This is a very interesting video that explains several techniques for image stabilization on your still camera or camcorder. They are all very inexpensive and their effectiveness varies.
The water bottle technique would be best if you are on the go (walking) but if you’re doing stationary shots, the string technique would best. Enjoy!
Here is another DIY camera stabilization solution that is a bit more involved. It is a very inexpensive version of the Glidecam 2000, which is what we use for X7 Media for our videos using our Canon GL2 camcorder.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t a very secret launch, but its payload was.
“The inaugural launch of an Atlas 5 rocket from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base occurred as scheduled this morning, thundering skyward at 3:02 a.m. local time (6:02 a.m. EDT) carrying a classified national security satellite.” — Spaceflight Now
I went outside last night around 3am to watch it (I was working late anyways — I’m not that big of a space nut!) but it was too foggy and the street light in front of my house wasn’t good for light pollution, but check out this time-lapse photo. Very cool…
I know it sounds a bit odd, but at Truckblog in the members only area we have monthly photo challenges. What does photography have to do with a pickup truck site? Nothing, really, except there’s a bunch of amateur photographers there that like to improve their skills through the photography forum and these challenges.
I entered this photo and it won the the latest challenge with 39% of the votes! The challenge was called “the waning sun” and the goal was to enter a photo captured during the setting sun.
The good thing about these challenges is that you can enter any photo of yours, even from the past. So that’s what I did… this was a shot I took from a Disney cruise down to Mexico in August 2005 at sunset.
I love having this new blog… I can post about anything now which is great! Since I didn’t have this set up a few months ago, I thought I’d post it now before I forgot again.
I love trucks and off-roading. While I don’t currently have a truck, my last two vehicles were Ford trucks. I had a 2000 F-150 SuperCab and then a 2001 F-250 Super Duty CrewCab V10! I got rid of my last truck due to the high cost of gas and it carried some baggage (long story) that I wanted to unload. I now drive a 2006 Chrysler 300C (yes, it gotta HEMI) but I really want to build up a truck again.
To satisfy my truck obsession, as part of my side business, X7 Media, we cover the CORR events when they are in town (Chula Vista International Raceway). CORR stands for Championship Off Road Racing, which is basically an off-road race event on a closed course. You know those crazy off-road machines they race down in Baja that have over 900 HP? Yeah, it’s those puppies… and they haul ass around a closed course, bash into each other and get airborne with crazy jumps. It’s so much fun to watch. Having media credentials, I get to go down to the track and be in the middle of it. By that I mean I get to be on the track itself… standing within feet of these machines. Don’t worry, Mom, it’s safe… they have specific (safe) zones for press.
Last year (2006) we (Frozone and I) covered two events. There are two this year, and the last event was June 9. Frozone did the video while I covered the still photography side of things. This is by far the best video he has cranked out for us. I did the titling and animation while he did everything else…
Another event is coming up at the end of this month and we can’t wait to do it all again!
