Filming has begun on the “Life Outside” documentary. This past weekend the family and I drove to Cowiche Canyon just outside of Yakima Washington. After an agonising drive with a toddler and a 2 month old who were very restless the entire ride we arrived in Yakima, where we stayed the night at Grandmas house before venturing out the next day.
Cowiche Canyon is a retired railroad that has been converted to a nice wide trail that meanders through a canyon. Beautiful wildflowers had just begun to bloom and splashed color around the desert canyon. The weather was perfect for a hike with the family and made the little ones very happy.
Filming this weekend went well. It was a good test of the equipment. There were a few features of the camera that I was still learning and it was better to learn the camera now rather than miss out on footage that I cannot get back later during interviews and trips with interviewees. I missed some great shots due to learning exposure controls and trouble with focus. One shot I had was of a hawk soreing off of a cliff that was just out of focus and lost the whole shot. Then there was a herd of Elk that was also just out of focus. Next time I will get some better shots.
The shots you have from Cowiche Canyon are stunning. They reminded me a lot of when i went to Yellowstone a few years ago. I’m not sure if you’re interested in getting anymore nature shots but lake ozette has a beautiful trail out to the beach and if you go out at the right time you can play in the tide pools. There also is hieroglyphics on some of the rocks. It’s just an idea. Keep up the good work!
Despite the problems you encountered with focusing and a little over exposure, I think your shots worked well and will definitely be good b-roll footage. I also think it fits the content of your project really well.
Sounds like you made a good time out of having to do this project as well, great opportunity to take out the family!
Good work.