Announcing my debut film, "Southwest Light"

[Mark Phelan]

Tom, I'm really looking forward to seeing your finished project, it's going to look super!

[Brandon Kraemer]

Tom, I'm really looking forward to seeing your finished project, it's going to look super!

This is what I love about nature... that second frame... I thought for a minute I was looking at a close up of a plank of wood, but then the wood grain became small waves and then revealed the waterfowl at the top of frame. So abstract and perfect.

Enjoying the view... thanks for sharing Tom.

bk

[Tom Lowe]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1084/4734377396_53caa400d7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitallion/4734377396/)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1120/4734376952_e5b398e156_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitallion/4734376952/)

We woke up to a dazzling light show in Lone Pine, CA this morning!

[Tom Lowe]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4738306105_a158a1d2b0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitallion/4738306105/)

The road up to Patriarch Grove in the Ancient Bristlecone forest just opened, so we started the season out with a crazy, spinning, 3-axis timelapse move. I love that place. Seriously.

[Chad Lancaster]

if you have 4x4 you should take silver canyon road up. its a good one

[Tom Lowe]

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/1106/rodeo3.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/2z7rdpy.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/rhtpwo.jpg

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Big new blog update - "Eastern Sierras": http://timescapes.org/blog/

[Paul Leeming]

Tom, this stuff looks awesome! That field of flowers with the snow-capped mountains in the photo above looks so serene....

Thanks for sharing!

Paul

[Tom Lowe]

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/483/hotsprings.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/880/monolake.jpg

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8316/tommeadow.jpg

A couple of recent iphone behind-the-scenes shots.

We are living way up in the High Sierra mountains now, with limited internet access. The producer of my film, Nigel Stanford (http://reduser.net/forum/member.php?u=7842), just arrived yesterday and will be shooting with me all week. I'm very stoked to have him here!

[Tom Lowe]

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/747/tommono1.jpg

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/840/tommono2.jpg

Shooting this evening at Mono Lake on a prototype slider Eric Kessler and I have been working on. This slider is made for Red One and Epic, so I might be very interested in having some of you guys here help me test and refine it as we get closer to a final design. I'm not a camera operator (I'm not even a DP!), so it would be nice to have some camera operators with a lot of experience, who know what features MUST be on this new slider.

[Roberto Lequeux]

Are we there yet? :)

When are you planning on being done Tom?

[Tom Lowe]

Are we there yet? :)

When are you planning on being done Tom?

I might have some news about that in a week or so. Some things are happening with respect to that.

[Rudi Herbert]

Tom,

Congrats on seeing the end of the road draw nearer. And man, in as much as this is not really important, you are a huge mofo, physically speaking that is. With your keen eye and sensitive nature, I always imagined you smaller and lither :-)

Rock on man!

[Roberto Lequeux]

Keep us updated please. I look forward to it!

[Tom Lowe]

Rudi, even King Kong had a sensitive side. :wink5:

[Tom Lowe]

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/1785/btsredmonorainbow.jpg

We had another awesome day out at Mono Lake today. Thankfully, we had hauled the Cinevate Atlas down to the shore with us, so when this rainbow popped off, we were ready.

Frame grab from Red MX #352, shot at 50 frames per second:

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8970/redgrabmonobirdrainbow.jpg

[Pawel Achtel]

Wow, what a great foreground for a slider. Very nice, Tom.

[Gian Joon]

Look forward to it Tom. I showed this thread to a friend and he is hooked to it now.

[Tom Lowe]

http://i27.tinypic.com/2v9umar.jpg

Today, fellow Reduser and noted outdoor photographer/cinematographer Kennan Ward came by to visit and drop some knowledge on us. It was awesome to finally spend some time with Kennan and his beautiful wife, Karen. Whenever I am around people like Kennan, I do my best to absorb and learn as much as I can from them. Like a sponge. ;)

[Tom Lowe]

Short video of us playing around today with the Red MX on an 8' Kessler Crane with motorized Revolution head: http://www.twitvid.com/NU7EY

[Bruce Allen]

More! More! More!

Looks brilliant so far, man.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

[Tom Lowe]

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7034/redfire.jpg
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/9712/redchp.jpg

More you say?

I spent all afternoon and evening filming an epic wildfire caused by lightning. A CHP officer pulled over and asked me what I was doing. He was like, "Damn, that's one hell of a camera." Once I told him about the Red, he told me to jump in his CHP vehicle and then he took me to the front lines of the fire to get some epic shots of the helicopter and plane water drops!!

One thing I am really certain of now is that I need a longer lens! 200mm + 2X is not enough.

[C.H.Haskell]

Thank you for reminding me just how beautiful this country is. I want to buy your roadmap when its all said and done! I wish you would be able to make it out to this years burn in black rock city, I was looking forward to working with you. Went ahead and booked my travels anyways so let me know if things change! Keep on keepen buddy!

[Phillip Gibb]

nice stuff dude

[Roberto Lequeux]

Drama, that will add a lot! Especially with some good sound design. Hope you got what you wanted!

For a second I thought you got arrested when I saw the picture. Hehe, stay safe. ;)

Were you able to get closer than that? I guess what you are saying is that you weren't allowed closer.

[Kennan Ward]

http://i27.tinypic.com/2v9umar.jpg

Today, fellow Reduser and noted outdoor photographer/cinematographer Kennan Ward came by to visit and drop some knowledge on us. It was awesome to finally spend some time with Kennan and his beautiful wife, Karen. Whenever I am around people like Kennan, I do my best to absorb and learn as much as I can from them. Like a sponge. ;)

Tom,

I finally found internet access, and time to log in. You know I would rather be LOST in the wilderness than typing!

It is still a BLAST to see you and have fun in the field!! Karen and I were in the lightning for that Mono Crater fire as we filmed a field of Prickly Poppies. Like the other day when you took this frame and the lightning strike and thunder were instant! Here is the behind the camera view clip I took when you took the above photo!

http://www.kennanward.com/2010/A022_C007LightningMonoPass/A022_C007LightningMonoPass.mov

Today is a big day for Half Dome and I.

Half Dome Lightning 30 years ago today!

It is very hard to believe that thirty years ago today, July 28th, 1980 at or about 9pm I recorded a very large lightning bolt in association with Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.


This one photograph changed the direction of my life and vocation. Today, I am again filming in Yosemite and still chasing storms. I record differently using the state of the ART Red camera at 4k raw motion. It may not be as noteworthy of a new image but it is motion and maybe today lightning will hit twice in the same place??????

Thank you all who have supported my art for the last thirty years, especially The Ansel Adams Gallery who first co-produced the best selling poster of this image.

Also, to Patagonia for the catalog cover, Fall 1989! And the many, many other features that supported our three decades of continuous field work and truth in Photography!

Happy Anniversary Half Dome!


Peace,

Kennan & Karen Ward

Motion film clip recently:

http://www.kennanward.com/kwp/A016_C080OlmsteadSSWM/A016_C080OlmsteadSSWM.mov

http://www.kennanward.com/2010/A022_C007LightningMonoPass/A022_C007LightningMonoPass.mov


http://www.kennanward.com/store/detail.php?id=1072

[JosephArthur]

Grats tom.

[Tom Lowe]

Kennan, congratulations. That Yosemite Half Dome lightning shot is hung proudly on the wall of our trailer. :)

We spent the morning today on Mono Lake, searching for locations and birds.

http://i29.tinypic.com/2dgmdtd.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/dw2fsn.jpg

This afternoon, we worked on gear. I have become a field tester for KATA bags. They sent me this freekin awesome Kata Grizzly-4 pre-production bag, which is absolutely EPIC.

http://i25.tinypic.com/21j7k10.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/15rz51f.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/1y8lyp.jpg

The entire Red MX fits inside the Grizzly-4, completely built and ready to go with all cables, the Red cradle with Red RAM drive, a 150Wh battery, a Red 7" LCD, ET slider, filters, etc, plus the Duclos 80-200mm PL lens. This backpack bag is going to save a ton of wear and tear on my back.

http://i27.tinypic.com/xf41mh.jpg

[Hrvoje Simic]

Can't wait to see this, Tom.

[Pietro Impagliazzo]

http://i27.tinypic.com/xf41mh.jpg

Is that your Papa bear face, Tom?

Anxious to check it out, always love your stuff.

[Jay Gannon]

I have a metric ton of Kata bags and waist-packs and stuff, love it all. Seriously durable and great deigns.

[Kennan Ward]

[QUOTE=Tom Lowe;632912]Kennan, congratulations. That Yosemite Half Dome lightning shot is hung proudly on the wall of our trailer. :)


Tom,

I like the new in-line configuration of your Red. I hope you find it stealthy in the wind!

We are filming Pika, the Mountain Rabbit and other wildlife as well as the clouds!

Tuolomne Meadows Bucks:

http://www.kennanward.com/2010/TuolumneMeadowsBucksWM/TuolumneMeadowsBucksWM.mov

Clouds Rest & Half Dome Time Lapse:

http://www.kennanward.com/2010/A012_C021CloudsRestHalfDomeTL/A012_C021CloudsRestHalfDomeTL.mov

Kennan & Karen

[Tom Lowe]

Here is a short video tour of our 30ft toy hauler trailer, aka the "Mobile Production Studio":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fv-QfHFkFE

[Sanjin Jukic]

Here is a short video tour of our 30ft toy hauler trailer, aka the "Mobile Production Studio":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fv-QfHFkFE

Absolutely fantastic mobile studio...

[Mark Whatmore]

Tom,

This all looks like way too much fun - really looking forward to the film - love your approach and your work - happy travels

Mark

[J.K.Dibbets]

Wahooooow don't know if it will make any sense for your amazing project (northeast is kinda the opposite haha) but:
''August 12, 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. This year's shower should peak on the night of August 12 and the morning of the 13th, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 - August 22. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. The thin, crescent moon will be out of the way early, setting the stage for a potentially spectacular show. For best viewing, look to the northeast after midnight.''

At my place they expect peaks of 80 meteors/hour. Hope you will be out there to get some Tom. I will give it a try too.

[Zac C]

I'll be out there shooting my own timelapse :biggrin:

[Tom Lowe]

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/3020/truckatbristlecone1200.jpg

Sleeping under the stars during Perseids meteor shower.

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/4597/cowboyredmxgrab.jpg

MX framegrab.

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/4252/monosunset.jpg

Shooting MX on Mono Lake.


I just posted a huge new blog update here: http://timescapes.org/blog

[Tom Lowe]

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/596/chrism1.jpg

I posted a new blog entry "Thanks, Chris M." http://timescapes.org/blog/index.php/timescapes/thanks-chris-m

I'm sure some of you Canadian Red guys know Chris M. He was a huge help to me on this film, and I can't wait to have him out again.

[Chris Mierzwinski]

Tom needs no introduction here. Shooting Southwest Light was unlike anything a studio or any other project i've been on. The undertaking is swift, epic, refreshing, and groundbreaking. I don't think anyone will really be ready for Southwest Light when it hits cinema and plasmas. It's one of those projects that will push the dslr, red, and epic to new places.

Getting back to the Canadian side was a 3 second exchange. same amount of gear and 30,000 km later.

[sidbarnhoorn]

This looks great. :-)

[Steve Gibby]

Lookin' good Tom...

Last month I moved my home from the California Central Coast to a small ranch we bought in a beautiful valley surrounded by the mountains of Southern Utah. From the ranch we look right into Zion National Park - with 6 other national parks within a few hours drive (plus Lake Powell, etc.). Close by there are unlimited vistas, a myriad of adventure travel and alternative sports options, festivals, and shooting locations. As I remember, some areas of Southern Utah are on your shot list for Southwest Light - if they aren't, they should be. If you need to make a pit stop at my place, want to check out some of my Red footage shot in the Southwest, or would like me to do some Red shooting for you, shoot me an email and we'll hook it up :)

There are many samples of my Red Southwest footage on the Artbeats link in my info block below this post. In my Red library I have some really good long-duration sequences which can be time lapsed in post. I also have some great slo-mo sequences too - and naturally some really dynamic scenics and panoramas. I believe many of the Southwest shots in my Red footage library would fit perfectly into your Southwest Light production. Contact me for details...we'll work it out...I'd be happy to contribute to your production.

Keep up the good work man...

Email: steve (at) cut4 (dot) tv

[Tom Lowe]

Steve, we'll be heading down your way soon. Thanks so much!

Here's a BTS shot of us setting up the camBLOCK moco system under Corona Arch last night:

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3290/coronasetup.jpg

[Tom Lowe]

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/976/tompowellpvs14.jpg

I had a chance to try out a little technique I've been dreaming about this last weekend at Lake Powell -- "Astro Boatlapse"! We had a blast cruising a 26-foot deckboat up and down the narrow canyons at Lake Powell all night. And the footage came out pretty sick!

I shot stuff on Red during the day, but I really, really need a Kenyon gyro mount for that shit.

[Paul Leeming]

Do I see correctly in that you've got it mounted to the standard issue kevlar infantry helmet?! :D

Nice.... :)

Cheers for the update!

Paul

[michael zaletel]

Havasupi Falls (Grand Canyon) and Mt. Charleston (Outside Vegas) for sure as locations.

-michael zaletel

[Tom Lowe]

Do I see correctly in that you've got it mounted to the standard issue kevlar infantry helmet?! :D

Nice.... :)

Cheers for the update!

Paul

Yes, unfortunately! It was all I could get last minute. That Kevlar gave me flashbacks to my Army days. During the war, we had to wear them round the clock. I always hated those damn, heavy things!

It was fun as hell, though, speeding across the lake in the middle of the night with Gen 4 night vision. It's a very crisp and clean night image. The whole thing was very surreal.

[Tom Lowe]

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/4381/natbridgekesslertyler12.jpg

We had Captain Tyler Ginter from the US Army's combat camera unit out with us filming this week. We had a lot of fun. Tyler took this behind-the-scnes timelapse shot of our 5-foot Kessler Cineslider timelapse move at Natural Bridges National Monument. It's one of the darkest places in the United States.

We are about to move production of "Southwest Light" into Phase 2, which means I will be selling our 30-foot trailer and moving everything to a small house in Palm Springs. We will begin to focus more on Red filming and very high-value, complicated timelapse moves. It will be nice to be much closer to all my friends in So Cal.. and of course closer to Red!

[Matthew Bennett]

Man, you guys are some badass timelapse travellers -

How do you guys afford to do all this time consuming stuff on spec? Or do you have investors -
Sorry if this has been asked already, jus' wondering...

[Tom Lowe]

Matthew, the whole thing is being done for about 150 grand. Plus the gear sponsorships help out tremendously.

[Sanjin Jukic]

Matthew, the whole thing is being done for about 150 grand. Plus the gear sponsorships help out tremendously.

A real independent digital cinema maker dreams come true!!!

[Tom Lowe]

I guess this is really the first article ever written about my film:

http://www.f9photo.com/node/73

I am announcing today that the title of my film has been changed from "Southwest Light" to "TimeScapes". That is the final title. We should have our very first trailer posted within the week.

[Pawel Achtel]

I guess this is really the first article ever written about my film:

http://www.f9photo.com/node/73

I am announcing today that the title of my film has been changed from "Southwest Light" to "TimeScapes". That is the final title. We should have our very first trailer posted within the week.

I look forward to it. Let us know when we can reserve a copy.

[Sanjin Jukic]

Tom,

did you get already 24mm f/1.4 from Canon.

Also have you seen the latest timelapse from Dustin Farrell (http://vimeo.com/16198274) that was made on 5DMK2 mostly with this lens?

"I figured out many months into my time lapse shooting that there was absolutely no need to shoot my night time lapses at a high ISO.
Most time lapsers will shoot a Milky Way shot at 3200 ISO even with the 5D2 and 24mm 1.4 combo.
This is unnecessary if you use the ‘stacking’ method inside of After Effects.
Just stack one clip on top of another and change the blend mode to ‘screen’.
It’s an amazing method because it allows me to shoot deep astro time lapses at low ISO’s.
The result is a noise free image...
Every clip is a RAW image sequence (5616 x 3744) that I rendered out as a 1080P 23.976fps Quick Time movie in AE."

Sounds like an Astro HDR effect!!!???

From Dustin Farrell's interview at Planet5DBlog>>> (http://blog.planet5d.com/2010/10/astonishing-canon-eos-5d-mark-ii-timelapse-from-dustin-farrell/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Planet5dBlog+%28Planet5D+Blog %29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail)

[Samual Murman]

Thanks for the link to Farrell's work, Sanjin. Also quite amazing.

[Sanjin Jukic]

Thanks for the link to Farrell's work, Sanjin. Also quite amazing.

I downloaded the full HD 1080p from Vimeo and watching that timelapse today whole afternoon at loop full screen mode on my HP Dreamcolor full gamut 30bit HD monitor.

Amazing.