Tag: Fujifilm X

Something New

Over the last few months I’ve been teaching myself to use Adobe After Effects. My interest in creating animation began with making flip books in grade school but didn’t progress beyond that. I never dreamed that there would be tools available that would allow someone like me to actually build and publish animation. It is a wonderful technological world we live in.

This is my first attempt to combine photographs, narration and music into a video based photo essay. My idea was to create something more compelling than the usual boring digital/projector based “Here is my summer vacation” style format. As someone once said, you never know what will work until you try.

The format of a blog post is not ideal for embedding full HD video. Hopefully it is good enough to convey my idea at least to some degree.

Remembering Basin and Range

It is basin and range, all the way from where I was born in the Wasatch to the Sierras. With a mountain range every fifty to one hundred miles and wide flat valley between. Ecological islands following the route of the great continental subduction. Like wrinkles in a piece of cloth they track thinning crust which produces unique landscape and species. I miss that environment.

Here in Texas there is a place just as special that draws me back over and over again. It is the Big Bend and Chisos Mountains. I’m not a flatlander by inclination so any time I spend in or near mountains is special to me. My senses become a little keener, with eyes unconstrained by the works of men. You can dream primal dreams there.

Moods

For some reason there is always a sound track playing when I’m feeling upbeat. Funny the word upbeat was the first thing that popped into my head when thinking about good times. Probably many people have similar associations of music and mood.

The same is true for not-so-good-times as well but why dwell on that fact. When I was young and full political piss and vinegar I asked my father why he was not as motivated as I to change the world. In somewhat more vulgar terms. He took a second to respond and finally smiled and said “I’ve been down that road and now it is time to relax”. I was disappointed with his answer. Now fifty years on, it makes more sense to me. There is a quote from Churchill that could be added here but best to let you look that up for yourself.