Thanks Kevin! There are some advantages to procrastination. It takes me a while to create these videos, but the timing sure was ideal for this series. Hopefully this current situation will be behind us soon enough, and I'll be able to head on my spring trip in June. We'll see...
Thanks Robert! I'm certainly quite happy that the technique worked well for this scene. It gives me the confidence to try and shoot other moments of fleeting light.
I'm always in awe of your patience. The salt photo is an amazing example of how to differently colored light sources can work to elevate a scene and how waiting for the right moment can make such a big difference. Excellent as usual!
Thanks Vikas! The timing sure worked out well. Still 5 more episodes, and I sure hope the videos outlast the pandemic. The sooner we're done with this crisis, the better.
So satisfying. I think to many photographers are looking for those big landscape shots and they miss the small beautiful scenes at their feet. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻🥂
I've been using Photopills for years and I did not know that! Good to know. Thank you. I'm also glad that you are showing us a new location from D.V. Stay safe!
I was surprised at how useful it was. I found myself using that app quite a bit. I'm quite good with knowing my medium focal length lenses, but sometimes it's tough to guess how my longer lenses will work for a given scene. I also used the app to see where the sun would set for some dune shots, and when the direct sunlight would move away from a composition when I was in Zion at the end of this trip. I'm very impressed with the app.
@@joaopedroglm Look for the "FoV" tile on the main page. Dial in your lens and camera, then go to the Augment Reality icon at the bottom. It's very useful indeed.
That was pretty cool. I was taken with a view behind you around minute 13. The cold purple-blue light on the salt with the warm reflection of the lit mountains make an amazing little image as well.
Thanks James! That mountain back there is one I've had my eye on to work into a composition at some point. It has a nice shape to it, and it catches the last rays of sunlight quite nicely. Maybe something for a future trip!
Thanks Earl! It's pretty crazy how much things have changed since when this was filmed. I look forward to when this current situation is behind us, and we can get back to some degree of normal.
Thanks so much! The gray card so makes things much easier in this sort of situation. I might try to find a clamp of some sort to clamp it to my tripod leg and angle it just right. I did run into some windy conditions in the trip that made it a bit tough to work with at times.
Thanks James! Though I'm still trying to figure out which ones will be included in the 2020 box set, I know of at least 3 from this trip that will be included. I sure hope I'll be able to go on my planned May and June trips. We'll see.
Thanks Stuart. I think the very aggressive texture of the salt is why the shadows don't appear quite so long. They didn't have very far to cast a shadow before the next lump of salt.
Ben: Glad to see you back up on the positive side. You learned a lesson and that is always good. Glad you are out chasing dreams you want to capture. Stay safe out there.
That small trick with using the gray card and the ND filter made it such a peaceful experience compared to the usual panic. It's great how the smallest changes can make a big difference in the overall experience.
Hi Ben! Wonderful contents as always. Just a little tip: a very low-freq. sound can be heard (with headphones) in these videos. Perhaps is the wind or the little camera shakes. If you can make some audio post, you can easily cut everything under the 80-90 Hz to get rid of this (with EQ or high pass filter). Besides this, your videos are better than Netflix in this quarantine time! Cheers from Italy
Hi Nicolò! Thanks for letting me know. Are there any time stamps in particular where you notice it? I get more handling noise than I would prefer at times for the handheld clips. I have a shock mount for the mic, but at times the mic comes a bit loose and I think that's what contributes to the sound. I need to trouble shoot that to see if there is something else I can do to reduce the handling noise. There are also some military jets that fly through the valley, so they can sometimes be heard in the distance.
@@BenHorne The first time in this video I heard at 1:52 - 1:55, left channel mainly. I think you can fix it easily in post since you can cut all that very low frequency range. It doesn't overlap with other sound sources such as your voice or the environment.
Thanks Bryan! There is something very appealing about the wide open expanse of Death Valley. Sure would be nice to be able to wander around in those parts right now. Stay safe out there!
Excellent video kind sir. I noticed a rod spanning between the front and rear standards of your 8x10 - on the top. I've not noticed that before. What is it and what purpose does it serve?
Thanks Jeff! That's something I rigged up to strengthen the camera to make it more resistant to wind. It works quite well, though in the 3rd episode, I couldn't figure out how to use it with the rear standard set to shoot vertically. I figured it out later in the trip though. I made it out of the rods and clamps used to make camera rigs for video.
There's one thing I hate about close up shots, Once you get it all set up and focused you can't see the lens to set the F-stop and shutter speed without stepping on what you want to photograph. I'm thinking of buying a small mirror for this situation.
Yup! I know that delicate dance very well. I had to recreate some yoga poses to see the aperture on my lens in the 7th episode while I was shooting some delicate ice. Thanks as always for watching and commenting John!
Hi Stephen! I don't currently offer any workshops. Maybe at some point, I don't have any plans to offer any in the near future. There are a lot of hurdles in including licensing, permits, additional insurance, etc that make it tough unless a person offers many workshops with a lot of participants, and I don't think I would never want to offer workshops in large groups.
In 2017, I had a rodent chew through an ignition wire leading to one of the cylinders in my engine. When I woke up the next morning, my vehicle was disabled, and I required an 80 mile flatbed tow truck ride to have my vehicle repaired. This is actually somewhat common in these areas, and multiple people have told me that popping the hood of the vehicle makes the engine compartment a lot less attractive to rodents who are now vulnerable to predators from above such as owls. Unless it is EXTREMELY windy, I pop my hood at night to avoid this happening again.
I usually shoot only for sunset or sunrises but with your videos you make me think and look for different ways to capture the light
Thanks Abdulmajeed!
It's amazing how many details you can see in the salt, great photo!
That's the crazy thing about those scenes. The closer you look, the more you see.
You really nailed that composition, edge to edge it is awesome! thanks for sharing and stay safe.
Thanks John! It certainly felt great to have something go as well as I had hoped. :-)
Very cool salt texture!
Thanks Robert! I'm glad it all worked out that evening, and it was a very peaceful experience.
It is great that these vids are coming out during quarantine life Ben!! Thanks!! Love your Death Valley trips and generally, all your vids. :)
Thanks Kevin! There are some advantages to procrastination. It takes me a while to create these videos, but the timing sure was ideal for this series. Hopefully this current situation will be behind us soon enough, and I'll be able to head on my spring trip in June. We'll see...
Oh man, I am impressed. The salt formations were just the right detail to focus on.
Thanks Robert! I'm certainly quite happy that the technique worked well for this scene. It gives me the confidence to try and shoot other moments of fleeting light.
Hi Ben,
I really appreciate your videos and especially your narrative style. And last but not least - your images are stunning! Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much Tomas!
I'm always in awe of your patience. The salt photo is an amazing example of how to differently colored light sources can work to elevate a scene and how waiting for the right moment can make such a big difference. Excellent as usual!
Thanks so much Joshua! I appreciate it as always!
Feels good to watch specially during lockdown.. awesome pic Ben 👌
Thanks Vikas! The timing sure worked out well. Still 5 more episodes, and I sure hope the videos outlast the pandemic. The sooner we're done with this crisis, the better.
So satisfying. I think to many photographers are looking for those big landscape shots and they miss the small beautiful scenes at their feet. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻🥂
Thanks David! Some of my favorite photos through the years are definitely subjects on the ground.
Great Vlog Ben, amazing photo, the textures are stunning.
Thanks so much Bruce! I certainly learned some new techniques on this evening, and it sure made the process so much easier.
I've been using Photopills for years and I did not know that! Good to know. Thank you. I'm also glad that you are showing us a new location from D.V. Stay safe!
I was surprised at how useful it was. I found myself using that app quite a bit. I'm quite good with knowing my medium focal length lenses, but sometimes it's tough to guess how my longer lenses will work for a given scene. I also used the app to see where the sun would set for some dune shots, and when the direct sunlight would move away from a composition when I was in Zion at the end of this trip. I'm very impressed with the app.
@@BenHorne great stuff as usual :) where in the app you can find that functionality?
@@joaopedroglm Look for the "FoV" tile on the main page. Dial in your lens and camera, then go to the Augment Reality icon at the bottom. It's very useful indeed.
@@BenHorne thanks :) :)
Nicely done Ben! Salt image came out great. :)
Thanks as always Pete!
That was pretty cool. I was taken with a view behind you around minute 13. The cold purple-blue light on the salt with the warm reflection of the lit mountains make an amazing little image as well.
Thanks James! That mountain back there is one I've had my eye on to work into a composition at some point. It has a nice shape to it, and it catches the last rays of sunlight quite nicely. Maybe something for a future trip!
I'm glad to see people getting out there and making awesome photos! I loved seeing your process
Thanks Earl! It's pretty crazy how much things have changed since when this was filmed. I look forward to when this current situation is behind us, and we can get back to some degree of normal.
Lovely image Ben!! I like the idea of grey card for fast changing light. Thanks
Thanks so much! The gray card so makes things much easier in this sort of situation. I might try to find a clamp of some sort to clamp it to my tripod leg and angle it just right. I did run into some windy conditions in the trip that made it a bit tough to work with at times.
Lovely photo Ben, I’m glad you got on a bit better this week.
Thanks!! It definitely was a much different experience.
Thanks Ben, very nice video. Appreciated. All the best, keep safe. Best regards, Annie
Thanks so much Annie!
Beautiful image, Ben. I can see your boxset building week-by-week!
Thanks James! Though I'm still trying to figure out which ones will be included in the 2020 box set, I know of at least 3 from this trip that will be included. I sure hope I'll be able to go on my planned May and June trips. We'll see.
Ben Horne Fingers crossed for you 🤞🏼
Back on track 👍
Look forward to seeing that sunrise position its looks very good 👍
Very nice salt image and no long shadow effect 🤔
Thanks Stuart. I think the very aggressive texture of the salt is why the shadows don't appear quite so long. They didn't have very far to cast a shadow before the next lump of salt.
Oh that's great I had no idea I could use Photo Pills for test framing different lenses, thank you Mr Ben
Thanks Matt! It's definitely a fantastic resource for film shooters.
Ben: Glad to see you back up on the positive side. You learned a lesson and that is always good. Glad you are out chasing dreams you want to capture. Stay safe out there.
Thanks as always Danny! It's definitely all about what we learn from these experiences.
Awesome!
Thanks Panch!
Nice work . The photo definitely had a 3d quality to it. Would look amazing as a giant print.
Thanks Matt! It sure is a fun one to look at with a loupe.
Great stuff! That salt picture was awesome. Definitely worth the lesson learned the day before (= Cheers!
That small trick with using the gray card and the ND filter made it such a peaceful experience compared to the usual panic. It's great how the smallest changes can make a big difference in the overall experience.
Hi Ben! Wonderful contents as always. Just a little tip: a very low-freq. sound can be heard (with headphones) in these videos. Perhaps is the wind or the little camera shakes. If you can make some audio post, you can easily cut everything under the 80-90 Hz to get rid of this (with EQ or high pass filter). Besides this, your videos are better than Netflix in this quarantine time! Cheers from Italy
Hi Nicolò! Thanks for letting me know. Are there any time stamps in particular where you notice it? I get more handling noise than I would prefer at times for the handheld clips. I have a shock mount for the mic, but at times the mic comes a bit loose and I think that's what contributes to the sound. I need to trouble shoot that to see if there is something else I can do to reduce the handling noise. There are also some military jets that fly through the valley, so they can sometimes be heard in the distance.
@@BenHorne The first time in this video I heard at 1:52 - 1:55, left channel mainly. I think you can fix it easily in post since you can cut all that very low frequency range. It doesn't overlap with other sound sources such as your voice or the environment.
The opening walking scene made me think you were up on Mars! Gorgeous light and texture. Glad to hear the second day went better.
Mars is redder!
Thanks Bryan! There is something very appealing about the wide open expanse of Death Valley. Sure would be nice to be able to wander around in those parts right now. Stay safe out there!
@@BenHorne Thanks Ben! Stay safe and be well, too.
what was that coffee heater ? please share the brand and model .. looks great one
I use a MSR Windburner stove. It works great, even on windy day.
Great vid and discussion, as always. Thanks, needed that this morning. ;-)
Thanks so much Tony! Much appreciated!
Excellent video kind sir. I noticed a rod spanning between the front and rear standards of your 8x10 - on the top. I've not noticed that before. What is it and what purpose does it serve?
Thanks Jeff! That's something I rigged up to strengthen the camera to make it more resistant to wind. It works quite well, though in the 3rd episode, I couldn't figure out how to use it with the rear standard set to shoot vertically. I figured it out later in the trip though. I made it out of the rods and clamps used to make camera rigs for video.
There's one thing I hate about close up shots, Once you get it all set up and focused you can't see the lens to set the F-stop and shutter speed without stepping on what you want to photograph. I'm thinking of buying a small mirror for this situation.
Yup! I know that delicate dance very well. I had to recreate some yoga poses to see the aperture on my lens in the 7th episode while I was shooting some delicate ice. Thanks as always for watching and commenting John!
Ben, do you ever do on location workshops/classes?
Hi Stephen! I don't currently offer any workshops. Maybe at some point, I don't have any plans to offer any in the near future. There are a lot of hurdles in including licensing, permits, additional insurance, etc that make it tough unless a person offers many workshops with a lot of participants, and I don't think I would never want to offer workshops in large groups.
Every day’s a school day!
Sounds about right! Thanks Kim!
12:47 what's that thing running???
oh it's a car
Yup. I wasn't all that far from the road in this video. Many places in Death Valley are quite accessible, which is great.
Why did you have to open the hood before starting your car? Are you unplugging the battery so no one steals your car? 😀
In 2017, I had a rodent chew through an ignition wire leading to one of the cylinders in my engine. When I woke up the next morning, my vehicle was disabled, and I required an 80 mile flatbed tow truck ride to have my vehicle repaired. This is actually somewhat common in these areas, and multiple people have told me that popping the hood of the vehicle makes the engine compartment a lot less attractive to rodents who are now vulnerable to predators from above such as owls. Unless it is EXTREMELY windy, I pop my hood at night to avoid this happening again.
Ben Horne interesting thanks for replying and stay safe!
Did you intentionally dress to match the landscape? You and it are decked out in the exact same variety of hues and range of tones.
Sure looks like it huh? You'll see another good example of that in the Day 6 video. I nearly disappear in some of the video clips. :-)
The Dead Valley of your face and your face and mostly your face 😂😂