packing

Getting ready for an Organ Recital. Checking all the batteries and cards on the cameras. I make sure I have packed all the necessary gear and not left anything out ready to do a live broadcast - ATEMs, Long SDI cables, tripods, and laptop.

Sorting out wires

 This is a job we have meant to do for a long time. As technology has changed, new systems have been installed behind our TV. Much is redundant, so we are now sitting behind the TV, rationalising all the wiring and getting rid of 90% of it.

Organ Concert Prep

My son is setting up all the Text lines at the bottom of the screen for when we do a live broadcast of an organ concert at the weekend. This organ has very little space around it, so it is a challenge to get all the angles right.

Still downloading

 I spend so much time downloading photographs and videos to the computer for editing. Each camera needs a different way of downloading, so it is never simple to do just one method but a whole range.

Taking a break

 I took a break from making films and taking photographs and instead went on the water in the Camera Boat, taking video and pictures of dinghy racing in strong and gusty winds. Not so much of a break, but a bit of fun.

Sunday Sailing from the Camera Boat

 Sunday Sailing on the River Thames at the Upper Thames Sailing Club. Hoping to do some filming from the camera boat of the racing and hopefully taking part in the race as well.

Filming

 Using a DSLR for filming. It may not be quite as good as a dedicated video camera in some situations, but for short videos, the ability to change lenses outweighs any disadvantages, and using the camera without a rig makes it significantly lighter and easier to handle.

Battery system ready to be installed

 All the parts have arrived and soon a new 48kW solar  battery system will be installed. When many homes have a 5kW battery installed and we worked out how much we use and what we will use into the future with an electric car, boat and others.

Theatre Organ

 Creating that theatre organ sound using Miditizer on the Wersi OAX800, which makes good music soundtracks for the videos.

Editing

 Video - 10% of time filming, 20% Downloading, and 70% of the time editing and finding out that really we needed this little bit of extra filming - B roll

Action Cameras

 Action cameras are getting much better with increasing pixels, longer recording times, and better batteries. The best so far is the Inta360 Ace Pro, which ticks all the boxes. Unlike some sports, sailing seems to require multiple cameras, so maybe I will have to get another Ace Pro.

Downloading

 What do you do after you have had a pleasant day out in the sunshine taking lots of photographs and videos - downloading and it seems to take ages!

Sailing?

 Going sailing today and I am taking a step ladder and a battery - not the usual thing to take - but it will get me into the boat on the trailer.

Solar Battery system 1

 The new solar battery system starts to arrive. Many installers offer a 5kW system ours is going to be a bit larger.

When one organ doesn't work

 When one organ doesn't work, play another. I am still struggling a bit with the Wersi—it doesn't boot all the time—but I can play the Eminent organ, and of course, I can still use the synth and the Genos, so I can still produce near enough of the sound I want or need.

Setting up the Panasonic Camera

 Setting up the Panasonic Camera. Before going out on a shoot, we need to make time to see that the camera is set up correctly so that we can start shooting straight away—and, of course, check the battery and card state.

Close to the Action

Close to the Action, we were out in the camera boat filming and photographing the handicap race. In light winds, the race was not quick, but it was exciting as the lead changed rounding the mark.
 

Bow down getting the shot

 In the camera boat with the bow down and leaning out with the camera to get a water-level shot of a dinghy.

Getting Hot

If my new Davis weather station is to be believed, it has reached over 34C in my back garden. The aspirated screen should be giving me a reasonably accurate reading but it does seem high.

Out filming

 I was out filming on a sunny Sunday with the Panasonic Video camera. With a good electronic zoom lens and good sound collection via a Rode Shotgun mic, great video and sound can be captured from the silent electric camera boat.

Wersi OAX goes wrong again

I'm still having a battle with the Wersi OAX organ. After a new motherboard sporting Windows 11 and more memory, the organ can't see the sound interface. It boots okay the second time, but the first time, it seems to lose its connection to the old-style sound interface.

New Weather Station

 Our old weather station had died, so we took it down and replaced it with a better model which can do and report more and publish it every few minutes on the internet at https://www.weatherlink.com/ Now all I need is some rain to try out the rain gauge to see if it works.

Model Sail Design

 Something a little different: we are working out the shape of a sail for the model boat we are building, using all the formulas and CAD to help.

Macro setup

 My old Canon 550D is set up on a macro stand, and I am taking hundreds of photos of different macro objects. These photos can be merged together to increase the depth of field, creating much better macro images for the students to see.

Old Technology

The twin-lens reflex camera is certainly old technology, but it provides insights for students who believe only in mobile phone cameras and CMOS sensors. They can see real optics working and proper film that can be developed with chemicals to make photographs in a matter of hours.
 

Over Head Camera Setup

We are setting up the overhead camera so that the Students can see what I am doing from above, front, and side. We can also use a close-up camera to see what is going on, sometimes actually getting into the experiment.

HALion 7

 I tried a free copy of HALion 7. I liked it so I bought a copy. Now I am really struggling with the Paid version trying to get it to emit any sound out of the machine.

Preparing to fly

 Preparing the small drone for a flight to take some photographs of a school whilst it is closed and safe to do so.