Grouse Close-up at DVinfo.net

Dale Guthormsen · October 14th, 2009, 08:06 AM

Here is some footage of my favorite upland gamebirds, sharp tailed grouse. This particular morning I went and shot primarily for close ups. shot on an xlh1 with the 100-400 zoom mostly in the 300 range. Audio was with an At 897.

It is a huge file and my favorite footage is near the end.

Hope you enjoy.

Commentaries welcome!!

Ofer Levy · October 14th, 2009, 08:41 AM

That must have been an amazing experience for you as the behaviour captured is wonderful!
Shooting angle is nice and low and most of it looks pretty sharp to me.
Shooting this from the opposite side when the rising sun is behind you could give you the most amazing light. As presented it looks a bit underexposed. Camera movement can be improved as in some parts it is not smooth enough IMO. I would also like to see a quicker response to the changing scene - following the movement, changing the composition, zooming in and out etc.
I feel that a 2-3 minutes clip of the best parts could be more effective.
All in all I enjoyed watching this - keep it up!
Cheers,
Ofer
Ofer Levy Photography

Kin Lau · October 14th, 2009, 11:38 AM

Superb footage Dale. It's a bit raw, but it's lovely. I can see why Ofer thought it was a bit dark, but it does reflect the reality of the situation.

Ryan Farnes · October 14th, 2009, 11:22 PM

Nice stuff. I agree with Ofer about movement/shakiness, but I'm guessing that is the equipment and not you. I recently bought a 503HDV manfrotto head that will hopefully be smooth enough for me. Looks like nicer fluid heads and legs are well over $1000. Maybe next year. :)

I'm really interested in your sound. It was recorded in tandem with the visuals right? I'm interested in shooting more wildlife and have an HVX200, so I'm looking into different sound options. Do you feel like the At 897 gives you really good range? Do you use a windscreen and softie? I'm interested in your thoughts on it, the sound in the video sounds pretty good. How far away were you? 50-100ft or so?

Annie Haycock · October 15th, 2009, 03:58 AM

Wonderful footage Dale, and the Gaelic music was lovely too. Watching it was a welcome break to my current intense fortnight of report-writing.

Yes, you need to edit it down a bit - though I'd be happy with ten minutes rather than the 2-3 that Ofer suggests - but then, I just enjoy watching birds! There's a bit at the beginning when the birds go out of frame that could go. As there is no commentary, I think a shot of the foot-drumming should go in very near the beginning. That sound dominates the first half, and I think the source needs to be shown earlier - I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show it at all.

Hope you're back on your feet an able to get out and do more of this kind of stuff soon.

Ryan Farnes · October 21st, 2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan Farnes

Nice stuff. I agree with Ofer about movement/shakiness, but I'm guessing that is the equipment and not you. I recently bought a 503HDV manfrotto head that will hopefully be smooth enough for me. Looks like nicer fluid heads and legs are well over $1000. Maybe next year. :)

I'm really interested in your sound. It was recorded in tandem with the visuals right? I'm interested in shooting more wildlife and have an HVX200, so I'm looking into different sound options. Do you feel like the At 897 gives you really good range? Do you use a windscreen and softie? I'm interested in your thoughts on it, the sound in the video sounds pretty good. How far away were you? 50-100ft or so?

Bumpage. :-)

Dale Guthormsen · October 22nd, 2009, 03:39 PM

Ryan,

The At 897 seems to be pretty solid , and for its price it is a a good piece of equipment. the grouse are about 50 yards away from me in this shoot. I set the mic up outside of the blind, low to the ground and have a foam wind breaker and a dead cat over it for this sequence. I now have a blimp and a dead cat for it and it is amazing how well it cuts nasty wind out!! If you look at my last 15 second video clip it starts with the camera rig with the blimp on the side. and the audio is all original with shot. the geese werre about 1/4 mile off.

I am sure a 1000 to 2000 dollar mic would be even better. But for on a budget I think the at 897 is the best bang for the buck. I have used a single but a pair of them would be even better.

Ryan Farnes · November 14th, 2009, 09:04 AM

Whew, almost forgot about this thread.

Thanks for the response.

October 14th, 2009, 08:06 AM	#1
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Grouse Close-up Here is some footage of my favorite upland gamebirds, sharp tailed grouse. This particular morning I went and shot primarily for close ups. shot on an xlh1 with the 100-400 zoom mostly in the 300 range. Audio was with an At 897. It is a huge file and my favorite footage is near the end. Grouse close-up on Vimeo Hope you enjoy. Commentaries welcome!! __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

October 15th, 2009, 03:58 AM	#5
Annie Haycock Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pembrokeshire, Wales Posts: 734	Wonderful footage Dale, and the Gaelic music was lovely too. Watching it was a welcome break to my current intense fortnight of report-writing. Yes, you need to edit it down a bit - though I'd be happy with ten minutes rather than the 2-3 that Ofer suggests - but then, I just enjoy watching birds! There's a bit at the beginning when the birds go out of frame that could go. As there is no commentary, I think a shot of the foot-drumming should go in very near the beginning. That sound dominates the first half, and I think the source needs to be shown earlier - I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show it at all. Hope you're back on your feet an able to get out and do more of this kind of stuff soon. __________________ Canon XH A1; Canon XF100; Nikon D800

October 22nd, 2009, 03:39 PM	#7
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Ryan, The At 897 seems to be pretty solid , and for its price it is a a good piece of equipment. the grouse are about 50 yards away from me in this shoot. I set the mic up outside of the blind, low to the ground and have a foam wind breaker and a dead cat over it for this sequence. I now have a blimp and a dead cat for it and it is amazing how well it cuts nasty wind out!! If you look at my last 15 second video clip it starts with the camera rig with the blimp on the side. and the audio is all original with shot. the geese werre about 1/4 mile off. I am sure a 1000 to 2000 dollar mic would be even better. But for on a budget I think the at 897 is the best bang for the buck. I have used a single but a pair of them would be even better. __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

October 14th, 2009, 08:41 AM	#2
Ofer Levy Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sydney-Australia Posts: 443	That must have been an amazing experience for you as the behaviour captured is wonderful! Shooting angle is nice and low and most of it looks pretty sharp to me. Shooting this from the opposite side when the rising sun is behind you could give you the most amazing light. As presented it looks a bit underexposed. Camera movement can be improved as in some parts it is not smooth enough IMO. I would also like to see a quicker response to the changing scene - following the movement, changing the composition, zooming in and out etc. I feel that a 2-3 minutes clip of the best parts could be more effective. All in all I enjoyed watching this - keep it up! Cheers, Ofer Ofer Levy Photography

October 14th, 2009, 11:38 AM	#3
Kin Lau Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 385	Superb footage Dale. It's a bit raw, but it's lovely. I can see why Ofer thought it was a bit dark, but it does reflect the reality of the situation.

October 14th, 2009, 11:22 PM	#4
Ryan Farnes Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Posts: 220	Nice stuff. I agree with Ofer about movement/shakiness, but I'm guessing that is the equipment and not you. I recently bought a 503HDV manfrotto head that will hopefully be smooth enough for me. Looks like nicer fluid heads and legs are well over $1000. Maybe next year. :) I'm really interested in your sound. It was recorded in tandem with the visuals right? I'm interested in shooting more wildlife and have an HVX200, so I'm looking into different sound options. Do you feel like the At 897 gives you really good range? Do you use a windscreen and softie? I'm interested in your thoughts on it, the sound in the video sounds pretty good. How far away were you? 50-100ft or so?

November 14th, 2009, 09:04 AM	#8
Ryan Farnes Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Posts: 220	Whew, almost forgot about this thread. Thanks for the response.