Light on the Horizon

At a DC-3 Plane crash site, Karl takes some landscape shots in preparation for a fashion shoot later in the trip when the weather improves. He demonstrates how he uses a Big Stopper to capture a long exposure of several minutes in the day time and make the already surreal scene seem even more spectacular.

Comments

  1. jeahn

    I absolutely love these BTS, thanks! Do you remember how you setup your mic to work in this wind? I live in a very windy area and struggle to balance sound quality with muffled wind protection. Bravo!

    1. Hi Jeahn, we actually had a lot of issues with sound on this trip but when it worked we were recording with radio mics such as Sony or Senheiser (we currently use the Sony ones) and with a small wind bluff over the microphone and then we attach this inside the collar of our jackets but you still need to be careful of it rubbing on your clothes and that causing a problem.

  2. Absolutely awesome production in this video! Great music as well which lends perfectly to the scene. I’d be interested in seeing how the Canon 5DSR (50mp) would have performed. But, the Mark III produced amazing images regardless the sensor size. On a side note, thanks for demonstrating the tenacious determination to get the perfect shot regardless the less than obliging weather.

  3. what helps with the wind is for the photographer to stand upwind of the camera during the exposure to shield it. you could also take a plastic bag, fill it with stones from the beach and hang it on the tripod by the hook that’s usually below the tripod head plate…

  4. Hello Karl, this is a wonderful BTS as always!

    In the video on time point 06.30…..you seem to have said either 15 or 50 for the base exposure I was not able to pick it up correctly…could you please explain it here?

    Also if possible can you mention the stop numbers here?

    Wishing you and your entire team and the loved ones ‘Merry Xmas’ 🙂

    Regards
    Suunil

  5. Hello Karl, as always, great shot.
    A question, why f8 ? You could have set much more smaller aperture, as you needed lesser light. Is it to have a delicate focus on the plane ?
    Thanks.

    1. Hi Vishwas, If I remember correctly then it was a 2minute exposure. If i’d gone for f16 then it would have been an 8minute exposure which would have created problems with noise and would likely have resulted in indescribable cloud blurs so it is really a compromise between exposure time and result. Also the plane was far enough away that I was almost focused at infinity and there was nothing of interest in the foreground so it didn’t really matter.

  6. Karl, I’m a huge fan of your work and new to this wonderful educational opportunity you have made available! That said, at 5:42 into this clip you wiped your Lee filter on your trousers I assume to clean it? Are Lee filters that durable?

    1. Hi Richard, thank you for your kind words. Some Lee filters are glass such as the Pro ND and polarisers which are no problem at all to wipe on my shirt/trousers, the ND grads are resin but a tough resin and as long as my shirt or trousers had no grit on them then they would be OK. Although I must admit when I’m caught up in the moment of ‘getting the shot’ I don’t give a lot of consideration to my equipment as I’m focused only on the result, obviously this is not really a good trait but one I picked up when working as a photojournalist and it was only ‘being there’ that mattered. 🙂

  7. Thanks for bringing us with you to the adventure in iceland Karl ;D
    Seems like the weather is really challenging at the spot. Can seen you’re ‘shouting’ due to the huge wind there.

  8. I’ve now watched all the Iceland videos and found them to be compulsive viewing. Such a great adventure. Inspiring teamwork and tenacity, and great knowledge of equipment and the location, guarantees a high-percentage pay-off … whatever the weather.

  9. Having enjoyed about 40 per cent of your videos Karl I actually feel like I am part of your team. This coverage is interesting and exciting

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