Everyone says they want to run a marathon, right? I said that a time or two. It’s tough to actually get out there and do it, right? Not really. Just leave and go do it. I ran a pointless marathon the other day. It was mildly entertaining.
I’ve always found organized races to be too much. Organized races cost too much money, involve too many people, too many rules. It starts at sign up when they hit you for the exorbitant fees. Then you go pick up your number and that bag of junk they give you. It’s literally a bag of garbage. Nobody needs another T-shirt. Nobody needs a sticker and packet of lotion from a company they never heard of. Then you go to the staging area and there are too many people. Then the bus ride is too long. Then the line at the port-a-potty is too long, Then you’re too cold. Then the start is too crowded… See my point? It’s easier to just wake up one morning and hit the trail. Just go run.
Here’s a short video I shot while running. Enjoy.
I’ve got a few new designs up in my Strayfoto Redbubble Store – some new Moab designs that are relatively new – check them out if you get a chance.
I had the chance to get one of the new Nikon KeyMission 360 (spherical, panoramic, VR, whatever) cameras a few weeks ago. I didn’t have much of a chance to play with it until now.
The Key Mission 360 is well built and easy to use if you don’t rely on the Nikon Snap Bridge app. I found some Key Mission 360 recommended settings online and optimized them using the app connected to the camera the first time I turned it on, and since then I’ve not opened the app once. The camera seems (for me) to stand fine on its own. It’s basically a compact, heavy little point and shoot that does some video. On the bright side, battery life and the microphone are both better than I’d hoped.
I find editing the video to be quirky – Premiere seems to freeze up now and then and I have to sopt and restart the program. I’ve never lost any footage, but It’s an annoying quirk.
The video of the Nikon Key Mission 360 isn’t that great either – the stitching on the sides where the images meet is totally visible in Virtual Reality. If objects are further away, then they appear a little better, but the KeyMission 360 seems to struggle to stitch together items that are closer to the VR camera. I imagine Nikon can fix this with a firmware update – I just hope they don’t take too long, because it’s an annoying flaw that needs to be addressed.
I went and shot some footage at the always incredible Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park. If you’ve never shot Mesa Arch at sunrise, it’s worth a visit. If not for the photos, then for the classic Mesa Arch photographer spectacle. The morning I went was pretty mellow – most mornings after Vetran’s Day are – but this was a Saturday and the parking lot was almost full of cars.
While there were a lot of photographers there, none were hostile or arrogant. You’d be surprised how often that happens out there. I’ve seen photographers screaming at each other and fighting for a spot right on the front row. I think it’s more entertaining to shoot the photographers themselves than the actual arch, but of course I’ve been there a bunch, so the newness has worn off. It’s still a beautiful palce though, one that even in cloudy or cold weather is still worth the short drive from town.
I’ve made a video with my thoughts and feelings (more in depth) about the Nikon Key Mission 360. In short, I find it difficuilt to understand the relevance or place of this camera in my workflow. Check it out below.
(spherical, panoramic, VR, whatever) cameras a few weeks ago. I didn’t have much of a chance to play with it until now.