UWOL #7 "Huntin The Hard Way"
 

Here is my thread for commentary if anyone is so disposed.

It was fun to shoot and was a bit of a pain in the editing suite, particularly the compression issues with quicktime.

Everyday out with the falcons is an adventure as you never know what is going to happen, and it is always packed full of action!!

That of course makes the filming particularly challenging, an adventure in itself.

Hope you enjoy.

cool concept...falcons are a treat!

more close-ups of these magnificent birds would have strengthened this...is this your normal camera, dale? seems a little short on the telephoto compared to what i've seen from you before...

great soundtrack! is this original music? i loved it, it fit the subject and the barren, minimalist sense of place well.

Trackin' those birds looks pretty tricky....they move fast!

Very, very interesting....

I also would have like to see more close ups of the birds....on your arm, in the truck...
I'd be very interested in seeing how you care for them and call them back...

Dale,

Very cool to see a falconry film.

I used to be licensed years ago. That first time they fly to your fist is an experience words can't describe.

Tracking them as they go into a stoop is a tough job for sure.

Couldn't have asked for any better music that.

That sure was enjoyable and brought back a lot of memories.

I liked the slow motion shots of the falconer walking through the snow with his breath steaming from him.

Nice hit on the pheasant as you were panning towards the sun.

Dale, liked your film. Filming those birds is not an easy task! I would, like others have mention, liked to view some nice close-ups of those birds, when they was sitting at the falconer.
Overall a nice and good piece from you Dale.

Yes more close up's here too please ;-)
The action you captured was superb - the strikes were amazing. Are these harris hawks? Beautiful birds + fantastic scenery......

I feel I don’t need to say more, close-ups…
You made a nice film, I liked the concept.

Markus

Hi Dale

Her you make a realy greit enter,from my taste this is on
of the best film this round.Fantastic to see the falcon working.

Many nice clip!!!


Greait-work!!!!


VJV.



_________________________

Thank you all for the comments.

The Camera was my gl2, not my xl2.

I could not tell the whole Falconry story in 3 minutes, so I opted to make it a straight action video. Of course you can't use older footage which ruled out perhaps 150 hours of other video I have on hand.

the Music is an improvisation of "riders in the sky" played by a friend of mine whom I inspired when he was a 13 year old lad, so for me to use his music has more meaning to it.

Filming Falcons that stoop 100 to 280 miles an hour is more than difficult.

This falcon was often 1000 feet up. You can not zoom in close when they are up there because when they go into a stoop you can not keep up with them. You can not use auto focus ever, and often your lighting changes in one stoop. You will note that most of the time I try to keep the falcon high in the frame until the stoop starts, that way you can stay with the falcon, otherwise it is gone out of the frame and you will never catch up!!

The falcon is a domestic bred falcon and is a specticle to see fly.
The only other bird is the wild Male golden eagle that comes in to try and get a free meal.

Kevin, I have been a falconer for 46 years and have spent my life studying raptors of all kinds. While I love all wildlife, the raptors are in my very soul.

I am glad some of you enjoyed it, that is the whole point of sharing it.

Dale, you always deliver spectacular bird footage, and this was no excemption.
I use the same camera (XM2), so I know what people mean when asking for more close ups. Sometimes the built in 20x just isn't enough.
But still, I enjoyed every single second of your film.
Those falcons are fantastic birds.
Sometimes, I had trouble keeping the dog in the frame for my film, so I believe keeping up with the falcon must have been even more difficult.

Keep up the good work, and thank you for sharing.
The music was a perfect choice.

Hi Dale:

Way to go on this one! What magnificent birds! Like Markus' film, I can't imagine the scale of difficulty filming it. Beautiful scenery, awesome music, wonderful subject. It's all here Dale! Nice job! Oh yea, and the close ups... how cool would that be too! We like to ask for everything here in UWOL land!

Cat

Hi Dale,

Given my falconry background whilst living in Scotland, this was an absolute surprise and delight to say the least!

To actually get the strike you got (the backlight shot) was absolutely amazing, given the speeds at which these birds are moving. I just loved watching your footage - which brought back so many memories.

The peregrine (although I thought it was a Saker with that reddish tinge on the head) is such an impressive bird to look at, so I understand others comments about the close ups - you know the ones where the screen is filled with only the head of the bird, the cut to the talons and jesses, tying the hood on with your teeth, etc. Regardless, I still loved watching the action take place.

I think you should use a tripod as often as you can and also watch your horizons in some of the shots.

Thanks for sharing such wonderful scenes with us Dale (I would love to see all that other footage you have).

One thing I enjoy about most of vour video's are the miles of open spaces.After watching your video I went back to mine and i notice how confinded it looks even though I am shooting in open spaces...Nice action adventure Dale...

Hi Dale.
"Ghost riders of the sky", great choice of music to this exciting and action filled falconer adventure.
One thing that amaze me more and more is the different approaches to the uwol themes. You can not put everything into 3 min, but maybe I miss some explonation about being a falconer.
I think it's forbidden to train and keep falcons captured in Norway, but I mean no offend though :)

Loved you film and thank you for sharing.

All the best
Geir Inge

Geir,

Norway has a history of being a supplier of raptors in the 1500 to 1800's. Falconry did not take place there for a number of reasons, but it was a great place to set up trapping stations and such which allowed locals to capitalize on some of the native wildlife in that era.

Falconry practiced properly is perhaps the greatest hunting sport with the least impact on the wildlife, both falcons and falconer benifit, hence the symbiotic relationship. Every flight is like a piece of art, always exciting, unique in its own individual way and highly dramatic. I have never known an outdoors person that has seen it done properly that was not emotionally moved. That is what I was trying to portray. I probably failed in a couple regards, as video is good but it isn't like being there!!! Gives me motivation to keep working at it!!!

I tried to portray the non stop action and the specticle of watching a predator do what is natural.

I am in no way offended!!!

Vikings were known for trained raptors too, shame to have lost that heritage!!!