I’m writing this from a hotel room in Page, Arizona. Half way through a shoot covering everything from the city lights of Las Vegas to the Slot Canyons of Arizona. I’m using a Sony Venice to shoot most of the material, but I also have an FS5 recording to ProRes Raw on a gimbal for some shots.
Shooting in Arizona with a Sony Venice.
It’s been an interesting shoot with many challenges. Some of the locations have been a long way from our vehicles, so we have had to lug the kit cross country by hand.
Lugging the camera kit to the Slot Canyon. Thankful that the Miller CX18 tripod is nice and light.
Almost everything is being shot at 60fps with some 120fps from the FS5. We also had a Phantom Flex for a couple of days for some 1000fps footage. For some of the really big panoramic scenes we have used the 4:3 6K mode on the Venice (at 24fps).
FS5 on a gimbal shooting ProRes Raw via an Atomos Inferno.
Our main lenses are a set of full frame T1.5 Sigma primes. These are absolutely amazing lenses and when paired with the Venice camera, it’s hard to produce a poor image. Our Venice has a beta of the dual ISO firmware which has been an absolute godsend as the bottoms of the deep slot canyons are very dark, even in the middle of the day. So being able to shoot at 2500 ISO has been a huge help.
Sigma Full Frame PL lenses. Beautiful!!
I will write up this project in more detail once the shoot is over. I can’t share any footage yet, but once my client releases the film I will be able to let everyone see it. However I have been allowed to post some frame grabs which you will find below.
Freemont Street Las Vegas, shot with Venice and 35mm Sigma.Secret Canyon Slot Canyon.Sony Venice 4:3 full frame, Sigma 35mm.Las Vegas by night. Sony Venice, Sigma 25mmSecret Canyon, Arizona. Sony Venice Sigma 50mmSecret Canyon, Arizona. Sony Venice, sigma 35mm.Navajo dancer, Page, Arizona. Sony Venice.Navajo hoop dancer at Horseshoe bend, Grand Canyon. Sony Venice, Sigma 20mmHorseshoe bend, Grand Canyon. Sony Venice, Full Frame, Sigma 20mmRiding into the sunset. Sony Venice, Sigma 135mmCampfire cookout. Page, Arizona, Sony Venice, Sigma 85mm
I will be running a one week, limited numbers, intensive workshop in Arizona between August 21st and August 28th.
Lightning over Tucson
This workshop is timed to coincide with the Arizona monsoon season which will should give us some really exciting opportunities to put into practice many of the things that will be taught during the week.
Each day will begin with a  2  to 3 hour workshop on different aspects of modern video production including such things as log, raw and high dynamic range. We will also cover timelapse photography, lightning photography and include some basic motion control methods. So the workshop will be suitable for both still photographers as well as video camera operators. Below is an idea of the topics that will be covered:
Sunday 21st: Arrival day. Social evening, time to meet everyone.
Day 1: An introduction to lightning photography and video, including basic time lapse and slow motion techniques.
Day 2: An introduction to scene files, picture profiles, log and raw.
Day 3: CineEI, exposure index, gain and ISO and offsetting your exposure for the best results.
Day 4: Post production grading with DaVinci Resolve including the use and creation of LUT’s. How to use ACES to streamline your workflow.
Day 5: HDR, high dynamic range and Rec 2020.
Saturday 27th: Putting it all together, editing, grading and viewing your footage before social evening and diner.
Sunday 28th: departure day.
Night time thunderstorm in Arizona.
This schedule is subject to change as we will want to maximise opportunities to get out and shoot any interesting weather and storms. Most afternoons and evenings we will be out and about putting the things taught in the workshops into practice. For one half of the week we will likely be based in Tucson, Arizona and the other half Flagstaff. This will give us opportunities to shoot the incredible lighting storms that are common at this time of year as well as spectacular scenery such as the Grand Canyon or old western towns such as Tombstone (the location of the OK Coral). We will shoot conventional video clips as well as time lapse, so expect some early starts or late finishes as we shoot sunsets and possibly sunrises.
The minimum number of participants for this workshop is 4 and the maximum is 8. Ideally you should bring your own camera equipment and a laptop to edit with, but this is not a requirement.
The course fee is $1,500 USD per person. This does not include accommodation, food or your transport to Tucson, Arizona. It does include transportation each day of the course. We will be staying in a mid-priced motel (Holiday Inn Express, Hilton, Hampton Inn or similar), and you should budget around $110-$150 per night for accommodation.
Please use the contact form if you are interested in joining this exciting workshop.
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