Tag Archives: swim

Just for fun

Capturing wise words from a Goldfish cracker

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Pepperidge Farm’s Goldfish crackers have become one of my favorite snacks, especially when riding on an airplane (which I’ve been doing a lot lately). When I purchased the mega-mondo package of Goldfish crackers, I noticed a quote on the side of the box from Brooke, one of the Goldfish – “Swim in your own direction.” This started my wheels a turnin’ and after what seems like weeks of trying to get to it, I was finally able to put crackers to posterboard.

Swim in your own direction

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | 0″3 | f/5.0 | ISO 100 | RAW | LED Flashmate

After meticulously positioning each of the Goldfish on the blue posterboard, I used my Manfrotto tripod to position the camera above the setup. In manual mode, I picked off a few test shots to get the lighting and focus set, then shot a couple dozen photos with my LED Flashmate video light on various positions to see the affect it had on the shadows. I liked the photos that had a stronger shadow, as I felt it added more contrast to make the Goldfish pop.

I like the quote, because in photography, each photographer needs to swim in their own direction. That doesn’t mean they can’t learn from others, but they need to have their own look and style in their photos to make them really stand out from the crowd.

In life, the advice from this Goldfish cracker stands true. Don’t be afraid to be different. It’s what makes you… you!

And enjoy, “The snack that smiles back.”

~signed, Carltonaut

GoPro, Just for fun

A Split Second Jump Into the Pool

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We spent two nights at the St Regis Hotel in Park City, Utah this weekend for my brother-in-law’s wedding. Saturday morning, we spend a good three hours playing in the pool. I, of course, had my GoPro with me so I could try to get some really cool shots. I used the setting that shot 10 photos in one second, then pieced this photo together of the jump.

072012 Jump Pool St Regis

I learned a little late, that there is a split second delay from hitting the button until it snaps the first photo. Plus, you wouldn’t think that in such a short period of time, the camera would move, but I found that each photo was off just a little, so it didn’t mesh together as cleanly as I would have liked.

Overall, it was a fun time and a great wedding. Hope you enjoy the photo, and I’ll share other outtakes from the pool on my Carltonaut Facebook page, so be sure to follow me there, too.

~signed, Carltonaut

GoPro, Travel

Snorkeler’s view: In and Out of the Water

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I’ve tried to get one of those shots where you see in and out of the water in a single shot. Since this is the first real waterproof camera I’ve had, and I can take a bazillion shots without having to pay for developing the film or printing the shots, I figured I would give it a shot the other day while snorkeling in Maui.

I was hoping to see a sea turtle while snorkeling, but no luck during a long swim out and around the rocks at Black Rock. On the way back, after seeing a lot of cool fish, I stopped along the row of rocks to try getting one of these shots.

050812 In Out of Water

GoPro | One photo every .5 seconds

Since there is no viewfinder on my GoPro (until I buy the LCD bakpak), I had to snap a bunch of photos and look at them once I got back to the hotel. I set the camera to take a photo every .5 seconds and held it at the waterline, angled slightly down and let it shoot away. Of the probably 50 photos shot, only about 5 of them were decent, with this one being of the better shots.

After exhausting myself with the long swim back to where my wife was sitting on the beach, I encountered a large group of people swimming around a sea turtle. I was able to grab a little video of it before I couldn’t keep up with it any longer. You can watch the video clip of the sea turtle on my YouTube channel.

After catching the sea turtle, I had to part with my camera or my wife was going to get really upset with me. Every time I was in the water, I was using my GoPro camera. It was time to leave the camera on the beach and just enjoy playing in the water. It was a blast!

~signed, Carltonaut

GoPro, People, WordPress Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Two Subjects

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When I saw the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge topic for this week, I was determined to capture it while on vacation. So when we swung by the pool, I whipped out my GoPro and shot some underwater shots. The two subjects in this photo come from one person – my 3-year-old son’s two feet.

041412 Two Feet in the Pool

GoPro | 11mp photo setting | 1 photo every two seconds

I simply set the camera to take a photo every two seconds, then followed my son walking through a shallow area of the pool. He was clueless about me taking photos, so I guess this is more of a candid shot!

~signed, Carltonaut

GoPro, Just for fun, People, Travel

Waterslide Compilation with the GoPro

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Last month I got a GoPro HD Hero 2 for my birthday. It wasn’t until today that I was able to test it. We went to St. George for a family vacation and I was very excited to hang out in the pool with my kids and test my GoPro. But the 44-degree temperature and the continuous rain, the hotel pool wasn’t an option.

So we headed to the Washington City Community Center and hung out in their aquatic center for a few hours. It made me nervous to have the camera in the water, but once I got over that, I tested out various modes and settings – all in preparation for my wife and my trip to Hawaii next month.

The WCCC had a large water slide, but my daughter was pretty nervous to ride it. We went up to the top, and had to take the walk-of-shame back down when she changed her mind. But a little later, she wanted to try again. So up we went – and this time, it was a go. You can watch the video on my Facebook page.

The next time we went down the waterslide, I set my GoPro to take 1 photo every 2 seconds. So from the top to the bottom, we ended up with 20 photos that fit nicely into this compilation.

041412 Waterslide Compilation

GoPro | 11mp setting | Photo every 2 seconds

Needless to say, we all had a lot of fun, and the waterslide was everyone’s favorite part.

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun, Travel

HD Hero2 v. Jimmy-rigging for Hawaii

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When I found out my wife and I were taking an extended family trip to St. Thomas, I really wanted to be able to take underwater photos; but not with those cheap water-proof disposable cameras. I wanted to use my Canon Digital Rebel XT. However, I didn’t have the money to fork out for a case or a new camera, so I got creative and built myself a little water-proof bag: a circular piece of wood with a whole cut out of the center, a skylight filter, clamp, large Ziploc bag, and come caulk. Here is the end result:

My waterproof camera contraption

My camera fit into it nicely. I had done a test with the bag inflated and put int he bathtub and there was no air leaking. But when it came down to it, I was worried my contraption would fail and I would end up with a soggy camera.

But I did try to take a few shots, simply placing the bag on the surface and looking down into the water. The viewfinder was pointless, so it was a snap and hope for the best. But, I did like the final outcome of these sea urchins (I am not sure why that one is glowing red, but I found it a rather neat visual effect).

Sea Urchins

With the advances of technology and digital photography, I have been eyeing the GoPro HD Hero2, Surf Edition. My wife and I are planning a trip to Hawaii later (and no, I do not surf, but willing to try) this year and I want to once again have the opportunity to take shots of us snorkeling, as well as any marine life we see during our trip.

My question: Should I attempt to use that jimmy-rigged bag, or invest in the $299 (+tax) HD Hero2 camera for my trip? Help me decide.

~signed, Carltonaut