Christmas Eve 1998 from The All Saints Sessions

All Saints Sessions

 Today I'm posting another set audio files from what I've been calling "The All Saints Sessions" which are a hand full of old audio  recordings & videos captured at All Saint Anglican in Niagara Falls during the 1990`s. The post from the sessions consisted of audio files from Carols and Lessons today is Chrsitmas Eve and There is a post coming up in the spring of Easter 1993.  I have an idea that there may be additional recordings in a box or or on a hard drive but, for now it`s  just these three.

Background (or how we got here)

Originally recorded at All Saints Anglican Church in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada December 24th 1998. The recordings where made with two mics run through a mixer then onto cassette. Neither the equipment nor my ability to use it was up to the enthusiasm I had for making the recording.

What had been captured was not exactly up to expectations. The cassette sat around in the hopes that something could be salvaged from it, eventually.

Somewhere around 2010 the cassette was digitized. Again with the hope that  preserved in this new format some possibility of improvement might exist. The software I had and my knowledge of how to use it proved to be of little help at that time. So, they languished on a hard drive waiting for the time when the technology & (more importantly) my ability to use it could help.

Through working with video I have gained basic familiarity with adobe Audition audio software. I still wouldn't say I have any skill with it. But, I can identify some problems, find some answers and apply the answers when I find them.

There are still problems I can  hear but cannot figure out how to address. This leaves us with something that is OK in spots and not in others. It also leaves us with something that is out in the world for people to listen to instead of sitting in a lonely folder.

The Files (or how to listen to the recording)

Links to the files are below. There is one file with the entire service & an option to download it in smaller pieces.

Unfortunately downloading the files is a bit convoluted.

Click on the File & it will open a new tab.
From the new window you can download the file from the arrow button at top right.

There is also a player on the new tab. If the click on the player and don't have a compatible app installed it will give the option to download the file or the app.



All Saints Christmas Eve 1998 - Full
All Saints Christmas Eve 1998 - Part 1
All Saints Christmas Eve 1998 - Part 2
All Saints Christmas Eve 1998 - Part 3
All Saints Christmas Eve 1998 - Part 4
All Saints Christmas Eve 1998 - Part 5
All Saints Christmas Eve 1998 - Part 6


The files are basic mp3's and should pay on most devices.

Carols & Lessons - All Saint Niagara (1998-ish)

Today I'm posting some audio files from and old recording of the "Lessons & Carols" service from All Saint Anglican in Niagara Falls.

The church is no longer operating as a parish church but, the recording is still around. Originally recorded on cassette, then transferred to a digital file. I have finally gotten around to putting in a bit of work to turn the distant voices and loud hum into something recognizable.

Fair Warning: the original recording was pretty bad & my restoration skills are rudimentary at best. I just didn't want these recordings to lay unheard for another year. So I watched a few instructional videos and started work to see what I could do.

Consider yourself warned. The quality is not great but, if you've heard a service of "Lessons & Carols" before, you'll find something familiar & full of Christmas spirit.

Notes:
A)The "lesson" sections are not included.  I'm unsure if they where part of the original recording or not. They where not part of the transferre from tape to digital (done more than 10 years ago).
B) this 1st song is missing the beginning.



I hope you enjoy them, and Merry Christmas.


Carols & Lessons - Full Recording (33mb)
Carols & Lessons - Part 1
Carols & Lessons - Part 2
Carols & Lessons - Part 3
Carols & Lessons - Part 4
Carols & Lessons - Part 5
Carols & Lessons - Part 6
Carols & Lessons - Part 7
Carols & Lessons - Part 8

Instructions:
Click on the File & it will open a new window.
From the new window you can a) download the file (button at top right)
                                                   b) play the file (if supported by your device)

Ashley K Piano (Video)

A song from Ashley's first piano recital that took Place November 22nd at Taps.

2018 Livestock Walk & Talk

2018 Christmas List

Since Christmas Questionnaires came along this seems redundant. I already had it started and a few things already laid out.  So I'll make a very short post as an addition to the questionnaire.

View & Share

If you have a minute viewing, commenting and sharing stuff I've made is always appreciated.
 
Flickr:  Summerfolk pics, Thanksgiving Pies , Christmas Tree Series (will start filling up Nov. 23) 

YouTube,  Vimeo,    blogger,  

Vintage Stuff:

If your looking for a challenge try some vintage radio memorabilia.
My favourite shows are Fibber McGee & Molly, Jack Benny, The Great Gildersleeve. Although there are specific examples below basically anything associated with these shows and even their sponsors would be pretty cool.

Johnson's Wax ad with Fibber & Molly (AKA Jim & Marion Jordan)

Every year they worked this into the
Christmas episode  and they
promoted the record on the show.

Gildy's Blade, a sort of a cross promotion
for the sponsors Parkay margarine.

Record of "The Gildersleeeve Song", part
of a contest promoting the radio show.

Finally

Bubble lights, not the reproductions, but the originals (40'&50's). 

These are basically impossible to find, but hey you never know.

Merry Chrsitmas

How I Halloween | #7

It's Halloween !!!!

I was going to most more & earlier but,  things happen.


So, instead of  trying to do a quick (and probably not very good) version of what I had planned, I've put away those ideas for next year and have instead included a few autumn & Halloween video I've do in the past.

Hope the help give you that Halloween feeling.

I'm off to light the Jack-o-lanterns.

Happy Halloween!

How I Halloween | #6 Recipes

Halloween Recipes

Originally I had planned to find a bunch of recipes and test them out and report of the results.   That didn't Happen.  As usual I had more plans than time & then I ran out it, time that is. 

What I have done is included links to recipes that look good & I intended to make but, didn't. They are basically all "pumpkin...something", it's festive, so why not?

I have had the fudge before and enjoyed it, but I cant vouch for the rest. If you try them Please leave a comment & let me know what you think.  

1) Pumpkin Fudge
2) Pumpkin pancakes
3) Pumpkin Brownies
4) Pumpkin creme brulee
5) Pumpkin Soup
6) Autumn (Adult) Drinks

Bonus:

The Best Caramel Corn Ever!

From a newspaper article in the 1970's, a time when people both read the paper & believed most of what it said. my mother and sister have been making it ever since. I really do enjoy it more than any that I've bought.  That could have more to do with nostalgia than taste but, that's fine.

You can get recipes that are essentially the same Here & Here.


I've never made it my self, but have been known to lend a hand from time to time. A few years ago filmed most of the process and eventually Put it together into a short video.

UPDATE:

Here are a few more  pics from "The Shopping Basket"page of the Globe & Mail from October 24, 1979. Being one week before Halloween (and my brother's 2nd Birthday)  the page featured Halloween recipes and grocery specials.  It has been preserved for the  "Shell-Out Caramel Corn" recipe that is a favourite around our house.

 For the uninitiated "shell out"  is an equivalent to "trick or Treat"  used in Canada.

To get treats on Halloween kids used phrases like "shell out, Shell out, the witches are out", "shell out, Shell out, the Goblins are out" and even "shell out, Shell out, we'll break your windows inside out."   But,  that was mostly gone by my time,  we always used the foreign & generic "trick or Treat".

Next Time?

With time running out before the big day and "things to Do"  piling up,  I'm not making any promises except that this won't the the last post before Halloween.

How I Halloween | #5 Local Events

Local Events 

October is a great time of year for outdoor special events. The sun is usually less punishing (especially since most these are at night) and the air is fresh and invigorating. Rain can be a pain but, if you prepare for the weather it can add to the spooky atmosphere .

I promised this post would be quick and to the point, so lets get to it.


1) Fort George Ghost Tours
IMHO the best ghost tour around. No costumes, creative writing, jump scares or cheese. Great stories told in the places they are set. This is the bench mark by which I judge all others.

2) Fort Erie All Hallow's Eve
 Nice historical tour with a burning of the Guy at the end. On the down side, every time I've been there (6ish) it's been a step for step, word for word repeat of the times before.  The repetition didn't bother me when the price was very low.  With the new higher ticket price, I 'll probably skip this one for 2018. To be fair, the new ticket price comes with a movie, if that's your thing. Personally I like to watch my Halloween movies (&TV) with a Pumpkin Ale so, this isn't really my venue.

3) Drummond Hill Cemetery Tours
Not scary but informative and a chance to wander around a cemetery on an autumn night without getting in trouble.

4) Bridgeburg Haunted History Tour
 Never Been but, looks interesting.


5) Ridgeway parade
They call it "A long-standing Ridgeway tradition!". As an outsider, have only just learn of it. Now you know as much as I do.

6) Heartland Forrest Pumpkin fest
Something for kids. I would expect this to be you run of the mill community event.  Little kids will like it. Bigger kids will go but, pretend there too cool to like it. High School Kids will go to get volunteer hours and parents will go because it's something to do with their kids.

7) Purple Pentacle Samhain
 One more I don't have nay direct experience with. I I had to guess I'd say could be really cool or kinda lame. Don't think you can tell unless you go but, what do I know.

Next Time...

Recipes. I'll have links and reviews of Halloween recipes and maybe instructions for the Best Carmel Corn Ever (at least my favourite).



To see more of my Fall, Thanksgiving and Halloween photos, browse my Flickr Albums.
I even have a plans for a post dedicated to nothing but Halloween Photos (not all mine).

How I Halloween | #4 - Radio

Halloween OTR

As I said before, Holidays can be a good time to look back or in this case listen back. The term "Old Time Radio" doesn't always sound encouraging to people used to looking for 'what's new' or ' the latest thing'. If your feeling like that I'd ask you to try one episode of one show. You might find that it's not as archaic as you expect, you might even like it.

I find myself forgetting how long ago these things where made.  A joke is still a joke and a scare is still a scare. They can be a dated and and sometimes cheesy but,  they can also be "damn good".

Spooky Series

 They aren't specifically Halloween, but they fit the general theme of Horror & Paranormal. These shows (to me) are the sort of things where you skim through the episode list and try one that looks interesting. The only one I'm working through episode by episode is nightfall. Instead of me giving descriptions for these you can follow the link and get a description there & if you like it the episodes are there to download.

1) Nightfall
2) Lights Out

3) Suspense
4) The Shadow
5) The Weird Circle

Halloween Episodes of Popular  Shows

Just like TV today the popular Radio shows of the past liked to do holiday themed episodes.

Right-click on the links below an download them directly from here.

1) Fibber McGee & Molly
• 1953-10-30 Trick Or Treating With Teeny •

2) The Great Gildersleeve
• 1943 Halloween Party • 1947 Halloween Party  • 1951 Halloween Party- Lost Boy •

3) Jack Benny
• Costume Party (1938) • Party at Jack's (1939) •  Trick or Treating (1948) •

4) Baby Snooks
• Halloween Joke (1946) •

5) The Life of Riley
• Haunted House (1944) •

6) Father Knows Best
• Spooky Cemetery (1950) • Halloween Party at Home (1953) •

7) Ozzie & Harriot
• Haunted House (1948) •

Halloween-ish  episodes of anthology series. AKA: random episodes of random shows.

1) Don't tell me about Halloween - Obligatory Halloween Witch.
2) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - One of my favourite versions.
3) The Dunwich Horror - Nothing like a little lovecraft.
4) On a Country Road - Stuck on a deserted road while a murderous lunatic is loose.
4) Dracula - Wouldn't be Halloween with out a Vampire.

*  * * Bonus * * * Bonus * * * Bonus * * *

What Do Aliens have to do with Halloween?

In the couch gag for 'treehouse of horror X' Lisa asks "What do aliens have to do with Halloween?". The answer; War of the worlds. HG Wells, Orson Welles & the (then) new medium of radio all combine to indelibly imprint aliens onto Halloween.

You can find the original Welles version here & the Episode of Charlie McCarthy (#19 in the list) that ran opposite on another channel.

Here you'll find  a 6 part Radio Doc about the original, reactions and a series of remakes that started in 1968, the 50th anniversary of the Ors0n Wells version.

The first time I heard one of these WKBW remakes (1973 version) I was hooked.  The story is reworked to take place in & around Buffalo. Like the original it starts off slowly as a story in the regular (& real) news report, and it grows and grows and they follow the 'news story'. I think it's the nostalgia that gets me hooked the most. The show is well made but,  hearing about places that are only minutes away, from regular DJ's and news people (hooray for Irv Wienstien!) that I heard as kid is really too cool.

1968 is WKBW's 30th anniversary Adaptation of the Orson Welles version.
         Like the original, it caused some concerns when broadcast that became a legend itself.
1971 is a slightly reworked version following the same basic format as 1968.
The 1973 Edition is in many ways my favourite. It has the whole of the Halloween night broadcast in multiple files starting with W.O.T.W. then moving on other stories or "radio dramas" and finishing with some "docu-drama" pieces on Halloween themes.  It has all the commercials, bumpers, station ids etc.  There is something about the whole package and the flow of the programming that really gets me. As cheesy as some of it is, I love it.

Apparently there is a poorly regarded 1975 version that I can't find and a 30th anniversary 1998 version* made by another station under the same ownership group.
I haven't been able to find either version so far. If anyone knows where I can find Please let me know. Even if they aren't that good I'd still like to have the whole set.

*30th anniversary of the 1968 version that was a 30th anniversary of the "Original" 1938 version, isn't that sort of a 60th anniversary version?

That's a lot of Radio for you. I hope you've found something you like and I hope you'll be back in a few days for the next batch of Halloween treats.
Local Events around Halloween is what's planned for next time.

How I Halloween | #3 - LibravoxGhost Story Collections

Ghost Story Collections

There's nothing like a creepy story on a cool autumn evening. Personally I like to listen while walking. Preferably around dusk and with one ear bud out, so I can also hear the rustle of the leaves as the red and orange drain from the sky and I'm enveloped in . . . I'd like to say darkness, but usually it's the glow of streetlights. At least there's darkness and shadows between the houses and sometime even between the streetlights. It's not that the darkness itself is scary, or that something might jump out of the darkness, the thing about the darkness is that you see less & listen more. The story becomes more absorbing if your not looking at a hundred things all the time. Once you've begun concentrating on the story and are paying less attention to your surroundings, that's when the shadows can start to become just a little bit ominous, adding to the story in a whole new way.
 

For the 3rd post you have a selection of downloads from librivox.org.  As mentioned in the 1st post librivox is a project that provides reading of public domain materials for free. The books are read by volunteers and sometimes several volunteers will contribute part to one book. Due to the variety of readers there can be variety in the finished product. This can range from volume to pronunciation and rhythm. They are all 'up to the task' as they say, but some really do a great job.

One of the things I like is how they create "Collections". Like the 'coffee break collections' that are shorter snippets of stories & poems that (I suppose) are supposed to be long enough (or short enough)  for your coffee break. Another example is the series of ghost story collections we will be looking at today.

Everyone's taste is different but I've made a few suggestions for each collection. I wouldn't say these are the 'best' or even all of my favourites. The suggestions are a product of my strange taste with an allowance for variety. There are tragedies and comedies. There are tales that are creepy and sinister as well ones that are amusing. There's  a tale or two of insanity and a morality play. There is even a few straight forward ghost stories.

The suggestions are there for you to take or leave as you wish. 

There is a link to each of the collections.  You can download a zip with the whole collection or skim through the titles and download the individual stories that catch your eye.


1) Ghost Story Collection 001
Suggestions: Man Size in Marble - The Empty House - Uncle Abrahams Romance

2) Ghost Story Collection 002
Suggestions: The Ebony Frame - A Psychical Prank - The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall

3) Ghost Story Collection 003
Suggestions: An Astral Onion - The Chromatic Ghosts of Thomas -  The withered Arm

4) Ghost Story Collection 004
Suggestions: The 9:30 Up train - Green Tea - The Haunted Orchard - The Signalman

5) Ghost Story Collection 005
Suggestions: The Yellow Wallpaper - The Ring of Thoth - The Phantom Coach

6) Ghost Story Collection 006
Suggestions: Children of the Moon - The Man who was not on the Passenger List - Rattle of Bones

How I Halloween | #2 - Podcasts

Podcasts

For the 2nd Post in the series "How I Halloween"  I'm covering podcasts. To be fair, only one of them is specifically a Halloween podcast.  Therefore I have split them into 2 groups. The first is more closely connected to Halloween, Mostly in a ghostly sort of way. The second batch of shows can & do have episodes on ghosts, supernatural creatures and other things closely connected to the holiday. But, they also have lots that are general mysteries and Fortean Topics.

My suggestion, follow the links and try out some free episodes. Then go back and get more episodes of  the shows you like the most.

Closely Related to Halloween & Ghosts

1. The Campfire - As described in the 1st post people call in and tell their stories. From Ghosts, and UFO's to Strange creatures and "head scratcher" there all kinds of campfire stories.
2. Halloween Haunt - A short cast made for only one month a year. It covers various Halloween topics from Vampires to candy statistics.
3. Anythng Ghost - Another show where people tell their stories. This time only ghost stories & some are sent in writing and read by the host.
4. The Folklore Podcast - A more scholarly show with each show being a look at a single topic in folklore.

General Paranormal & Mystery

1. The Paranormal Podcast
2. Created by the same person as the campfire, it is more of an interview show with guests that are mostly writer about paranormal and unusual topics.
3. Blurry Photos - A show that cover legends and  mysterious stories with a mandatory debunking at the end.
4. Expanded Perspectives - This show also covers legends and the unexplained but, is more open to the idea that something strange could be going on. 
5. Gralien Report - Mysteries & Conspiracies from an under ground bunker deep in the heart of Appalachia.
6. Mysterious Universe - Many podcasts have subscriber version where, for a fee, you can access additional or extended shows and other material. MU is the only one I pay for, I say this to demonstrate how much I enjoy their show. They cover a large variety of topics. They can be funny, sarcastic and  informative all in the span of 10 seconds. I can keep trying to explain it but, the best thing is to listen to an episode and see for yourself.

Bonus: CBC Radio Archives  (not really a podcast but too good to leave out) 

CBC Archives have lots of neat stuff from radio & TV, & not just for Halloween but for just about anything you might want to search for.

How I Halloween or Sharing what I like about Halloween | #1 - An introduction

This is the first in a series of  posts about how I celebrate Halloween.  I'm hope to get a new Halloween post up a little more often than once a week. 

I love Halloween and have a a big store of media & info to help celebrate the season.

My plan is to share lots of media along with some more 'real world' stuff like local events, recipes and who knows what.

Virtually everything mentioned will be low to no cost. Mostly because I firmly believe that a home-made Halloween is the most fun.

Let's start with a bit of a sampler. Each Category should eventually get it's own post with more examples, suggestions & links.

Follow the links below to start getting into the Halloween mood.

1) Librivox Recording - Famous modern Ghost Stories

Librivox is a cool project (as they say) "To make all books in the public domain available, for free, in audio format on the internet." .   What that means to us is free audio books of anything that's not copyrighted.  One of the  cool things they do is create collections and anthologies around topics, genres & even seasons.

2) OTR Show - Nightfall - Info - Episodes

OTR stands for Old Time Radio. It usually covers radio broadcasts from a time it was the only game in town and into the the early years of TV when  some popular shows had both Radio and TV versions. 
Today's example isn't really old enough to be called OTR , but it's almost 40 years old & it's really cool.

Nightfall was made by CBC  starting in 1980 and aside from being a bit dated or "of the time" it's really well done and when I read the following review I was sold. "Holy wow, who knew Canadians could be so scary? Seriously, though - this is a very well done horror series from the early 80s. Really creepy stuff!"

3) Podcast - Jim Harolds Campfire

We have finally reach a point where almost everyone knows what a podcast is, so no explanations needed.  podcasts are great, everyone loves them and I'll share some of favorite spooky & Halloween casts.

Today's podcast is the campfire. The premise is that people call in in tell about their experiences, like they where sitting around a campfire. Due to the fact that everyone tells their own story some can be a little generic and others are so full of details it can be a bit hard to follow. Then you get the story you've been waiting for. Weather you can see yourself in the situation, or it super creepy or just really well told. You've heard a story that's going to stick with you, the kind of story you'll want to retell a friend.  Instead of retelling it, tell your friend where they can listen to it too.

4)Flickr Photo Group/Pool - The Vintage Halloween Pool

Halloween, & Christmas,  seem like a good opportunity to look into the past.  Some times our past & sometimes much father than that. I love the the old photos in this group. The decorations , ads and especially the costumes. They run the gambit from some old clothes and a paper bag mask to very elaborate costumes that are the antithesis of a store bought plastic mask and smock.  
There are more groups or photo pools from flickr coming up in another post. One thing about flickr, if someone has a topic they're interested in, someone else has gathered a group of photos about it.

5) Local Event - Fort George Ghost Tour

Of all the ghost and cemetery tours this is the one I like the best and the one I keep going back to.
Of all the categories I've set up for myself, I think this will be the hardest. There are ghost tours, cemetery tours, & fort tours. Once those are out of the way it gets a little harder to come up with events that aren't just another temporary fun house.

6) Recipe - Pumpkin Fudge

If there is any holiday that's synonymous with sweet treats Halloween is it. So it only makes sense to have pumpkin Fudge as the first recipe.  There are tons and tons of recipes for anything and everything. My plan is to keep the ones I pass on relatively simple and to have tried them before sharing them. There are some pumpkin pancakes & warming adult drink I'm really looking forward to.

Tune in Again

That's the sample pack of how I Halloween. I'm not sure if it will be representative of the rest of these posts, but hopefully you found something you enjoyed. If you did check back soon for more Halloween fun.

Signs of Fall or rather "The sign of fall, I look for"

Those of us that love fall  are looking for signs of fall's complete and undeniable arrival.

You can look for the 1st red leaf, you can sniff that 1st cool breeze or  you can wait for fresh local pumpkins to appear. These are all good indicators that fall is coming, but they are not undeniable sings that fall has irrevocably arrived.

First Sign

There are many signs of fall and every lover of fall has their favourite. For me, Pumpkin beer is the one that says "no more waiting, no more watching, Fall IS here".  I haven't had one yet this year or even seen them in the LCBO (to be fair I haven't looked) but, what I did see last week tells me it won't be long now.

At my local micro brewery, Taps on Queen, Phil the brew master was creating the magical liquid that portents the best season of the year. My 1st hint was the the can of pumpkin puree near the brewing kettle, followed quickly by Phil's confirmation that 3.14 (pumpkin pie) was indeed being brewed before my eyes.

Phil Stirring furiously

In a few short weeks that wonder fall tradition will ready for enjoying during crisp sunny afternoons on the patio. After the 1st few pints of fall another tradition will begin 'custom pumpkin pints'. The creating, tasting, testing and debating of  custom mixtures of pumpkin 3.14 with Taps other brews.
Pumpkin with IPA, pumpkin with porter, pumpkin with lager, pumpkin with red cream ale, pumpkin will be mixed with every tap that can pour & most of  the regulars will have a the right combination in the right proportion to create (what they believe) is the perfect fall brew that represents all the best of autumn.

The wonderful aroma filling the air.

If you think that sounds a bit extreme, you've never been with beer lovers as the the warm autumn sun sinks behind the skyline and someone new comes up to the bar next to 4 regulars and asks the one sitting beside them "what are you drinking". It's a question that will have 4 answers and even more recommendations.

Flowers and Photos

 I once heard a Quote to the effect (I can't remember the exact wording) "If  you want to take pretty pictures, start by putting your camera in-front of something pretty"

You can substitute "pretty" for may things "exciting", "Dramatic", "Emotional". The point is, start with a subject that represents the look you want to achieve.

It's a guilty pleasure of mine to go for a walk & put that into practice.  It feels sort of like cheating, to try and make an appealing photo of a subject that already has lots of appeal and often has most of the element you need for a good photo.

I can & do still mess up some of these shots. But, it still feels like cheating when the photos that where the easiest to take turn out to be some of the best shots of the day.

 I'm not advocating against choosing an interesting subject. In fact finding a great subject is something most photographers strive for. Sometimes I feel spoiled for choice and miss hunting for a good subject.

That probably says more about me than it does about photography.

Click Subscribe and never miss a post.
You can get my "Pic-of-The-day" in your Twitter feed by following @rumimumesf on Twitter.

Want to see more?   I'm also on  Flickr, Vimeo,  YouTube, & Google+.

The Mega-Lapse Project

The Mega-Lapse Project

The Mega-Lapse Project, sounds impressive, but it's just what I called it to distinguish it from other time lapses I was working on.

The various pieces (time lapses, footage & hyperlapse) where shot from November 2013 to May 2014.  After preparing the individual lapses  & bringing them into one "mega" project & getting started, I soon got side tracked by more urgent projects.

So, everything sat on a hard drive & sat & was basically ignored for a long time.

Until this spring when I came across the project & opening it up. All the files where there and the time lines where all in place & all the different lapses worked fine. They just needed assembling and a bit of finishing.

"I've come this far, I can finish it off quick"  was my thought. Well, it wasn't exactly quick but,  it is done & (at least to me) it doesn't look too bad.

BTS

In the mega project I also found some BTS (Behind The Scenes) footage. Once again "waste not, want not". I put the together to go with the main project. The BTS was mostly shot in one day, One windy, snowy afternoon. First I went out with a camera wrapped in plastic and put the camera & tripod where it could 'watch' me make the trip to the track to shoot that day's part of the hyperlapse (moving timelapse). once it was set & focused & running, I trudged back to the building, got the camera & tripod I was using for the taking pictures (5 different locations) each day, all winter. With the standard tripod & camera I set out to get the days shots shooting bits of live action along the way.

More to Come

I have other unfinished projects  that range from a folder full of footage to others that where nearing completion before they put aside. I just might take a few,finish them off and post them.

New project sometime seem a bit more attracting, they're well, new and exciting. But, I've never brought a project to completion without learning something, usually a lot of somethings,

So, when I have a bit or extra time or need a break from my current projects I'll take a look at an older project & see what I can learn.

ALK Art's Debut Show

On April 15 (2018) Ashleigh of ALK Art had her Debut Art Show at Taps on Queen, in Niagara Falls.

I had the opportunity to work with her and make a few videos for her social media channels and helped work on a poster for the 'real world'. If we've done our jobs reasonable well these things should need too much explanation.

So,  That's how I'll lay them out below. 

1st came the logo.










Next, came the poster.
Ashleigh had a 1st draft of the poster and with a little tinkering we had this.

Introductory Promo.

2nd Promo Video

Interview video - made & posted during the show.

'Thank You' video posted at the end of the show.

Playing & Practicing

 Playing & Practicing

I've been playing around with objects I find around the house. Trying different things with angles, composition, lighting & lenses.

I rarely have a specific goal in mind aside from developing a better understanding of light, composition and the gear at my disposal.  I (hopefully) create some decent images, but I often learn as much from the ones that don't work as I do from the ones that do.

Evey once in a while I try something that works out and I think "hey, I've really got something here. This new techniques is great!"  then after I down load the images I realize it's not really new, It's actually something I've seen before or a combination of things I've seen.

Often it's something I tried before and couldn't get the result I wanted, and sometimes it's a technique I wasn't excited about until I combined it with something else & got a more interesting result.

I read enough blog posts & articles & watch enough tutorials that I've always got a few "things to try" in the back of my mind. Somehow they never really click until I try them out. Once I have an example  ready to post, then, I have  new tool to add to my bag of tricks.

That brings us back to playing around & tying new stuff. When I'm working on a specific project I usually play it pretty safe and projects also come with deadlines, so there's not much time to play around.

 
Which is why it's important to play around & try new things when the time is available. Develop new skills when you can, then they are ready and waiting in your tool box when the right project comes along.

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** all photos taken with canon 80D, canon 50mm f2.5 compact macro, 1 light (+ room light) & DIY diffusion.

Summerfolk 2017 in 60 Seconds - GRADED

I updated the slide show from the previous post. 
The only difference is that grading or stylized colour has been added.

Colour Grading is something I find fascinating to watch but elusive to create.  When you see before & after shots of something before & after it was graded the difference can be huge. It obviously looks different,  but it also feels different & that is usually the thing that's more important. The colour enhances the mood & emotion of the story. Even if you never see a before & after ideally you will still get the feeling they're going for.

 Grading is hard. it's even hard to do a half baked job of it. It's really hard to do well and the people who do it well are wizards.  I can't afford to send my little videos to a wizard to work on, which is why I'm trying to work towards doing a half baked job of it.

The idea with this one was to have it feel like dreaming of a happy memory then waking up & being a little disappointed that the dream is over, but happy you had it.

 

Original (no) Colour

Colour Graded

I'm not sure if the colouring really makes that much difference here, but you have to start somewhere.

Summerfolk 2017 in 60 Seconds

A quick little slideshow of photos from Summerfolk 2017.
All the photos are being posted on Flickr. One photo a day until they're done.

This type of slideshow (each photo for a very short time, pan & zoom, no style elements) is something I saw years ago and liked. So, I tried it & liked the results, but it's so easy to over use or to use for something that doesn't fit the stripped down style.

It seems to work pretty well for Summerfolk. I think it could almost go a little faster.
Any thoughts?

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Canadian Raptor Conservatory - Teaser

I'm busy working on a series of projects that won't be finished for a while and I've finished one smaller project that I'm sitting on until after the official release by the client.

 With all the longer projects on the go I don't have much to put in the blog. So I'm posting something small, mostly because I haven't posted in a while.

One of the projects that's going to take a while to finish is the Canadian Raptor Conservatory.
It was was more fun than I expected and I'd do it again. I'll be writing writing more about it later and there will be a video at some point too. For now here's a short bit of footage from that day.

As I said, it's early days and as I post this I'm looking at it and making notes about things to do different for the final video. But,  that's part of letting other people look at things, it makes you look at it different. Things that are easy to over look are more prominent when someone else is looking.

Tutorials

Winter is a time when I expect to have a bit of extra time. Weather that's true or not is a discussion for another day.  Back to the topic at hand.

A while ago I added a daily reminder to my calendar "Watch 1 Tutorial". I have a long list of tutorials in my bookmarks. They accumulate there due mostly to procrastination. I'm working away and want a break before I start the section of work, procrastination. So, I check twitter and see an interesting tutorial in my feed. But, I don't have time for it now, after all I'm working. So, I bookmark it for later, more procrastination and a long list of un-watched tutorials.

I like tutorials. Most of the ones I watch are related to making digital media. From Graphic Designs through Photos & Videos it includes a lot of topics: writing, shooting, editing, effect, sound design, colouring, animation, treads, tribe building, social media awareness, and a ton of related topics.

I'm trying to master them all or even be proficient in all these areas. Many of them I just watch to have a basic idea how they work leaving the details and application to others. Know the basics of how other people do their job can add something to how you do yours.

One of my favourite things about tutorials are the "wait, what was that." moment before going back to watch that bit again. Sometimes it's about something I'm not going to do, I just want to know "How It's Made" and they say something that applies directly to the stuff I Do work on. It's that little piece of cross over that is all the cooler because it came from an unexpected source.

The other thing that happens over and over is a different type of "wait, what was that" moment. This time the thing that catches my attention is something that is glossed over. It's thrown out & run past like it's the most common thing in the world. It's never the focus of tutorial it's just a step along the way. "next you just do X, to setup for Y. To do Y you..."   Wait!   What?   X?  I didn't know about X. That's so cool, how come I've never seen X before that will solve problems and save time. Why has no one told me about this? It happens to me all the time.

I should probably be embarrassed by this (I'm not) but, I've learned a ridiculous amount from throw away lines in tutorials and interviews.   It's why I watch tutorials to the end. Even if the production value is kinda bad, or the topic isn't really what I was expecting, once I start I usually watch til the end. If I finish it and get nothing new, I've only lost a few minutes. If the whole thing is kinda of  2nd rate, I'll still try to watch. If nothing else I'll learn how NOT to make a tutorial.

If I stick it out for a few minutes I might see something that will save me time or become an integral part of the next thing I work on.


Now I'm off to watch a tutorial about making animated Easter Eggs in After Effects.