The feeling of discovery--critique please
 

One of the main goals of the weekly I'm working on, "The Mystery Travel Show" explores conveying the feeling of discovery or mystery I experience walking up a new trail, or river or creek, or street in a city.

So I wonder if you'd take a look at the latest episode and let me know your thoughts along those lines or any other.

Click to view

thanks

Scott,

Some music in the background can certainly work wonders in setting the mood you're looking for too.

Thanks, Kevin,
I'm aiming for an immersive, "discovering a new place feel", and have been thinking the way to get there is as little artificial additives as possible. So if there were natural sounds in the shot, I emphasize them, but if everything was quiet, I add music, since most viewers are not in quiet surroundings, preventing them from getting the silence anyway.

It's kind of a big experiment. Not sure if it's achieving the results I'm looking for.

I really liked some of the images you grabbed here.... pretty cool stuff.

One suggetion if I may though.... while viewing this, I don't think the camera ever stopped moving, it came close though in one shot. :) I actually started feeling a bit sea-sick during part of it becuase there is almost too much motion going on.

Perhaps pick a few points of focus and get a static shot of those for a good 5 to 10 or even 15 seconds, let your audience get their bearings and soak in the image a little. I really liked the water and would have liked to see a few static shots of the water flowing. but that is just me.

I don't know if my suggestions would help to achieve the feeling of what you are trying to acheive, but I think would make it a more enjoyable viewing experience.

I got the feeling that we were looking at a log show. I did not see any animals, birds, tracks, insects(well one swarm of bugs) or anything except green plants and logs. I never got the feeling that we were going forward. Maybe at the end you could show a map or something?

Your titles are one of the best I have ever seen.

ThANks for the feedback.!

Ralph-yes, I wanted to keep the camera moving, but it's true, I could leverage the pace by breaking it up at a 'feature shot spot' to give the viewer a chance to relax and take in something moving, whether physically or emotionally. It appears to me that motion is the major difference between still photography and film, so "if the subject ain't movin', I'll move the camera..."

Kenneth - well, it is entitled "Coastal Redwoods"... :) I had a couple hours of sunlight left, so there wasn't much time to sit and wait for the animals to come out and play. In the confines of a 5 minute piece, it's tough to squeeze details in, but they do add much to the texture, and I want to include them. I just picked up a 55mm macro lens, so that will be in the bag from now on...