A Year of Making Movies

I was uploading a video the other day to my Vimeo account when I suddenly realized that to date I have uploaded 42 videos since I got my Canon 7D. Wait a minute. That must be a mistake. But it wasn’t. 42 videos total. 24 of which I consider “finished” enough to put on my MERimages vimeo channel that I have a link to from my website.

The first video that I uploaded that was shot with the 7D was of the band Raven Congress performing at the Fitz on June 11th, 2010. It was shot with me walking around getting various angles during the song Travelers Tale. All in one take. I remember my arms getting tired holding the camera up. Steady it was not. Interesting perspective yes. I kind of wish I could watch all my favorite bands this way.

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Why I Hate to Love Apple

OSXLionI made the switch from Windows to Mac back in October of 2007 and have never looked back. In fact from time to time I still have to interact with a Windows computer in some way which quickly reminds me why I made the switch in the first place. It’s not that Windows isn’t a decent operating system, I think Windows 7 proved that, but Windows and Mac based computers are built on completely different philosophies which if you are a Mac user can be a bit hard to swallow at times.

Apple has always been about change and this year has been no exception. First of all there was the release of Final Cut Pro X in June which was followed up the next month with the release of OS X Lion. And in typical Apple fashion they once again gave us something shiny and new, but not without taking something away.

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Along with many other professional editors Final Cut Pro has been my software of choice for video editing, but it was due for an update. Of course the prerelease demos earlier this year only made us all that more anxious to get our hands on this new, faster, better app. And then when we did we were all shocked at how Apple completely changed the software. It wasn’t even able to open projects done in previous versions. Are you kidding me? Read the rest of this entry »

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A Look Back At My 2010

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Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we didn’t get a chance to change to a new year every 52 weeks. Without that fresh set of downs would we operate in the same manner. I guess that’s why most of us like the change of seasons. We all look forward to something new and different as long as we are somewhat in control of the different part. Read the rest of this entry »

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Moving Pictures With the Canon 7D

I finally got to test out my newest gear in the environment that I’d spec’d it out for… a dark night club with a live band. And I am happy to say that I was very pleased with the results. The camera was a Canon 7D which is one of the latest hybrid digital SLRs that can record full 1080p in a variety of frame rates. The higher ISO settings of these latest cameras means we are now able to get video in conditions previously impossible with a consumer level camcorder. And the quality of the latest Canon hybrid DSLRs is even up to broadcast levels as was evident when the season finale of House was shot entirely on the 7D’s big brother the Canon 5D mark II.

Take a look at the video below and see what you think. Watch in 720p for the best quality. Full screen is nice also, but it still is not up to the quality of the original file at 1080p. YouTube turns any HD video you upload into 720p and appears to have lowered the bitrate as well. It’s quite good, but lacking the little extra crispness that is present in the source file.

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In a Different Light – Capitol Building – Madison, WI


Wisconsin State Capitol Building at Night

Wisconsin State Capitol Building at Night

It’s always interesting to see how different something looks as time transitions from day to night. I sort of had a chance to document that recently during my trip to Madison, WI for a conference.

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SCCA Autocross – Drive it hard!

Thomas Yeoman of Houghton running the course.

Last fall when my buddy and co-worker Jim Chartre mentioned there was an autocross scheduled for late April in Houghton my first thought was “that ain’t going to happen!”. Although the snow would have most likely stopped by then the snowbanks would still be all over the parking lots. It just didn’t seem likely. But here we were. It had been unseasonably warm, hadn’t snowed in weeks and there was only one snowbank left on lot 24. Read the rest of this entry »

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Main Street Arts Festival – Fort Worth

The Lights of downtown come alive as night falls in Fort Worth during Main Street Arts Festival

The Lights of downtown come alive as night falls in Fort Worth during Main Street Arts Festival

You probably are very familiar with the verse “down on main street” in Bob Segers popular song. For me the music in that song creates a very soothing, easy going, comfortable feeling even though the lyrics might not quite support that. But for me that soothing music track really does capture the feel of being in downtown Fort Worth for the annual Main Street Arts Festival.

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City Lights – Minneapolis in March

There is something special about a walk in a major city at dusk. The metamorphosis that occurs as the sky darkens and the artificial lights come to life is always refreshing.

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Copper Dog 150 – Calumet, MI

The start banner at the Copper Dog 150 sled dog race in Calumet, MI.

The start banner at the Copper Dog 150 sled dog race in Calumet, MI.

The Copper Dog 150 sled dog race got underway Friday night in Calumet, MI. There was huge turnout for the inaugural event with spectators lining each side of the 5th street for as far as the eye could see. Read the rest of this entry »

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30 Seconds At A Time

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A view of the mysterious orange glow from the Correctional Facility south of Baraga.

This series of images is just for those who lay awake at night wondering what happens if you leave the shutter on your camera open for 30 seconds while along the road at the south side of Keweenaw Bay. I happened to be driving home last night so I decided to give it a try. Read the rest of this entry »

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