brentfinley

I started with video on Jump 72. With Stills on Jump 73 (didn't want to overload myself on Jump 72 ya know...) My first jump was videoing a 4-way and orbiting it really flat... :) My First Stills Jump was of a local skysurfer out of a king air. I was using a stock EOS hand switch that locks if you push and slide it. At 5 fps, I shot the entire 24 exposure in less than 5 seconds.... The skysurfer floated on me (no camera suit) and I never saw him after exit. The exit shot was cool, though... It's still framed 24x30 in the Skydive AZ conference room and the DZ used it for an ad in a local rag for 8 weeks. Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

Michael Bess is his name and is a very helpful and nice guy. We met when I had 140 jumps or so in xmas 1992 at an Eloy holiday boogie. I've got two helments from michael and they work very well for me. Glad he could give you some pointers! He'll be enjoying some good Karma on his drive home from Byron. I'm sure the drive sucks from Seattle. :) www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

.6 for practice. Give them something tightly framed so they can really debrief. .5 for competition. after all that practice with a .6, the .5 will allow you some leeway so you don't bust them on a flukey block move or exit. Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

Paul... he did say he was in Ireland. Full sun up there is different than for us. Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

Well if you're using 400 asa film, then definitely use 1/500th. You might even try 1/750 www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

Especially for Tandems... 90 percent of your pictures are of them... close up. To try to balance the light, depth of field, and speed so you can get the perfect Exit shot (plane in the background 100 feet away in a dive) and them in focus is not really fair to the customer. (You are shooting this for the customer, right!) Don't try to do too much here and focus on whats important. Then your shots of them will be spectacular instead of just OK. Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

Did you damage your helmet? They are not really for protecting your melon that much, rather a place to put cameras. If you feel the integrity of the shell is compromised, by all means replace it. It if fails (splits on a hard opening) and comes off your head... you lose a lot of money replacing cameras. Also, if you have a styrofoam lining that is now more loose than before.. that will induce more shake into your video because the helmet is not as tight. This is a judgement call for operational matters concerning the performance of your helmet... not really safety. Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

For Tandems... You can use 1/350 (rebel 2000 should be capable of that). This is fast enough for freefall where something is sitting in front of you. Focus for where you expect the subject to be. (or GASP.. use autofocus... but I never do). Let the aperture float. Use iso200 film for tandem shots (nice balance between speed and grain). If bright sunlight.. use ISO 100 Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

PS - Craig was using a 28-200 F2.8 lens. I was using a 100mm F2.0 lens www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

Hi Josh, I personally haven't used a digital camera, but I think there is lots of potential for making $$ with a digital camera. Certainly there have already been centerfolds in Parachutist with Digital cameras ... Canon D30, Olympus E10 (i think).. Now the D60 is out. They put out a photo that will print out at 11x17 (Michael McGowan does it all the time) At some point I'll go digital... but it will only be one of many tools in my bag. Film is not dead by a longshot. I shot an exhibition soccer game the other day in Phoenix with the famous world cup soccer player Brandy Chastain. It was at a high school field with terrible lights. Craig Amrine shot his D60 and I shot my Eos 2000 with high speed sync flash at 1/350th with 800 speed film pushed to 1600. Even though my flash was a bit smaller than Craigs, my pictures with film came out nice. His turned out grainy and took lots of manipulation to make a picture suitable for the small local magazine we were shooting for. So clearly there are times when film just works better. Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

I agree with Paul. If they were going to just buy a stock "Clip" in a footage library somewhere, they would be paying $500-800 for a 10 second clip. For a dedicated shoot while shooting what they direct you to get... this is totally different. With a miniDV camera... it's reasonable to charge $300-400 per day. If you were shooting film... it'd be a little different. Consider yourself lucky... It's hard to find that work... better when it finds you. Find out how long they anticipate the commercial to run. If they are going to use this for a long time... the "buyout price" could go up a couple more hundred. Of course... when you start asking for $$$, expect them to say ..."but our budget is only $1000 for the whole thing..." but don't budge. And it's very fortuitous that they would even consider putting a photo credit on a commercial... they are there to sell their product... not your skydiving. That is not a reasonable demand for ANY commercial shoot. If they say OK... I'd question that they mean it. Producers don't want to take the attention off their product for even a second. Since you're getting the big bucks... put out something spectacular... Buy the most expensive DV Tape Sony makes and clean the heads on your camera. Make sure the lenses are spotless Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

I was a photographer before I started skydiving. I lived for 2 years at high school with a camera attached to my wrist... as a yearbook photographer. That developed into a general love of photography... and a good technical understanding of it. I just love pictures... I guess I do get off on kudos and recognition of getting "the shot" www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

As far as more tips on bending an articulating bracket post... Do whatever makes sense. Don't break it! :) If you don't have access to a blow torch... don't bother. Take it to someone who works with metal. They will understand exactly what you need to do. Sorry I can't be more specific. But if you're going to HIGHLY modify off the shelf stuff, then make sure you have some scrap parts similar to what you're going to bend...so you can practice on them... otherwise, get an expert. I'm not an expert... but a layman... I break things... because my machinist laughs at me and give me another one to work on. He only lets me work on machines that are not too expensive. I have nearly killed myself in his shop (how embarrasing would that be?). :) www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

Mine is custom made. It's a highly modified motorcycle helmet. It has an 8 inch wide platform that allows me to mount the cameras anywhere across the top I like. Each camera has a dedicated mounting plate so I can shift them around depending if I'm shooting one or two on top. (Video, 645 still), (16mm, video), (16mm, 645 still), etc. I like the bonehead flat top, rear entry helmet for off the shelf solutions. Brent [email protected] www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

No problem! Glad you like it. I like your photo. I have this sticker on my 16mm camera case. Brent www.brentfinley.com [email protected]

Hey Paul, Not coming to JFTC... Too busy at work... :(

Hey out there. I'm going to try to drop by once in a while. Feel free to ask any questions in my specific expertise areas: Big Way Filming Medium Format Photography 35mm Photography Cross and Concentric Sights Mounting hardware Publication tips Take care and be safe. Brent www.brentfinley.com