I'd had Resolve in my applications folder for forever but not for one second did I think I would ever need it, let alone learn to use it. But since I became interested in color grading, I realized FCPX wasn't going to cut it. There remained only one obstacle - importing XML files into Resolve from... Continue Reading →
Lumix GH3: Color Grading With LUT Utility and Grading Breakdown
In all of the digital video I've done over the past two years, virtually the only manipulation I ever applied in order to enhance the image has been to reduce contrast, color saturation and in-camera sharpening. When it came to editing, any adjustments were solely to correct for over- or underexposure. It has only been... Continue Reading →
First Look: Tiffen ND Filter Kit
In my last test, I hoped to show that the Lumix GH3 is fully capable of producing beautiful skin tones and satisfying bokeh, at least when coupled with the Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 lens. But because they were shot under mixed lighting, the results were perhaps not the final word. One of the reasons for doing... Continue Reading →
A Weekend in the Mekong Delta
Thinh, a teaching assistant at the language center I work for, invited me to spend the weekend at his hometown, My Tho, in Tien Giang province. The city, whose economy is based chiefly on tourism, fishing and agriculture, boasts the very first high school in southern Vietnam as well as the longest bridge in the... Continue Reading →
Faces
One of the things I like most about Panasonic cameras is the way they reproduce color. The Lumix GH3 impressed me from the very first shots I made under mixed lighting in Kuala Lumpur's international airport and continued to do so in my weekly jaunts capturing street life in and around Saigon. The GM1, though... Continue Reading →
Lunar New Year Vietnam 2014
Phuong, a 21 year-old accounting major studying in Saigon, invited me to spend the Tet holiday in her hometown in Dak Lak province. Located in the Central Highlands, the region is noted for its coffee plantations and a sizable population of ethnic minorities. To get there, you have to catch a bus at Mien Dong... Continue Reading →
Sunday Afternoon in the Park
There are always loads of photographers in and around the park, especially on weekends: wedding photographers, amateurs, fashion photographers and television crews. Last weekend, I had the good luck to run into Thanh, a cameraman with VTV, a Vietnamese broadcasting network. I arrived at the park at around three in the afternoon, where they'd been... Continue Reading →
Sax n Art Jazz Club, HCMC, Vietnam
It was difficult to pare this clip down to just 30 minutes. Trần Mạnh Tuấn is a spectacular saxophonist. Be sure to listen with a good pair of headphones. I shot this with a Lumix GH3 and Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1o8VvO5EF4&feature=share&list=UUfZ42hY7PiJvanlORaUCn9g
Julie’s Going Away Party and KL
Last weekend we had a little get together for one of my colleagues, who got a job offer to teach in Thailand. The following day, I flew to Kuala Lumpur to pick up the Panasonic Lumix GH3, which will probably be my replacement camera for the Panasonic TM900 I've been using for the past year... Continue Reading →
The Bridge
Every weekend, I go with a friend to a place he calls simply "the bridge", an area surrounded by tin-roofed shacks and located next to the Saigon river. A family runs a coffee shop under the bridge and locals go fishing in the river. http://youtu.be/oGdOvtH2fzo Free background music from JewelBeat.com
Party at Anh Duc’s
A rooftop BBQ party celebrating the grand opening of Anh Duc's new rooming house and bar. http://youtu.be/_1_pqfBAM78
My Soon-To-Be New Neighborhood – FCPX Test
This is a short test of FCPX shot in Binh Thanh, HCMC. http://youtu.be/bvRanpDyJj8
A Vietnamese Meal
An extraordinary meal at lunchtime served at Quan 95, a restaurant in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Cost - $6.00 USD. Care to guess how much this would run in the States? http://youtu.be/jP6HA_i3SSY
Vung Tau, Crane Test
I went to Vung Tau over the three-day weekend and had a chance to try out my new cine hand jib, an adjustable hand crane from the folks at Cinecity. It'll take a lot of practice to steady the gizmo, but I'll be able to get some shots I wouldn't have been able to do... Continue Reading →
30/4 Park Revisited
I recently added a new tool to my arsenal - a handheld stabilizer that goes simply by the name of Hand Held. I have no idea where it's manufactured. The Freefly MōVI it is not, but then again, it doesn't carry a $15,000 price tag either. It's elegantly crafted from brushed aluminum (no plastic!), with leather for... Continue Reading →
30/4 Park
What an ordeal it was trying to upload this video to YouTube! First of all, Apple's QuickTime only allows videos of up to 15 minutes to be uploaded to YouTube, and the clip is almost 24 minutes long. Then, when I tried using YouTube's own uploader instead, I had to verify my account, but when... Continue Reading →
Test: RØDE Stereo VideoMic Pro
Most experienced filmmakers will tell you that sound is 50 percent of filmmaking. If the sound is poor, the wisdom goes, your video isn't going to be watched. I don't know whether this is borne out in actuality however, because to the best of my knowledge, most videos posted to YouTube by non-professionals are shot... Continue Reading →
Vietnam Lunar New Year 2013
http://youtu.be/7xFLQiI_2xQ Free background music from JewelBeat.com
The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens
The Saigon Zoo, located just twenty minutes or so from my apartment, is one of the oldest zoos in the world. In addition to the exhibits, there are acres and acres of parkland, where you can get away from the traffic and noise of the city, have a picnic, or eat lunch at one of... Continue Reading →