Time Lapse Photography - TimeScapes and Baraka

Baraka. Do I need to say anymore. Have you seen this film? If you have not seen it and you are into nature or travel photography then this is a must. I still remember when I started dating my wife and she mentioned that we should go check out this movie called Baraka at a local theater. Not the mainstream Regal Cinemas but a local place that plays mainly indie, older and just plain different films. She had seen it and knowing how we were into the outdoors and my highly advanced point-n-shoot photography, she knew I would like it too. Boy did she nail this one. I loved it.

I can remember seeing that film as if it was yesterday. I walked out of the theater and it was for sure in my top 10 films, still is. It's a movie of mainly time lapse work filmed in 24 different countries showcasing tribal people to big cities to desolate landscapes, and here is the kicker, no words. Only the sites you see and natural sounds which allows your thoughts and emotions to flow as they like. Why I went into more single frame photography and did not explore time lapse more I do not know. I guess it kind of lost interest after the buzz from the movie wore off and I went on to figure out more about the single frame world and less about movies or time lapse.

Fast forward almost 10 years and now there is another time lapse movie coming out that holds serious promise to be another winner. Tom Lowe appears to be putting together quite a film that has me ready to see the full feature after only a two minute trailer that had me from the start, check out Rapture. I have tried a little here and there with time lapse since seeing Baraka yet nothing more than a few tries that did not go far. I have to say after seeing Tom Lowe's work it is really getting me to think about photography and exploring the time lapse side. Very inspiring to say the least.

Use It or Loose It

In this day and age of letting technology try and do everything for us we need to step back and remind ourselves that we don't want to do that. Technology advances are great for us and our world yet we still need to remember and keep our mind engaged and active from time to time. If you don't use it you will surely loose it, this includes your mental awareness as we age.

I go into this more in the podcast. Basically a recent article my wife sent my way talks about GPS use and how some folks are becoming "GPS Zombies" from over using their GPS to guide their way around. These units have a purpose and I have one for hiking that I enjoy but we should not be using them on a daily basis for places we can remember to get on our own with a little bit of brain power and memory. I still have a map and atlas that get used many times a year. I guess that is old school to many.

I also mention photographer Eric Curry. Although it's more conceptual with the significant setup in the field, many lights used and extensive processing it is some amazing and impressive work.

Rangefinder / Eric Curry:
http://www.rangefindermag.com/storage/articles/RF0910_Curry_Jacobs.pdf

GPS Addict? It may be eroding your brain:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40138522/ns/health-mental_health/from/toolbar

SALT

If you know exactly what the title of this post is without reading on then you surely have seen this short film already. If you have no idea what I am talking about then I encourage you to view this film.

This summer I was getting ready to head for bed one evening when I figured I would watch a few minutes of TV before calling it a night. There are not many shows I watch and considering our TV gets about 13 stations you can tell our house is not big on TV watching. That said a couple stations I do enjoy from our wide assortment includes OPB and Discovery. That night I clicked on OPB and was immediately engulfed with what was on...which I found out afterward was the the short film SALT.

Murray Fredericks is a landscape photographer that has made many extended trips to the vast and open landscape of Lake Eyre in Australia. I highly encourage you to check out this movie if you are into remote travel or nature photography. Although I did see it online and on OPB I plan on getting a copy for my DVD collection as well. It's really something to see; the stills he captures, the cinematography and the story of his dedication on his remote solo trips.