Automatic Settings Can Ruin Your Footage

Automatic Settings Can Ruin Your Footage

July 29, 2020
I shot this Around the School video using 24 frames per second because I wanted it to be more cinematic. It was a sunny day, but I didn’t want to shoot in complete manual mode because I knew that I would be going in and out of the school. I figured let the camera adjust for the changes in light and shutter speed on its own. Well that was a mistake that can ruin your footage. I’m leaving it up here for 2 reasons. One the lesson it teaches and two the content is still good. Shoot Manual It’s worth…
Maclehose 7 Rain or Shine

Maclehose 7 Rain or Shine

June 3, 2020
Not long after I first heard of the MacLehose hiking trails, Tracy told me that they stretched across Hong Kong from Sai Kung all the way to Tsuen Wan. That sounded really cool to me, but it seemed like a distant piece of information to me. Well, in an effort to explore and get to know the trails that are right around me in ShaTin, I decided to hike to the MacLehose trail from the Lutheran Seminary in ShaTin last Sunday. Rain or shine was going to do it. I went online to find out that it would take me…
The Right Camera

The Right Camera

May 18, 2020
The right camera is the camera you have with you. Not the camera you let at home because it was too big. My Panasonic GX7 m2 (in the US it's the GX85) isn't really that big. It fits in a large coat pocket, but I would need to limit myself to a pancake lens. Hong Kong is warm or hot most of the year so wearing a coat isn't really a possibility for me. As an alternative, I tried using a fanny pack. The fanny pack allows me to take the camera with a lens hiking or anywhere else. Still…

Is it Wrong Not to be Happiness?

April 24, 2020
Recently I watched a YouTube that caught my attention in it, Dennis Prager said that Happiness is a Moral Obligation. I was struck by the strength of his words and by what seemed like a contrast between what I had read from Murray Bowen concerning happiness. As I continue to listen and read, I realized that they weren't really contradicting each other. I think both would agree that happiness is good. We all need to be happy, but happiness or pleasure should not be chosen as an end in and of itself. Rather it should become a byproduct of a…
Riley Can’t Be Done with Me

Riley Can’t Be Done with Me

April 6, 2020
It seems that where every you go, whatever you do, or whoever you talk with COVID19 is everywhere. In fact, lots of people are not going anywhere, they are just staying at home. These are desperate times. Lots of people are out of work. They can’t afford even afford the basics they need for everyday life. People are stressed. For the last several weeks now I have been making power points, worksheets and some videos for my Creative Arts class on Film Appreciation. I have enjoyed making lessons for Inside Out and can see a lot of parallels between it…
School Picnic and Students Who Never Climbed a Tree Before

School Picnic and Students Who Never Climbed a Tree Before

January 17, 2020
School picnics are fun. I am glad that I can still say this. I actually had no point of reference for them before teaching here in Hong Kong. Still I imagine that they are not fun for everyone. I was recently talking with a friend who said that she does not like BBQ - barbecue. She prefers to have food made for her and served to her without all the waiting time that typically accompany BBQ. Given that school picnics are about 100 percent centred around BBQ, I am guessing she doesn't care for them. Anyway it's a good thing…
Putting Failure into Perspective

Putting Failure into Perspective

April 21, 2017
Stepping Out April 21, 2017 About a year ago a good number of friends were talking about a book called Love Does. The book contains many short stories that are actually a bit shocking. I think that they are shocking because too many of us live rather planned and predictable lives. We are afraid or a least, I am often afraid to live out the things that I should be passionate about. One of the stories that I found particularly encouraging was on failure. I think we need to put failure into perspective. Failure can lead to all kinds of…
Preparing or the Future

Preparing or the Future

November 7, 2016
November 7, 2016 The future will come. The question is whether or not we will be doing the kind of work we enjoy when it comes. I read a quote like this some years ago, and it has helped me keep things in perspective. In today’s world finding work that pays well and that you enjoy doing is not easy. While Tracy and I were in the US, we both settled for work that was less than ideal because we needed to take care of our cost of living. It didn’t bother us too much, as we knew that it…