UWOL # 16- Lone Star Safari- Mike Sims

Chris Swanberg · June 1st, 2010, 07:51 PM

Mike.... I watched your entry a bit ago once it was posted and it seems I failed to post a response. Typical me, a day late and a dollar short.

Anyway I know of your careful taxonomic style, and attention to detail and enjoyed the trip through a definite NON-Texan acouterment of animals.

More of interest to me was how you handles both the new camera, and the newer sound challenges it presents. Chris B. will tell you thatI am kinda of a PITA on sound issues, and I watch entries with a perhaps high sensitivity to sound.

Well, you did not fail to impress, on all 3 fronts. The images were very nice to the eye, the editing of them did not detract, and the sound worked for me. I strongly suspected some foley mix, but the fact I had to suspect should be a kudo to you.

Like us all, you continue to grow as a film-maker and this was indeed an enjoyable watch.

Chris S.

I did a clip for my long dormant Long Form project where I was running 5 separate sound tracks for a still photo.... Foley horses, a stream, music, crickets and field sounds, and a VO...The sky is the limit... Good first effort with new equipment and tasks!

Mike Sims · June 1st, 2010, 08:34 PM

Thank-you Chris. I really appreciate your encouragement. Any improvement I may have made recently I attribute entirely to my hanging out with a great bunch of videomakers at UWOL. I think the world of all of you and I am very happy to be here. I’m really pleased to hear you’ve been able to get back to the Glacier NP project! I look forward to watching the next installment when you get ready to share it. I also hope to see you in the next challenge.

Per Johan Naesje · June 4th, 2010, 03:05 PM

Mike, finally I get time to watch your film. I had no idea there were so many different species in Texas! Many lovely animals! To me, it seems that you had good luck with your new T2i. Exposure and focus looks good. Colors are vibrant and looks naturally.

Some comments: Most of your shoots are a bit static, maybe a slight pan or tilt could have been made. Some tight closeups (don´t know if that was possible?) to get more details of the different animals. What kind of lenses did you use in your film Mike?
The pattern of the text, to me it was quite difficult to read.
One more thing, the Rhinoceros behind the fence. I would have tried to use the shallow dof you got with this cameras. Move nearer the fence (if possible?) use a wide open aperture to blur the fence and get the Rhinoceros sharp. Maybe you had to use a kind of telezoom lens to get the desire effect!

I hope that you will continue to shoot with your T2i, I´m very excited about these new cameras and I have got myself a new 7D, which I will put into use. So we might be able to learn much of each other in future challenges!

Mike Sims · June 6th, 2010, 10:01 AM

Hi Per Johan. I’m glad you’re back! Thanks for your help. I had trouble with the exposure and focus. I don’t have a LCD loupe yet and changing angles of the sun made judging shots on the screen difficult. Most of what I shot was out of focus slightly or bad exposure. I had a tendency to over-expose. Everything was shot from a car window mount. Because the window glass curved I wasn’t able to level the head and all pans would arc across the horizon line. I ended up not using any. I used the 18-55S lens that came with the camera and, for a few shots, my 100-400L. That blackbuck shot was at 400mm and the window glass wasn’t tight enough in it’s frame to hold it steady in the wind. The kit lens is too slow and, without a ND filter, it was stopped down too much anyway to get a shallow DOF. I couldn’t get close enough to the fence in the rhino shot to put it out of focus. I have seen that rhino out in the field dozens of times but, just my luck, on that day he was staying up by the barn. I shouldn’t have used the shot. He belongs to a local veterinarian and is the least “wild” animal I showed. I worried about that font. Thanks for confirming that it was a poor choice.

I can’t wait to see some of your work with the 7D. I think these cameras are going to work out quite well for special purposes. Today I am shooting through a microscope with the T2i and it is looking pretty good.

Mat Thompson · June 8th, 2010, 07:05 AM

Hi Mike

I found your concept different and entertaining. It was also very surprising and a little disturbing that people feel the need to bring all these different species in for there own ego/pleasure!

Nice outing with the new SLR too I'm looking forward to see more of what you do with it !

Cheers
Mat

Mike Sims · June 8th, 2010, 10:44 AM

Thanks Mat and congratulations on another well deserved win. I trust you got more great footage on your most recent trip and I hope we get a chance to see some of it soon.

June 4th, 2010, 03:05 PM	#18
Per Johan Naesje Trustee Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Akershus, Norway Posts: 1,413	Mike, finally I get time to watch your film. I had no idea there were so many different species in Texas! Many lovely animals! To me, it seems that you had good luck with your new T2i. Exposure and focus looks good. Colors are vibrant and looks naturally. Some comments: Most of your shoots are a bit static, maybe a slight pan or tilt could have been made. Some tight closeups (don´t know if that was possible?) to get more details of the different animals. What kind of lenses did you use in your film Mike? The pattern of the text, to me it was quite difficult to read. One more thing, the Rhinoceros behind the fence. I would have tried to use the shallow dof you got with this cameras. Move nearer the fence (if possible?) use a wide open aperture to blur the fence and get the Rhinoceros sharp. Maybe you had to use a kind of telezoom lens to get the desire effect! I hope that you will continue to shoot with your T2i, I´m very excited about these new cameras and I have got myself a new 7D, which I will put into use. So we might be able to learn much of each other in future challenges! __________________ - Per Johan

June 1st, 2010, 07:51 PM	#16
Chris Swanberg Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 904	Mike.... I watched your entry a bit ago once it was posted and it seems I failed to post a response. Typical me, a day late and a dollar short. Anyway I know of your careful taxonomic style, and attention to detail and enjoyed the trip through a definite NON-Texan acouterment of animals. More of interest to me was how you handles both the new camera, and the newer sound challenges it presents. Chris B. will tell you thatI am kinda of a PITA on sound issues, and I watch entries with a perhaps high sensitivity to sound. Well, you did not fail to impress, on all 3 fronts. The images were very nice to the eye, the editing of them did not detract, and the sound worked for me. I strongly suspected some foley mix, but the fact I had to suspect should be a kudo to you. Like us all, you continue to grow as a film-maker and this was indeed an enjoyable watch. Chris S. I did a clip for my long dormant Long Form project where I was running 5 separate sound tracks for a still photo.... Foley horses, a stream, music, crickets and field sounds, and a VO...The sky is the limit... Good first effort with new equipment and tasks!

June 1st, 2010, 08:34 PM	#17
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Thank-you Chris. I really appreciate your encouragement. Any improvement I may have made recently I attribute entirely to my hanging out with a great bunch of videomakers at UWOL. I think the world of all of you and I am very happy to be here. I’m really pleased to hear you’ve been able to get back to the Glacier NP project! I look forward to watching the next installment when you get ready to share it. I also hope to see you in the next challenge.

June 6th, 2010, 10:01 AM	#19
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Hi Per Johan. I’m glad you’re back! Thanks for your help. I had trouble with the exposure and focus. I don’t have a LCD loupe yet and changing angles of the sun made judging shots on the screen difficult. Most of what I shot was out of focus slightly or bad exposure. I had a tendency to over-expose. Everything was shot from a car window mount. Because the window glass curved I wasn’t able to level the head and all pans would arc across the horizon line. I ended up not using any. I used the 18-55S lens that came with the camera and, for a few shots, my 100-400L. That blackbuck shot was at 400mm and the window glass wasn’t tight enough in it’s frame to hold it steady in the wind. The kit lens is too slow and, without a ND filter, it was stopped down too much anyway to get a shallow DOF. I couldn’t get close enough to the fence in the rhino shot to put it out of focus. I have seen that rhino out in the field dozens of times but, just my luck, on that day he was staying up by the barn. I shouldn’t have used the shot. He belongs to a local veterinarian and is the least “wild” animal I showed. I worried about that font. Thanks for confirming that it was a poor choice. I can’t wait to see some of your work with the 7D. I think these cameras are going to work out quite well for special purposes. Today I am shooting through a microscope with the T2i and it is looking pretty good.

June 8th, 2010, 07:05 AM	#20
Mat Thompson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kent UK Posts: 1,397	Hi Mike I found your concept different and entertaining. It was also very surprising and a little disturbing that people feel the need to bring all these different species in for there own ego/pleasure! Nice outing with the new SLR too I'm looking forward to see more of what you do with it ! Cheers Mat

June 8th, 2010, 10:44 AM	#21
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Thanks Mat and congratulations on another well deserved win. I trust you got more great footage on your most recent trip and I hope we get a chance to see some of it soon.