filming golf balls trajectory / hits

Chris Soucy · February 8th, 2008, 04:54 PM

Rob, you've just done the "lateral thinking" bit yourself!

"they are not interested in the hitter either"

says it all.

That golf balls do, indeed, hit this guys home is, one would think, not in dispute.

That balls hit from the golf club greens or fairways can reach the property is all that it is surely necessary to prove.

If that is so, get a mate (heck, make it a foursome!) out on those greens and tell him/ them to knock himself/ themselves out (better make sure he's got a phone/ walkie talkie) taking shots at the house.

You just need to get some practice in to catch those balls in flight.

Given a couple of hours over a few days I'm sure you'll get it cracked, all it's going to cost is a few days green fees and about 150 golf balls.

Set your camera up with the best external monitor/ head/ tripod you can beg/ borrow or steal and go for it.

See, I knew you'd crack it!

CS

Henry Dale · February 9th, 2008, 03:48 AM

I have a very similar problem we might be able to deal with in parallel here:

I have a client who recently bought a second house next to a dairy farm out in the country.

He wants me to video evidence of cattle crapping on the road outside his garage because he suspects that ever since he moved in, the farmer has been deliberately moving his cows from one side of the farm across the road to the other twice daily, and it’s causing the tyre treads of his Porsche Cayenne Turbo to get quite dirty when he has to drive across it to get to the supermarket at the weekends.

Any suggestions as to how I can shoot this?

Chris Soucy · February 9th, 2008, 02:07 PM

Has your client asked the farmer why he's moving his cows this way?

Unless there's some serious bad blood between the two I'd have to guess that the reason he's moving his cattle this way is for twice daily milking.

Seems like a lot of effort just to get up your guys nose.

If this is the reason, perhaps a direct approach to the farmer suggesting an alternative route would be a good first move, tho' as it's still going to involve crossing the road, the problem isn't fixed, just moved.

The lateral thinking approach would be to suggest your client buy a Range Rover or other humungous "country" car and save the Porche for Sloan Square!

As for shooting it, can't see an issue unless "overt" camera placement REALLY upsets the farmer. To ameliorate this I would suggest setting up a good quality external security type camera somewhere convenient to the action (but unobtrusive) and connecting it to a DVR or similar, set the timer for the approximate time scales for the cow move and let it rip.

Shouldn't take more than a couple of days to get what's wanted, with the farmer none the wiser.

Does sound like a bad case of "Town meets Country with resultant Mutual Incomprehension" tho'. I mean, what do you think is going to happen if you buy a house next to a dairy farm? "Cows" seems pretty logical to me.

CS

John Miller · February 9th, 2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henry Dale

Any suggestions as to how I can shoot this?

Without sniggering perhaps?!

Sheesh - he should at least buy a Range Rover and some green wellies.

Terence Murphy · February 9th, 2008, 03:24 PM

I'd say the trick to seeing the golf ball hitting the house is to minimize angles. If the camera is positioned perpendicular to the golf ball trajectory, the rate of movement across the frame (pixels per frame) will be the largest making it hard to see, and result in a severe strobe effect when combined with a fast shutter speed. If the camera is positioned in line between the hole and the house, you'll reduce the speed across the frame and make the ball easier to see.

The ideal positions would be past one end of the line between the tee and the house, but that's probably not feasible (unless there's a nice high structure on the other side of the house to shoot from). The golf course might not appreciate you shooting from the other end of the line (behind the golfer, on the tee).

I would also recommend putting a mic on the roof. Even if its hard to see the ball as it hits the house, the sound followed by the bounce would be quite effective.

But even if you catch the perfect "money shot" of the ball hitting the house, I'd say the lawyers have their work cut out for them. If you're building a house on a golf course, you don't design it with major windows facing the tee, even if its a great view. My parents used to live on a golf course, and their house was positioned with the major windows facing the fairway, and a barrier on the tee-end of the house to block the sliced balls. They probably collected a bucket of balls a year, with no broken windows. But that's the lawyers' problem.

-Terence

Jonathan Kirsch · February 11th, 2008, 06:28 PM

I had heard from someone, at one point, that the contrast on the viewfinders on the cameras that shoot the golf are inverted...so that a white ball (which looks like a dark ball against a bright background) shows up as a black ball on a white background...makes it easier to see. Don't know if that is really what's going on. Something like that. Anyway, if there's a way to play with the contrast and do a high shutter, it's possible. Like others have posted before, do a bunch of trials.

Jonathan

February 8th, 2008, 04:54 PM	#16
Chris Soucy Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fairfield, Dunedin, New Zealand Posts: 3,682 Images: 18	Hi again........... Rob, you've just done the "lateral thinking" bit yourself! "they are not interested in the hitter either" says it all. That golf balls do, indeed, hit this guys home is, one would think, not in dispute. That balls hit from the golf club greens or fairways can reach the property is all that it is surely necessary to prove. If that is so, get a mate (heck, make it a foursome!) out on those greens and tell him/ them to knock himself/ themselves out (better make sure he's got a phone/ walkie talkie) taking shots at the house. You just need to get some practice in to catch those balls in flight. Given a couple of hours over a few days I'm sure you'll get it cracked, all it's going to cost is a few days green fees and about 150 golf balls. Set your camera up with the best external monitor/ head/ tripod you can beg/ borrow or steal and go for it. See, I knew you'd crack it! CS

February 9th, 2008, 02:07 PM	#18
Chris Soucy Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fairfield, Dunedin, New Zealand Posts: 3,682 Images: 18	Hi Henry............... Has your client asked the farmer why he's moving his cows this way? Unless there's some serious bad blood between the two I'd have to guess that the reason he's moving his cattle this way is for twice daily milking. Seems like a lot of effort just to get up your guys nose. If this is the reason, perhaps a direct approach to the farmer suggesting an alternative route would be a good first move, tho' as it's still going to involve crossing the road, the problem isn't fixed, just moved. The lateral thinking approach would be to suggest your client buy a Range Rover or other humungous "country" car and save the Porche for Sloan Square! As for shooting it, can't see an issue unless "overt" camera placement REALLY upsets the farmer. To ameliorate this I would suggest setting up a good quality external security type camera somewhere convenient to the action (but unobtrusive) and connecting it to a DVR or similar, set the timer for the approximate time scales for the cow move and let it rip. Shouldn't take more than a couple of days to get what's wanted, with the farmer none the wiser. Does sound like a bad case of "Town meets Country with resultant Mutual Incomprehension" tho'. I mean, what do you think is going to happen if you buy a house next to a dairy farm? "Cows" seems pretty logical to me. CS

February 9th, 2008, 03:48 AM	#17
Henry Dale New Boot Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cardiff Posts: 17	I have a very similar problem we might be able to deal with in parallel here: I have a client who recently bought a second house next to a dairy farm out in the country. He wants me to video evidence of cattle crapping on the road outside his garage because he suspects that ever since he moved in, the farmer has been deliberately moving his cows from one side of the farm across the road to the other twice daily, and it’s causing the tyre treads of his Porsche Cayenne Turbo to get quite dirty when he has to drive across it to get to the supermarket at the weekends. Any suggestions as to how I can shoot this?

February 9th, 2008, 03:24 PM	#20
Terence Murphy Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 161	I'd say the trick to seeing the golf ball hitting the house is to minimize angles. If the camera is positioned perpendicular to the golf ball trajectory, the rate of movement across the frame (pixels per frame) will be the largest making it hard to see, and result in a severe strobe effect when combined with a fast shutter speed. If the camera is positioned in line between the hole and the house, you'll reduce the speed across the frame and make the ball easier to see. The ideal positions would be past one end of the line between the tee and the house, but that's probably not feasible (unless there's a nice high structure on the other side of the house to shoot from). The golf course might not appreciate you shooting from the other end of the line (behind the golfer, on the tee). I would also recommend putting a mic on the roof. Even if its hard to see the ball as it hits the house, the sound followed by the bounce would be quite effective. But even if you catch the perfect "money shot" of the ball hitting the house, I'd say the lawyers have their work cut out for them. If you're building a house on a golf course, you don't design it with major windows facing the tee, even if its a great view. My parents used to live on a golf course, and their house was positioned with the major windows facing the fairway, and a barrier on the tee-end of the house to block the sliced balls. They probably collected a bucket of balls a year, with no broken windows. But that's the lawyers' problem. -Terence

February 11th, 2008, 06:28 PM	#21
Jonathan Kirsch Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 204	I had heard from someone, at one point, that the contrast on the viewfinders on the cameras that shoot the golf are inverted...so that a white ball (which looks like a dark ball against a bright background) shows up as a black ball on a white background...makes it easier to see. Don't know if that is really what's going on. Something like that. Anyway, if there's a way to play with the contrast and do a high shutter, it's possible. Like others have posted before, do a bunch of trials. Jonathan