UWOL #7 ”Whispers of Winter” by Kevin J Railsback

[Bob Safay]

Man Kevin, that was beautiful. I to was taken back many years to a snow fall like that when I lived in Idaho. You are the only one that has ever gotten me to actually miss snow!!!! After watching it several times I decide I need to go and video snow. The shot with the geese was very moving. An excellant job. Thanks you. Bob

[Dale Guthormsen]

Kevin,

what a great job!! I have this one in my top four so far!!!

the imagery is awesome!!

I rreally liked the vertical pan where you slide ever so slowly up and then the transition into a new clip and you continue on with the pan at the same speed!!!
what a wonderful piece of work!!!


truly inspiring!!!!

[Trond Saetre]

Kevin, you deliver quality work!
Don't ever think you are not a filmmaker!
You are a true filmmaker, just as all of us in this awesome uwol family!!
The film is really good. I enjoyed every single second.
So what if your camera doesn't move much. You give the audience a great show, and I felt I was there.

Keep up the good work, and I am really looking forward to see more of your artwork!

[Mat Thompson]

Hey Kevin. As beautiful as ever fella, you are an artist with your framing and you see detail where most would overlook. You know I love your work and as I've said for me your probably the best shooter in our group.

I think your piece stands on it own and didn't need the VO you spoke about doing. As far as film making goes, you have your own visually artistic, non narrative style and I look forward to your work. Kevin, your an artist and you do what you do very well. Your work in always pristine and perfectly polished, its emotive with pictures not words and I know thats what you feel most comfortable doing. But I guess sometimes doing things your not comfortable with can take you to places you wouldn't have thought about previously.

Great piece fella.

[Ruth Happel]

Kevin,

As always, you have some really visually stunning images. You know my preference, and I prefer story driven pieces, but this certainly was beautiful, and fun to watch. The music was a good match to the flow of the piece. Some natural sound- water, geese- would have been a nice addition, too, since your piece was so good at evoking the feeling of being there, location audio would have meshed well with the visuals. The skunk cabbage are interesting- and would be fun to see sometime (as long as you don't have smellorama).

Ruth

[David Gemmell]

Hi Kevin,

Well you know how I feel about your work. You also know I favour films that stirr our emotions - films that see the beauty in life, through nature and our loved ones.

Given the above, you can imagine just how wonderful it was for me to watch "Whispers of Winter". I think it is a beautiful piece - just like "Journey to the Sea".

I guess everyone else has covered all the technical side of things but I think for me it will always be the feeling in your films, the passion, the love for what you do and how you pass this from your heart through the lens that will mean the most.

Remember I mentioned about my wife saying you have a beautiful mind? This is what you bring our in people and I know from our past discussions that bringing such emotions out in the viewer is more valuable than any story or technically brilliant piece. What is amazing is how you manage to get the emotion bit and ALSO the technically brilliant bit as well.

Beautiful Kevin - just beautiful.

[Geir Inge]

What a great and moving film Kevin.
You really got an eye for details and how to capture what's inside of our hearts and dreams. Very beautiful film indeed.
It somehow reminds me of Steven Dempsey (if you've heard about him) and some of his films, but you put your own mark on it so it's a complete Kevin-film :)

Thank you for sharing, and all the best
Geir Inge

[Espen Skjold]

...filming Kevin! And I love the movement from snowy weather to sunshine. A lot of naturephotographer and -filmmakers only get out in the sunshine, but the variety of nature is much more than that.

I disagree with you in terms of the "lack of a story" in your filming, watching rivers float and ice melt is a new story everytime :o)

I liked it. Good choice of music aswell.

Espen

[Carl Middleton]

As someone who only very briefly has lived where it snowed, this is a world quite alien to me. While everything down here is boring (albeit warm) during winter, you are trekking through beautiful forests of snow, filming geese skimming the water and small patches of ice slowly breaking apart, heralding spring's soon to come arrival. I never thought I would have envy for feet of snow. =D

A moving piece, and one I quite enjoyed. Look forward to seeing more great stuff from you!

C

[Marj Atkins]

Kevin
I have spent much time playing your videos over and over because they are just so calming and delightful to the eye. I have learned a great deal from your work especially your approach to landscape, light and water. Your Yellowstone video is my all time favourite - I have watched that so many times simply because it is an absolute joy to watch. This is yet another outstanding video to add to the collection - an adventure into a winter wonderland. (I have looked forward to these winter videos with great anticipation - a world so foreign to us.)

You captured so beautifully, the flying geese and their landing in the water - a special moment for me - perhaps because they provide a bit of life, movement and interest, like your perennial river, in an otherwise static world of silence and dormancy. I played your video without the music as well - just to try and capture a bit more of the absolute stillness you experienced.

I noticed that this video was done in the same location as your geo-caching video and I had great fun comparing the same place under two types of weather conditions. Your work is very inspiring - and after reading your intro which I did only after writing this - trust me your images speak louder than a thousand words. Words can seldom express something so spiritual. You have an eye for light and its subtleties that is truly unique and the ability - more importantly - to be able to capture it for us to see. I hope I can learn to do that one day. Never stop making your story.

[Kevin Railsback]

Thanks again everyone for the kind words. It sure inspires me to continue to try and capture what I feel in my heart when I'm out in nature.

Sometimes it's tough to shut out the chaos of the everyday world.

Attached is a behind the scenes pic of what caused the geese to take flight in my film.

It's hard to imagine that on all sides of this little oasis is a major train route, two major highways, housing developments and a sewage treatment plant.

But, I think it also shows that you can find natural beauty almost anywhere and as hard as we try to wipe it off the face of the Earth, she manages to hang on despite the constant pressure from us.

Marj, if you go back and watch "Wild no More" that was all done in pretty much the exact same section of the trail as this film was shot.
I was worried that someone would call me out for basically doing a winter version of "Wild no More." :)

In fact, there was the mallard duck in the same spot as the previous film but I thought if I shot that again I would really get called out. :)

But with all that going on as the snow fell, the traffic was silenced as the snow kept everyone inside and off the roads, the train had passed, the slight breeze was blowing the smell of the sewage plant away from the nature center and I stood in complete silence only hearing the call of nature as she asked me to share a part of her with you.

I hope I did her justice.

[Marj Atkins]

Most nature reserves are bordered by highways and railway lines and factories and other such things - that's the world in which we live today unfortunately. The smaller the reserve the more imposing they become.

We have a number of sewerage plants around here that are prime birding locations often attracting otherwise rare species. Just goes to show - if you look for it, you can find exquisite beauty even in the most unattractive of places.

[Bruce Foreman]

Kevin, I'm late in this feedback due to computer problems...

So all I can do is echo everything folks have already said here. As a photographer most of my life I have come to appreciate excellence in imaging whatever venue it is found in and in this film you have portrayed the delicate beauty of winter in a way that touches, relaxes, soothes, and excites the spirit all at the same time.

The almost monochromatic theme throughout captured a mood that was held consistent by smooth transitions from one element, one depiction to another.

Man, I loved this one!

[Warren Cook]

Kevin, I have watched your film 8 or 9 times and every time I enjoy it more than the first time. This type of film is what I like most, very serene and soothing. It is the type of film I like to perfect. Thanks for making it.

[Kevin Railsback]

Thanks Warren!

As much as I try to do something different, once I get out there I just revert to the same old thing. Guess it's a good thing that people are ok with that cause fast action cuts and fast tempo music seems to not work for me no matter how hard I try to do something different.

Heck, I've already picked out the music I want to use for #8. :-) Yep, it's more of the same.
The challenge will be that EVERYTHING will be dull and brown. So coming up with something will be tough.

But, I'm glad you enjoyed this one!