Earlier this week, I took Marleigh for her nightly walk around 9:30 PM. I noticed the sky was crystal clear and there was a full moon. It looked spectacular. I had never tried to shoot the moon before, so I figured I’d give it a try.
I got out our trusty Nikon D90 and a 55-200mm lens. I snapped a couple RAW images (4200×2800 res) until I got something decent. Below is the resulting 100% cropped image with a tiny bit of exposure adjustment and clarity correction done in Adobe Lightroom 3.
Ok, so I’m going to write a quick report on the new HP Elite computer we got. As noted, it is a 6-core AMD processor machine with 12 GB RAM, 2x 1.5TB Hard Drives, a 1.5GB nVidia graphics card, USB 3.0 connectors and 23″ HD monitor. Over the weekend, I got everything hooked up and even got the Presonus Firepod working with Adobe Audition recording software. Since this machine is running Windows 7 64-bit, I couldn’t get Cubase to install. (The version I have is very old!) Fortunately though, the Adobe audio program works.
I have not given the machine a serious workload yet, other than using a 3D home and landscape program I am using to design what will hopefully one day be the new KR Productions facility! Anyway, the machine didn’t even hiccup on 3D rendering, so it’s looking promising.
This is my first HP computer and so far I’m fairly impressed. The 50W speakers and subwoofer are booming. I did some quick audio recording yesterday and it sounded good playing back throught the speakers.
This past weekend, we had a small gathering of about 30 people for my son’s second birthday party. Of course, as a media guy I had the video thing covered as you would expect. But, it got me to thinking… with everything going on and all the family and friends that were there, it would be nice to have someone else worry about the details and capturing the 2 hour shindig.
Likewise there is a family in Huntsville who hires me every year to film their son’s birthday. Now that I have a child, I see things through a different light in terms of time. Every moment is indeed valuable! Why bother worrying about pictures and filming the event! Hire someone who can take this burden off your hands so you can simply enjoy the time with everyone!
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first 6-Core processor computer! It should be here this coming week! This custom built rig not only has a 6-core processor, but also 12 GB RAM, 2 x 1.5TB Hard Drives, a 1.5 GB Video Card, a Blu-Ray burner, and a 23″ monitor! It should be smokin’ fast which means better productivity and reliability!
On July 31, 2010 my family and I attended the celebration of life known as “AJ Palooza”.
In the summer of 2009 AJs parents noticed he had been bruising easily while playing sports and such. After several visits to various doctors, Vanderbilt doctors determined he had a condition known as Aplastic Anemia. AJ needed a bone marrow transplant and fortunately one of his brothers was a match. After a long ordreal, and now a year later AJ is doing quite well and back to being active and having fun! We thank God for this medical miracle! You can follow AJ’s story here
While at the celebration I shot some video for the Rivera family and have uploaded it here for easy viewing.
I would also like to say thank you to Cristina Lynn, who performed some music at AJ Palooza. I used one of the songs on her CD as some of the backing music for the 8 minute video.
You can check out the DVD Case Wrapper I designed for the project below!
Never under estimate the importance of a wedding video… it’s a fantastic way to see all your family and friends together celebrating with you at the biggest event in your life!
If there is one comment we most often receive is, it is the fact that our clients absolutely love the ability to not only see, but hear all the sights and sounds from the wedding.
While photos are great and very important, there is nothing like motion picture to relive the day, as it happened!
Just this past week there was yet another announcement from Panasonic announcing the HDC-SDT750. A consumer 3D Camcorder.
Panasonic's first 3D Consumer camcorder - HDC-SDT750
While the camcorder itself records 1080p, when you attach the included 3D conversion lens (included in the purchase of the camcorder) it records at 960 x 1080. (as opposed to 1920 x 1080).
Check out the link to the Panasonic product page: SDT-750K
While the camera may be relatively inexpensive coming in at about $1,400 (considering their Pro Level 3D camcorder is about $20,000)… the required software and hardware (ie Computer) to edit 3D content would set up back about another $5,000. That would be for Adobe Production Premium ($1,600 and then another $3,400 to get an i7 based editing system).
So the question is, would people really want their weddings, dance recitals, and marching band competitions really filmed in 3D?
We have begun offering 4 new options, as outline on the main page at www.kyleroot.com.
These are:
(1) Honeymoon Coverage – Well, we aren’t actually on the honey moon… but we will edit the footage you shoot, and add it into your final deliverable DVD product!
(2) The Switch – A lot of our clients this year have requested to move 1 hour off the reception and use it at the Pre-Ceremony. That is now an official option.
(3) Photo Slide Show – A very popular request, so here it is officially.
(4) HD Upgrade – High Definition. You got it.
On June 12, 2010 I was fortunate to work along side my good friends from Leslie Adair Photography at the wedding of Katherine Tankeresley and Brad Easterwood. Leslie and her crew always do an amazing job and get me good pictures to use in my graphics!
I showed up on Friday for the Rehearsal and then did some Pre-Ceremony, Ceremony, and Reception filming. Katherine and Brad got married at First United Methodist in Decatur, Alabama… a fantastic venue for a wedding! Later, their reception was just across the street at Sykes Place and was catered by our good friends at The Corner Bakery and Eatery.
With the recent onslaught of “cheap” DSLRs and HD video cameras (<$500 in many cases), there has been a major increase in the number of people and groups claiming to be “Professional Photographers” or “Videographers”. Just because someone has some seemingly state of the art gear, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get a good end product.
Last week I began talking to a bride who had a family member film her wedding. Needless to say, she was not happy with the outcome. She has now come to KR Productions to see if there is anything that can be salvaged and put together from what she received. I have yet to meet with her and get the footage, but will post more as I learn more. [Also, we have been asked before to re-edit videos which were done by other video companies... so go figure...]
If your wedding is important to you (and we think it probably is)… please hire someone to film your wedding who has some experience filming events so you’re not faced [most likely] with a disaster of a video!
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