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Holy cow, it’s been a long while. But, since I finally got over my inordinate fear, and started to populate my Bandcamp page, and since it links back here, I thought mebbe I’d better show mizamook.com some love.
So I will, more, in a bit. But for now, be among the first to partake of the bizarre and slightly chaotic world of Mizamook’s music: https://mizamook.bandcamp.com/releases
Another Roughage Queen/Mizamook production .. they wanted to put this song by Burl Sheldon up, and thought it would go well with my wildlife and Alaskan nature clips … so … here it is!
One fine day the phone rang … it was Burl Sheldon, asking me if I could/would help them make a video for their new song and put it on YouTube. They thought it would be easy. So did I, actually, but, true to form, I totally overcomplicated the whole thing and Nancy Berland was right alongside, goading me on with her own ideas and complications! I think (I know) we enjoyed the process, but man oh man, it was a lot of work! Still reeling from the post-production vacuous feeling “What do I do with myself now?”, despite knowing full well I needs must attend to the pile of projects that have been accumulating as I worked on video instead, I have only to wait for the word that Nancy and Burl, as “Roughage Queen Productions” indicating it’s ready to post, and so … here is our result: (and please .. do us the honor of watching it at least twice, preferably full-screen!)
And … as of about 21:45, 21-May-2017, it is live!
It’s been a dream of mine: To shoot aerial video of our sailboat .. while sailing. Now, as you can imagine, this presents some “slight complications” … the boat has lots of lines and stays and mast thingies poking up, as well as no real clear landing zone of any significant size … this necessitates hand launching and retrieval (a “skill” some don’t like to practice even on land!) even when at anchor in still coves … but we were not at anchor, and it wasn’t still … so everything was in motion, in every direction, all at once. The launch was fine: the drone (Mavic Pro in this case) activated and rose from my hand when I released it. Then it seemed as though it was flying away from my perspective; rather, it was that the boat was sailing away, and the drone was hovering over water. I pushed record feeling that “I’m committed now!” feeling.
The flying was pretty nice .. got a few shots I liked although I was not really “working it” as I was too worried about the retrieval. We got a lucky sighting of a small pod of sea lions during the flight, and they showed up fairly well on the video.
Then the retrieval: My first attempts to maneuver the drone close enough for me to grab but far enough forward so I had time to let go of the controls to grab the drone met with zero success. This drone is a little trickier than some due to its small size and the proximity of the whirling props to the fingers that grab … so I could not be too careful. I promised myself to use the Phantom 4 Pro next time .. it comes equipped with much larger and safer “handles” (as in the landing gear) so it can be snatched more easily.
Michele went to turn the boat into the wind, and we knew the big genoa would flap around a lot … but we did not anticipate how much force the wind had on that sail, and a slight oversteer lead to backing the genoa, and now the boat is still in motion, heeling, and the wind is blowing in the wrong direction for a hand retrieval of the drone, so … let the drone hover over the waves while I reefed the sail, and tried again. After the boat had slowed enough, I was able to get the drone close enough to hover, and I reached out and GOT IT!
I was prepared to land the drone on the nearest beach and go back and get it with the dinghy (or have someone pick it up for me if it was on the mainland) but happily I didn’t need to do that. I was making sure to start the retrieval process with plenty of battery left so I would have enough to get to land “just in case” …
Anyway, here are a few of the clips (the fast-motion semi-circle shot was from the drone being in Target Follow mode, and it was having to correct a lot … the actual shot is cool, but took way too long) and I look forward to topping these clips with better light, better camera (Phantom 4 Pro) and both sails up! But that will take more planning … so be patient.
This project was one of those that required a whole lot of skillset growth, planning, lots and lots of shooting, and editing. It really pushed my limits but also was kind of a breakthrough for me as it marked the first project of this magnitude that I feel came out fairly close to how it was first envisioned. Sadly, they did not win the FedEx Small Business grant, which Paul and Jeanne would have used to kickstart their solar power installation project. Besides being lovely people to hang out with, not to mention the exquisite beers to enjoy, Haines Brewing Company is a boon to our community, and its location at the heart of town is no coincidence. Visit their website here Haines Brewing Website or better yet .. make sure you stop in!
Montage of various aerial clips of Steller sea lions in Lutak Inlet, Haines, Alaska during springtime hooligan runs. Shot with Phantom 4 Pro using care not to disturb the critters. Clips and music available here: Sea Lions 2017 Media
A few short sequences from last winter … something to keep you interested (hopefully) while I belatedly start working on some more recent footage!
Not only does the dark, cold, windy Alaskan winter provide the requisite “down time” for creating these videos, but I’ve stopped shooting long enough to scramble together some footage for to allow a glimpse into what I’ve been doing over the course of the past year.
This video is a smattering of clips shot while on the extended footage-gathering exploration trip from Homer to Haines at the height of Alaskan summer, 2013. Most of the video clips and all of the music can be found here:
Media Bin on Pond5 For others contact me via this site or Pond5 sitemail for inquiries.
Enjoy!
I might sound a little irate about this. I’m not even warmed up. But if you want the skinny, DO NOT buy extended warranty (Sagemax) should you have the chance. I’ve had two instances where I bought the Sagemax extended warranty for purchases from B&H Photo, and in neither case was I satisfied. Buy private insurance from a company you can trust. Sorry – I said “trust” and “insurance” in the same sentence….
Now, as you are likely very aware, B&H Photo is an upright, well-established company which, with good reason, deserves the respect and trust of buyers of tech, especially photo/video gear, but they have had some unfortunate involvement with companies who do NOT hold up their end of the bargain. They made sure I didn’t say anything bad about B&H, specifically, since they are not technically linked companies, but, I’d like to point out, when I asked for some help with this situation, I got a response equivalent to “Well, bummer, sorry Suckah, our hands are tied, nothing we can do, better luck next time!”
Update: Currently on hold with Sagemax, over 20 minutes in – is this Customer Service. or … ? (I’d like to get my FS700 lens back before a trip and it looks like I’d have to buy another, costing me more than the price of the Sagemax coverage!)
Buying SageMax or Asurion Insurance is inadvisable and will cause no end of frustration to you – not only is your money wasted, but you will be out the use of your product for a long, long, time. Yes, long enough so that you will likely have purchased a replacement before they get your case resolved, which, in my case, it never really was …
I find it VERY INTERESTING to note that today, if you want an extended warranty for your gear purchased from B&H, you will be dealing with the company known as Square Trade, which I have had no dealings with yet. The obvious question: WHY? Was there a rash of complaints like mine? Hmmm. Well, for whatever reason, I think it important to say that B&H is NOT linked to the experiences described herein.
But apparently, I’m not alone. I’ll furnish a couple links below. Sure wish I’d read them before I wasted my money. Short version of my story: I could have spent the same amount just to get my gear fixed in the first place. (Yes, even with the lens replacement, apparently)
I bought Sagemax (3-year) in 2009 to cover my Z5U. When I needed their service (chip in lens and viewfinder lost red channel) they promptly sent me a box. I put the camera in and sent it off. Well that was easy. I waited a long time, patiently. They had to replace the lens assembly, they said. OK, I waited some more. I wish I had documented this, but it was over 2 months. Even considering shipping time (UPS Ground – a week each way) that was a long time for a “pro Sony-authorized service center”. So if you were inclined to trust them on the “Fast turnaround/speedy repairs” type of verbiage you might see on their website … don’t.
I got the camera back, and it looked great. Really. It looked new. Until I turned it on. The lens was not sharp. It was fuzzy, especially at telephoto. Nothing I did made it sharp. I complained, and they sent me a box. Back it went. One of these times it had LOOSE SCREWS bobbling around inside!
They sent it back saying it was fine (after a month or so) Well, it wasn’t, and the problem was pretty obvious.
BACK it went, and for even longer. It was late summer before I got the use of my camera again. At least, after all, it was working. In the meantime I had purchased a crappy beat up V1U to tide me over. I really wish I had not had to buy that, but I was desperate.
I bought the FS700 in what, October? So I stopped using the Z5U and the V1U. Wouldn’t you? Yeah, that’s what I thought. But I kept them, because I occasionally need multiple cameras. One such situation came up, and I hired a guy to operate the V1 and Z5 on a shoot. After the shoot I noticed that the Z5U was sounding funny, so I checked it out. The lens was making weird noises. Not only that, but it wasn’t focusing, and then it made an even stranger noise and I could see (through the LCD/viewfinder) the INSIDE of the lens barrel. Huh? So basically whatever crap job they did (that took three tries to get right) wasn’t actually done right, and something got screwed up and it fell apart internally with normal use.
Lifetime Asurion Service Center SUCKS and you should avoid them! You could likely learn how to repair your own camcorder better from YouTube tutorials done by 13 year old geeks. Be nice to these guys, too, for they are your future – just sayin’.
Anyway, for another story, I’ll tell you about CamcorderRepair.com. That’s where the Z5U is now (also for the third time!!!) Why? Because I sent it to them to get it fixed after B&H/Sagemax/Lifetime left me holding a dead camera. Anyway, they cant’ seem to exorcise the gremlins in my camera either!
So back on topic. When I bought the FS700 (from B&H) I stupidly bought the 3-year warranty. Over $600. Thanks. Ka-ching to SageMax!
Stupid POS Sony kit lens I should NOT have purchased (a $600 value, apparently) somehow, inexplicably, got a bit of something INSIDE the unit. I treat this lens the same as I treat all my lenses. I never see scuzz INSIDE! Not on sealed units. This particular little blob landed itself near the center of the lens, and all I need is one of those special tools to access the front glass to reach in with a Lenspen and swab it (or better – simply blow it out with a squeeze thingy). Anyway, after emailing Sagemax several times, I FINALLY got a response, they SLOWLY sent me a label via snail mail, even though I never got it, despite the fact that I repeatedly gave them my new address and they would not email the label due to the cost of the unit (apparently they were not listening—I told them repeatedly that I was not sending the camera, just the lens (I knew it would be an inordinate amount of time before I saw any results) so FINALLY they sent me a label.
AS of today, I just checked….the lens did arrive at Lifetime Service on November 22nd. Not a peep from them by way of acknowledgement. So the lens has been there a month. The repair would probably take all of 5 minutes.
I have yet to get on their case. I should not have to! I’m so sick of thinking about this company ripping me off (time IS money folks!!!) in more ways than one. Thank you SageMax/Lifetime, for screwing me over. I really appreciate it. I’d rather shop on Amazon and Ebay where there is yet some accountability.
Anyway, rant off. Here are those links I promised. I hope this serves to warn you away from anything to do with ANY of the companies mentioned in this article!
Consumer Complaints about Lifetime Service Center
I believe, since the package label they sent refers to Asurion/Lifetime, that they are in cahoots, so this may well be pertinent:
