Got bored last week so I decided to go up to the North Ga. mountains and do some exploring along Blood Mountain Creek. There was no one else around which gave a very ethereal and solitary feeling. It's winter now here and with the leaves gone off the trees it gave me a lot more light to work with.

A Hike Along Blood Mtn. Creek on Vimeo

Nicely done!

Mark, another beautiful video. You sure do know the best places in north Georgia. Watching your videos makes me want to upgrade my Canon XL-2 for something smaller, lighter and HD. I am looking at the Canon XF300. Anyway, Happy New Year, it is always such a pleasure to watch and listen to your nature videos. Bob

Thanks Bob. Yes, north GA has some great places to explore. I am working on my list of places to visit in 2012. I've been checking out the Canon XF300 and the Panasonic HPX250 down at Showcase Video in Atlanta. Based on some of the video I have seen I am leaning more towards the HPX250 at the moment.

Likewise have a Happy New Year....

I have been buying equipment from Kenny and the boys at Showcase for 15 years. Roy (now retired) sold me my first Canon XL-1, then the 1s and now the XL-2. They are the best in Atlanta. I go there often, maybe I'll run into you one of these days. One of the reasons I am looking at the Canon is that I am just so familier with them. I have full access to EPA's Canon H1 and A1 as well, I just like the look they give me.

Thanks Mark,
Very enjoyable and relaxing particularly so when it is 42 degrees centigrade outside and none too cool inside. The static camera worked very well with this subject matter. I noticed a couple of shots where the camera was raised during the take. Did you use a boom for these? Hiking with a boom does not sound easy.

Alastair, yes I used a 4 foot jib and another heavy duty tripod for those shots. It required relaying my gear since it was all too heavy to carry in one trip. I carried two empty 1 gallon plastic jugs tied to my pack which I filled up with water along the way to use as counter weight on the jib. Saved me from carrying steel weights.