pride”. It’s the one thing that sets us apart from the rest.
It’s embedded into the glistening marble hall, woven into the upholstery of the auditorium, and saturates the Handley Bowl on a sparkling autumn afternoon. The fundamentals associate us with every other school, but pride fractures the concord, and keeps the student reputation from being slandered into uniformity.
As a profile is examined and its features begin to tell a story, the inner thoughts come to the surface. Even though the picture hasn’t told its story with words the wrinkle of a brow and a shy smile tell more eloquently than words the sorrows of the character.
Most important to the piecing together of a person are the eyes. Are they quick and alert? Do they search for something beyond the four walls of the picture?
When a teacher watches many profiles agonize over a test or listens to one lone profile struggling over an oral presentation, they see focus in their student’s eyes. Focus and motive to achieve, to be known, to excel outside of the four walls of a classroom.
As we live our daily lives, our personalities become exposed, and we expose those of others. Each situation, whether within the walls of Handley high or experienced elsewhere, defines us. Our surroundings mold us emotionally- no two of us are the same. We are who we are; our appearance is unique, our mindsets are one of a kind, our experiences differ.
Through our activities, we have revealed ourselves to the school. As the school year has progressed, the definition of our individual profiles has become sharp, and we have placed our profiles along the halls among all other Handley attendees-past, present, and future. Our profiles, representing our lives – stay – waiting to expose our experiences for those who follow.
I disagree on that part about Handley not being outwardly intriguing.
Look, Up In The Sky…
So today I had somebody actually follow the camera to where it landed just to find out more about it. I was just flying over Shenandoah University and demonstrating it for a couple of friends and a guy drives into the lot, runs over and said that he followed it from the main campus because he wanted to know more about it. I gave him my card. Cool.
The almost-complete Health and Life Sciences building on Shenandoah University’s campus in Winchester, VA
Night Vision
An entirely different ballgame flying this thing at night. But still as much fun. I was in such a hurry to get up and start shooting that I forgot to change the settings for a better night-time image. Not too shabby for being shot at ISO 100. The fact that the flag is lit up doesn’t hurt. And, no, the camera isn’t that close to the flag. It’s probably about 30 feet away.
That’s one BIG flag. I’ve been living in my house now for 10+ years and it’s still a little eerie to hear this flag flapping in the wind at night.
Attack
Somehow I find myself back at Handley a lot these days. I just like shooting here. And that’s not dirt or dust on the lens – those are the birds that like to attack my craft. I’m very concerned about what’ll happen to the bird if it gets to close. It’s pretty much a flying weed eater.
Floaters
So do you call the people who “float” the river “floaters?” Or “tubists.” Or “tubers?” Not sure I’d want to be referred to as a floater. Gross.
“So did you go to the river?”
“Yeah, but it was really dirty”
“How do you know?”
“It was full of floaters”
Gross.
It’s late – what do you want from me?
Since I’m not allowed to launch inside a national park I had to hike down to the river edge from the road and launch from there. That’s Harpers Ferry in the distance on the left.
UAV
As it is with any government agency, the FAA has a “crap ton” of regulations and the hottest topic these days is UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. There are huge numbers of differing opinions about their use and with them becoming much more accessible and affordable it’s gonna get really crazy really quickly very soon (already in some instances). There are no-fly zone maps, advisory circulars from 1981, COA application procedures, and so on, and so on and so on. It’s dizzying to say the least. So here are some simple pieces of advise from me to other/future “droners:”
- Be respectful of anyone who approaches you about anything to do about your drone. Whether it’s simply to find out more about what you’re doing and to watch or someone who’s got an issue with you flying it. Doesn’t matter – be respectful in your conversations. If it really gets heated just don’t fly there.
- Know your craft – EVERYTHING about it. Not just how to get it up in the air, but what to do if you encounter an issue while it’s up there. Know how to troubleshoot what’s going on from the batteries to the blinking lights to the regular maintenance. Know its limitations and don’t push them just for the sake of pushing them.
- Be aware that there are regulations out there for UAV. They may not be specifically for this new category of aerial drone per se, but they are for UAV which technically includes your new DJI Phantom (or whatever you’re flying).
- Here’s a link to the current FAA set of regulations for UAV
- The National Park System has also issued its own policy on UAV within their parks.
- Know the regulations or at least be learning about the regulations. I know there are pockets of rebellious “droners” out there who are going to put up the good fight for their rights, but the FAA’s ultimate goal for its airspace is the safety of everybody involved – in the air or on the ground.
- Use some good ol’ common sense folks. Don’t be stupid about this. We’re privileged to be part of a new group of enthusiasts that may very well affect the way the FAA leans when it comes to that 9/30/2015 deadline for integration of UAV in the NAS. If we’re stupid about it now, guess what’s gonna happen when it comes time to develop new/updated regulations.
- Be safe.
This post was initially going to be a rant about a confrontation I had with an individual this evening who wanted to make me aware of all the regulations that prompted his company to “ground” their drone and that I shouldn’t be flying if they can’t. I was initially ticked off, but after careful thought, I decided to go this route to help promote awareness for common sense when it comes to this extremely touchy subject. I began to realize that I’m just as guilty of not following these tidbits of advice at one point or another so I want to make sure that I ultimately keep myself in check, too.
All I wanted to do was take some pictures of my elementary school…
My elementary school, which is no longer a public elementary school. This one’s for all those who attended Bridgewater Elementary School when it was located in “downtown” Bridgewater.
Golf
Aerial images of a golf course – no-brainer.
Rock Harbor Golf Course in Winchester, VA
Cedarmeade Studios 