Happy Thanksgiving 2008!

It’s hard to believe that it’s Thanksgiving already. Where does the time go?

Even though Thanksgiving is an American holiday, it’s a good time for all of us on Planet Earth to reflect on the things we’re thankful for. Our journey in life is filled with ups and downs but it’s the things that we are thankful for that keep us moving forward.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Melody Beattie

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is part of a network of refuges devoted to preserving and restoring increasingly scarce habitat for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife. The refuge is comprised of 8,358 acres in Iowa and Nebraska and lies in the Missouri River Valley floodplain on a former meander of the Missouri River.

Each year, especially during the fall, spectacular flights of up to 500,000 ducks and geese mark the changing seasons along this traditional waterfowl flyway.

Once an oxbow of the Missouri River, DeSoto provides a crucial resting and feeding spot for migratory waterfowl as the flee the snow covered lands of their Arctic nesting grounds.

Filming this spectacle can be hit and miss. The drive South is fueled by Winter storms that cover their feeding grounds with snow and freeze their ponds and lakes. The largest concentration usually takes place in Fall around November and December. Flocks of 20,000 or more birds can arrive in a single day. They’ll stay at DeSoto until the Winter storms push them farther South until they reach their wintering grounds on the Gulf Coast.

As of this post, the flocks have yet to arrive.

Earthbeats – Quotations to Inspire

Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he’s been given. But up to now he hasn’t been a creator, only a destroyer. Forests keep disappearing, rivers dry up, wildlife’s become extinct, the climate’s ruined and the land grows poorer and uglier every day.

Anton Chekhov

Clip of the Week

Sunset Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

As the snow flurries flew outside my window this morning and the mercury dipped into the 20′s, my mind drifts back to a beautiful sunset I witnessed on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii.

Hawaii is truly a fantastic place to take in the beauty of nature. I look forward to stepping on the warm sand of Waikiki Beach in the near future.

I had gone to Hawaii last year to help people learn about the Panasonic HVX-200 HD camcorder.
It was a fantastic opportunity to spend ten days in this tropical paradise and really experience the beauty of the island.

No matter where I was on the island, I always seemed to gravitate back to Waikiki Beach for the sunset.

My hotel was right on the beach and as the sun went down, the nightlife went up. It was a magical place.

My time there also coincided with the Hawaii International Film Festival.

As part of the festival last year they showed films right on Waikiki Beach. Called Sunset on the Beach, they’d show international films on a 30 foot screen every evening after sunset. So, not only did you get to watch a great sunset, you got to watch a great film every night as well.

In fact, if you check out this film of mine, you can see a couple shots that show the giant screen set up right on the beach.

You can view the clip here.

Join Our Free Mailing List

If you have a minute I’d like to invite you to join our free mailing list. It’s easy to sign up and you can opt out at anytime.
You’ll learn about my latest travels and see new footage before before it gets posted here.

Just go to the home page here put in your email address and I’ll do the rest!

Seeing the Possibilities

One of the questions I’m often asked is how do I capture such beautiful imagery.
It’s a hard question for me to answer. It’s not that I’m reluctant to share some secret technique ( there really isn’t one ), it’s that I really don’t know the answer.

While composition and exposure can be taught, seeing the possibilities in a scene where there may appear to be none is much harder to explain. I think a lot of it is something you’re just born with.

I’ve been a dreamer my entire life. In my world of daydreams, there are never any limitations. I can be anyone, do anything, go anywhere. I think that allows me to look at the real world in different ways than just the current reality that’s in front of me.

I my latest film, “The River”, I scouted locations for the opening sequence. I was looking for something that would have a big impact and set the tone for the rest of the film.

This was the first place I scouted, a local state park which had great access to the Cedar River.

Really not much to look at. Certainly wouldn’t put it in the film as is. But, I saw the potential.

So I began checking sunrise times and position. I also checked the weather reports every night to make sure the morning sky would be clear. Nothing worse than traveling to a location to capture the sunrise only to find clouds blocking the sun.

By seeing the possibility in the location and a little planning I wound up with this.

Certainly much more impact as an opening shot than what I had seen when scouting this location.

What People are saying about “The River”

Fantastic cinematography

You are a master at the “big cinema” feel to your films, your artistry with your camera work… you are an inspiration.

Wow! This was amazingly shot.

From beginning the end, your Film was just magic.

Quite stirring.

This film moved me!

This was a true piece of art.

In simple words, a masterpiece of work.

“The River”, my latest film, is now available for viewing here.
I’d appreciate if you have the time to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of the film.
I hope you enjoy it.