meteor at 1:33 cool !! | Blowing sand and camera gear 8{ | B-roll greatness. | Loved the textures and colors of the first shot (mountains/moon) | That rock... wonder what it was made up of... Thanks Ben, enjoyed it.
Thanks Michael! I do enjoy having some fun with those intro graphics from time to time, especially when I have some cool ambient audio to go along with it.
Really great work as usual. The night footage is outstanding and I loved the first image with the clumps of grass and moon. Can't wait to see Zion in the snow. Hope it sticks around for you.
Thanks man! The A7sII is so fun to use at night. It makes me want to plan all my trips to coincide with a full moon so I can film at any hour of the day. :-)
The beauty about photography is that one man's rock is another man's photo opportunity. The subjective nature of photography gives everyone a chance to express themselves. I thought including the shooting star was very well planned out!
That is one of the things I love about photography. There is so much potential all around us, and it is up to us as photographers to see it. I was definitely super lucky with that shooting star! I have caught some satellite and other stuff in the background at times, but this was the first time I managed to get photobombed by a meteor.
I was in Death Valley on the tail end of a really windy period, with one day of dusty and frustrating conditions. But the next 2 days were magical. Great segment.
I really liked both compositions. The first turned out great. So balanced with the scrub in the foreground leading to the small sand dune that points up to the mountain. And the moon really anchors the right top of the photograph. The rock is a great example of a minimalist photo. So calm and centering. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks Thomas! I was certainly quite glad to have found both of those scenes. Though the wind can be tough to work with, it sure is invigorating at times and I enjoyed being able to wander through the dunes without fear of leaving footprints in areas that I might want to shoot.
Ben, both Rod and I use large golf umbrellas as a wind barrier for our Arca-Swiss cameras. On a windy day, we compose, focus, set aperture, load the film holder and remove the dark slide. Next, open the umbrella and place the umbrella behind you with the shaft underneath your arm and the handle sticking forward. Stand next to the camera using your body with umbrella for a wind block. You may need to lower the camera position a bit for this to work well, but on windy days the umbrella technique can facilitate making the shot you might not get otherwise. I sometimes utilize a larger bubble level and watch it for vibration. When the bubble in the level settles, I know it’s safe to trip the shutter.
Thanks for the tips about the umbrella and the bubble level! I'm very glad that the wind did calm down, but I probably should get myself a good umbrella. In the past I have used cord to tension my cameras, and I actually found a really good way to do that for the Arca-Swiss. The hollow tubes for the monorail design allow me to run some cord through there to complete the circuit between the two standards and also the front/back of the camera. It is something I will have to experiment a bit with, but it looks very promising.
"Trepidation" - I think that is the word you were looking for on shot #1 in any trip. Great images considering your weather. Can't blame you for heading out to Zion at that point.
As always such great videos. If I may add, Mylar balloons are notorious for starting fires as they land onto power poles and can even attract lighting while stuck on trees in forests. So thanks for picking them up and despising of the properly.
Exposing for the moon with landscape detail is really hard. I've tried with 35mm and was actually successful with the Super Moon one time but usually it's overexposed. Love some of the quieter moments in this. Really brings you right there with the ambient noise of you walking and loading your bag, etc.
I aimed my spot meter at the moon and saw that it was I think 7 stops over my meter reading, so it would have been a stretch for even color negative film. I figured it would get blown out, but at least I got a bit of a "moon star" effect going on. I had to use the liquify tool in photoshop to push it back into a ball though. I don't really remember how long the exposures were, but you'll see all the other ones I made during the film reveal video.
Video footage at the night was really good, both the images were awesome. I like the fact photographers like you can imagine what a scene would look like in different light settings and plan according to that, which a lot of newbies would generally walk over.
Thanks man! The tough part is rolling hills of sand though. It's really tough to known what it will look like when the light is best because there are so many variables. I think that's why I don't have a lot of sand dune photos in my portfolio that I like.
Thanks Dan! That sure was a lucky catch for the shooting star. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that on the LCD. The A7sII is amazing in low light, but the funny thing is that I still wish it was even better. Voigtlander recently announced a manual focus 21mm f/1.4 lens that has me intrigued. They haven't announced the price yet though.
@@BenHorne They've called it "compact" in the initial reports, but in my experience Voigtlander does use a whole lot of metal in their lens designs, so they turn out to be heavy little bricks. Also, despite the abundance of metal in the construction, they seem to be no more durable than a cheap Rokinon lens; the 50mm f/1.1 I encountered once was literally falling apart, as if its screws could have all used a drop of Loctite. My first recommendation would therefore be to give the Nikon 20 1.8 a try again, since you already know it's a decently rugged (and lightweight) lens, with an extra stop of aperture compared to the Loxia. Alternately, the Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM is very durably built, ultra-sharp, and one of the best performers in low-light that I've ever encountered. Just work out your arms a little more, like Alan Brock, and you can hold your vloggie stick out a little further to make up for the slightly less wide angle of view. ;-)
Dunes can be tough. The wind can make it even more challenging. But what made it really tough was the fact that your mates were sending you photos from Zion, haha! The other important point here is that as a landscape photographer you need to be flexible and adapt to your conditions and you're doing just that by heading over to Zion where the conditions sound like they might be favourable. Looking forward to what you find over there Ben, cheers!
Michael Strickland was definitely teasing me with some great shots of Zion, but I'm glad he did because the conditions there were fantastic. By the time I returned to Death Valley later in the trip, I had the conditions there that I was hoping for. You're definitely right that flexibility is key. In years past, I probably would have just stuck it out in Death Valley, but I would have missed out on quite a few great shots in Zion. Thanks as always for watching the video and commenting Andrew!
Good shots, good editing, and a bonus meteor. That all came out really well for all that wind. (I'm sooo glad the Arca made it through okay.) Can't wait to see what you find in Zion!
Thanks! I was definitely a bit surprised that I was able to shoot two different subjects that day. I figured I would just spend all my time scouting for subjects in the wind, but that just goes to show what a bit of motivation mixed with some effort can achieve.
Thanks John! It sure was cool how that shot turned out with the moon. The funny thing thing is that I was originally suppose to go on that trip one day earlier, but I decided to postpone the trip one day. If I had set out on the trip as I originally planned, the moon wouldn't have been in the shot.
Meteor!!! So cool 😃 Falling stars aside I just find your videos so relaxing, Ben, despite the fact that for you, with all that wind it was probably anything but to film! And then there’s the beautiful shots to finish 😍
I was pretty excited to see the meteor when I reviewed that clip after filming it. I'm just glad I was speaking coherently and I didn't have to do a re-take. It would have been a bummer to lose the meteor. Speaking of wind, after I got back to camp that morning, I tried to make myself some breakfast and it was so windy that a 1 liter Nalgene bottle filled with water kept sliding around in the back of my truck. It's tough to make breakfast when even your water bottle gets blown around in the wind.
I really like the 2 photos featured in this video, not a huge fan of the overexposed moon, but not much you can do, after all, its film. But that rock shot... omg... the lighting, the texture, those reddish tones. amazing
Yeah, it would have been very tough to avoid the blown out moon. I was metered 6 or 7 stops brighter than my meter reading, so even with the massive dynamic range of a digital camera, you would have to bracket and manually replace it. It's a bit deceiving how dark it was when I made those exposures, but it still felt very night-ish. I'm just glad that I was able to get a bit of a "moon star" effect from the moon so it isn't just a white hole in the film. :-)
Thanks Paul! Even with how windy it was at times, I have learned that the moments just before sunrise are often times calm, and thankfully that coincided with the window of good light.
Doing the video is kind of nice at times because it gives me a chance to stop, and enjoy an area that I might otherwise just drive/walk past. It also gives me a chance to take a bit of a break while hiking. It definitely adds more work, but it is very enjoyable to do.
Thanks Kevin! My truck definitely got blown around quite a bit that night. I got up about 2am and lowered the hood (which I usually keep open so rodents don't eat my engine wires) because the wind was just too strong.
Loving the soundscape atmospherics with your editing. The music was particularly well chosen. The shots where you’re at the back of your truck with the hatch open and the moonlight, so killer. I’d like to hear more about the wind as it relates to your exposure times. Is it because you’re doing like minute-long exposures? I would imagine so, ISO 50 at dusk. At any rate, sweetly laid down as always.
Thanks Cary! One of my favorite parts of putting the videos together is finding a song that really matches the mood. I have built up quite a library of songs through the years, so I have quite a few to work with now. The A7sII handles those moon-lit nights so incredibly well. I do wish my lens was even a bit faster so I could get some more stars in the sky, but I am pretty spoiled by the low light ability already. In those moments before sunrise and after sunset, some of my exposure times were measured in minutes, but others were more in the 20 to 30 second range. I was shooting at f/45 with a 50 or 100 speed film, so the exposures definitely get a bit long at times. In some ways, the 20 second long exposures are tougher because a quick gust of wind will take up a higher percentage of the overall exposure.
Absolutely amazing. It's a shame that the conditions were not as good as one would want but you still manage to come back with two beautiful images at the end of the day. I can't wait to see what awaits in Zion. I also have to say that I really enjoy this longer format, it conveys better the feeling of being there... the calm -or the lack of it with the wind-, the solitude... I like it.
Thanks Alicia! I am glad that it comes through in the video. There is something about Death Valley that lends itself to the longer format of videos. The next few days in Zion will be a bit shorter, but once I return to Death Valley I will be back to the longer format again. The wind was a challenge to work with, but I really enjoyed working that aspect into the videos. There's something about the wind in the desert that is so invigorating, especially when paired with the solitude of the desert.
It sure was cool to catch that!!! What are the odds?? On my recent winter trip, I saw two shooting stars through the windshield of my 4Runner on my drive to the location, which is quite impressive since my head nearly touches the roof of my 4Runner, and there is hardly any sky at all in my view. I took that to be a good sign, and sure enough it was. :-)
The composition with the bushes leading you to the dunes and the mountain is great. The moon is a great touch. Even though it was unplanned, you were there to take it. I have some time to go up there this weekend. Your videos always gives me inspiration. :)
Thanks Jay! That was my first time shooting a photo of the moon like that. I had to use the liquify tool in photoshop to push it back into a circle. Otherwise the longish exposure stretched it out a bit. I might also be in DV this weekend. ;-)
Thanks Vishwas! Yeah, I was very fortunate how that turned out. If the moon was off in the corner and positioned oddly in the frame, I probably would just clone it out and pretend it was never there to begin with. I'm pretty lucky it ended up in a great spot.
The shots turned out cool, both have a nice calm feeling. As for the longer format I believe your videos can only benefit from that. Your style already suits a longer format, so it just allows the story to develop better. I don't know about the feedback you have received yet but I dig it. Waiting for Day 3
Thanks Alexander! The longer format is much easier to do in a place like Death Valley, but as soon as I got to Zion, the videos got a bit shorter again. It's strange how that happens. There's just something about the wide open expanses in Death Valley that make it easier to produce longer videos.
That was definitely a lucky break. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that while reviewing the footage. It couldn't have happened at a better time.
Very much enjoyed the video Ben! I’m liking these longer length videos. Really liked both images. Great to have the moon in your first shot and the second image speaks greatly of your eye for composition. I was trying to think around what time this was with those heavy winds and blue skies. I think I was exploring some cracked mud playas and having no luck on these days. Looking forward to seeing a snow covered Zion video!
Thanks Diego! My Day 1 video was filmed on 1/21, and this video was filmed on 1/22. I then took off the Zion, and came back to DV later in the trip. I really did enjoy working with that full moon - both from a photographic standpoint, but also because it allowed me to film video at night so well. I should really plan my future trips to coincide with a full moon just for the video reasons alone. I really enjoyed your DV series. It would have been great to meet up. Maybe next year!
Another helpful video. As a nubi to LF I always enjoy seeing you set up and tear down and hearing your thinking process in making the composition. Always appreciate the slow meditative process you have. Thanks for picking up trash. You will indeed be rewarded for it. Which film type did you show us on the film reveal. thanks again for the work you put into these videos.
Thanks so much Larry! Both of those exposures are the end were taken on Fuji Provia 100F. I really enjoy using Provia for blue hour situations because it does very well with long exposures (no reciprocity correction necessary until about 15 minutes), and it has rather neutral color and contrast, so it helps to keep subjects with a lot of color and contrast in check. Velvia has a tendency to go a bit wild in those situations. On the other hand, Provia doesn't do quite as well in reflected canyon light. It feels a bit lifeless compared to Velvia 50.
Now that I am familiar with that road and I know what to expect, it was a pretty fun drive, but the first time I visited this location, I walked a few stretches because I wasn't sure if that was where I was suppose to be driving or not. There's something about a beat-up desert road that sure is fun.
Stunning first shot 👌 Been waiting since last video to see just what you were thinking. Quality of the light is rather special i can see why this place is legendary.
Beautiful images Ben and loved the foreground interest in the first image. Had to replay the segment at the beginning as I want sure if it was a shooting star or a trick of light on my screen 😁
Sure was cool to have the meteor in there huh? I was surprised to see it when reviewing the footage that morning. I do wish I had a chance to see it with my eyes though. Looks like it was a good one.
Thanks! I decided to postpone my trip just because it's heating up out there and I don't know how willing I am to wander for miles on the salt flats when it's in the low 90's. Next week is suppose to be 10 degrees cooler. We'll see.
It is some sort of conglomerate rock with all sorts of other rocks worked into it. Those mountains have been tortured for millions of years with all sorts of geological forces, along with some pretty intense weather, so many of the rocks in that area look very interesting.
Both the hills and the rock photos turned out very nice. The weather is always a gamble, though. What a time to be living with instant information in the palm of our hands. I wonder how Ansel Adams's photography might have turned out in the days of Instagram?
Wow, that is some serious wind. The rock shot is quite interesting, pretty sure I would have walked right by that. Too funny about Zion though. Is that some kind of weird photography peer pressure?
I have always wanted to visit Zion during a big snow fall, but it's really tough to time since they only get a few of them each year. Even though the snow was a couple days old by the time I arrived, I knew that there was more potential there than in Death Valley until there was a change in the weather. I also definitely looked forward to meeting up with my friends there to catch up with them... so yeah, definitely some peer pressure involved. :-)
I'm not one to talk. I was in Las Vegas for a conference this month and popped up to Zion in large part because of you. I had never been and wanted to get a feel for it so I could plan a real trip.@@BenHorne
Ha! If only I was that good at it. Though I will say that if I managed to mess up that clip and trip over my own words, I probably would have found some sort of way to cut and paste the meteor in a different, more coherent clip. That wouldn't be as much fun though.
I was there a couple days before this with Diego McCartney and had some of those beautiful conditions you talked about. Crazy how much things change in such a short time. Now, the images were absolutely beautiful but I have one major question that I just have to ask... How do you get your beard to lay so nicely??? I have such a hard time getting mine to lay flat and yours is perfect all the time, what's the deal!?!
Yeah, I definitely had some tough conditions, but I was able to return to Death Valley later in the trip and got some awesome conditions. In the end, heading to Zion ended up being a good move, and you'll see why later in the trip. When it comes to beards, it must just be genetics or something. It never gives me a hard time and just stays put with no work required.
When I was sleeping my my truck that night, it felt like an Apollo mission. I had to get up at about 2am and close the hood of my truck because I was worried it would get bent back the wrong way (I keep it open so rodents don't eat my engine wires). Thankfully I was quite confident in my ability to secure the tripod to the ground. Otherwise the trip wouldn't have taken a different turn.
Glad that moon shot worked out. I'm not crazy about the rock photo, but the moon and him was a nice composition that worked for me. I hope Zion was better to you then was death valley. Take care of yourself. I still love your videos.
Thanks Danny! I am still trying to make sense of all the photos I shot on this trip, and am undecided on many of them. I think you will find that the strongest photos happen closer to the end of the trip.
@@BenHorne I am looking forward to seeing them in context of one another. You always get great images, but we all have our down days too. Hope all is well with you, your wife and your cat.
There are three parts to it. The first is a 18" metal coil ground screw that I purchased at a home improvement store. Once I sank that into the ground, I used some strong cord I bought at REI along with a metal fastener called the Nite Ize Figure 9 Rope tightener. I will likely do a video on this topic. It worked incredibly well, and was rock solid.
I was using different settings for my Sony A7sII on this trip. I had it set to Picture Profile 8 with the Cine 2 gamut. On the past several trips, I used Cine 4. I found that Cine 2 better protects the highlights, and helps to give a better dynamic range. I thought this setting might work against me in low light, but Cine 2 also did very well in low light. For those early morning shots, I was at ISO 100,000 with tungsten WB mode. I have found that tunsten WB mode seems to give the most accurate color to what the eye sees in those hours before sunrise.
I have never used any warming filters. I know that some other photographers have done well with that, but generally if I find a scene that I know will go very blue, I will also expose a sheet of Ektar, which isn't as vulnerable to the blue shift. I usually have some Ektar with me also, and it's easier than carrying extra filters.
I typically use a CO2 tank, but I also have a 12v tire inflator pump. I prefer the CO2 tank because it is way faster, but the pump will never run out of air. :-)
@@BenHorne Thanks again, the van has been stripped of it interior and a plywood floor will be installed most likely tomorrow. Then i am installing a vinyl plank flooring.
Only if there is a chance of rain, or if it's low to the ground and there might be some blown sand. Otherwise, covering the camera with a plastic bag might just make it even more of a sail.
meteor at 1:33 cool !! | Blowing sand and camera gear 8{ | B-roll greatness. | Loved the textures and colors of the first shot (mountains/moon) | That rock... wonder what it was made up of... Thanks Ben, enjoyed it.
Yeah I saw that to ..:D Awsome...
No meteor, it was lens glare
Love the wind shaken graphic. Right from the start keeping the sense of humor.
Thanks Michael! I do enjoy having some fun with those intro graphics from time to time, especially when I have some cool ambient audio to go along with it.
Did anyone see the shooting star at 1:35?
Yes, came here to say that! Had to watch it a couple of times.
Yeah, holy shooting star Batman!! That was nearly as good as the bonus moon shot.
Really great work as usual. The night footage is outstanding and I loved the first image with the clumps of grass and moon. Can't wait to see Zion in the snow. Hope it sticks around for you.
I read this in your voice. Is that weird?
Thanks man! The A7sII is so fun to use at night. It makes me want to plan all my trips to coincide with a full moon so I can film at any hour of the day. :-)
The beauty about photography is that one man's rock is another man's photo opportunity. The subjective nature of photography gives everyone a chance to express themselves. I thought including the shooting star was very well planned out!
That is one of the things I love about photography. There is so much potential all around us, and it is up to us as photographers to see it. I was definitely super lucky with that shooting star! I have caught some satellite and other stuff in the background at times, but this was the first time I managed to get photobombed by a meteor.
I was in Death Valley on the tail end of a really windy period, with one day of dusty and frustrating conditions. But the next 2 days were magical. Great segment.
It sure is a land of extremes!
I really liked both compositions. The first turned out great. So balanced with the scrub in the foreground leading to the small sand dune that points up to the mountain. And the moon really anchors the right top of the photograph. The rock is a great example of a minimalist photo. So calm and centering. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks Thomas! I was certainly quite glad to have found both of those scenes. Though the wind can be tough to work with, it sure is invigorating at times and I enjoyed being able to wander through the dunes without fear of leaving footprints in areas that I might want to shoot.
Ben, both Rod and I use large golf umbrellas as a wind barrier for our Arca-Swiss cameras. On a windy day, we compose, focus, set aperture, load the film holder and remove the dark slide. Next, open the umbrella and place the umbrella behind you with the shaft underneath your arm and the handle sticking forward. Stand next to the camera using your body with umbrella for a wind block. You may need to lower the camera position a bit for this to work well, but on windy days the umbrella technique can facilitate making the shot you might not get otherwise. I sometimes utilize a larger bubble level and watch it for vibration. When the bubble in the level settles, I know it’s safe to trip the shutter.
Thanks for the tips about the umbrella and the bubble level! I'm very glad that the wind did calm down, but I probably should get myself a good umbrella. In the past I have used cord to tension my cameras, and I actually found a really good way to do that for the Arca-Swiss. The hollow tubes for the monorail design allow me to run some cord through there to complete the circuit between the two standards and also the front/back of the camera. It is something I will have to experiment a bit with, but it looks very promising.
"Trepidation" - I think that is the word you were looking for on shot #1 in any trip. Great images considering your weather. Can't blame you for heading out to Zion at that point.
Yes, that is a very appropriate word and exactly what I was looking for!
As always such great videos. If I may add, Mylar balloons are notorious for starting fires as they land onto power poles and can even attract lighting while stuck on trees in forests. So thanks for picking them up and despising of the properly.
Thanks James! Yup, those balloons are quite horrible in that aspect as well! It amazes me how far they can travel, and how much damage they can do.
Exposing for the moon with landscape detail is really hard. I've tried with 35mm and was actually successful with the Super Moon one time but usually it's overexposed. Love some of the quieter moments in this. Really brings you right there with the ambient noise of you walking and loading your bag, etc.
I aimed my spot meter at the moon and saw that it was I think 7 stops over my meter reading, so it would have been a stretch for even color negative film. I figured it would get blown out, but at least I got a bit of a "moon star" effect going on. I had to use the liquify tool in photoshop to push it back into a ball though. I don't really remember how long the exposures were, but you'll see all the other ones I made during the film reveal video.
Video footage at the night was really good, both the images were awesome. I like the fact photographers like you can imagine what a scene would look like in different light settings and plan according to that, which a lot of newbies would generally walk over.
Thanks man! The tough part is rolling hills of sand though. It's really tough to known what it will look like when the light is best because there are so many variables. I think that's why I don't have a lot of sand dune photos in my portfolio that I like.
@@BenHorne very true, i can only imagine how hard would that be.
Moon rise and shooting star. A great start to a photo shoot!
Thanks Jonathan! That sure was a special morning!
love the shooting star. Definitely a "cool element" to the video! Glad to see the camera survived the night! That A7s is awesome in the dark.
Thanks Dan! That sure was a lucky catch for the shooting star. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that on the LCD. The A7sII is amazing in low light, but the funny thing is that I still wish it was even better. Voigtlander recently announced a manual focus 21mm f/1.4 lens that has me intrigued. They haven't announced the price yet though.
@@BenHorne They've called it "compact" in the initial reports, but in my experience Voigtlander does use a whole lot of metal in their lens designs, so they turn out to be heavy little bricks. Also, despite the abundance of metal in the construction, they seem to be no more durable than a cheap Rokinon lens; the 50mm f/1.1 I encountered once was literally falling apart, as if its screws could have all used a drop of Loctite.
My first recommendation would therefore be to give the Nikon 20 1.8 a try again, since you already know it's a decently rugged (and lightweight) lens, with an extra stop of aperture compared to the Loxia.
Alternately, the Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM is very durably built, ultra-sharp, and one of the best performers in low-light that I've ever encountered. Just work out your arms a little more, like Alan Brock, and you can hold your vloggie stick out a little further to make up for the slightly less wide angle of view. ;-)
Strickland always teasing those good conditions haha dont believe him 😁
Love how the mountain kind of cradles and curves up to the moon in your first pic.
Thanks Andrew! I was pretty happy when I saw how things were going to align. It looks as though I had planned it that way.
Dunes can be tough. The wind can make it even more challenging. But what made it really tough was the fact that your mates were sending you photos from Zion, haha! The other important point here is that as a landscape photographer you need to be flexible and adapt to your conditions and you're doing just that by heading over to Zion where the conditions sound like they might be favourable. Looking forward to what you find over there Ben, cheers!
Michael Strickland was definitely teasing me with some great shots of Zion, but I'm glad he did because the conditions there were fantastic. By the time I returned to Death Valley later in the trip, I had the conditions there that I was hoping for. You're definitely right that flexibility is key. In years past, I probably would have just stuck it out in Death Valley, but I would have missed out on quite a few great shots in Zion. Thanks as always for watching the video and commenting Andrew!
That dune picture is boss. I thought it was going to turn out. I really like the foreground grasses.
Thanks Richard! I was really happy with how that one came together - and also that I didn't destroy my camera. :-)
Love both compositions Ben, your patience is rewarded! Good shooting in Zion....Bob
Thanks as always Bob!
Good shots, good editing, and a bonus meteor. That all came out really well for all that wind. (I'm sooo glad the Arca made it through okay.) Can't wait to see what you find in Zion!
Thanks! I was definitely a bit surprised that I was able to shoot two different subjects that day. I figured I would just spend all my time scouting for subjects in the wind, but that just goes to show what a bit of motivation mixed with some effort can achieve.
Loved the titles shaking in the wind, great video editing detail!
That meteor at 1:33 though !!!
Pretty cool huh? I was lucky to catch that on camera.
Fantastic shots Ben brilliant job the wind is awfully difficult to shoot in!
Thanks! It was definitely quite a challenge, and I look forward to heading back there again next month!
Great video Ben. The photos turned out really nice!
Your persistence paid off even with rough conditions. The shot with the moon reminds me of Ansel Adams, it looks so much like you planned it that way.
Thanks John! It sure was cool how that shot turned out with the moon. The funny thing thing is that I was originally suppose to go on that trip one day earlier, but I decided to postpone the trip one day. If I had set out on the trip as I originally planned, the moon wouldn't have been in the shot.
Meteor!!! So cool 😃 Falling stars aside I just find your videos so relaxing, Ben, despite the fact that for you, with all that wind it was probably anything but to film! And then there’s the beautiful shots to finish 😍
I was pretty excited to see the meteor when I reviewed that clip after filming it. I'm just glad I was speaking coherently and I didn't have to do a re-take. It would have been a bummer to lose the meteor. Speaking of wind, after I got back to camp that morning, I tried to make myself some breakfast and it was so windy that a 1 liter Nalgene bottle filled with water kept sliding around in the back of my truck. It's tough to make breakfast when even your water bottle gets blown around in the wind.
Amazing how an inanimate object such a rock can have so much life and energy. Thanks Mr.Horne
Thanks! It's definitely all in the light. Thankfully the wind cooperated that evening!
The moon takes the image to the next level. Love it.
I really like the 2 photos featured in this video, not a huge fan of the overexposed moon, but not much you can do, after all, its film. But that rock shot... omg... the lighting, the texture, those reddish tones. amazing
Yeah, it would have been very tough to avoid the blown out moon. I was metered 6 or 7 stops brighter than my meter reading, so even with the massive dynamic range of a digital camera, you would have to bracket and manually replace it. It's a bit deceiving how dark it was when I made those exposures, but it still felt very night-ish. I'm just glad that I was able to get a bit of a "moon star" effect from the moon so it isn't just a white hole in the film. :-)
Love the moon image. Well worth fighting the elements.
Thanks Paul! Even with how windy it was at times, I have learned that the moments just before sunrise are often times calm, and thankfully that coincided with the window of good light.
Also admire you for the extra miles you must do to just getting the journey on video.
Doing the video is kind of nice at times because it gives me a chance to stop, and enjoy an area that I might otherwise just drive/walk past. It also gives me a chance to take a bit of a break while hiking. It definitely adds more work, but it is very enjoyable to do.
Nice compositions Ben ... making the best with what you had ...
Yeah, the conditions were definitely quite tough to work with. I had far more favorable conditions on my return trip though.
Liked the windy intro.
Thanks Kevin! My truck definitely got blown around quite a bit that night. I got up about 2am and lowered the hood (which I usually keep open so rodents don't eat my engine wires) because the wind was just too strong.
Loving the soundscape atmospherics with your editing. The music was particularly well chosen. The shots where you’re at the back of your truck with the hatch open and the moonlight, so killer. I’d like to hear more about the wind as it relates to your exposure times. Is it because you’re doing like minute-long exposures? I would imagine so, ISO 50 at dusk. At any rate, sweetly laid down as always.
Thanks Cary! One of my favorite parts of putting the videos together is finding a song that really matches the mood. I have built up quite a library of songs through the years, so I have quite a few to work with now. The A7sII handles those moon-lit nights so incredibly well. I do wish my lens was even a bit faster so I could get some more stars in the sky, but I am pretty spoiled by the low light ability already. In those moments before sunrise and after sunset, some of my exposure times were measured in minutes, but others were more in the 20 to 30 second range. I was shooting at f/45 with a 50 or 100 speed film, so the exposures definitely get a bit long at times. In some ways, the 20 second long exposures are tougher because a quick gust of wind will take up a higher percentage of the overall exposure.
Absolutely amazing. It's a shame that the conditions were not as good as one would want but you still manage to come back with two beautiful images at the end of the day. I can't wait to see what awaits in Zion. I also have to say that I really enjoy this longer format, it conveys better the feeling of being there... the calm -or the lack of it with the wind-, the solitude... I like it.
Thanks Alicia! I am glad that it comes through in the video. There is something about Death Valley that lends itself to the longer format of videos. The next few days in Zion will be a bit shorter, but once I return to Death Valley I will be back to the longer format again. The wind was a challenge to work with, but I really enjoyed working that aspect into the videos. There's something about the wind in the desert that is so invigorating, especially when paired with the solitude of the desert.
That shooting star was absolutely surreal. Had to come to the comments to make sure I wasn’t imagining things.
It sure was cool to catch that!!! What are the odds?? On my recent winter trip, I saw two shooting stars through the windshield of my 4Runner on my drive to the location, which is quite impressive since my head nearly touches the roof of my 4Runner, and there is hardly any sky at all in my view. I took that to be a good sign, and sure enough it was. :-)
your license plate is perfect !!
The great thing is that only photographers really understand it. 👍
The composition with the bushes leading you to the dunes and the mountain is great. The moon is a great touch. Even though it was unplanned, you were there to take it. I have some time to go up there this weekend. Your videos always gives me inspiration. :)
Thanks Jay! That was my first time shooting a photo of the moon like that. I had to use the liquify tool in photoshop to push it back into a circle. Otherwise the longish exposure stretched it out a bit. I might also be in DV this weekend. ;-)
Looks like your comp with the moon turned out better than without. I would have loved to see that too, anyways. Nice details on the red rock shot!
Thanks Vishwas! Yeah, I was very fortunate how that turned out. If the moon was off in the corner and positioned oddly in the frame, I probably would just clone it out and pretend it was never there to begin with. I'm pretty lucky it ended up in a great spot.
That landscape and moon shot is amazing! Greetings from Brazil.
Thanks as always Rodrigo!
The shots turned out cool, both have a nice calm feeling. As for the longer format I believe your videos can only benefit from that. Your style already suits a longer format, so it just allows the story to develop better. I don't know about the feedback you have received yet but I dig it. Waiting for Day 3
Thanks Alexander! The longer format is much easier to do in a place like Death Valley, but as soon as I got to Zion, the videos got a bit shorter again. It's strange how that happens. There's just something about the wide open expanses in Death Valley that make it easier to produce longer videos.
Awesome shots Ben.
Thanks Russell!
Nice video, Ben. I really enjoy your work!
Thanks Trent!
beautiful sounds of wind I know how difficult it is to capture
Thanks Simon! That is one of the reasons why I love my Rode Stereo Videomic X. It handles the wind incredibly well.
Thanks for sharing your hard work, I really like it!
Thanks Peter!
"Now this is not something I was planning for..." as a meteorite enters the frame. Right place at the right time!
That was definitely a lucky break. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that while reviewing the footage. It couldn't have happened at a better time.
Very much enjoyed the video Ben! I’m liking these longer length videos. Really liked both images. Great to have the moon in your first shot and the second image speaks greatly of your eye for composition. I was trying to think around what time this was with those heavy winds and blue skies. I think I was exploring some cracked mud playas and having no luck on these days. Looking forward to seeing a snow covered Zion video!
Thanks Diego! My Day 1 video was filmed on 1/21, and this video was filmed on 1/22. I then took off the Zion, and came back to DV later in the trip. I really did enjoy working with that full moon - both from a photographic standpoint, but also because it allowed me to film video at night so well. I should really plan my future trips to coincide with a full moon just for the video reasons alone. I really enjoyed your DV series. It would have been great to meet up. Maybe next year!
Another helpful video. As a nubi to LF I always enjoy seeing you set up and tear down and hearing your thinking process in making the composition. Always appreciate the slow meditative process you have. Thanks for picking up trash. You will indeed be rewarded for it. Which film type did you show us on the film reveal. thanks again for the work you put into these videos.
Thanks so much Larry! Both of those exposures are the end were taken on Fuji Provia 100F. I really enjoy using Provia for blue hour situations because it does very well with long exposures (no reciprocity correction necessary until about 15 minutes), and it has rather neutral color and contrast, so it helps to keep subjects with a lot of color and contrast in check. Velvia has a tendency to go a bit wild in those situations. On the other hand, Provia doesn't do quite as well in reflected canyon light. It feels a bit lifeless compared to Velvia 50.
proper off-roading there!! here in the UK most 4x4s are used for the school run and the only off-roading they do is to park on the pavement!!
Now that I am familiar with that road and I know what to expect, it was a pretty fun drive, but the first time I visited this location, I walked a few stretches because I wasn't sure if that was where I was suppose to be driving or not. There's something about a beat-up desert road that sure is fun.
Stunning first shot 👌
Been waiting since last video to see just what you were thinking.
Quality of the light is rather special i can see why this place is legendary.
Thanks! It sure is a very special place - especially once you introduce some atmospherics. You'll see some of that later in the trip.
Great video. And awesome photos
Thanks!!
Great video Ben as always. Loved both images so well considered and shot in the perfect light.
Thanks Colin!
Beautiful images Ben and loved the foreground interest in the first image. Had to replay the segment at the beginning as I want sure if it was a shooting star or a trick of light on my screen 😁
Sure was cool to have the meteor in there huh? I was surprised to see it when reviewing the footage that morning. I do wish I had a chance to see it with my eyes though. Looks like it was a good one.
Nice! One of the few places in The Valley you can still find any solitude. Loved both images!
Light winds out there this weekend, hope you make it!
Thanks! I decided to postpone my trip just because it's heating up out there and I don't know how willing I am to wander for miles on the salt flats when it's in the low 90's. Next week is suppose to be 10 degrees cooler. We'll see.
Also, might I say that all the details in that rock are really neat! I wonder what a geologist could tell us about it.
It is some sort of conglomerate rock with all sorts of other rocks worked into it. Those mountains have been tortured for millions of years with all sorts of geological forces, along with some pretty intense weather, so many of the rocks in that area look very interesting.
Both the hills and the rock photos turned out very nice. The weather is always a gamble, though. What a time to be living with instant information in the palm of our hands. I wonder how Ansel Adams's photography might have turned out in the days of Instagram?
Always such a pleasure watching your videos. Awesome results too.
Thanks Manuel!
man it would be so cool to be out there shooting, looks epic
Wow, that is some serious wind. The rock shot is quite interesting, pretty sure I would have walked right by that. Too funny about Zion though. Is that some kind of weird photography peer pressure?
I have always wanted to visit Zion during a big snow fall, but it's really tough to time since they only get a few of them each year. Even though the snow was a couple days old by the time I arrived, I knew that there was more potential there than in Death Valley until there was a change in the weather. I also definitely looked forward to meeting up with my friends there to catch up with them... so yeah, definitely some peer pressure involved. :-)
I'm not one to talk. I was in Las Vegas for a conference this month and popped up to Zion in large part because of you. I had never been and wanted to get a feel for it so I could plan a real trip.@@BenHorne
Click bait free content - I like that. Both images are really good
WOW, that was cool...
Thanks man!
Nice touch with the shooting star at the beginning of the video.....i'm guessing Aftereffects? ;0)
Ha! If only I was that good at it. Though I will say that if I managed to mess up that clip and trip over my own words, I probably would have found some sort of way to cut and paste the meteor in a different, more coherent clip. That wouldn't be as much fun though.
1:33 shooting star or captain marvel?
Haha! I never did quite find out!
At least the wind didn't mess up your hair!
Hahaha!!! So true!
I was there a couple days before this with Diego McCartney and had some of those beautiful conditions you talked about. Crazy how much things change in such a short time. Now, the images were absolutely beautiful but I have one major question that I just have to ask... How do you get your beard to lay so nicely??? I have such a hard time getting mine to lay flat and yours is perfect all the time, what's the deal!?!
Yeah, I definitely had some tough conditions, but I was able to return to Death Valley later in the trip and got some awesome conditions. In the end, heading to Zion ended up being a good move, and you'll see why later in the trip. When it comes to beards, it must just be genetics or something. It never gives me a hard time and just stays put with no work required.
@@BenHorne Haha thanks for responding to my very pressing question! Cant wait to see Zion now!
This started of looking like an Apollo mission, who knew there is so much wind up there.
When I was sleeping my my truck that night, it felt like an Apollo mission. I had to get up at about 2am and close the hood of my truck because I was worried it would get bent back the wrong way (I keep it open so rodents don't eat my engine wires). Thankfully I was quite confident in my ability to secure the tripod to the ground. Otherwise the trip wouldn't have taken a different turn.
Glad that moon shot worked out. I'm not crazy about the rock photo, but the moon and him was a nice composition that worked for me. I hope Zion was better to you then was death valley. Take care of yourself. I still love your videos.
Thanks Danny! I am still trying to make sense of all the photos I shot on this trip, and am undecided on many of them. I think you will find that the strongest photos happen closer to the end of the trip.
@@BenHorne I am looking forward to seeing them in context of one another. You always get great images, but we all have our down days too. Hope all is well with you, your wife and your cat.
Dude catching that shooting star on accident is crazy!
That sure was cool to see when I was reviewing the footage. What are the odds?
What is that ground anchor that you use? I should actually purchase one myself when shooting on a windy day. :)
There are three parts to it. The first is a 18" metal coil ground screw that I purchased at a home improvement store. Once I sank that into the ground, I used some strong cord I bought at REI along with a metal fastener called the Nite Ize Figure 9 Rope tightener. I will likely do a video on this topic. It worked incredibly well, and was rock solid.
How do you shoot in the early morning? Any specific colour profile? I really like the dynamic range of the shoot
For the Video?
Yup! @@BenHorne
I was using different settings for my Sony A7sII on this trip. I had it set to Picture Profile 8 with the Cine 2 gamut. On the past several trips, I used Cine 4. I found that Cine 2 better protects the highlights, and helps to give a better dynamic range. I thought this setting might work against me in low light, but Cine 2 also did very well in low light. For those early morning shots, I was at ISO 100,000 with tungsten WB mode. I have found that tunsten WB mode seems to give the most accurate color to what the eye sees in those hours before sunrise.
Hi Ben, do you ever use warm up filters for Velvia 50 in blue light or long exposures to compensate for Velvia’s Color shift?
I have never used any warming filters. I know that some other photographers have done well with that, but generally if I find a scene that I know will go very blue, I will also expose a sheet of Ektar, which isn't as vulnerable to the blue shift. I usually have some Ektar with me also, and it's easier than carrying extra filters.
Ben Horne Thank you Ben.
Question: Did you lift your 4runner or did a leveling kit to the front??? Just curious. Thanks
I have an Icon Stage 2 suspension which gives about 3 inches of lift up front, and about 2 inches in the rear.
i forget to ask, what system do you use to refill the air in the tires.
I typically use a CO2 tank, but I also have a 12v tire inflator pump. I prefer the CO2 tank because it is way faster, but the pump will never run out of air. :-)
@@BenHorne Thanks again, the van has been stripped of it interior and a plywood floor will be installed most likely tomorrow. Then i am installing a vinyl plank flooring.
Hello. Don't you ever cover the camera when left there overnight?
Only if there is a chance of rain, or if it's low to the ground and there might be some blown sand. Otherwise, covering the camera with a plastic bag might just make it even more of a sail.
You should re inflate all those balloons and see what you get ;)
Cant belive nobody stole it or spray all kinds of Graffity all over it!.
Ha! That's one of the things I love about the wilderness.