10 days and counting

summit, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Mount Monadnock serves as good training ground for Africa.

Mount Monadnock, originally uploaded by A glimpse of life.

With Kilimanjaro only a bit more than 2 weeks away, my friend Shawn and I drove an hour and a half to get some training in. Being in New England might end up being one of my weak points, once the altitude comes into play. I can train hard, but we are still only a few thousand feet above sea level and you really can't tell how the thin air above 10,000 feet will effect you.

The rugged terrain of New England, and New Hampshire in particular are hard going, especially with a pack and camera equipment to haul up the hill.

Mount Monadnock, originally uploaded by A glimpse of life.

The view is incredible, including three states. On a clear day you can see from Mt. Washington to Massachusetts.

Shooting the Summit

Mount Monadnock, originally uploaded by A glimpse of life.

We found what looked the like tallest rock outcropping on the summit. There was a good amount of people there, this being one of the most climbed mountains in the area. Mount Monadnock stands about 2000 feet above any other peak within 30 miles and is the tallest peak in southern New Hampshire.

Headed for the Summit

Mount Monadnock, originally uploaded by A glimpse of life.

After several long off glimpses of the top, we finally got there, only to find yet another drop off and gully, then a hundred feet back up. The view was worth the work. Getting back was pretty tough though. Took a few extra hours with the packs and all. But, we did make it in the end.

africa or bust!

africa or bust!, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

It's official! I'm actually going to go to Africa, and climb Kilimanjaro. I know, sounds crazy. But it's true.

Mom, this one's for you.

The Photographer

The Photographer, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

So my friend, Dave and I went to NYC to find him a new dejembe. And of course I bring my small Nikon with me where ever I go. We had 5 or 6 music stores marked off on Dave's nifty printed map of Manhatten. We also wanted to go up to The Top Of the Rock, and see the city from the 70th floor.

I came across this interesting photog on 50th street near the entrance and asked him if I could snap his pic. He did not even hesitate and said, cool as can be: "You got one shot". I thought it was pretty cool, turning the table on a guy that most likely has taken more photos from this very spot than I have taken anywhere. But something tells me he has found him self on the other end of the camera plenty.

I really should visit the big apple more frequently. Thanks, Dave. And enjoy that drum!

Reflection

Light Reflection, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Getting in one last hike before my hernia operation, the light was just right. I kept a quick pace, but stopped for a few shots on Porter Lake. The operation went fine, I am will son be back to training for my trip to Kilimanjaro this June.

Stay tuned for more training pics!

Out Cropping

Out Cropping, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

This shot was taken from the top of Mt. Tom during a recent training hike. Although it amounts to little more than a bump when compared to MT. Kilimanjaro, every step gets me a little closer. I head to Africa on June 26th and will be increasing my training up until then. Getting my camera equipment to 19,400 ft should end up being an adventure.

Rocks, Red River Beach

Rocks, Red River Beach, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Pumping Iron Roadster

Pumping Iron Roadster, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Built for Mike Katz, this cool 32 just got paint from Bodyworks Unlimited and artwork by Richard Markham and Ed Gross. The car was headed to be unveiled by Katz, Lou Ferrigno and The Governator himself , Arnold Schwarzenegger.

We all need a hero. And some fiber.

Wheaties Box US Airways flight 1549, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Super cool, US Airways pilot C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger has the right stuff. Not only does he calmly land his stricken Airbus A320 jetliner in the frigid Hudson River, and saves all 155 people aboard Flight 1549, but he also knows a good breakfast cereal when he tastes one.

O.K. I am just guessing about Capt. Sully's choice of morning food stuffs, but I am certain he is one great pilot. As a frequent flier and avid aviation buff, I hope to get a pilot like him on my next flight. And I hope that he started his day with several bowls of Wheaties.

Blue Boat

Blue Boat, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

49 Grille

49 Grille, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Red River Beach

Red River Beach, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Christmas on Cape Cod

Calm Before The Storm

Calm Before The Storm, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

This was taken moments before all hell broke loose on flight 3472 from Washington DC to Hartford Ct. After 2 grueling hours for a 45 minute flight, 3 hair-raising attempts to land and my reconsidering religion, we diverted to Providence RI for a scary landing. After several passengers called the police once we landed, demanding to be let off the plane, we joined them. No way was I about to stay on for "another try". Happily, we rented a car and drove two hours with a very nice retired couple, getting there only about 30 minutes after the plane made it to Hartford. Either way, the return flight must have totally sucked, as the weather did not improve much. I will certainly fly again, but next time the clouds look like this, I will wonder how horrible it might get.

Del Padre Digital shoots Johnny Saxx video

4k RED ONE, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

I took our brand-spanking new RED ONE camera out to Detroit to shoot a music video for Hip-Hop artist Johnny Saxx recently. Including a shoot in Blue Sky Studios, an office set and club scene in Lansing and a moving car scene on Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe, it was a very full couple of days.

The rig was fitted with The Redrock microMattebox which we got a few days before to write a review on the product for Studio Monthly Magazine. You'll have to wait for your issue to find out the full story, but I can say it was sweet!

The video is for the song "Take Me Away" and is now in editing. Of course, the RED workflow is, let's say...a challenge, but the image quality and dynamic range is just astounding. Paired with our Nikon prime lenes, we had excellent depth of feild control and plenty of light. Incredible support and lighting from Dave St. George of Advanced Multimedia. I literally would not have made it through without him, and his parents, who put me up for a solid four hours of sleep per night, and wonderful breakfast in the morning. So much better than a hotel.


The footage is ready to go, so I get to editing tomorrow, after Nino DelPadre spent the last 6 days and nights working out the kinks in the notorious RED workflow. Talk about "Bleeding Edge", at this point we are ready to get to the fun part, seeing it come together.


The video is headed for MTV, BET and ANT1 in Greece, so of course we plan to pull out the stops and get pretty extreme with the edit and postproduction. Johnny is a very cool guy, and his crew are all righteous dudes, so we are looking forward to heading back to Detroit soon.


First, let's finish the video.

Barney Family Mausoleum, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Standing Guard

As a photographer, you constantly want to find new subjects and new places to shoot. But more often than not work, weather, traffic jams or missed air shows (see post below) lead you to what is available to shoot. At least you get out, right? I am fortunate to have a pretty cool spot called Forest Park right at the end of my street. I hiked into the park from the Washington Street cul-de-sac after taking this quick pic of a very cool house at the end of the street that has a very out of place Antebellum type of look.

I don’t have any idea about the house, but I can imagine the original owners most likely, being the closest neighbors, knew the Barneys pretty well. Everett Hosmer Barney, whom made a fortune with his famous Barney and Berry ice skates, donated his incredible 110 acre park to the city of Springfield. It is one of the nicest city parks in the country, and has many rare plants from Europe, Egypt, China, Japan and India.

And it also has a very interesting subject to shoot, the Barney Family Mausoleum. This sun-draped sphinx guards one of Springfield’s most interesting and generous figures. It was also a subject of one of my Grandmother’s favorite photos of mine, a black and white from when I was in high school. I will have to dig that up and scan it.

Air Show

Air Show, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

After about 2 hours of horrible traffic attempting to get to the Great New England Air Show at Westover Air Force base I just plain gave up. It was the first air show at Westover in 4 years, and the first one I almost got to see in more than 10 years. I had really been looking forward to shooting, so I bailed out of the traffic and headed to one of my stand-by photo haunts, Forest Park.

While shooting the Barney Family Mausoleum, a place I have shot countless times but keep going back to, I looked up and realized that 40,000 feet was about as close as I was going to get. I kind of like the shot I got. Sort of minimalistic, I'll admit it but it does give you the feeling that some things are just way out of arms reach.

Del Padre Digital goes RED!

Nino's RED Camera, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

RED Camera, that is.

Over a year in the waiting, we finally took delivery of our RED and gave it a test drive. It is absolutely incredible at 113 frames and the image is flawless.

Nino is currently out in Denver shooting with it for clients Proficient Audio and Speakercraft. We produced video elements for both company’s booths at this years CEDIA show, the "Big One" for the audio industry. We created 8 new product videos for Proficient that included some new 3d renders and studio photography of their new line of sub woofers, electronics and in door-out door speakers.

The Speakercraft video, playing on a 17 foot screen, has interviews of the SC crew talking about business and audio gear chroma keyed onto some wacky footage, ranging from cattle drives and cowboys (Last Stand At Apache Pass, 2005”) to Roman epic footage (Romulus, 2007). And don’t forget Duck and Cover, which coincidentally was made way back in 1952 by Archer Productions (unfortunately no relation) and plenty of Godzilla. And all that is intertwined with footage of the incredible "Goth du'Sole-like" troup Lucent Dossier.

Although it was full HD and we had about 2 weeks total to go through about 5 hours of source footage and edit down to a 40 minute loop with music including the Doors and Rage Against the Machine, it turned out killer and one of the funnest projects we have had in a while.

If you are looking to shoot with a RED camera, you can rent our services through-out the North East and pretty much any where else you want to shoot. Check out our site for more info and keep an eye out for samples from the RED soon.

www.delpadre.com