jared
What about the fun stuff?
I just realized that all of these posts make it look like the prep is all about work.
Come 4pm on Sunday the fun really begins.
For the first several weeks I will be on the Archeology Survey so I really don’t have much planning to do. When I get there – they will tell me where to go and what to do. Everywhere has a specific area they research and study but they like to have me where the action is. I photographed all of the pottery at the museum last year and this year they said I am going to shoot the large stone inscriptions.
After my weeks there I hit Istanbul with Tim.
Last summer I had a great tour of Istanbul and really have a good checklist of what I want to see again and what I missed. I also have longer to spend which allows me a little more breathing room.
Whenever I visit a place I always stop and purchase the guidebook so I have reference when I get home. Today I need to triage those books and make a list of what I purchased so I won’t purchase it again. It is tempting to want to bring the books to have them with you but like most people I purchase the book after the visit so I will be fine with leaving them at home. Oh the savings in weight and money!
I am also trying to plan a day trip to Cappadocia!
They pick you up from your hotel, take you to the airport, fly you to Cappadocia, pick you up from the airport, tour you around, buy you lunch, take you back to the airport, fly you back to Istanbul, and take you back to your hotel. If I can get the right dates its going to be less than $300!
http://www.travelistanbul.net/cappadocia_day_trip_from_Istanbul.html
I will post more about the proposed itinerary as that portion of the trip gets closer. With the exception of the day trip though I am going to keep it loose. Have a big checklist but let the order flow naturally.
More updates soon!
OMG I Leave Tomorrow!
So much to do.
Its hard to imagine but I really am leaving town for an entire month!
Whenever I travel I try to remind myself not to over-pack and that if I forget something that I can purchase most items when I am there. Of course I mean silly things like toothpaste no technology or equipment (or as in a previous trip to France – an electric razor).
I’ve done some more equipment testing and have decided not to bring an external microphone or an external video light for my still camera (I am bringing studio lights). I went through my memory and can’t recall being in a situation in which I have had call for it. This trip really isn’t about video.
I will bring my geologger again – I can’t imagine shooting without it – but I might only bring the one this year (and a spare battery pack).
I’ve also decided not to bring my shoulder mount – again it seems more video specific.
Now of course I am worried that I am under-packing.
In addition to clearing from my plate all of my work responsibilities I am also getting ready to ‘take work with me’. This means making sure all of my data is backed up as well as bringing the right about of data with me (and ensuring that my data is available in ‘the cloud’).
The Preparation Continues!
Every year at this time I go through the same questions about what to bring and what not to bring.
Some of it is easy – at this stage in my life I am a real expert on clothing and toiletries – for those that know me it means a stack of identical blue lightweight shirts.
But the technology – that’s the problem.
So let’s go through this logically.
Obviously I need to bring a still camera and I recently upgraded to a 16.7 Megapixel Pentax K5.
Normally I only need 2 lenses with it – my very wide 10-20mm lens and my longer 18-200mm lens. This pretty much covers every circumstance. Well except for studio work – and I will be doing studio work – so I also need my 70mm-300mm macro lens.
In the field I don’t use a tripod (though I just got this need tripod backpack) but since I will be doing studio work I will bring my new very light Vanguard tripod. Last year in the studio I kept doing multiple angles so I will need a second tripod. I also want a couple of matching heads for dual quick release action. So that’s 2 sets of legs and at least 3 heads.
In the studio I use a slider bar for 3D work, a laser measure and turntable for VR work, and I am bringing a couple of small ‘cool’ light (and AC power adapters). I of course also need my color block for color accuracy. This should cover my studio work. Oh if I could only pack a backdrop (I was very tempted).
Going back to the field work.
Do I need a 3D still camera? I had one last year that I brought and didn’t use. Plus I do have my slider bar so NO – I will not be bringing a 3d camera. Done.
Do I need a panoramic camera? I had one last year that I brought and sort of used. I took a few panoramas but while the rig was decent it wasn’t perfect and its VERY heavy. In fact the best panoramas I took last year were the freehand ones I put together with the still camera. And no I won’t even consider bringing my GigaPan rig. So NO – I won’t be bringing a panoramic camera. Done.
Do I need a video camera? This one is tricky. Last year I brought 2 videos cameras and a stack of tapes only to find that it really wasn’t an ideal situation to shoot video. Every time I put the camera down people would talk to me – and everyone was keen on the photography. I took over 7,000 photos last summer but only walked away with 9 hours of video. So NO – I won’t be bringing a video camera. This is a huge load off my planning and packing. Plus my new Pentax K5 shoots really good HD video. So do I bring a microphone for it? That is still in flux.
Accessories are going to be pretty much the same as last year. Lots of memory cards, cleaning kit, GPS Geologger, notebook, iPad, iPhone (for my tunes), headphones, backup hard drives, and my portable wand scanner. Don’t laugh but bringing that portable wand scanner last year allowed me to scan and send receipts from the field-house.
So after all this it looks like I am just bringing one camera. Kinda scary.
Let the packing commence.
It’s Thursday – I leave Sunday.
Getting Ready for Turkey!
France – last entry
Hi all.
Typing this from iPhone
In Paris
Visited museums
Saw medieval chateau de Louvre and remains of the Bastille
Ate good food
Visited Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde’s graves
Went shopping for antiques, souvenirs, and ritzy stuff
Head out in the am – see you in the USA
Jared
[Re-posted from my University Blog & Edited 07/01/2011]
France Trip Update: Day 16-18
Day 16
(31) Chateau de Malmaison
(16a) Tour Eiffel
Day 17
(32) Chateau de Versailles
(and everything that goes along with it)
Day 18
(17a) Notre Dame de Paris
(18a) Sacre Cour
… Internet Cafe
OK So the hotel is fantastic! Great location great price – No Internet.
This is a quick update from an Internet Cafe.
We returned the car after a quick trip to Chateau Malmaison and then went to the Eiffel tower where I had a great time hustling the salesmen for cheap trinkets.
We spent the next day at Versailles. Wow it was so tiring! After we hunted down a movie theater and I got to see the new Tom Hanks film. It was OK but very welcome to have some media in my life (and some popcorn).
Today we went to Notre Dame which closed early to have a service for the victims of that flight from Rio. We will go back so we can climb the tower. Next we went to Sacre Cour. I have been there before but never have I climbed as high. I mean I climbed the tower but not to the very very top of the dome – wow that was intense. I mean the staircase was OVER the dome.
OK that’s enough for now.
PS I am still clean shaven and wearing a blue shirt!
Jared
[Re-posted from my University Blog & Edited 07/01/2011]
France Trip Update: Day 12-15 (Brief)
Quick Summary Day 12-15 and a look ahead.
Day 12
(26) Fort de Salses
(9a) Arena in Nimes
(10a) Maison Carree
(11a) Pont du Gard
Day 13
(27) Palace of the Popes
(12a) Pont d’Avignon
(13a) Arena in Arles
(14a) Theater in Arles
Day 14
(28) Chateau d’If
(29) Chateau de Savilly
Day 15
(15a) Cathedral in Autun
(30) Vaux-le-Vicomte
Ok summary aside. Let’s review. Car was broken into and I spent many hours in a police station getting a police report. Other than Tim’s stuff and our general inconvenience of having a car that couldn’t be secured everything is fine.
I skip ahead. We arrived at the Chateau de Savilly very late which was disappointing though I did get my pictures of it in the morning. We left our bags there and visited Autun and then got the bags. We then drove to the hotel to put our bags in the room before Vaux-le-Vicomte but the hotel was closed until 5pm so I cancelled that reservation and moved to another hotel.
Our plan goes on from here:
We leave this morning and drive (yes DRIVE) into Paris to drop our stuff off at the Hotel. Then we drive to Chateau de Malmaison and then from there the Airport to drop of the car and deal with them. At that point two things happen: (1) we are on foot – which is good because I can leave a lot of stuff in the room and it makes me more mobile (even though we are less mobile) (2) The hotel doesn’t have Internet so at best I will post from Internet Café as we find them.
I have more pictures and stories to share about the trip and that will unravel over the next few weeks as I will continue to post but I wanted to give a quick tidy up message to everyone who has been following.
I also want to once again thank the Maison Française de Cleveland Fund for their generosity and support of the expedition.
Our plan for the week is to do some typical Paris stuff. Don’t laugh it is important and part of it all. Thursday is the long day at the Musée d’Orsay and Friday at the Louvre. And yes we will sneak off and do a full day at Versailles either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Next time from an Internet Café!
Jared
[Re-posted from my University Blog & Edited 07/01/2011]
France Update: No Shit They Did It Again!
So we came back to the car after visiting the Chateau d’If in Marseilles and some asshole broke the drivers side little window (which I now know is called the deflector) got into the car – open the glove box, broke open the armrest – and got into the trunk.
Funnily enough other than the damage they didn’t steal anything… of mine.
Tim on the other hand lost two bags (one of them was very important and everything was valuable but useless to a thief).
So after three hours in a police station getting a police report we finally made out next stop VERY late.
Now we can’t secure the car and have two more days in it.
Man Plans
God Laughs
Jared Adapts
More as it happens….
[Re-posted from my University Blog & Edited 07/01/2011]
France Trip Update: Day 9-11
Day 9
(18) Chateau d’Angers
(19) Chateau du Roi Rene in Ponts de Ce
Day 10
(20) Chateau du Rocamadour
(7a) Church in Rocamadour (whose name eludes me right now)
(21) City of Carcasonne
Day 11
(22) Chateau Comtal (inside Carcasonne)
(8a) Church in Carcasonne (whose name eludes me right now)
(23) Chateau Peyrepertuse
(24) Chateau Queribus (seen from Peyrepertuse)
(25) Chateau des Ducs de Joyeuse
OK so here goes with a quick update.
Angers is a big fun castle and we did it quickly and outside of town saw a castle by a bridge which I quickly photographed. The road to Rocamadour was long and rough and it started to storm. So bad they wouldn’t let us pump or gasoline! We finally made it to a small hotel near the train station and after we got settled we saw a lightning blast so bright and heard a pop and the power went out for a bit. The next day was overcast and slightly rainy but we were able to walk the ramparts in Rocamadour and visit the Church.
We then drove to Carcasonne. The GPS must have been mad at me because it started to give me bad directions because it thought that 2 roads merged that didn’t and then started to put us in an endless loop! (I am not kidding). We figured it out and forced it to take us back on the right road. The bed and breakfast was fabulous! Like a villa – the rooms so nicely decorated and our hosts so polite and helpful. She didn’t want to be interviewed for the film but one of her neighbors is a scholar on the city and agreed to be in the film instead! She translated the questions and he answered in French – I understood about what he was saying but I will need to get it translated when I get back. At some point I think he was disparaging tourists buying snow-globes so I videotaped some of that just in case. I had an amazing meal of a local white bean stew that I am sure I will blog about more later.
The next morning we visited Carcasonne again but only quickly so we could get on the road to the Pyrenees. Mountain driving is tough but the day was glorious and we hiked up to the top of the mountain and not only visited one castle but I was able to see another via my telephoto lens! Our last stop for the day is a 16th century Chateau Hotel that so far has been my favorite (in terms of me owning a castle) and I ‘might’ have an interview in the morning.
Wish me luck.
Some random unlabeled and uncorrected (hence slightly blue) pictures follow.
Jared
[Re-posted from my University Blog & Edited 07/01/2011]
France Trip Update: Day 7-8
Sorry for the light postings. It is a lot of work and between shooting and driving I am really tired. I am including some technical details at the end of this posting on how things are going from a techie standpoint. And of course some photos (remember they are blueish because I can’t edit or color correct on here!)
Day 7
(12) Chateau de Chenonceau
(13) Chateau de Villandry
(14) Chateau de Azay-le-Rideau
(15) Chateau de Rochecotte (We stayed there!)
Day 8
(16) Chateau de Langeais
(6a) Dolmen de Bagneux
(17) Chateau de Saumur
The Loire is amazing and the weather has been great – just a light mist one morning. A couple of highlights for you:
We ran to Langeais to be there first thing in the am and at 9:30 they did indeed drop the drawbridge (and I got it on film). Because it was a Sunday they also had a market which was a lot of fun.
Backing up a little bit our stay at the Chateau Rochecotte couldn’t have been better. Not only is it an amazing castle but one of the owners agreed to let me interview her. She was nervous and some of the questions she answered in French (which I said was fine – I will have it subtitled when we get home). Some questions she answered in English though (so I knew what she said) and then she took us on a tour of the grounds and into the woods and we spent over an hour together and it really was magical. Afterward we ate dinner at the Chateau and WOW it was a real event – even nicer than the night before – I think tomorrow (or the next time I have Internet) I will devote some of the blog to a discussion of food. She gave me a bottle of wine which we now have to figure out how to get home.
As a surprise to Jenny and Tim I drove on a little side trip (all of 10 min) to the Café Dolmen in Saumur which houses the largest Dolmen in France – it was pretty kewl. Not a castle but a very large and very old stone structure nonetheless.
The Bed and Breakfast in Angers is lovely – we are starting to hit regions where the bathroom and toilet are separate. This is GREAT if you are traveling with other people. The proprietor really doesn’t speak any English so I am not going to even try and interview him.
It is strange how the film part of this is going. I have been able to film everywhere but almost all handheld. I have recorded very little audio and I have also gotten a ton of photos. As the trip progresses the post production of the film keeps changing and I can safely tell you I have no idea what the final product will be like yet.
Some technical stuff:
So far I have taken:
12 Hours of Tape
1390 Photos
I have used the tripod twice: once during the interview and the other time to watch the drawbridge drop. Generally it is hard to carry and no one lets you use it. I am using this $50 pro-cam sports mount handle thing I bought before the trip and it works better then expected. The bean bag mounting thing was a waste of time. So was the whiteboard it just isn’t convenient (however the superclamp I bough to hold it as well as the car window mount did prove useful for the microphone).
From a microphone perspective I am only use the Rode shotgun mic – it has good wind and ok noise elimination and I am able to sneak it in most place. Often we only pull it out when I want the ambience or will speak myself. The base of it broke but I was able to attach a tripod mount to it and it mount to the underside of the pro-cam mount it is pretty funny looking and quick to disassemble.
The rainslicker I got for the video camera I have used a couple of times and works well. For the most part I do not use the good handheld wireless microphone. The white balance card for the video camera I have only used a few times because I move to various lighting situations too quickly.
I have lost two lens caps. The video camera one just vanished and the zoom lens cap is floating in front of Azay-le-Rideau.
The GPS logger is working great s a live GPS feed into the NetBook computer I brought with me and have sitting on the dashboard for turn by turn directions. All of this goes into a backpack that never leaves my touch!
OK so there are some technical details for my geeky friends.
And some more photos for your enjoyment.
Jared
[Re-posted from my University Blog & Edited 07/01/2011]