Talk

Life is a constant battle between two conflicting ideas or forces, at the end of which everyone is forced to make a choice. When it comes to photography, in some twisted way, the battle is all the more intensified. What starts with ‘which brand and make to buy?’ goes on to ‘which lens?’ and somehow, sometimes turns to ‘To buy tripod or not to buy?’- Which is most confusing because well, some can do without it, some can’t. If you’re one of those poor souls, who are perennially clouded by this one doubt, here are a few questions you should ask yourself before going for a tripod.

It truly had been a few years. Ok, it had actually been a few decades. I had fond memories of my trips to Banff. It was one of the highlights of my trips, anytime I visited my relatives in Alberta, Canada. And, it was especially fun when all of us cousins got together, to go to Banff!

When I was small, the highlight of the trips to Banff were the hot springs. I mean, I thought that the word, "Banff," and "Hot Springs" were synonymous and was quite surprised to find out that they were not! As soon as we would arrive in Alberta, Canada, we would start planning our trip to Banff and I would start unpacking my swimsuit to pack it in my little day bag ready for the long trip out to the wonderful "swimming pool" in the mountains. Back then, the short trip from Calgary to Banff seemed like a long trip, but, chatting with my cousins made it go by faster.

It was a bit different this trip. First of all, I was able to enjoy it with my husband, Michael, who hadn't had the experiences of going to Banff growing up. And, my dear cousin went along with us and blessed us with a tour of this beautiful place, allowing us to re-discover its elegance and quiet majesty, and to do so in the best of company.

We took the Gondola up the mountain, able to view the Banff experience from the sky. I had thought that I was afraid of heights, but realized that I was so mesmerized by the beauty of the mountains and the vegetation that hanging mid-air was actually a delight.

I could taste the dirt in my mouth, the textured grit between my teeth. It seemed that no matter how much I tried to block its entrance, it had a way of taking up residence and making me want to expel it. However, the knowledge that that expulsion would only end up back in my face taught me to simply endure the uncomfortable experience of racing through roads that were not anything like the least maintained roads that I had ever experienced growing up in the country.

I didn't know if the taxi driver received a higher payment by delivering his passengers in a faster amount of time, but that trip from Manila to Tuguegarao helped me to appreciate the speed laws in the Americas, and even appreciate that there is the existence of highway patrol. I closed my eyes and hoped that I would arrive in one piece when we got to Tuguegarao. Obviously we did, or I would not be here describing my visit to the Philippines so many years ago, now.

Defining the Project

If you are a videographer, or an aspiring videographer, and you have ever received notice of a last minute video opportunity or request, you may have had to scramble to get your equipment together.

If you are local, it is fairly easy, assuming you have already done this and you have the equipment ready and available. But, if you have to use the airlines to go somewhere remote, it becomes a little tricker, especially without the advantage of pre-planning for the ad lib event.

In this segment, we are going to talk about the part that *should* come before the videographer part. Why should you, as the videographer care? Well, because part of this, especially for smaller projects, may fall on your shoulders.

Script It

Chances are, if this is a last minute idea or concept, you do not have a script for the video. Many creative types will say they have it "all in their head" and that there is no problem, that you can show up and just "shoot."

You don't necessarily want to pass up on these creative types because some of the best ideas can come out of these last minute ad lib ideas.