Video Editing With DaVinci Resolve

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While it is not what it was designed for, I have been using Adobe Photoshop for my video editing for quite a while now.  It did enough for my purposes so I couldn’t see the point in investing in new software purely for video.  However, I was talking to someone hat was starting to play with video creation and they wanted something to work with, so I looked around at what was available.  I saw that DaVinci Resolve, while available as a full feature video editor commercially, came also with a free version that seemed to have a lot of the features that the basic user could want.

Since I was potentially going to recommend this, I figured I ought to try it out myself first to see how it worked.  I have to say I have been very pleased with it.  There are clearly plenty of features in even the free version that I am unlikely to take advantage of.  It is also a lot more user friendly than Photoshop when editing video (which is hardly surprising given that is what it is designed to do).  I have played with a few edits now and I am starting to get the hang of it.  One lesson I have learned so far is to choose the continuous save option.  I spent a lot of time on an edit and the software locked up after lots of work.  The whole thing was lost.  Now it keeps a running save going (although I haven’t tested that properly as it hasn’t crashed since).  This looks like it is my new go to for video work.

Bye Bye Prowlers

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I should probably have planned this post better and timed it to coincide with the actual event but that didn’t happen.  The Marine Corps recently retired their last EA-6B Prowlers and the web was full of shots of Prowlers to celebrate the event.  I like the Prowler a lot so I thought I would get in on the act.  I have shot Prowlers a bunch of times over the years whether it was on flight lines, on exercise, during training or at an air show.  Here is a selection of some of my favorite Prowler shots.

The Hot Shop at Work

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The hot shop at the Tacoma Glass Museum proved to be a lot of fun.  We went in there as soon as we arrived because we had been watching them at work on a monitor while we were in line to buy our tickets.  We also knew they would have a break later in our visit so wanted to make sure we saw the work underway.  The shop is laid out to provide a lot of options for the visitors.

There is a seating gallery area built up at the back of the studio so people can sit and watch what is going on.  A camera operator moves around the shop providing close up shots of the work which are shown on monitors to give a more detailed view of the work.  Meanwhile, a guy was providing commentary on what was happening and answering questions from the crowd.  There was also a walkway that went above and behind the work space so it was possible to look down on exactly what they were doing from quite close in.

The team were working on a candelabra in glass which appeared to be a new idea that they had.  They got quite well through the work when it shattered.  They went back to the beginning and edited the design the second time around.  The simplified some elements and reinforced others and this time everything worked out well.  We were fascinated by the whole thing and watched them all the way to completion of the work.  Even if the rest of the museum hadn’t been there, this would have been worthwhile for a visit on its own.

50th Birthday

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This year has been a good year for 50th birthdays.  I can think of three that immediately come to mind, two of which are the 747 and Concorde.  The 747 is still in production and service so it shows up on here pretty frequently.  Concorde, on the other hand, has been gone from service for over 15 years.  I could have posted this on the 50th anniversary of the first flight but that would have required planning!  Instead, today we have a selection of shots I have got over the years.  Having had the chance to see Concorde in service a lot, I consider myself pretty lucky.  As a student in London, I used to watch the arrivals out of my bedroom window each evening.  You always knew it was Concorde.  The noise level was unmistakable, even on the approach.  Takeoff was something else!

BC Ferries at Work

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Our ferry ride to Swartz Bay was on one of BC Ferries larger boats.  There were multiple decks to explore and a great view to watch passing by once we got in amongst the Gulf Islands.  We also saw a few other ferries as we went.  The ferry running the opposite service to ours passed us by as we made our way through one of the narrow passages between the islands.  While not identical, it was a similar size to our boat.

The smaller islands also have service.  Since they are not generating anything like the traffic that Vancouver to Victoria generates, the ferries are a lot smaller.  We saw some docked up as we passed while others were making their own crossings.  The waterways were pretty busy with ferry traffic for a November weekday.  I wonder how many were tourists like us and how many were people going about their normal business.

Salt Lake City is a Scenic Airport!

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I had a long layover at Salt Lake City when connecting on a Delta flight.  The sun was out and the mountains in the background were covered in snow so it made for a rather pretty backdrop for the airport operations.  It was a bit Delta-centric given that they hub at the airport and we were in one of their terminals but it did make for some nice light and scenery for aviation shots.

Bison in the Snow

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As a celebration of a milestone birthday for m, we took a weekend in Jackson Hole.  Part of the visit was a trip into Yellowstone on a snowcoach.  There isn’t much in the way of wildlife in Yellowstone during the winter.  The bears are hibernating and the moose and elk have all headed down to lower levels.  Some bison have also headed down but other stay, attracted by the thawed areas around the hot springs.  We saw a few of them working their way through snow covered grounds using their powerful necks to move snow away from the plants underneath.

First Flight of a Korean Air 777

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A new airliner, fresh from the paint shop, looks splendidly clean.  When you have an interesting paint color, things are better still.  This Korean Air 777-300ER was making its first flight from Paine Field when I shot it.  It looked great in nice light.  When delivered to the customer, it will be pristine.  Then, regular service will result in it looking a little bit more worn and grubby depending on how much time is available to clean it up.  Airbridge dirt marks and others scuffs or leaking fluids will seek to muck it up a bit.

Little Bear Creek

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We have a park very close to the house with Little Bear Creek running through it.  There is a circular trail through the park but I had previously only been on one half of the trail.  I finally took a walk around the whole thing and was pleasantly surprised to see that you have a nice view over the creek at a couple of locations.  I only had the phone with me, but I got some shots and also put together a pano of the scene.  I will have to stroll here more often.

Making the Victoria Approach

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I walked along the harbour shoreline in Victoria to go and see some of the floatplanes in operation.  The planes have to take off and “land” in the outer area of the harbour so they are a bit away from the easiest spots to watch things from when they are most active.  I saw a couple of planes making their approach.  They came in through the entrance to the harbour before making the turn to line up for landing.  A nice arc to final approach and then touching down to be at water taxi speed by the time the entered the restricted area of the harbour itself.  Fun to watch and I could have spent plenty of time there on a sunny afternoon!