Diving WW2 Ship Wrecks of Palawan

So after about a week of editing, fixing and cutting, here's my the product. The visibility was not the best but was it still alright. Had to edit out a few mistakes like pesky lens caps and me getting caught on coral =P, but it was all good.

Thanks muchly to dive master/instructor Archie, who was ever so accommodating and professional.

Anyhow hope you enjoy it (watch it in HD!!! click the option at the bottom of the Youtube frame) .....

The timelapse sunrise was taken on the south-east corner of Uson Island - Palawan, Philippines. A localized map is shown below.

Filming Underwater #2

So needless to say when you're diving and filming at the same time you can easily get distracted takeing in your amazing surroundings and accidentally forget that your filming!

This leads me to my second point...

Lesson #2: Secure loose cables or they WILL get caught!!!

These are, of course, rather "common sense" things to say/do but when you're in-the-moment and just itching to jump into the water/sea you may forget to do this (as I did).

So take a moment, get your dive buddy to check your gear. Besides obviously checking each other's BC, regulators and other dive equipment, take a few moments to make sure you secure (tuck-away/tie-together/tape along side) any camera cables, mono-pods, cases etc. floating behind you.

It wont take long, and believe me it'll save you more time in the long run, not to mention it'll save your shot/clip.

The video below shows me getting snagged onto coral just as I am doing a follow shot into a world war two Japanese wreck.


This is what happens WHEN YOU DO NOT SECURE YOUR GEAR.....

Warning
As side note, wreck diving is fun but can also be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Being underwater and in a confined space can cause inexperienced divers to get disorientated and panic. If you're new at diving, please don't go into a wreck alone, and definitely do NOT be filming or trying to fumble around with cameras or settings or cables. The last thing you want is to get tangled up with cable/coral, in zero visibility (because you have panicked and kicked up all the dust and silt around you), and be in an enclosed area/wreck where no one can see or help you. Always be safe.

Time Lapse Results Part 2 - Sunset

(Details of location and shot located below)



My last day at Yosemite marked a most bitter-sweet moment, knowing that I had witnessed and experienced amazing events and at the same time knowing that I may not return for many, many years....if at all.

To make the most of it, I hiked along the "4-Mile Trail" which extends from Yosemite Valley all the way up to Glacier Point. This is where the above time lapse was taken. The trail was not hard and I got to meet many people along the way.....

On my travels I met so many people who were older than me and I observed the following:
- That many of them walk slower and stop more often than me, but covered more ground than me;
- Spoke less than me and listened more than me;
- They are quick to understand yet slow so show it thus allowing the whole story to be told by me.

Taking in the unbelievable scenery of Yosemite and meeting like minded people throughout your treks/trails/hikes will make this one of your life's most memorable experiences.

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Details:

Location:                                  Yosemite National Park
Camera:                                    GoPro HDHERO2
Settings:                                   11 mp on .5 sec interval
Time of Arrival:                          5:07pm
Duration of Time Lapse:          2 hour 5 minutes
Number of shots in sequence:  19,791
Total size used:                         33.6 Gigabytes
Wind condition:                        Negligible
Temperature:                            15 - 20 degrees Celsius ( 60 - 68 degrees Fahrenheit)
Hiking time:                                45 mins from Glacier Point trail head. Coming from the valley would take a bit longer
 Lessons learned:                      Bring an empty mind and fill it with great memories of Yosemite national park!!

Timelapse Result Part 1 -Yosemite (Halfdome) Sunset

(See below for location and shooting details)

With the Tips and Tricks that i have outlined in my previous posts HOPEFULLY you'd be G'ed up enough to get out there and actually get some awesome shots of your own.

Getting out there is the fun part........
Seeing amazing animals while you get out there is the fun part......
knowing that you're going to be getting some stunning shots is the fun part...........
knowing that  you will see an unbelievable sight...is the fun part....

EVERYTHING is the fun part.....

Everything on this page was taken on North Dome (opposite Half dome). Took about 2-3 hours to hike there from the trail-head but it was well worth it. The sun set was amazing and the view was even better:

Quite annoying how Blogger cant center photos properly......

Details:


Location:                                  Yosemite National Park
Camera:                                    GoPro HDHERO2
Settings:                                   11 mp on .5 sec interval
Time of Arrival:                          5:07pm
Duration of Time Lapse:          2 hour 3 minutes
Number of shots in sequence:  13,174
Total size used:                         28.8 Gigabytes
Wind condition:                        Strong (especially at sunset) - find shelter when waiting for timelapse
Temperature:                            10 to 15 degrees Celsius ( 50 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit)
Hiking time:                                2-3 hours from trail head
Lessons learned:                      Bring bear spray!!!

Time Lapse Photography - Part 5

Unless you're going to be hiking into the wilderness and camping at your own pace (i.e. no set rigid schedule to be kept daily), chances are that you will only get ONE CHANCE at shooting each of your amazing sights. So the last thing you'll want is for your once chance to be lost due to equipment failure!!!

Thats why we all take photos right? To try to help us remember the things we saw in real life and to show others their wonders.....

I have personally experienced the amazingly red blazing sunlight set over the the Fiery Furnace area of Arches National Park. I took a time lapse of it over a couple of hours and I was so excited to develop it!!!

But when the sun had set and it was time to go home i noticed that my camera was no longer pointing in the right direction!!! Yet, i was certain that i had not touched it or bumped it accidentally!?!?!?!

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Tip #9 - Do Not Use Inferior Equipment

I had set up my GoPro on top of my car's hood and due to a certain angle i wanted to capture, i could not use my tripods. So i slapped a ball of Blue-Tac onto the bottom of my GoPro and stuck it to the hood. UNFORTUNATELY, unbeknownst to me, in the sun's heat, the Blue-Tac became soft and as a result the weight of the GoPro had caused the camera to slowly move/tilt.

Due to to the slow tilting/movement of the camera, i did not notice it. However when you're making time lapse shots it becomes very evident (especially if you're compressing 2 hours worth of shots into 15 seconds). It basically looks like a video of my camera was falling off my car not a video of the amazing red sunset!!

It was almost heart breaking to realize that my one and only opportunity to capture the Fiery Furnace sunset was lost, simply because i used Blue-Tac, instead of taking the time to find a fixed and stable platform to place my camera on.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for  being able to adapt to the situation and if you don't have a tripod, blue-tac works fine. However if stability is paramount, then perhaps you should not compromise the one thing that makes time lapses' photography effective!


LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!!


Here's an example of what NOT TO HAVE after taking a time lapse for two hours...i.e. a CAR DOOR in your shot!!!

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