DV Info Net - 13_uwol19

First off, thanks to everyone for all the feedback. My anxiety level has dropped considerably from the time I put my name on the sign up thread. I really enjoyed being a part of this and can better appreciate the feedback stage of the challenge. Not only will this improve my UWOL work, but the job I do for clients also.

As you are all now aware, color grading is not my strong suit and I try and get the best from presets and as little post correction as necessary. Obviously this workflow needs improvement and this challenge has been impetus for the change.

“The only suggestion I would make would be to increase your contrast a bit while you are editing. Some of the scenes, especially near the beginning are a bit washed out.”

I tried this and it did help. Thanks

“I think many of your shots were a bit flat, probably due to the challenging subject matter. Ice is tough. I think you might crush the blacks a bit and then boost the saturation or vibrance.”

Gee, even I’m noticing a trend……

“It kept my interest throughout despite what may be considered limited subject matter”

Funny you mentioned that! I had considered using large mysterious majestic land/sea mammals, with “cute as a button” offspring, performing mating rituals along a great stretch of ocean in nice weather as subject matter. But I figured that had been way overdone and went with ducks.

I apologize, I was wrong.

I needed to get some ground level shots, close to the shore to offset the high bank I had been filming from. So the next morning I loaded everything up and went to a county park. There are parking areas but they still had over three feet of compacted snow in them so I was closer to the main road.

The only tripod I had much luck with no movement is a very large Libec that I also use for my crane and I hauled that down to the shore. Two trips later I was set. Man the weather is getting bad, the spray is even starting to hit me. Tens minutes later it’s a whiteout. Am I insane?

Yank the camera off the tripod and head for the car. Return and find out the tripod is now frozen solid to the shore. Darn. I pull on it hard enough to know any more pressure it’s going to break. Double darn.

I need the proper tools to remove it. I go home, get a shovel and ax. Return to the park. Wow, it’s really blowing now. Remove shovel, ax and tripod bag from car, close rear hatch and head for the shore. I hear a car pull up and lo and behold it’s the police.

As I look back on it and to be totally fair to the police, “profiling” was in order. I was wearing everything I could put on, including a black jacket, face mask and hat. I WAS carrying a shovel and ax and large canvas bag in weather that was unfit to be out in. Not that the police could tell, but the tripod bag technically was too small to hold a body. But then again there was that ax thing hanging from my right hand…..And even though upstate, it’s still New York.

“Sir, could you put down the ax and shovel and take two steps forward” was the command. I complied. He was standing behind the front driver’s door, right hand resting on his gun butt, obviously annoyed at having to do this but felt it was something he needed to investigate.

I thought I heard him say “suspicious person” into the radio.

(Could you see the reaction from his superiors if when notified about a mass murderer in the area he remarked, “Well I did see this guy dressed in black with a ski mask on with an ax, a shovel and canvas bag. I wonder….)

Now we are both standing by my car and he asked me to remove the ski mask and wanted me to produce some ID. He then asked me what I was doing and I explained to him about the tripod, which he had me take him to.

He then shook his head, and said incredulously “You’re out in this weather and going through all this for pictures of a duck!? It’s not like they are seals or something”.