Under water

[Arnt Mollan]

Its late autumn in Norway. And since this thread also is called under water, I have added some video I recorded a week ago. Visit http://www.mollanmedia.com/Bilder/Fl...mer/video.html
and click on "ørretdans". Sorry for th Ø, but we Norwegians have so much to tell that we need more letters.
The small Flash-format does not give credits to the colors and details. Used Z1, handheld and pola.
Next year I will try to find some clear water, and get more underwater video. We had only one day, and they were gone.

Some weeks ago I was writing about getting close to the nature,
and came to remember a story that happend this time some years ago.

I was working in a gas station, and after saturday evening shift, I grabbed the leftover bakeries, a tent, my photogear, and reached for the forrest.
I had a small lake where I used to photograph wildlife.
If you want to come really close to the animals, you sometimes have to make the animals come to you.
So I used the tent as a hiding place, and spread the bakeries around to make the birds and animals come closer to me, and my camera.

This autumn evening I had spread the bread around the tent as usual, it was dark, and I went to bed.
The tent was just big enough, if I was sleeping diagonally, and high enough to sit upright with the camera.
With naked torso and open zipper in the sleeping-bag, I went to sleep, waiting for an early morning..

As the fog came creeping up from the small lake, and with my warm breath inside, the singel layer tent did condence a lot.
I did not know that this was going to be the first night the temperature dropped belowe freezing point.
And when condence freezes it turns into.... Yes, rime and ice inside the tent.

The roe-deer (a small deer) got close to the tent and smelled me. And I was ... right, I was asleep.
Ever heard the warning call of a deer? I have.
Its like stabbing a creature from another world. Its horrible.
And almost in my ear.
In a split of a second I went from deep asleep to upright position, ripping alle the tent pegs out of the ground.
In the darkness, and the icy tent canvas wrapped around my naked torso.

Could not see, could not breath, and my heart had stopped.
Suddenly my heart tryed to catch up again, working overtime to give energy to my braincells.
I remembered why, where and when and and in panic I tried to find the tent zipper.

I have often been thinking. If someone had been walking the road 300 feet away, on their way home frome a late party.
Heard the scream, turned around, and seen the statue popping up from the fog. And starts moving like a bat out of hell...
Or a hunter. Me... I think I would have shot.

Take care, and happy filming.

[Per Johan Naesje]

Originally Posted by Arnt Mollan

...I have often been thinking. If someone had been walking the road 300 feet away, on their way home frome a late party.
Heard the scream, turned around, and seen the statue popping up from the fog. And starts moving like a bat out of hell...
Or a hunter. Me... I think I would have shot.

Take care, and happy filming.

LOL, I should have been there filming you! Could be the beginning of a combinded wildelife - horror film, we should take a talk one day Arnt.

Comments to your film about the trout: The start was good, but I think you could shorten it in lenght. I would also like some more underwater footage. But as you write you are working with it.

[Brendan Marnell]

Great story Arnt. Hardly needed a cameraman, you told it so well. But Per Johan would be the best in such a situation and for editing too. I'm having a problem being sufficiently ruthless with my footage. Per Johan must be very clear-thinking. His films never give a hint of all the footage he deletes ... it's all so smooth when he's finished with it ... and he retains and uses images of the habitat so well.

I thought at first your fish were going up-stream to spawn but that was only the start; for most of your footage they were actually spawning. Marvellous to see the tails and fins cutting the water. More please.

[Arnt Mollan]

Originally Posted by Per Johan

Comments to your film about the trout: The start was good, but I think you could shorten it in lenght. I would also like some more underwater footage. But as you write you are working with it.

Hi Per Johan.
I could not agree more. After working with the clips on a 22" monitor, and then on big plasma, it was a big dissapointment to see it on the net. Almost every detail is gone in the rendering, and the pixels have grown together. I can hardly see the small lightning fast males.
They live in the rivers all year and does not grow bigger. They are the bank reserve of the nature, and their only mission is to steel some time with the females. Its supposed to be told a story there, but since most of you dont understand norwegian, or my english:-), I used the background music.

I am now preparing for next year, building my own underwater housing. And looking for a new locations.

I will try to shorten it for the web.

Thanks for your comments, Per Johan and Brendan.