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.