tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41573248325401787242024-03-21T12:18:41.872-04:00MotoJournalismAdventure motorcycle travel photography. Tips and techniques for getting better pictures from your international overland journeys.Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-1074228576245727542016-04-14T13:38:00.000-04:002016-04-14T13:52:38.710-04:00CHECKPOINTS Motorcycle documentary with Graham Jarvis and Colton Haaker<br />
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Life has many paths. Which line will you take?<br />
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Is it worth making sacrifices to become a world-class professional rider, or is it better to ride motorcycles for pure enjoyment?<br />
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Created by Traction eRag and Motojournalism.<br />
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The creators of Fifty Years of Kicks bring you Checkpoints, a new motorcycle documentary about living a life devoted to off-road riding. We check in with five riders, ranging from 15 to 75 years old.<br />
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Featuring: <br />
Graham Jarvis (age 40) - Red Bull Hard Enduro champion<br />
Colton Haaker (age 25) - Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro champion<br />
Paul Rodden (age 75) - 50 years of competition and trail riding<br />
Larry Murray (age 65) - former Can-Am and Husqvarna Enduro rider<br />
Jamie Baskerville (age 15) - Beta-supported GNCC racer<br />
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The 40-minute documentary will be distributed for free on YouTube. The release date will be April 28th, 2016, at 6PM EST. <br />
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The documentary was filmed in August 2015 in Mattawa, Ontario, Canada, on the Voyageur Multi-Use Trail System (VMUTS). Five riders from around the globe were assembled to discuss living an off-road lifestyle.<br />
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What are the first steps in becoming a professional rider? What aspects of "normal life" do you have to give up in pursuing that goal? How do you remain on the podium when you are 40 years old? Can it always be fun? These are some of the questions posed in the film and addressed by a group of men who have focused their lives on dirtbikes.<br />
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Funded by our fans with Kickstarter.<br />
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Sponsored by: Ontario Tourism, Husqvarna Motorcycles, Beta Motorcycles, What a Ride, Canada Rides, TekVest, and Bytown Motorcycle Association.Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-76983714027885746492015-08-14T14:20:00.003-04:002015-10-01T14:05:10.950-04:00On-setSo much news coming soon, Just wrapped shooting the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_T41kJm-PE">Fifty Years of Kicks</a> sequel with Paul, Larry, Graham Jarvis, Colton Haaker and Jamie Baskerville. The day we finished I got a message saying the original documentary was chosen as an official selection for the <a href="http://www.motorcyclefilmfestival.com/">Motorcycle Film Festival</a> in Brooklyn! What a week!<br>
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<br>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-41021979201571129932015-07-16T19:14:00.001-04:002015-07-17T08:29:03.223-04:00Fifty Years of Kicks Sequel?Holy smokes, there might be a sequel to our motorcycle documentary <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_T41kJm-PE">Fifty Years of Kicks</a>! Check out the video below to get an idea of what it's all about:
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<a class="embedly-card" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1959175784/motorcycle-documentary-fifty-years-of-kicks-sequel">Motorcycle documentary - Fifty Years of Kicks sequel</a>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-13531453721564134352015-03-05T17:08:00.000-05:002015-03-05T17:08:04.506-05:00<br />
A few clips from a recent cross-Canada jaunt. Shot with the GoPro Hero3, the Nikon D600, and a Konova camera slider.<br />
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Prairies<br />
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Vancouver Island<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NSTlpPXi7ic?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="500"></iframe>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-25671977667884801442013-08-24T00:34:00.000-04:002013-08-24T00:34:45.822-04:00I've been busy wrenching on the sidewalk the past few weeks - scheduled to head to BC from Montreal tomorrow, off to visit family and figured I'd make a trip out of it.<br />
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I'm due to leave tomorrow, so of course right now the bike is completely apart while I sort out last-minute LED lighting<br />
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The state of the KLR earlier this year:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9227536188/" title="DSC_2810.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_2810.jpg" height="334" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5450/9227536188_c4eb93d609.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Black plastic = handguard fairings and "Wheat Whacker" fairing mod:<br />
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The forks are off for an install of progressive springs and an Eagle Mike fork brace along with an Acerbis supermoto fender.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9544336625/" title="DSC_2941.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_2941.jpg" height="334" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/9544336625_353ce3907a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I'm also trying out 8" Odyssey II Jesse luggage - I want to carry my DSLR video equipment to capture some epic Canadian landscapes and hopefully a story or two...<br />
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The KLR is in Cross-Canada mode.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9544351455/" title="DSC_2956.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_2956.jpg" height="334" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/9544351455_0a81e110f4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I'll be updating in real-time with photos on Twitter - you don't even need an account to follow along.<br />
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Keep an eye on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/motojournalism">twitter.com/motojournalism</a> for the latest.<br />
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See you on the road!<br />
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<br />Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-74136352258238647322013-07-14T15:24:00.000-04:002013-07-14T15:24:26.888-04:00Smartphones for motorcycle travel photography<br />
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Well, I know I'm late to the party - the last few years have seen <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/20/4377290/post-process-why-the-smartphone-camera-changed-photography-forever" target="_blank">smartphones change the way we produce and consume photography</a>. There's no question that it's possible to create fantastic imagery with a smartphone.<i> </i><br />
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What's kept me away is my completely irrational dislike of telephones - I do not have a land line, or cell phone. I love to talk with people! Just not on the telephone...</div>
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So when I realized that the 5th generation iPod touch was essentially an iPhone minus the phone. I figured it was worth trying out.</div>
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I've mentioned in the past that <a href="http://motojournalism.blogspot.ca/2010/12/motojournalism-motorcycle-travel.html#book2" target="_blank">I recommend traveling with two cameras</a>; A "serious camera" for the best quality photos, and a point and shoot that can be quickly pulled out to capture those "on the road" moments.</div>
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<b>On the road repairs - perfect place for a smartphone snapshot</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9224770461/" title="IMG_0166.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0166.jpg" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/9224770461_7aec0a317b_z.jpg" width="478" /></a><br />
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I carry a Nikon D600 as my primary camera and was using the excellent <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasoniclx2" target="_blank">Lumix LX2 </a>as a point and shoot. But it's battered and beat, held together with tape and long due for retirement.<br />
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I must say that I'm shocked to find the iPod as a potential replacement for the aging LX2.</div>
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After all the iPod has only a 5mp camera, no <i>real</i> control of aperture or shutter speed, the tiny sensor is awful in low light and dosen't handle high contrast situations well - blown highlights look particularly nasty. The image quality could best be described as "acceptable" not brilliant.<br />
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<b>Nikon D600 image:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9224819155/" title="DSC_2853.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_2853.jpg" height="334" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/9224819155_a2459da2f5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>iPod Touch 5G image:</b><br />
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But for most of the photos you will be taking with a point and shoot -Ate here, slept here, met these folks, saw this crazy thing - nearly any camera will do. These are the <i>story</i> shots.<br />
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<b>Somewhere in America... Outrunning the storms...</b><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9224692867/" title="IMG_0081.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0081.jpg" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/9224692867_87b974eb7a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The paradox with these smartphones and their lower image quality is that you're not limited to snapshots. There many examples of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/28/mobile-photo-awards-photography_n_2774618.html#slide=2161960" target="_blank">excellent photography taken with mobile phones.</a><br />
I still believe the number one element of a good photograph is a thoughtful composition, and with good light and considered framing a smartphone can do justice to your vision.</div>
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<b>iPod Touch 5G image: </b><i>Plenty of light on a cloudy day, post-processed with Snapseed on the iPod - pretty damn impressive.</i><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9227516604/" title="IMG_0158.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0158.jpg" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3666/9227516604_145848f23e.jpg" width="390" /></a><br />
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<b>Nikon D600 image: </b><i>Better "quality" in terms of tech' specs, but I prefer the above image.</i><br />
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The real game changer with a smartphone is the post-processing and social media sharing built in to the device.</div>
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With my regular point and shoot I have to wait till the end of the day to get the laptop out, pull the photos off the memory card, process the photos with Adobe Lightroom, export them, then upload to twitter, flickr or ADVrider.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9227585528/" title="IMG_0211.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0211.jpg" height="358" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/9227585528_4ab6f5c701.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Now I can snap and process the photo, and upload to twitter all while sat on the bike. This is a WOW moment for me. Snap, process, upload - get on with the motorcycle trip.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9224721687/" title="IMG_0161.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0161.jpg" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7337/9224721687_065f2b83c1_z.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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With the iPod I also have access to Gmail and Google Drive, Twitter, my Motojounalism.com blog, Google Maps Horizons Unlimited, ADVrider, Garmin apps, anything else you can think of.<br />
It is essentially a tiny computer after all.<br />
But with this being an <i>iPod</i> as opposed to an iPhone, I <i>am</i> limited by the availability of wifi (easy enough to find these days).<br />
But I don't think this is a bad thing. Temporary disconnect from the wired world is a<i> raison d'être </i>of<i> </i>motorcycle travel. Twitter seems to be the least invasive way of letting family, friends and followers know what you are up to. It's certainly less invasive than futzing around with laptops, AC adapters and memory cards. And of course you can choose to stay off-the-grid entirely.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9284420305/" title="IMG_0312.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0312.jpg" height="406" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7315/9284420305_07910f01c6.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The danger with a smartphone is that it's easy to get sucked-in to downloading every app and be tapping away at the screen like a numpty when you should be socializing the old-fashioned way with the people around you. This requires some discipline...</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/9287198646/" title="IMG_0315.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0315.jpg" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/9287198646_849654473a.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.snapseed.com/" target="_blank">Snapseed</a> is a post-processing app for iOS and it's the closest thing to Adobe Lightroom that I've found. My first impression is that Snapseed is more suited to processing iPod photos than Lightroom is. Snapseed seems kinder to the photos and the vintage effects help cover-up the shortcomings of the iPod's camera. <a href="http://vsco.co/" target="_blank">Visco Cam</a> is an alternative, with an extended camera-control interface offering separate exposure, focus and white balance control, but this might run counter to the idea of the iPod as a quick-draw"snapshot" camera. If a photo really needs to be nailed I'll pull-out the Nikon D600 and do a proper job.<br />
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<b>Fantastic user interface with Snapseed</b></div>
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Will some sort of iPod permanently replace a compact camera in my kit? Can the lower image quality be put-up with? I'm not sure yet but I will give it a shot.<br />
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What do you think of all this? Let me know in the comments!</div>
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Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-15505419332611316512012-09-20T11:20:00.001-04:002012-09-20T12:47:08.515-04:00Motorcycle photography in SwitzerlandI was very lucky to be invited to Switzerland for three weeks in August - and while it wasn't explicitly a motorcycle trip, there was plenty to photograph from a motorcyclists perspective.<br />
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I was able to get a couple day's worth of riding and photographing on a borrowed motorcycle, and boy did it make me appreciate my <a href="http://motojournalism.blogspot.ca/2010/09/packing-camera-gear-on-motorcycle.html" target="_blank">luggage setup</a> on my own KLR650! More on that later...<br />
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Here are a few of the photographs, a sneak preview.<br />
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I had no idea that the Swiss made motorcycles. Here is a gorgeous 1934 Condor 850 sidecar.<br />
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Love the "motorcycle" icon on Switzerland's road signs.<br />
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Vintage Husqvarna, vintage gear, vintage sideburns! This guy was racing with the modern enduro bikes.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-llHX6aCi8sw/UFsxVFnlnmI/AAAAAAAABXI/juvR_qEYgdU/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-0257.jpg"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-llHX6aCi8sw/UFsxVFnlnmI/AAAAAAAABXI/juvR_qEYgdU/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-0257.jpg"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-llHX6aCi8sw/UFsxVFnlnmI/AAAAAAAABXI/juvR_qEYgdU/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-0257.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-llHX6aCi8sw/UFsxVFnlnmI/AAAAAAAABXI/juvR_qEYgdU/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-0257.jpg" /></a><br />
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My girlfriend's grandfather checking out a Moto Guzzi at what looks to be an auction or motorcycle show.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAcSluY5JVE/UFsxel25ApI/AAAAAAAABXw/poVj-jfHLGA/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-1350790.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAcSluY5JVE/UFsxel25ApI/AAAAAAAABXw/poVj-jfHLGA/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-1350790.jpg" /></a><br />
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Somehow the Swiss license plate just looks right on this Steve McQueen edition Triumph Bonneville T100...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKvO0oHcHmQ/UFsxWY9kjMI/AAAAAAAABXQ/PRqKOUQIyfY/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-1340973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKvO0oHcHmQ/UFsxWY9kjMI/AAAAAAAABXQ/PRqKOUQIyfY/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-1340973.jpg" /></a></div>
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I was lucky to be loaned this BMW Ündersteer 1200. Not built for the Swiss twisties! I sure was happy to be on a bike though!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QK5JaghjAZY/UFsxcb5l9XI/AAAAAAAABXg/DpfHQVnfFN8/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-1350073.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QK5JaghjAZY/UFsxcb5l9XI/AAAAAAAABXg/DpfHQVnfFN8/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-1350073.jpg" /></a><br />
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The bike I wish I was riding!<br />
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<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ndxpLYZBzw/UFtIZ5v7vCI/AAAAAAAABYE/mfv3wQ_og_8/s1600/Motojournalism+Schweiz-1350060.jpg" /><br />
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Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-38798899234957568542012-07-24T13:08:00.002-04:002012-07-24T13:09:20.991-04:00Good Spark Garage reviews Motojournalism eBook<br />
<br />
I was stoked to hear that the Wilkinson bros. over at the <a href="http://goodsparkgarage.com/motorcycle-travel-photography-e-books-by-anthony-kerr/" target="_blank">Good Spark Garage</a> posted a review of the Motojournalism photography ebooks.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1PP9fUrYFU/UAgf9LswdqI/AAAAAAAABP8/EUFUxLl9mF0/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1PP9fUrYFU/UAgf9LswdqI/AAAAAAAABP8/EUFUxLl9mF0/s400/Picture+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are many good blogs these days featuring the latest motorcycle builds, but the Wilkinson brothers dig deeper than most into the history, the people and the beauty of motorcycling.<br />
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They are bike builders themselves, and through the Good Spark Garage they interview motorcycle racers, builders, artists, and riders.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cc5Mv8EZzc4/UAgf-UDr-_I/AAAAAAAABQE/nMG5L7_4-Qs/s1600/About_Vintage2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cc5Mv8EZzc4/UAgf-UDr-_I/AAAAAAAABQE/nMG5L7_4-Qs/s400/About_Vintage2B.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Check out the excellent photography and videos, particularly <a href="http://goodsparkgarage.com/big-sid-listens-to-his-engines/" target="_blank">Big Sid listens to his engines</a>, <a href="http://goodsparkgarage.com/the-early-days-of-motorcycle-messengers/">The Early Days of Motorcycle Messengers</a> and <a href="http://goodsparkgarage.com/the-beauty-of-crossed-up-motorcycles/">The Beauty of Crossed-up Motorcycles</a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CvQhxTzkXuU/UA7UOMqat2I/AAAAAAAABQY/83knIEpv0pk/s1600/British2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CvQhxTzkXuU/UA7UOMqat2I/AAAAAAAABQY/83knIEpv0pk/s400/British2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dfOTZNMzqNk/UA7T1lxJNcI/AAAAAAAABQQ/rBm103_3Srs/s1600/crossed_dave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crossed Up Flat Tracker Dave Aldana by Photo Tim" border="0" height="309" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dfOTZNMzqNk/UA7T1lxJNcI/AAAAAAAABQQ/rBm103_3Srs/s400/crossed_dave.jpg" title="Crossed Up Flat Tracker Dave Aldana by Photo Tim" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-71101306985214173302012-04-11T23:58:00.002-04:002012-04-14T07:24:16.823-04:00Motorcycle Documentary - Fifty Years of Kicks<i><br /></i><br />
<i>“Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes</i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QR_QIPuSHyM/T4cpSASVAyI/AAAAAAAABMg/teUGBNsaS5g/s1600/Motojournalism_Larry_Murray_left-Paul_Rodden_right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QR_QIPuSHyM/T4cpSASVAyI/AAAAAAAABMg/teUGBNsaS5g/s400/Motojournalism_Larry_Murray_left-Paul_Rodden_right.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<b>Fifty Years of Kicks</b> is a 20 minute video documentary featuring <b>Paul Rodden</b> (right) and <b>Larry Murray</b> (left); two experienced motorcycle riders who continue to do what they love despite age and health issues.<br />
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Fifty Years of Kicks, is a collaboration between <b>Motojournalism.com</b> and <b>Traction off-road e-rag</b>.<br />
We've seen too many videos with teenagers doing double backflips, so with Fifty Years of Kicks, we wanted to show older adults pushing their bodies to the limit. We were tired of saying, “I wish I could have tried that when I was young”, we wanted to say, “I want to be like them when I grow up!”<br />
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We would like to continue to produce episodes profiling other interesting characters in motorcycling and are looking for sponsors to make that possible. We want to tell the stories of the people who participate, the reasons why these people engage in a sport with inherent risks and dangers, and why they can’t live without these two wheeled machines.<br />
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Enjoy the show!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="310" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/K_T41kJm-PE?rel=0" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-22507403913074198872012-04-05T19:33:00.001-04:002012-04-05T19:52:45.323-04:00Fifty Years of Kicks - Trailer<br />
<i>"Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing." - Oliver Wendell Holmes</i><br />
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Fifty Years of Kicks,<br />
coming next week, April the 12th...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="310" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HroBE2VrkiA?rel=0" width="500"></iframe>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-44585364587498098592012-01-27T15:33:00.000-05:002012-01-27T15:33:04.880-05:00Travel maps - GPS tracks in Google Earth<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2cgaIw3JCQc/TyMJkatcg9I/AAAAAAAABJE/Upo8MlhxdUM/s1600/Motojournalism-1340200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2cgaIw3JCQc/TyMJkatcg9I/AAAAAAAABJE/Upo8MlhxdUM/s1600/Motojournalism-1340200.jpg" /></a></div>
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Any overland traveller worth their salt loves a map. The excitement of a fresh paper map spread out on the floor, every mountain pass and izthmus, terra incognita promising adventure.<br />
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It's just as rewarding to revisit torn and battered maps on your return. The map looks different now, the terrain, roads and towns infused with memory of struggles and good times.</div>
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I feel the same way about electronic maps. Less romantic, surely. But everything has it's place and the flexibility of GPS software and Google Earth can really be an asset for sharing your adventure.<br />
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I'm not the type of traveller who enjoys pre-planning my route, road by road. I prefer spontaneity and flexibility, so I generally use my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GPS-60CSx-Handheld-Navigator/dp/B000CSOXTO?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Garmin GPSmap 60CSx</a><img border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000CSOXTO" /> as a way of leaving "breadcrumbs, keeping the tracks as a record of where I've been.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a3nU3NhrXN4/TyLtNAND94I/AAAAAAAABIs/ewMAxC515A0/s1600/earth+to-date.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a3nU3NhrXN4/TyLtNAND94I/AAAAAAAABIs/ewMAxC515A0/s400/earth+to-date.jpg" /></a></div>
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Adding a map to your trip report alongside your photos emphasizes how twisty that road was, how high the altitude, and just how damn lost you really were!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f816Z0SHu7g/TyLtPv1z3AI/AAAAAAAABI0/R1CmHpp6AcE/s1600/El+Salvador+coast.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f816Z0SHu7g/TyLtPv1z3AI/AAAAAAAABI0/R1CmHpp6AcE/s400/El+Salvador+coast.jpg" /></a><br />
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<i><b>Pacific Coast - El Salvador</b></i><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kgxrKGfKchk/S-idJpF8M4I/AAAAAAAAAN0/xMn5GmRCEzM/s1600/Way+out+West-0372.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kgxrKGfKchk/S-idJpF8M4I/AAAAAAAAAN0/xMn5GmRCEzM/s400/Way+out+West-0372.jpg" /></a><br />
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You may be able to directly import GPS tracks into Google Earth under<br />
<i><b>Tools > GPS</b> </i>But I had trouble getting the tracks from my Garmin 60CSx to show up, so I took the intermediate step of creating a Google Earth compatible .KMZ file<i><br /></i><br />
Here's what you'll need:<br />
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<li>GPS </li>
<li>GPS mapping software - <i>usually comes with your GPS</i></li>
<li><a href="http://gpsvisualizer.com/">GPSvisualizer.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a></li>
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GPSvisualizer.com makes this very easy. Once you have imported your GPS data to your mapping software, save the file in the standard format for your mapping software -I used MapSource and saved the data as a .GDB</div>
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At <a href="http://gpsvisualizer.com/">GPSvisualizer.com</a> you'll be able to upload your file and save in the Google earth .KMZ format.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sVs62tEEm30/TyMAX2N02VI/AAAAAAAABI8/9aG2XWytKeU/s1600/GPSvisualizer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sVs62tEEm30/TyMAX2N02VI/AAAAAAAABI8/9aG2XWytKeU/s1600/GPSvisualizer.jpg" /></a></div>
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Open the file in Google Earth and give it a moment to load.</div>
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Once your data is imported, it's exactly like taking a photograph. You move around to find the most dramatic angle, the best compositon. Try zooming in and out, staying close to the ground or high in the air to best show the section of your route. </div>
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<i>I like to make a clean-looking path by un-checking the waypoints box</i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sNO2Yc59zUA/TyLtJzAS22I/AAAAAAAABIc/37tQ2xjEDD8/s1600/google+earth+settings.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sNO2Yc59zUA/TyLtJzAS22I/AAAAAAAABIc/37tQ2xjEDD8/s1600/google+earth+settings.jpg" /></a><br />
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When you have a good angle choose<br />
<i>File > Save > Save image</i><br />
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You can even adjust the time of day to get the best light and shadows, and you can also include the weather. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AXCFglw8Q0s/TyLtKtbHCCI/AAAAAAAABIk/JzzQJ8_ogu0/s1600/azuero.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AXCFglw8Q0s/TyLtKtbHCCI/AAAAAAAABIk/JzzQJ8_ogu0/s400/azuero.jpg" /></a><br />
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It is fun, but you'll never beat being there...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/4491738705/" title="Way out West-2891 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Way out West-2891" height="333" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4002/4491738705_68453e0ecd.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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If you need help on specific GPS issues, I highly recommend the <a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=37">ADVrider GPS forum</a>. GPS geeks on call, these guys know what's up.</div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-57466346640237706652012-01-24T10:54:00.001-05:002012-01-24T11:03:49.771-05:00Shit Bikers SayThat Chicken Bus came out of nowhere on my way to fly over the Darien, so I had to drag a bag on that apex... Say, are those Pelican cases?<br />
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Bill Dwyer of <a href="http://atlasrider.com/">AtlasRider.com</a> and Matthew Scott Johnston of <a href="http://www.magicrabbitproductions.com/">Magic Rabbit Productions</a> absolutely nail it. Whether you're a cruiser, a sport rider or an ADV rider this really is, Shit Bikers Say<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pmmdzHY4cXE?rel=0" width="500"></iframe> <br />
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Keep the dirty side up!Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-60606436919926221512011-12-17T07:54:00.003-05:002011-12-17T07:54:42.756-05:00Motorcycle Documentary Filming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another quick update! I've been running around Ontario filming the missing pieces of the motorcycle documentary. </div>
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My producer, Dallas Shannon of Traction E-Rag has been pulling strings and calling-in favours to arrange the specific scenes that needed to be shot. Everybody from the vintage collectors to the motorcycle dealerships have been super accommodating scrambling to get the old and new motorcycles we need.</div>
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We've also shot three short interviews of people who know the two main characters of the documentary.</div>
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All for now, off to shoot the final scenes!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOvLDxtDepA/TuyNk6Lkg2I/AAAAAAAABHo/1v_BvebF4bU/s1600/Larry-manual-hand-preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOvLDxtDepA/TuyNk6Lkg2I/AAAAAAAABHo/1v_BvebF4bU/s1600/Larry-manual-hand-preview.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0QjX4wYeno/TuyNjlkeV5I/AAAAAAAABHY/8pOjCj6wHx0/s1600/honda90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0QjX4wYeno/TuyNjlkeV5I/AAAAAAAABHY/8pOjCj6wHx0/s1600/honda90.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HMPToO4uQxM/TuyNkZHsKGI/AAAAAAAABHg/sdulLywjSmo/s1600/wheels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HMPToO4uQxM/TuyNkZHsKGI/AAAAAAAABHg/sdulLywjSmo/s1600/wheels.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VoegYF4u0lA/TuyNle71JBI/AAAAAAAABHw/ZrHQ68Hb1f4/s1600/husquvarna350automatic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VoegYF4u0lA/TuyNle71JBI/AAAAAAAABHw/ZrHQ68Hb1f4/s1600/husquvarna350automatic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-3773936541858595672011-10-14T12:47:00.000-04:002011-11-10T11:05:21.417-05:00Sneak peek at the motorcycle documentary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Riding season is winding down - it's gorgeous now but won't be long before the last leaf has fallen and the deep freeze begins. I'll get in as many rides as I can before I have to dig out the battery tender and fogging oil.</div>
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Working on the documentary has been fascinating. There are so many elements that come together to make it work. I've been working out the documentary with my producer and we've found that the audio beats the video in importance. We're putting together the story like a radio show - the spoken word is the the structure, the frame, and the video will be placed on top of that frame.<br />
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We found that the old fashioned method of shuffling around index cards on a table helped us best in working out the plot. Each index card was a bit of dialogue that our subjects talked about and having them spread out before us really made a logical flow of ideas visible.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NNupOMo4jNc/Tphk6dsZy4I/AAAAAAAABEE/BrPp1n5v5p4/s1600/P1330897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NNupOMo4jNc/Tphk6dsZy4I/AAAAAAAABEE/BrPp1n5v5p4/s1600/P1330897.jpg" /></a></div>
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Documentary seems to be similar to travel photography; you go out having a rough idea of what you will find, but you really don't know what the story will be until you come back and see what you've shot.<br />
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In the meantime, I'm getting deep into learning video editing. I'm taking what I've learned about processing my photos and applying that knowledge to the similar tools in the video editor.<br />
It's all the same things, a bit of contrast, adjusting the white-balance and saturation, a subtle vignette.<br />
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Here's a short video made with a bit of the extra footage we shot - just made to teach myself the tools, and give a hint of what's coming. I had fun recording the miniature soundtrack too.<br />
It's all pretty pictures with no story - just the sort of video I was lambasting in the last post!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/30524695?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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All for now, I'm off to ride to Ontario for the weekend, see you on the road!<br />
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<br />Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-79486271153281138802011-09-18T13:20:00.001-04:002012-05-07T11:46:12.075-04:00Motorcycle documentary video shoot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Wow, just back from an intense week of motorcycle video shooting in Ontario. I'm creating a short documentary with Dallas Shannon of <a href="http://issuu.com/scotiadallas/docs/september_erag">Traction E-Rag</a> about couple of motorcycle riders we know.</div>
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It was go-go-go all week! Up at dawn and out in the woods to shoot.</div>
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We got fantastic interviews, plenty of surprises and great stories from both of the riders.</div>
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I still can't give away the plot, but I've got a few screen-grabs to show.</div>
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I used the Nikon D7000 as the main camera - despite the camera being horribly awkward to shoot video with - the image quality and lens choice was so good I was willing to put up with the difficulties.</div>
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The Panasonic DVX100A is a fantastic old camera, but the standard-definition images just couldn't hang with the hi-def Images from the Nikon. So it was pressed into service as an audio recorder with a Seinheisser MD421 studio mic plugged in to the XLR inputs. Nice to be able to let the tapes roll with an assistant (thanks KG!) doing the sound while I concentrated on capturing great images with the Nikon.</div>
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Lots of folks generously loaned gear for us to shoot with. It was a real patchwork gear setup with all the "wrong" kit for the job - but I'm thrilled about all the great stories and images we came back with. I think we've really made something out of nothing</div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(most of the kit - minus GoPro and D7000 - Click to enlarge) </span></i></div>
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Me and the mobile studio:<br />
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Screen captures from the raw footage:</div>
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The bulk of the work starts now, as we look for the real story, and chip ten hours of footage down to ten minutes or less...</div>
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</div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-79436098768888946252011-08-27T13:01:00.000-04:002011-08-27T13:01:35.209-04:00Rene Cormier Presentation and motorcycle video productionPlenty going on lately, time for an update!<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">On the road and through the cornfields to Ontario...</span></i><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6069666005/" title="P1330614.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="P1330614.jpg" height="281" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6086/6069666005_cf11f00b9f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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A few weeks back, I went to a great presentation by <b>Rene Cromier</b> at <b>BMW Moto Internationale</b> in Montreal.<br />
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Rene took a five-year, 41-country, 154 000km (95 000 mile) trip, all the way around the world. The amazing stories are endless and he had much practical advice for everybody considering a similar voyage.<br />
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What I admire most is how he's taken his experience and turned it into a career that works for him.<br />
Between book tours and leading <a href="http://renedian.com/index.html"><b>adventure motorcycle trips in Africa</b></a> he's able to live life on his own terms.<br />
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His book <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/University-Gravel-Roads-Four-Year-Motorcycle/dp/0981337112?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The University of Gravel Roads</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0981337112" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b> is a great read, with plenty of photos and thoughts on the way we and others live. It certainly deserves a spot on your motorcycle bookshelf among <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jupiters-Travels-Years-Around-Triumph/dp/0965478521?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Jupiter's Travels</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0965478521" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lois-Loose-Motorcycle-Across-Americas/dp/B001F7AXI6?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Lois on the Loose</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001F7AXI6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rene, holding his breath in the South-Atlantic</i></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6070252828/" title="DSC_0192.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0192.jpg" height="371" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6202/6070252828_dee6fa7fed.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The front fender of Rene's BMW F650. It was decorated in Pakistan, with layers of reflective vinyl material, cut freehand with a razor.</span></i><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6069703317/" title="DSC_0198.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0198.jpg" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6187/6069703317_9abde2d5ee.jpg" width="334" /></a><br />
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My next project is a collaboration with a colleague of mine, we'll be shooting a short documentary video in September. I can't give away the plot, but it will revolve around a couple of particularly well-heeled motorcycle riders we know.<br />
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I've been absolutely devouring information about shooting and editing video. It's learning from the ground up about video formats and frame rates and codecs, and all that nonsense, but really it's just taking the audio production I already know and combining it with my photo editing skills. I know exactly <i>what </i>I want to do, I just have to learn <i>how </i>the cameras and software do it!<br />
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It's a real soup-from-a-stone production - we're borrowing nearly all the equipment required.<br />
<div>We've got an old Panasonic DVX100A video camera for action shots and audio recording, an Sennheiser md421 microphone to record interviews, A brand new Nikon D7000 to shoot <i>gorgeous </i>HD<i> </i>video, and as many GoPro helmet cameras as we can get our hands on. And it will all be put together with an obsolete copy of Final Cut Pro on a G5 Mac that I got for free from an office.</div>I sure do enjoy the challenge of making something from nothing, but money for food, gas and video tape will have to come from somewhere...<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Panasonic DVX100A - Great camera, but only shoots in standard definition</span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xR8MJjJJb8I/TZeMfLOF98I/AAAAAAAAApE/NgFGxd4XDxA/s1600/DVX-100.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xR8MJjJJb8I/TZeMfLOF98I/AAAAAAAAApE/NgFGxd4XDxA/s1600/DVX-100.png" /></a></div>There's a lot of the same skills used in photography and video, but the big difference seems to be that video needs a story, or a change, or <i>something </i>to move it along.<br />
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A photograph can stand on it's own as an interesting image. Photography is pure image-making - the composition of, shape, line, texture, colour.<br />
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You could make a compelling photo of a motorcycle tire, but a <i>video </i>of a motorcycle tire?<br />
There's so much more you'd need to add to make it worth watching.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/4708748825/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Ontario enduro rides by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Ontario enduro rides" height="333" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1283/4708748825_4dc67c98fc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Lately, we've seen so much beautiful footage with SLR cameras that shoot video. The images are <i>gorgeous</i>, but often the videos are devoid of <i>story</i>.<br />
After the <i>ohh, ahhh</i>, has worn off there's nothing there. An empty shell.<br />
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The short documentary we're working on is going to be very much character driven. The subjects are lively and interesting people. There's already a thousand stories there, the challenge will be choosing what to focus on. It will be a compelling story <i>first </i>and visually interesting on top of that story.<br />
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Here's a clip of the footage we shot to test the equipment. Still some technical kinks to be ironed-out but it was enough to convince us that we can do a great job on the real shoot.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="375" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/28221221?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="500"></iframe><br />
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I'll keep you all posted on the progress!Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-68207065100061343072011-08-09T15:50:00.004-04:002011-08-09T21:07:54.156-04:00Baja Revisited - Post processing for a vintage lookPay no attention to that man behind the curtain...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PaKsOuprme8/TkGE2sZ_zQI/AAAAAAAAA_A/9GjHwKNfrU4/s1600/Motojournalism-Post-pro.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PaKsOuprme8/TkGE2sZ_zQI/AAAAAAAAA_A/9GjHwKNfrU4/Motojournalism-Post-pro.jpg" /></a><br />
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One of the amazing aspects of modern photography is the range of creative possibilities that digital post processing offers. We have the entire history of photography to pull inspiration from. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daguerreotype">Daguerreotype</a> to Polaroid, <a href="http://1000words.kodak.com/thousandwords/post/?id=2388083">Kodachrome</a> to HDR. <br />
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With this series of photos from Baja Mexico, I'm drawing on old album covers, dusty basement collections of National Geographic, antique shop photographs, 1980's <a href="http://www.fandango.com/robbym%C3%BCller/filmography/p103761">Robby Müller</a> movies. A haze of nostalgia to mask the cinical clarity of an unprocessed digital image.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6025989331/" title="Motojournalism-1270646 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Motojournalism-1270646" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6025989331_03cdfd7382.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The first experiment was to restrict myself to a square 1:1 crop ratio. The photos were not taken with a square crop in mind, so it took a bit of work to find photos that worked well with this ratio.<br />
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I use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-65064073-Photoshop-Lightroom-3/dp/B003739DVY?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Lightroom 3</a> to process all my images, and here I used a mix of the basic exposure tools, the tone curve, split toning, and the effects panel to achieve the vintage look.<br />
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I used quite a bit of fill light and much less contrast than usual to give a faded appearance, and adjusted the colour temperature towards yellow for a warm tone.<br />
The tone curve was used to gently bring back a bit of the lost contrast, and the split toning was used to bring a coloured tone to the shadows - another characteristic copied from the imperfection of vintage photos.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6025988191/" title="Motojournalism-1270475 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Motojournalism-1270475" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6137/6025988191_0dd09cc338.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6026543294/" title="Motojournalism-3809 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Motojournalism-3809" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6145/6026543294_5790ded280.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The surprisingly good film grain filter built-in to <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003739DVY" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />Lightroom takes the edge off the digital clarity and adds to the old look at stronger settings. <br />
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After the photos were exported from Lightroom, I used Photoshop to apply a black frame from the Flickr <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/ttvdust/pool/">Noise and dust through the viewfinder pool</a> with a <i>multiply</i> layer. <br />
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I recommend John Arnold's excellent <a href="http://www.photowalkthrough.com/">Photo Walkthrough</a> website for tutorials on the finer details of Lightroom and Photoshop.<br />
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You can find the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/sets/72157627394922214/with/6025982169/">full gallery with larger images here</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6025984051/" title="Motojournalism-3689 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6025982169/" title="Motojournalism-1270186 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Motojournalism-1270186" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/6025982169_5e2459456e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6026541770/" title="Motojournalism-1270363 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Motojournalism-1270363" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6090/6026541770_d9059c021d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6025981047/" title="Motojournalism-3611 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Motojournalism-3611" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6088/6025981047_7c37e885ba.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6025983013/" title="Motojournalism-1270302 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Motojournalism-1270302" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6182/6025983013_97b8e17f80.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/6026541136/" title="Motojournalism-1270346 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Motojournalism-1270346" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6198/6026541136_8c2dc2ebf7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-69712186563161787992011-07-28T14:25:00.005-04:002011-07-29T10:34:53.246-04:00From Estonia With Love - Part Three<script src="http://googlepage.googlepages.com/player.js" type="text/javascript">
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Part three of the From <i>Estonia with Love </i>interview. Motorcycle travellers Margus and Kariina talk about hand-held panorama photography, shooting video documentaries of their adventures, recording audio, food, music, border crossings and more...<br />
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Be sure to check out <a href="http://motojournalism.blogspot.com/2011/07/from-estonia-with-love-part-one.html">Part One</a> and <a href="http://motojournalism.blogspot.com/2011/07/from-estonia-with-love-part-two.html">Part Two</a>.<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Anthony:</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Now something I really like is your hand-held Panoramas. You don't trim the edges - so they are jagged where the individual panoramas overlap - but the freedom of the compositions is incredible! You grab everything that catches your interest. It looks really unique.</span></i></b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>(Click any image to view full size and higher quality - All photos copyright Margus Sootla)</i></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FBZScau6qeU/Ti1xqTmPgWI/AAAAAAAAA4M/qC0_oKaBZv8/s1600/pano+peruu-9s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FBZScau6qeU/Ti1xqTmPgWI/AAAAAAAAA4M/qC0_oKaBZv8/s400/pano+peruu-9s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><br />
Personally I’ve hesitated making panoramas because I was convinced the results would be terrible without a pano-head on a tripod, finding the convergence point of the lens, all that stuff. I mean that’s really too much work when you’re dealing with life on the road.<br />
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I know there’s the parallax error issue that will mess-up objects that are very close to the camera, but you seem to avoid that problem in your compositions.<br />
Have you got any tips for composing handheld panorama shots?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>Margus:<br />
Not really, I can't even describe it since all panoramas need different techniques. Just practice a little with handheld panoramas, give each frame some overlap and try to stitch them later and see if it works - many times you need to stitch them manually. You'll learn the small tricks in the process.</i><br />
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">So are you shooting your panoramas in manual mode, so the exposures match?</span></b></i><br />
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<i>Most of the time the camera is in manual mode, but recently I've started to use a polarizer on the panoramas. This makes things more complicated - I change the exposures over the frames plus I play with the angle of the polarizer to even out each frame. Sky is the most difficult and even with very hard trying you can't get the ideally smooth panorama in terms of exposure, but I've started to kind of like the "dynamic" feel in those panoramas. Maybe it's an acquired taste too.</i><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Right, so how much overlap are you giving the photos?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>Around 1/3 of the frame, but when I mess with polarizer I often overlap half of the frame to give the stitching program a better chance to more smoothly blend the changing exposures across the panorama.</i><br />
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">You said you use a free program called <a href="http://hugin.sourceforge.net/">Hugin</a> to stitch the panoramas. Is it reasonably automated, or is there a lot of manual adjustments to make in the software?</span></b></i><br />
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<i>Not really. For Hugin you can download the additional free <b>Panomatic</b> feature matcher which works in 90% of cases. Those last 10% or so you need to take some manual control by additionally adding control points, and then it can take a lot of time messing around with control points and in my case often also with changing and compensating exposures.</i><br />
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<div style="color: #990000;"><i><b>You’re shooting video with a standard digital video camera, and a helmet camera too.</b></i></div><div style="color: #990000;"><i><b>What situations work better for video than for photography?</b></i></div><br />
<i>It's the long movement where you need video, obviously. But video is just too much work for me, so these days I let Kariina to do most of the filming.</i><br />
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<i>I'm using a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canon-HF100-Definition-Camcorder-Stabilized/dp/B00114162K?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Canon VIXIA HF100</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00114162K" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, excellent picture per its size but relatively crappy sound and piss poor fragile mechanics with it's image stabilized lens - it fell down once in it's soft pouch, in a very gentle manner and it was broken immediately. It took me months to get it repaired. The image stabilizer is still faulty after the repair. </i><br />
<i>I've seen guys drop their Sony and JVC HD cameras on a concrete floor having no problems. So if I'd buy again, I'd go for a Sony HD - 95% of Canon's daylight image quality, way better low-light performance, reliable mechanics and better sound.</i><br />
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<i>The helmet camera is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Contour-1300-ContourHD-Camera/dp/B002QGSYZ4?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Contour HD</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002QGSYZ4" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> - decent enough picture but horrific sound.</i><br />
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<i><b>Margus and Kariina in Ethiopia</b></i><br />
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<i><b>India and Nepal</b></i><br />
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<div style="color: #990000;"><i><b>I really like the field recordings - the audio clips - they really bring the images to life! Tell me about what you were using to record sound.</b></i></div><br />
<i>For sound recording we use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Professional-Portable-24-bit-Recorder/dp/B000WTWXFE?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Sony PCM-D50</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000WTWXFE" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. Superb sound quality for it's size, in a sturdy aluminium body but it's still relatively heavy and room-taking to carry on a motorcycle - but being a sound fanatic I had to have one with me. </i><br />
<i>One good thing about Sony is that you can change the angle of the stereo microphones, X, II, Y positions depending how "straight", "focused" or "wide" you want the stereo sound to be.</i><br />
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<div style="color: #990000;"><i><b>That’s a pretty serious bit of audio kit! Do you use it hand-held? What about wind noise and handling noise?</b></i></div><br />
<i>All the time I handhold it. Internal noise levels are very low on this recorder even with high signal amplifications. And yes, biggest problem is the wind noise, so most of the time I use a windscreen. The mics are so sensitive to wind that in outside conditions, you almost can't work without a windscreen. If you get that and the levels right - I often use the limiter to avoid clipping - it's a good clean signal with no post-processing required.</i><br />
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<i><b>Kathmadu, sounds of the city (press green play button)</b></i> <a href="http://yhelteljel.ee/audio/Kathmandu_muusika_elus_ja_templis.mp3"></a><br />
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<i><b>Cabinda's choir, Congo </b></i><a href="http://yhelteljel.ee/audio/kirikukooriproov_Cabindas.mp3"></a><br />
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<b><i>Birds on Lake Baringo, Kenya </i></b> <a href="http://yhelteljel.ee/audio/Baringo_j2rve22rest.mp3"></a><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">I can’t imagine how many border crossings you have done by now! Ever have any trouble at borders with all that high-tech gear? Photo, video, audio, GPS etc?</span></i></b><br />
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Kariina:<br />
So far no problem on crossings - you just keep quiet and do not mention what you have. Many countries have limited the photo equipment to one piece per person and have a limit on the film rolls as well, which we all have a little too many of course.<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">You’ve been on the road a long while, have you ditched any useless equipment to lighten the load?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>Margus: </i><br />
<i>The big 400mm telephoto lens, camelback, bike cover and pro-level tripod are the main things that we've sent back home to lighten our load. We still think we have too much stuff, but most of the stuff we use on constant basis so we haven't send anything else home.</i><br />
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Most overland travellers stick to the main landmasses, but you’ve been through many places where water is a barrier - Indonesian islands for example. Is it difficult to cross small islands with all those ferries and boat rides?</span></b></i><br />
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<i>With motorcycle it's fairly easy in Indonesia these days, they have quite good ferry connections, and for many of Indonesians a small motorcycle is their only means of transport. Although the ferries are often in a very poor technical condition the system more-or-less works between most islands.</i><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Margus has been hit pretty hard with altitude sickness, you’ve both survived multiple crashes and countless tip-overs, But I think getting a <a href="http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532&page=57#848">military airlift</a> out of the country must have been the more enjoyable of the misadventures, tell me a bit about that. </span></i></b><br />
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Kariina:<br />
In retrospect, maybe yes, but when we were there, in that small town of Skardu in Northern Pakistan, with roads closed by landslides, our rear shock almost broken in two and our visas expired - in must have been one of the toughest times on this expedition.<br />
But as always, things work out somehow. We had managed to smuggle our bike onto a passenger airplane going to Islamabad - a mission which did not have too much potential for success as passenger airplanes normally do not carry “dangerous cargo” such as motorbikes, and the airplane cargo hold door was barely-barely big enough to have the bike squeezed in. Now imagine squeezing in a bike that weighs some 230 kilograms, without a lift to the rear cargo door more than 2 meters up!<br />
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We were set to wait a whole week for a seat on a passenger plane, due to bad weather flights were being cancelled all the time and the number of passengers waiting for their turn to fly out was growing. But because one of the cargo workers that we had befriended knew the military officer responsible for the operations in that area, we were "booked" for the flight out of Skardu in the cargo hold of a C-130 with a whole bunch of people sitting on top of each other, some of them needing an emergency evacuation. A totally surreal experience.<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Which countries had the best food? Any particular cuisine you’ll be”taking home” with you?</span></i></b><br />
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What's interesting is that we have learned to enjoy the food of most of the countries we have visited, no matter how basic it has been. But of course there is nothing like an Argentinian steak with a glass of local wine, or a Thai curry - As terribly spicy as it is, it is something one of a kind - the extremely varied street food in Malaysia, or the mad variety of Indian food. One of the great surprises was the food in Ethiopia which is something really different from the rest of the world, with “injera” mouth-watering sourdough pancakes with delicious fillings and fabulous coffee. But about food that we'd be taking home with us - I am sure we'll be eating a lot more rice when we return - while in Asia and the Middle-East we really got used to eat rice dishes twice a day, no problem!<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">How useful have the GPS and maps been? How do you navigate in the more difficult areas?</span></i></b><br />
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I guess they take something away from exploration, but we do like our paper maps and our GPS. The paper maps are good to get an overview of the area we are visiting, and to plot the course, whereas GPS can be very useful when trying to navigate in cities, or when you need to know if you're moving East or West, which can be tricky near the equator. I suppose we could do without a GPS, but a paper map is a must. Maps can be quite inaccurate sometimes, though, especially for the countries that not many people travel to, but it only adds to the adventure, right?<br />
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Tell me about the pace of your travels, you prefer not to cover as much distance as you did at first.</span></b></i><br />
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Definitely. Compared to the beginning of our trip, we have slowed down considerably - we ride less and spend more time in places that we like, getting a better picture of the local culture and enjoying ourselves more. Not that riding the bike is less enjoyable, but we are not pressed for time, and at this point it seems the balance between riding and lingering is quite right - we do just what we feel is right - if we feel like moving, we move, and if we don't, we don't.<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">You two are all over the internet, You’re writing in two languages, <a href="http://yhelteljel.ee/">Estonian </a>on your own webpage and English on the <a href="http://www.ukgser.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=303">UKGSer</a>, and <a href="http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532&highlight=brazil&page=119#1776">ADVrider</a> forums</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Writing, editing videos, posting everything... That's a huge effort! What do you get out of all the hard work you put in?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>Margus: </i><br />
<i>All the text is from Kariina, with me just sometimes adding some technical stuff when required. I'm too often brain-dead after a long riding day to think about anything, but she does research on places we've been or are planning to visit and she writes the story. Also she helps to select the photos from the best I've selected - so we have kind of "best of the best" selected then. I do the riding, pics and repairing, she does all the rest - story, video, food, paperwork, visas, budgeting and taking care of me. We really work as a team.</i><br />
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Kariina:<br />
We started off only with our Estonian web page which gets around 1000 visits a day, which considering the size of our home country - and the number of people who can actually read Estonian - is quite a lot. But we've met so many people who want our expedition, and all we could offer was the Estonian version. So we decided to start a ride report in English too, which too has become popular. It is great if people find something for themselves from what we show and tell them. There are thousands of people dreaming of doing the same, but are unable due to children, mortgage or career. We feel privileged to share our journey.<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">OK Margus, I knew you were a serious vinyl junkie when you started talking about Azymuth and Aurthur Verocai in Brazil and electronic music in Detroit!</span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"> </span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Now I didn’t even let record shopping cross my mind on my last trip, I figured vinyl records and motorcycle travel were fundamentally incompatible. Now I’m kicking myself! How the hell did you manage to carry records on the motorcycle!</span></i></b><br />
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<i>Margus: </i><br />
<i>We've never actually carried the records with us for long distances - only from shop back to hotel or place we stay. They do fit in our panniers pretty nice, but they're just too heavy to carry on long distances as you told. So as soon as we've purchased a bunch we've gone to the post office and sent them to Estonia. Packing the stuff real well first, of course.</i><br />
<i>There aren't too many of them bought and sent, I guess we've bought around 50 records or so on this trip.</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DYKp2wtDXu4/TjB4-KIDrgI/AAAAAAAAA5U/hdrjiCM7ObI/s1600/cartridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DYKp2wtDXu4/TjB4-KIDrgI/AAAAAAAAA5U/hdrjiCM7ObI/s400/cartridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">What are some of the best finds you’ve dug up? </span></i></b><br />
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<i>Various Gal Costa and Milton Nascimento albums from Brazil, I've never seen those in Europe.</i><br />
(listen to Margus's <a href="http://yhelteljel.ee/audio/YHELTELJEL-Brasiilia-II.mp3" target="blank">Brazillian mixtape</a> here)<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Yeah Brazil always has it’s entirely own section in the record shop, a real music mecca.</span></i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kuGrOLOiuBA/TjB5S2DbEqI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/B4RM6vLhpKo/s1600/nyc+records+img_0790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kuGrOLOiuBA/TjB5S2DbEqI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/B4RM6vLhpKo/s400/nyc+records+img_0790.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">You’ve had a chance to go to the original Blue Note studios in the states, you got to see the big Jazzfest when you passed through Montreal, Ethiopia is a goldmine of cool tunes; where else in the world stood-out to hear good music?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>I think almost every part of the world has it's own special sound and I've found good music almost everywhere. Unique Cambodian melodies, Indonesian meditative gamelan, that specific Arabian note scale and vocals, Australian native music, Pakistani qawwali, maximalist Indian Bollywood, African rhythm and Americas have something in everything to offer. There's just so much out there for a world music lover like me.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4G8XMlVUkfQ/TjB6n-3NjlI/AAAAAAAAA5c/AQsKIXl-3ZY/s1600/pakistan+IMG_0544_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4G8XMlVUkfQ/TjB6n-3NjlI/AAAAAAAAA5c/AQsKIXl-3ZY/s400/pakistan+IMG_0544_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />
</i><br />
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">You’ve done some electronic music production under the name <a href="http://www.myspace.com/nemosestonia">Nemos</a> with Ülari Niinemägi, you’ve even got Kariina on vocals. </span></b></i><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Do you miss working on music?</span></b></i><br />
<br />
<i>I definitely do. But I feel listening world music while on a world expedition has compensated it a lot. This has also inspired me as a musician in many ways.</i><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Have you been able to do anything on the road? I mean music production, any little laptop music sketches?</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<i>I thought I'd never make music on the road but I've managed to compose two tracks on the road. One track I started making in Indonesia and finished somewhere in Nepal - it has influences from those parts of the world. The other is a remix from a very famous Pakistani qawwali artist - I started making this track after being stuck for 2 weeks in Skardu because the road washed away in Karakoram Mountains in North Pakistan. This track is still not fully finished. Hopefully I have time for it when I return to Estonia.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">And how about all those field recordings? Think you might use them in any musical projects when you get back to Estonia?</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<i>Yes, that's one of the key reasons why I convinced myself to spend my money and time on a audio recorder - I plan to use the material in my own music in the future.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Margus and Kariina are currently in </i><i><a href="http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532&highlight=brazil&page=119#1776" target="blank">Angola</a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532#1" target="blank">Throw a few dollars into their gas tank</a> here!</i><i> </i><br />
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</i></div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-42805717230692203522011-07-23T10:10:00.006-04:002011-07-28T15:04:32.816-04:00Installing a Turn Tech Lithium Iron Phosphate battery in a KLR650<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I admit to being neglectful when it comes to my <b>motorcycle battery</b>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dumb-luck has saved me in both <a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=511498&page=7#96">British Columbia</a> and <a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=511498&page=52#777">El Salvador</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/4374476963/" title="Dead battery in El Salvador by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Dead battery in El Salvador" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4374476963_5ab797760e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 19th century alchemy of a lead-acid battery is a <a href="http://www.mcnews.com/mcnews/articles/battery.htm">mystery </a>to me. <i>Fill the cells with distilled water at midnight during a full moon till the lead begins to bubble...</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As far as I'm concerned, the starter motor either turns the engine over, or it doesn't.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maybe it's the fact that checking the water level of each cell requires the removal of the panniers, two side panels, the seat, the battery holder and the +/- terminals. Not something I'm likely to do at the end of a hot day in Honduras.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/4375186262/" title="Way out West-1300972 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Way out West-1300972" height="346" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2800/4375186262_10991c22f2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Back in Canada, the battery I had bought over a year ago in El Salvador was beginning to fade. It wasn't holding a charge and very nearly left me stranded after a fill up at a gas station when I was given an opportunity to try a 5Ah <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery"><b>Lithium Iron Phosphate</b></a>, (LiFePO4) battery from <a href="http://www.turntechbattery.com/"><b>Turn Tech</b></a> - a one-man outfit based out of the USA. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Turn Tech battery is related to the batteries you'll find in your laptop or your cellphone, but apparently they use iron as a cathode rather than graphite. Which is great if you understand things like:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/1/4/2/1428bf134c6fda21cbd9262e5901251c.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/1/4/2/1428bf134c6fda21cbd9262e5901251c.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Like I said, the bike starts, or it doesn't - Check the <b><a href="http://www.turntechbattery.com/TurnTech%20Battery/FAQ.html">Turn Tech FAQ</a> </b>if you need the nitty gritty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Joe Turner</b> of Turn Tech was quick to answer my uninformed questions by email; </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><ul><li>Is the battery big enough to start my KLR650? </li>
<li>Can I run accessories like an electric vest with the Turn Tech battery? </li>
<li>What about long term storage?</li>
</ul><br />
<b><i>"The answer to running accessories off the battery is yes.<br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>One note though, if the accessories are left on the battery will be drained. If the battery is drained too far it can be damaged.<br />
<br />
The bike has more than enough power to everything while the bike is running, with the bike not running the battery will drain fairly quickly (a little more than 1 hour).<br />
<br />
For storage I suggest putting it on a tender overnight, disconnecting one leg, negative or positive, and then just let it sit. When getting it out of storage put it on a tender while you get the bike ready, then reconnect </i><i>the battery."</i></b><br />
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So from what little I've read, I'll be expecting:<br />
<ul><li>Longer operating life out of the battery</li>
<li>Ten times longer "sitting time" before the battery will go flat</li>
<li>No distilled water to worry about. </li>
</ul><i><br />
</i></div><div>And yes, it is <i>tiny: </i><b>1.9lbs</b> for the Turn Tech, while the stock battery weighs in at <b>9.6</b>!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFXBN2imwkk/Tidwa4sP5aI/AAAAAAAAA38/AEFHR9qfnuA/s1600/Motojournalism-0074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFXBN2imwkk/Tidwa4sP5aI/AAAAAAAAA38/AEFHR9qfnuA/s1600/Motojournalism-0074.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SzWQvYDa8cE/TimyywCF5eI/AAAAAAAAA4I/GexuW14IaD0/s1600/battery-terminals.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SzWQvYDa8cE/TimyywCF5eI/AAAAAAAAA4I/GexuW14IaD0/s1600/battery-terminals.png" /></a>The Turn Tech battery is not model specific, this 5Ah battery is intended to be used in many different motorcycles. The upright positioning of the Turn Tech battery posts don't match well with the KLR wiring harness- The terminals are specially shaped to fit a stock battery and the leads are stiff, without enough slack to twist the wiring into place. I don't want to modify the stock harness, in case I have to re-install a stock battery somwhere in the back of Bolivia. A couple of 3" extension leads made-up of parts from the auto supply place should do the trick. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I plan on using extra open-cell foam leftover from my Pelican cases to fill the void space and to keep the tiny battery from rattling around. It might be worth fabricating a plastic frame to support the battery and to make an emergency stash compartment for bulbs, fuses, brake pads etc. I have even seen a few reports of bikes that use the half size 2.5Ah battery ditching the battery box altogether and installing the battery <a href="http://gaberoo157.blogspot.com/2010/09/turn-tech-battery.html"><i>inside </i>the airbox...</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I couldn't wait to try the 5Ah Turn Tech on the KLR, so just to be able to connect the leads I flipped the battery upside down - orientation doesn't matter once you've ditched a lead acid battery. The bike started right up with gusto, noticeably quicker than a charged stock battery, which surprised me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QqpcKhCHTPw/Tidyc6bX_aI/AAAAAAAAA4A/nr3dZ4XwnuY/s1600/TurnTech-KLR650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QqpcKhCHTPw/Tidyc6bX_aI/AAAAAAAAA4A/nr3dZ4XwnuY/s1600/TurnTech-KLR650.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll update this post with photos once the battery is properly installed and will report back on the Turn Tech batteries' reliability and performance. I have a feeling that no news will be good news... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*update* I'm learning more about amperage, and discovering that 5Ah might not be enough current for the battery to keep itself charged on the KLR. I believe Turn Tech makes custom batteries, I may need to go that route and have a 14Ah battery made. More research to be done yet...</div></div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-39969705564340071822011-07-08T13:15:00.001-04:002011-07-08T13:22:11.919-04:00From Estonia With Love - Part TwoAnd we continue with part two of our <i><b>From Estonia with Love </b></i>interview, with world travellers Margus and Kariina.<br />
Be sure to <b><a href="http://motojournalism.blogspot.com/2011/07/from-estonia-with-love-part-one.html">read Part one of the interview here</a></b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Click any image to view at higher quality - All photos copyright Margus Sootla)</i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #990000; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zUaxQEkOAKA/TgTl7wsVdqI/AAAAAAAAAxA/7-dNniLDMMw/s1600/Kariina+equator+SDIM1336_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zUaxQEkOAKA/TgTl7wsVdqI/AAAAAAAAAxA/7-dNniLDMMw/s400/Kariina+equator+SDIM1336_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i><b><br />
</b></i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jNe9FXkMK40/TgTmpo-lU6I/AAAAAAAAAxE/WYDFBpu_GIQ/s1600/margus+film+img_1584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jNe9FXkMK40/TgTmpo-lU6I/AAAAAAAAAxE/WYDFBpu_GIQ/s400/margus+film+img_1584.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><div style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i><b><br />
</b></i></span></i></div><div style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i><b><br />
</b></i></span></i></div><i><b style="color: #990000;">So Margus, you do the bulk of the photography. You’re shooting with several cameras; you have a pretty serious medium format Pentax shooting film, a compact camera and a couple of video cameras as well.</b><br />
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<b style="color: #990000;">Let start with the compact cameras - you’ve been through several!</b><br />
</i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i>You started with a simple Canon PowerShot A710is - Lost it to pickpockets in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Then you upgraded to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-G11-Stabilized-articulating/dp/B002LITT56?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Canon PowerShot G11</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002LITT56" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> in jakarta. </i></span></b><br />
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Now the G11 is an advanced compact camera - you can manually adjust all the settings. I noticed that your "snapshots" got a lot better after you bought the G11 - Did having a more capable camera encourage you to try harder with your digital photos?</i></span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iG6lDn2-Igc/TgZF2EdlkoI/AAAAAAAAAyw/JJysltm2EoQ/s1600/canong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iG6lDn2-Igc/TgZF2EdlkoI/AAAAAAAAAyw/JJysltm2EoQ/s1600/canong.png" /></a></div><br />
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<i>Margus:<br />
Yeah, it is true that a good camera encourages you to try harder. This was the reason why we bought the G11. I've been used to using our medium format film kit from our 3-4 week holiday trips with excellent results, so in the beginning of our round-the-world expedition we obviously put a lot of focus on our film gear. All the best scenes and shots were on film, so the digital photos suffered. But later in our travels we started shooting more digital when I discovered the sad truth that when I can't scan my own film myself I never get the results I expect. I was sending batches of film home to Estonia to be developed and scanned by my friend, but... <br />
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In fact I kind of feel sad that I can't develop b&w and scan my own film on the road. You cannot fit a film tank, the chemistry and a proper scanner on the bike. So this fact demoralized me enough to start putting more effort into shooting digital while on the long-term trip - getting a better camera was a good start and this is where G11 came in.</i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C7Nf7MLYJpA/TgTg-Zc4jPI/AAAAAAAAAwk/RNGlRgATJ70/s1600/IMG_7353_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C7Nf7MLYJpA/TgTg-Zc4jPI/AAAAAAAAAwk/RNGlRgATJ70/s640/IMG_7353_s.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><i></i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lbrT1cKsk-0/TgTi9WNgTcI/AAAAAAAAAw0/FU5ePMmwdHM/s1600/india+ganges+women+IMG_6328_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lbrT1cKsk-0/TgTi9WNgTcI/AAAAAAAAAw0/FU5ePMmwdHM/s400/india+ganges+women+IMG_6328_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><i><br />
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Kariina:<br />
<div>The thing with travelling and shooting film is that there are some critical things that can go wrong - like the film rolls can get lost or damaged by x-ray scanners or plain stupid customs officials while being sent by mail - one of the batches that we've sent back home, one roll had obviously been opened and exposed to light while in transit! Sometimes something goes wrong with the processing, we lost a few rolls of potentially fantastic material from Baja, when the developing machine leaked some chemical. It is good to have a back-up digital camera, no matter how much we love our analog.</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Don't forget to click the images for higher resolution!)</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ECasr4AcvQ/TgTkDLlYRFI/AAAAAAAAAw4/RhGMOJaZKS4/s1600/bus+2+IMG_1230_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ECasr4AcvQ/TgTkDLlYRFI/AAAAAAAAAw4/RhGMOJaZKS4/s400/bus+2+IMG_1230_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Something happened to the G11? </span></i></b></div><div><i>Margus:</i><br />
<i>Somewhere in UAE our G11 got a big nasty dust or condensation spot on the lens that was visible on almost on each shot.</i><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Ah right, I remember that you replaced it with a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-DP2-FOVEON-Sensor-Digital/dp/B001W3429E?ie=UTF8&tag=motojou-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Sigma DP2</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=motojou-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001W3429E" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br />
Now normally there is not a huge difference in the look of the images from compact to compact. But the Sigma is a bit of an oddball - what is it about that camera that makes the images so different?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>Well, the G11 had been like a "stepping stone" for us in terms of feedback on the photos we got on the ADVrider forum, so we decided that it was time to upgrade to even better gear. After a lot of research this is where Sigma DP2s came into our game to be as our main photographic tool.</i><br />
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It has a prime lens fixed on "normal" length (around 45mm equivalent on fullframe) so I must get pretty close to get a good portrait. But I've now found it's rather an advantage compared to a zoom, since you first need to get make contact with the person to make a well set up portrait rather than gambling with the unpredictable scene from a far distance with a zoom lens.<br />
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The interesting thing about prime ("fixed") lenses I've found is that they really motivate you to play with composition of the picture, actively - from all sorts of angles and distances to find the best composition, not just lazily standing in one spot and trying to find good framing by zooming.<br />
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I've now found DP2s has made me a lot better photographer searching for the light, scene and composition - I guess being "limited" with a fixed lens and a very focused purpose camera naturally makes you think more about the picture so the fixed lens has actually been a pro for me. "Back to basics" thing I guess.</i></div><div><i><br />
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Also the actual 4.6 megapixel images it creates kicks our 10 megapixel Canon G11 images out of the water in terms of detail and tonal information. Working with Foveon images really makes you think about the bigger is better megapixel myth - the Foveon images contain REAL usable data. Every single pixel of the image contains real useful information - it's something I've never seen on any digital or even on film scans.</i></div><div><i><br />
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</div><div><i>That being said, I would NOT recommend Sigma DP cameras to beginners, they're "photographer's compacts" - not your regular point-and-shoot so you need to know the basics of photography. But if you know your way around a camera they're bloody good to shoot with, I'd say phenomenal considering how compact they are!</i></div><div><i><br />
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There are minuses on the Sigma of course: slow operation, not so good high ISO, regular video only, crappy LCD and the list goes on, but when I look at the images on my computer I'm constantly amazed how good they are without any adjustments. Every pixel getting full 100% color information really makes difference,</i></div><div><br />
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">OK, on to the “big guns”. You are the only motorcycle travellers I’ve ever heard of who travel with a medium format 6x7 film camera! And this Pentax is a bit unusual too - it shoots just like an SLR, you look through a viewfinder on the back of the camera. What made you decide to haul this massive camera around the world? Did you use this camera before the trip?</span></b></i><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Pentax 67 photo to show scale. Photo by ►g, [Not Margus!] via Flickr)</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21782644@N04/4149809693/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="faraona al forno con patate by ►g, on Flickr"><img alt="faraona al forno con patate" height="402" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2799/4149809693_563d2d1445.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="500" /></a></div><br />
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Kariina: </div><div>Yes, an analog camera has always travelled with us, near or far!<br />
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<i>Margus:</i></div><div><i>I'm a young guy who actually switched from digital to film, but the camera is a Pentax 67 medium format. For lenses I have a 35mm f4.5 fisheye, 105mm f2.4 normal and 200mm f4 portrait. I used to carry a 400mm f4, but it was utterly heavy at 4kg and not being used as often as I’d thought, so I sent it back. </i><br />
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I think the Pentax 67 is bomb-proof, solid metal and it's taken all the abuse of motorcycle adventure travel. That's why I went Pentax instead of Rollei, Hasselblad or Bronica. Although excellent cameras they are modular systems with too many "loose" parts. </i></div><div><i><br />
I wouldn't recommend medium format gear to anyone who's not pervy about film photography - it's a bulk of massive gear, not a single function is automatic. But if you are used to shooting in full manual mode and have learned the skills to shoot, develop and scan, the results can be straight-out National Geographic.</i></div><div><i><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">OK, lets put this in perspective: the image sensor on most compact camera is about the size of your smallest fingernail. The high-end digital camera sensors are about the same size as a 35mm film slide. Your Pentax shoots film that six-by-seven cm - That’s a huge difference!<br />
What does this massive imaging area do for your photographs?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>For me, high resolution is not the thing I’m looking for, it’s the aspect of a large sensor combined with an equivalent lens - there's pure physics behind that combination that you cannot alter. Even the latest high-end full-frame digital SLR cannot reproduce the effect you get shooting medium format.<br />
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For example. on my Pentax 67, the film is 5 times the size of a full-frame digital camera sensor! <br />
Now a “normal” focal length on a full-frame SLR is <b>50mm</b>, but on a medium format camera a "normal" focal length is <b>105mm</b>. That means you have a depth of field as shallow as you get with 105mm telephoto-lens on a full-frame SLR, but you still have a "normal" angle of view. </i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i><b>OK I get it, cool! Like how telephoto lenses are known for being able to drop the background way out of focus, you get that same effect with a wider field of view.</b></i></span></div><div><br />
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<i>Yes, the same applies to all focal lengths, you can even get a shallow depth of field shooting with fisheye lens!<br />
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So, the bottom line is: sensor size - or imaging area actually - </i><i>does matter</i><i>. It is no wonder why National Geographic and many fine-art photographers still shoot medium and large format film.</i><br />
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</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(gotta see these photos full-size to appreciate, clickity click!)</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ibo6Qw3IpGk/TgTw-X7DkoI/AAAAAAAAAyA/v7Qh8yyc_7E/s1600/film+SE+asia+2010_02_03_MV_kodak_320_001_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ibo6Qw3IpGk/TgTw-X7DkoI/AAAAAAAAAyA/v7Qh8yyc_7E/s400/film+SE+asia+2010_02_03_MV_kodak_320_001_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b><i>But aren’t there “digital backs” you can get for film cameras?</i></b></span><br />
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<i>There are some $20 000+ digital kits that are near to a proper medium-format, but the astronomical cost still means using film for photographers and serious hobbyists like me.</i><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">I’ve noticed that you really started photographing people once you were well into the trip, going through East-Timor you had many more people photos. Did it take a while to get comfortable with that, photographing the locals?</span></i></b><br />
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Kariina: </div><div>I think why there were not too many pictures of people before we got to East-Timor, besides that we maybe weren't too comfortable with photographing people, is that we had mainly been travelling through Western countries and the faces just did not inspire us that much. But it isn't all that simple even when you're into it. It really depends on the person and the environment. You just have to go by the feeling, although sometimes you also have to push your inner limits. Like, how do you ask a topless tribal lady if you can take a picture of her?<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">You mentioned that being obviously foreign and arriving on a big bike was a great ice-breaker. But do you find that people different of different areas of cultures react differently to being photographed, How about kids vs adults?</span></i></b><br />
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People of different backgrounds do react differently, that is for sure. People of the developed world, are better informed and more concious of modern technology and cameras, and for them it is an everyday thing to take photos, be photographed, and to upload the sexiest shots to Facebook. But when it comes to the third world, it is a whole different story. I think most of the people we have come to photograph do not have any photos of themselves, and for them it is a thing out-of-this-world to see a picture of themselves on the LCD! The people of the Hamer tribe in Africa were totally excited of seeing the reflection of their face in our bike's mirror, but that's a whole different story.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
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</div></div><div>Many people are understandably mistrustful towards having a picture taken of them just because it is a new thing for them, but very often also for social reasons, or reasons associated to their beliefs. A woman of Islam, for example, is required to keep low profile, and having a picture taken of herself could mean that she is vain. Or if the photo is being taken by a man - even worse. This is why in Islamic countries it is often I who has to take pictures of women, if at all possible. Men are much more relaxed and liberal, but not all like their photo taken. </div><div><br />
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</div><div>Some people believe that if you take a photo of them, it takes away a part of their soul. In any case, it is wise to respect their choice so that everyone is happy. The kids are an interesting bunch - sceptical at first, but if you somehow catch them onto a picture, they will come begging for more after you've shown them the photo. Sometimes I feel they could pose for hours and not get tired of it - it is like a game for them.<br />
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</div>But about the bike it is very true - I do not know what it is exactly that works magic, but as you roll into a random village in a third world country, you've got all the attention. You'd be surprised how fast and how big a crowd can gather. Not all places are alike, of course - in Pakistan, for example, people would first contemplate you from the distance and let you make the first contact. It seems pretty universal for places where not many tourists go, especially on a huge bike like this. But deep down inside every male on this planet seems to want to know "how fast can it go", or "how many kilometers per liter", and before you know you've got a whole lot of people asking questions - in their own language, of course! - and touching every imaginable lever and button on the bike. Once things are that far they don't mind a picture being taken. And the more, the better!<br />
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That said, the sad truth is that due to the language barrier it is often impossible to get much deeper.<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">So are you spending lots of time off the bike to take photographs?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>Margus: </i></div><div><i>Not really. I guess I'm now well accustomed to the conditions I shoot in. Even when I’m shooting medium format and using a light-meter I need only a couple of seconds to get the settings and composition right. Waiting for the right moment - moving of clouds, the right expression, the right movement etc. - can take time though. I remember it used to take me ages in the beginning to set up the shot. I guess it's all experience and practice.</i><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">And are you Paying attention to time of day - the good light - or do you take whatever the road throws at you?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>It's obviously "what ever road throws at me" in most cases, though we sometimes take time or get up early to get the best light. Travelling most of time in areas near the equator means for most of the day, the light conditions are terrible.</i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Sure, short sunrises and sunsets, most of the day is high, harsh sunlight. </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b><i>OK, about resupplying, </i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I imagine it’s difficult to come by medium format film in... Djibouti for example.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">You must be carrying a ton of film! How much space does your film take?</span></div><div><br />
<i>I've stocked up only four of times during our two and a half year trip. Mostly I order them from a web shop or get fresh medium format film from big cities like New York or Bangkok.<br />
I carry 20-40 film rolls with me which is good for a couple of months of travelling or more.</i><br />
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Kariina: I'd say the film rolls take up some two litres of space in our panniers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qxuFzhS5cD4/TgY_wbRSMaI/AAAAAAAAAyk/FiMrB4lgU4s/s1600/infrared+salar+de+uyuni+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qxuFzhS5cD4/TgY_wbRSMaI/AAAAAAAAAyk/FiMrB4lgU4s/s400/infrared+salar+de+uyuni+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
<i>Margus: With the amount of film I carry, it gives me 200-400 pictures and that's for months. I almost never shoot two shots from one place. This is what I love about the film - you have to plan your each shot and you rarely make mistakes shooting film with fully manual gear. 90% of the shots I take with my film camera are satisfactory.Usually I have only around 1 shot per roll that I'm not happy with. 10 shots to a roll by the way. In comparison with digital I have some 60-80% success rate on all the shots since I know I can make mistakes. I hate this about nowadays digital photography - you don't take planning seriously anymore and it's a mess to choose between two or three or four pictures from the same spot - and in the end of the day none of them are as good as if I had well planned the entire single shot like I would with film gear. </i></div><div><i><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">How do you go about getting your MF film developed ? Is it all mailed back home, or is some done locally too? How have you found the quality of processing ?</span></i></b></div><div><br />
<i>I send them back to Estonia where my friend develops and scans them with a simple flatbed scanner and sends me low resolution JPEGs back through internet. I get close the needed results with b&w films, sufficent enough colour pictures for web use, but with colour films, I definitely have to re-scan them with a dedicated film scanner once I return home, those I'll print later.<br />
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Like I said before - I'm not in control of scanning adjustments and I find it to be a huge limitation.<br />
I shoot the pic with my film camera already with the scanning idea in mind . But if someone else does the scanning for you and doesn't know the shooting conditions, it'll be compromised on scanning and the results do not meet the well chosen light and color conditions.</i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">You go easy on the digital photo editing, there’s a good natural feel to the photographs.</span></i></b></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">What adjustments do you make in post-processing?</span></i></b></div><div><br />
<i>For basic editing I use Adobe Photoshop CS. I don't expect miracles out of my Photoshop adjustments and edits - I focus more on taking a good picture rather than editing it later. <br />
</i></div><div><i>Before importing to Photoshop I'm doing RAW development by using Sigma Photo Pro 4.2 on mac. Sigma Photo Pro together with Sigma three-layer X3 RAW files is very good software to work with in terms of color and overall professional "feel" of the developed images. Also the unique "X3 Fill Light" function makes often wonders if you play around it with contrasts and exposure - if you've gotten the shot right, developed it properly in Sigma Photo Pro then there's often nothing more to edit in Photoshop for me.</i></div><div><i><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Still more to come! Part three of From Estonia With Love will be here soon...</i></b></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">In the meantime, keep an eye on <b><a href="http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532">Margus and Kariina's progress here</a>.</b> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><b>They are currently in Angola, beyond the reach of the internet, but we are hoping to hear from them soon!</b></span></div></div></div></div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-9037814296292137372011-07-01T10:21:00.005-04:002011-12-27T16:53:52.629-05:00From Estonia with Love - Part One<div>
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<i><b>The threadbare riding gear is faded, the colour bleached-out by the sun. The passports are full, newer stamps overlay the old. The bike is scarred and worn from multiple crashes and countless tip-overs.</b></i></div>
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<i><b>But like Ilford 120 through a Pentax, Margus and Kariina defiantly roll on, taking some of the finest overland travel photography you will see.</b></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Click any image to view larger, higher quality photos - All photos copyright Margus Sootla)</span></i></div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Anthony<br />
How long have you two actually been on this epic? Have you lost count of the days? Do words like “Tuesday” or “Weekend” have any meaning at this point?</span></i></b><br />
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<b>Kariina: </b></div>
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<b></b>We set out on the 1st of October 2008, so it is something like two and a half years by now - after a while you really stop counting the days and the months! The initial plan was to do the circle in 1000 days but now it seems we'll be going over a little.<br />
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Days of the week are pretty irrelevant, as are the numbers on the clock - we wake up when the sun rises and go to sleep soon after it sets, which is quite an organic way to go about our daily life. </div>
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It is a bit daunting to try to imagine our "life after the trip" when we will have to adjust to schedules and deadlines again. I mean, we do have to be organised while travelling as well, like when we need to go and apply for a visa for example. Then it means planning your trip to the embassy and showing up as early as possible to get over with it in an efficient manner. But otherwise… I guess we would qualify as bohemians by now.<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">You and Kariina are riding a 98 BMW R1100GS, and it’s been through a LOT on this trip. How many kilometers on the odometer now?</span></i></b></div>
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</i></b></span><b><i>Margus: </i></b></div>
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<b><i></i></b><i>More than 225 000 km on the odometer. But this expedition is currently at 144 000 km and counting.</i></div>
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<i style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">You’ve done a lot of modifications of the big bike; fuel filters, specially welded frame reinforcements, lighting, exhaust, footpegs, all kinds of stuff. Let’s not mention the suspension right now... Have all these modifications paid-off?</i></div>
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<i>All have paid off more or less to full, except the rear suspension. We should have had the Hyperpro from the start. Live and learn, make that “travel and learn”!</i></div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Well, OK. Let’s get down to the Achilles Heel of your bike: Your poor beast has blown shocks in Brazil, again in Argentina, again in Pakistan You’ve repaired and broken an Öhlins a Wilbers, and you’re on to some purple things now?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>Yes, the <a href="http://www.hyperpro.com/" target="blank">purple is the Hyperpro.</a></i></div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">So have you gained any suspension wisdom from all this excitement?</span></i></b></div>
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<i>Too much wisdom in fact. I guess in the end of the day it's the conditions we ride that most bikes aren't designed for - two up fully loaded and doing stupidly hard and technical trails. </i></div>
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<i>Most suspension manufacturers pursue the "racing" road - making lightweight and high performance shocks with fancy looks. The real downfall with racing shocks is they don't hold up to the high load and long haul of hardcore overland travel.</i></div>
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I think it'd be complete business success if any of the manufacturers made special "heavy duty" model shocks for globe travellers.</i></div>
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If they could have the trade-off of less damping and rebound performance, maybe heavier compared to the current "racing" shocks but that could last when constantly abused with high load, bad roads and very long distances. I'd be willing to pay 2-3X the cost if such a thing existed.<br />
I'd say Hyperpro is almost makes those kind of shocks these days. Compared to our last Wilbers and Öhlins they are built considerably more robust, with thicker rods and stronger overall look. I guess being smaller and less known company they are trying to find their niche on the suspension market.</i></div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Besides the usual brake pads, tires etc. What has worn out? Has the BMW been easy to maintain?</span></i></b><br />
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<i>The only big things that have worn out is two bevel box bearings and one of the gearbox bearings. That was a major hassle to replace - took me two days to split the gearbox, and ironically for a German bike the broken bearing was marked "Made in Japan" when I finally got it out. There goes the theory of Japanese things being very reliable… What's worse, it's now replaced with "Made in Taiwan" version although from the same manufacturer and having the same part number - I guess we really live in the globalized world. </i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Final drive falure in Laos</span></i></div>
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The shaft drive bevel box bearing tends to last 80 - 120 000 km on oilhead boxer GSes, and it's replaceable even on the side of the road if you know what you are doing. I much prefer shaft drive over chain drive even if it requires a bearing replacement every 100 000 km or so. In the end of the day, all the bearings on the bike are consumable parts, so you may never know when any of them goes, be it the wheel-, gearbox-, steering etc bearings.</i><br />
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Overall I'd say it's been utterly easy to maintain and run, thanks to low revving engine, dry clutch and separate gearbox design - I've been spared the hassle of finding high quality products from big cities and I’ve run any automotive oil available from roadside shops for the 140 000+ km we've done so far. I'd never do that with any modern high-revving, wet-clutch, same-oil gearboxed bike.</i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(The standard metal tank was able to be patched several times, where a plastic tank would have been rendered useless)</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Do you find carrying two sets of spare tires worth the trouble?</span></b></i><br />
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<i>We started off with 2 pairs going to London. Heidenau K60 was not available in South America, so we though we should carry them to Buenos Aires and have them shipped around the continent. It was worth the trouble.</i></div>
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Kariina: </div>
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Generally we do not carry spare tyres with us, it is just when we have reason to believe that there will be no good tyres available in the place we go. For example, we are planning to get a spare set in the northern part of Namibia and to carry them for a while through Angola, and then get them changed. The central part of Africa is not a good place to start looking for a new set, but we need something that would last us till Europe.<br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">OK, that makes sense, carry them when you know you’ll be stuck without a fresh set. So what have been your favourite tires?</span></i></b><br />
<i>Margus:<br />
Heidenau K60 tubeless by far. It's a 50/50 on/offroad tyre that lasts and it's hard to puncture.</i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">...An epic journey deserves an epic interview, <a href="http://motojournalism.blogspot.com/2011/07/from-estonia-with-love-part-two.html" style="font-weight: bold;">part two of "From Estonia With Love" is here</a>.<b> </b>And <a href="http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480532" style="font-weight: bold;">read the whole story of Margus & Kariina here.</a></span></div>
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</span></i></div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-74277145009968082332011-06-23T10:48:00.002-04:002011-07-01T10:34:23.256-04:00Back from the latest motorcycle tripJust got back from a fantastic trip down the Eastern US to North Carolina, where I gave a presentation of my <a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16227067" target="blank">Cross-Canada to Panama</a> trip at the <a href="http://www.overlandrally.com/Overland_Rallies_and_Workshops/Southeast.html" target="blank">Overland Rally Southeast</a>.<br />
<div><br />
</div>I was able to meet lots of cool folks including Waterlilly of <b><a href="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dualsportplus.com%2F&ei=3U4DTpqRBojl0QGPjP2hDg&usg=AFQjCNH9GiQsPsHVwgibPfLOf7P9ShaHXQ&sig2=AenZu4LtRtZhMOh4DeZhOw">Dual Sport Plus</a>,</b> Dr Benny of <b><a href="http://www.motorcyclemexico.com/">MotorcycleMexico</a>,</b> and DrRock & LDF of the <a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344776"><b>Mobius Trip</b></a>.<br />
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I'm digging in to the photo post-processing now, lots of photos from the Rally, the <b>Blue Ridge Parkway</b>, <b>Works Engineering in Brooklyn</b>, <b>Manhattan,</b> <b>Coney Island, Mount Washington</b> and everything in-between.<br />
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Before all that goes up I'll post the interview of <b>Margus and Kariina of "From Estonia with Love"</b><br />
There's so much there I think it may be a two-parter!<br />
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Here is a quick preview of the US trip.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5860522764/" title="P1330082.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="P1330082.jpg" height="276" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/5860522764_bc65287489.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5860513382/" title="P1330363.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="P1330363.jpg" height="375" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5223/5860513382_3a3c2c807a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5859965347/" title="DSC_0198.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0198.jpg" height="334" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/5859965347_f18fbe85f3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5860510480/" title="DSC_0023.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0023.jpg" height="291" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5232/5860510480_0e840ae60d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5882849064/" title="Overland-US-29850033 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Overland-US-29850033" height="395" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6037/5882849064_1c0fb8744e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5881621609/" title="Overland-US-0508 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Overland-US-0508" height="500" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5881621609_b5988dc834.jpg" width="290" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5860497598/" title="DSC_0564.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0564.jpg" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2790/5860497598_39a487ee38.jpg" width="401" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5879379376/" title="Overland-US-0158 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Overland-US-0158" height="457" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5071/5879379376_b637f6bb47.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5860496106/" title="DSC_0574.jpg by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0574.jpg" height="334" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5079/5860496106_a52f49e660.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg610/scaled.php?tn=0&server=610&filename=gvemr.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg610/scaled.php?tn=0&server=610&filename=gvemr.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640" /></a></div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-58588456363992973082011-06-04T23:24:00.000-04:002011-06-04T23:24:50.263-04:00On the Road Again - Overland Rally NCJust a quick note to say, I'm making my way south to the <a href="http://www.overlandrally.com/Overland_Rallies_and_Workshops/Southeast.html">Overland Rally</a> SouthEast, in Asheville, North Carolina.<br />
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I received a last minute invite to do a photo presentation about my Canada to Panama trip. So I'm attempting to fit the entire trip into an hour presentation!<br />
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I'm looking forward to the ride, as I've never been to the eastern US before, and the map shows plenty of squiggly lines...<br />
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Sunday, I'll head from Montreal to Toronto to meet Les and Cath' of <b><a href="http://dualsportplus.com/" target="blank">DualSport Plus</a></b> where I'll throw on a fresh chain and sprockets. Monday I'm headed south along the Appalachians till I hit Asheville, North Carolina on the 9th. Just gonna wing it, like always - just how I roll.<br />
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</div><div>After the Rally I'm headed to NYC where I'll catch-up with <b><a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344776" target="blank">Dr. Rock</a></b> (of Mobius Trip fame)<br />
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Come check-out the rally if you can!<br />
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See you on the road,<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5787207050/" title="EOAR 2011-1330028 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="EOAR 2011-1330028" height="307" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/5787207050_719bedb168.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-38129031406803319892011-06-01T13:11:00.000-04:002011-06-01T13:11:22.426-04:00Eastern Ontario Adventure Rally 2011A few photo highlights from the 2011 <a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=654449&page=17">Eastern Ontario Adventure Rally</a> at Elmhirst's Resort in Keene Ontario.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5787133588/" title="EOAR 2011-0169 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="EOAR 2011-0169" height="238" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5142/5787133588_db4abfd1bf.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5786573269/" title="EOAR 2011-0160 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="EOAR 2011-0160" height="369" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/5786573269_cc9bc68948.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5786590519/" title="EOAR 2011-0177 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="EOAR 2011-0177" height="500" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/5786590519_3fde59b5eb.jpg" width="334" /></a><br />
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Crash retrieval crew... <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5787155446/" title="EOAR 2011-0185 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="EOAR 2011-0185" height="334" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5787155446_10cbea6556.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5787168492/" title="EOAR 2011-0199 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="EOAR 2011-0199" height="334" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5106/5787168492_1fdfb2816a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/5787186100/" title="EOAR 2011-0217 by Motojournalism.com, on Flickr"><img alt="EOAR 2011-0217" height="334" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3476/5787186100_f84640ec8e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Check out all <a href="http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=654449&page=17">the banter on ADVrider,</a> and see <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/sets/72157626861518782/with/5787182070/">the rest of the photos here.</a>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4157324832540178724.post-63159451509286717782011-05-31T08:21:00.001-04:002011-05-31T11:41:08.156-04:00Gaurav Jani Motorcycle Chang Pa<b><a href="http://motojournalism.blogspot.com/2011/04/interview-with-filmmaker-gaurav-jani.html">I've recently interviewed Guarav Jani</a></b> The motorcycle travel filmmaker who made <b>Riding solo to the top of the World</b> and <b>One Crazy Ride. </b>At the time he was up in Leh, in the northernmost regions of India, to renew permits to film in the sensitive India-Chinese border areas.<br />
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There is finally a teaser of that latest film he is working on: <b>Motorcycle Chang Pa. </b>It's Guarav's one year journey on foot, on horseback and on Royal Enfield Bullet, to one of the coldest and remotest deserts in the World - The Changthang Plateau on the India- China border. Looks like the quality of this film has taken another step-up, each film looks better than the last.<br />
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Find out more about the film on the <b><a href="http://dirttrackproductions.com/motorcycle-chang-pa.html" target="blank">Dirt Track Productions site</a></b>.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>*Update*</b></div><div><b>I've just received an email from Gaurav, he writes:</b></div><i><br />
"Despite innumerable problems and harsh weather, the journey and the film are shaping up better than we expected. We have cut a small teaser for the film and you can see it at <a href="http://dirttrackproductions.com/">http://dirttrackproductions.com/</a><br />
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On the website, you can also read about the nine month journey so far at <a href="http://dirttrackproductions.com/motorcycle-chang-pa.html">http://dirttrackproductions.com/motorcycle-chang-pa.html</a><br />
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But the best viewing experience is to be had on your Full-HD TV, so we've uploaded a high-resolution (1080p) version of the Teaser as well. Do take the trouble to watch it on a big screen.<br />
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The Motorcycle Chang pa journey is still far from over. I have about three months of filming left. <br />
I would greatly appreciate your feedback on the Teaser. <br />
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Thanks and Regards,<br />
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Gaurav Jani"</i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PJDDue7Y__g" width="500"></iframe></div>Anthony - Motojournalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654160341369149903noreply@blogger.com0