vdschoor

don't watch it!!!

Nope, the TV is on during cookin.. and after dinner.. During dinner, it gets turned off.. unless I'm eating alone

I jump a Spectre 135, loading it at about 1.7 with all the toys on my helmet.. i am thinking about going to a Spectre 150, just to get more lift out of the canopy. I am having a hard time floating with it :P ha ha.. Anyways, the openings are straight up $$$ For most of my "every day" camera work I still jump my Velos though..

I've been jumping this collar: http://simpsonraceproducts.com/products/?main_page=product_info&cPath=344_574&products_id=902&sort= I've only been jumping it with heavier setups (multiple cameras / heavy cameras) but it has sure saved me.. not necessarily from hard opening, cause like someone else said, a hard opening will hurt you either way, but the normal openings that put additional stress because your helmet is a lot heavier on your neck are less stressfull. I think the most important part is to work out your neck doing excercises with it, and protect it by jumping the right gear. I stopped jumping my velos when I do heavy setups.. I love the openings on my velo, but it remains a high performance opening, and after jumping the spectre a lot lately for different projects.. I am sticking to that with the camera setups.. Regarding movement restrictions.. I have found the brace to not be that limiting that it will stop me from getting certain shots. Sitflying above a formation, looking down is the only situation where I have felt the brace in freefall, but you learn to work with it.. Iwan

your chances of bad weather are greater during that period, but I wouldn't freak out about it.. You will probably be jumping the whole time.. it's NorCal.. weather never gets "really bad" And if it really does go south, get in the car and drive to AZ!

Get a camera suit Learn how to fly it, film solo's, 2 ways, 4 ways.. Learn to fly it some more.. Good.. now you have about 100 jumps on your camera suit... and you know how to fly it. Talk to the instructors and then start working on filming tandems.. I always film with a camera suit, it allows me to get angles that are very hard to get without one, and without putting yourself underneath a tandem (BAD NEWS) The "average" tandem falls about the "average" fallrate.. but imagine having turbo boosters on when you fly with those tandems.. With a camera suit, you're ready for all fallrates.. Iwan

The idea that you had to put a lot of work into editting their music to your video is funny. I totally agree Metallica makes it sound easy and [here comes the sarcasm] have the "easy" life... they sleep in, party all the time, do some concerts and make boatloads of money.[end of sarcasm] I think what you're forgetting is that for the 50 bucks you're selling the video for.. that is YOUR time that is getting paid for right there.. what about Metallica's time to write, practice, record, promote their music? I'm sure they LOVE music.. but Love doesn't pay for guitars, drumsets, microphones, travel, studio time, band managers... etc.. Just a thought.. I know it's crazy.. but I'm just throwing something out there.. People have this idea that just because it's digital and easy, it shouldn't cost anything..

I am totally with you as far as "dont fix it if it ain't broken" or stick with what works.. I am just looking at the reduction in weight on the helmet...

fellow videographers.. I need an opinion here.. My current setup is with HC-1 HD cameras, and I read all the reviews about the CX100, I look at how small it is, how light it is.. all that good stuff, but can it replace the HC-1 in picture quality and all that? Anyone made the switch? I noticed Jason Peters flying the CX100 as well.. is this the camera that is turning people away from tape finally? Opinions?? The reason I ask is because I notice for a lot of people on here the CX100 is their first HD camera.. and since I am completely setup with HC-1 cameras.. and they are still running great.. I want to make sure the switch is right..

DSE, which lightbox is that? I like how it mounts on the helmet and it doesnt look very heavy at all.. Iwan

I am going to jump in with most of the other advice already given, and add something to it.. Deciding to start swooping at 200 jumps, I took a different approach, and to each their own. It wasn't until about 400 jumps that I started to work on "faster landings" I wouldn't call them swoops just yet ;) Anyways.. at that point, I could put my canopy down whereever I wanted (a Triathlon 190 at the time) in whatever wind conditions, but mostly into the wind. I could land downwind no problem though. Here's where I have an issue with your downwind swooping: You seem to be going all the way across the landing area TOWARDS an obstacle (those bushes) That shows very poor decision making skills to me.. go do your downwind swoops, but swoop straight down the landing area, and not all the way across it towards an object. You were VERY close to them too.. you camera has a wide angle, and it shows close on the camera.. Why?? Work on accuracy.. put the canopy down exactly where you plan to put it down, THAT my friend is the true skill of landing a parachute.. everyone can land a parachute, some land it fast, some slow, but canopy control shows that you can land it at 100mph and STILL put it down exactly where you wanted it to, AWAY from obstacles.. just my 2 cts.. don't hurt yourself please..

It will most likely look like you're shooting through a barrel.. not very good looking (personal opinion) Iwan

Honestly, you said it all already, I don't like how you have the still mounted up there. It just sticks out too far. and is just asking for either a snag, or just plain losing the camera alltogether by a riser slap or something. I think you should reconsider the helmet, it's really too bad the BatRack is not made anymore, cause your setup would be super clean on top of one of those..

????? Zeeuws my friend.. zeeuws! Twents just sounds like they are eating chewing gum :P ha ha (just talking shit here) and the favorite accent? Spanish..

DSE, Sending some good vibes your way sir! Get well soon.. Iwan

There is no set number for this, skill wise (knowing how to land a canopy safely and walk away from it) the 500 jump minimum MIGHT be enough, but lately I am seeing more and more people downsize that have the right number of jumps, but that are lacking awareness under canopy, lack of judgement and in general lack of experience in the sport. Getting to the manufacturer minimum number is easy, there are people that get to that level within a year of jumping. I think what is missing for these people is the realization that these canopies are no joke.. Flying a Xbraced canopy is like driving a Ferrari with the pedal stuck to the floor in traffic in whatever super busy stretch of freeway you can come up with. I havent jumped as much this year as I have other years due to other obligations, but I know for myself that I will be putting the Velocity for sale if I slow down even more (which I doubt will happen anytime soon) They are NOT for people that only do 100 jumps a year....

It all depends on what you want to do, but I have the quantum turbo 2x2 .. and all I can say is.. you dont want to ever work without it. Its the difference between a 1fps camera or a 5fps camera.. do you want your flash to be ready when YOU want to take the shot, or do you want to wait till the flash is ready for you?

Yeah its a LOT easier to walk away with 500 bucks a weekend from packing than it is from flying camera, depending on where you are of course. But to make a lot of money flying camera, you need to spend a lot (you'll need two rigs, and at least a still camera to even think about that kind of money)

For the price of a used PC camera you can probably find a brand new HC style camera, standard definition of course... Go with new... And as far as making money with your camera.. you will have to make a whole bunch of camera jumps before people are going to be willing to pay you for your services.. make sure you are able to consistently get them a quality product.. which is going to cost you quite a few jumps first..

WFH means you negotiate a price and what you include for that price... So, when you start flying video / shooting photos, you figure out what you are going to get paid by the dropzone and if that is enough or not.. if not, renegotiate, and you will probably end up not working for the dz, cause someone else WILL do it for that money. As far as providing supplies, when we were shooting film the dz I work at was providing the film, but we were using our tapes e.a.

It's been a while, but here's another version of my setup. This time setup for shooting film. Also showing some neck protection for the "just in case" scenario. Thanks to Fozz for taking the shots.

the safest way for you to document your experience is to hire someone that is an experienced freefall videographer to film you going through the process.. It is the safest way to do it, and the only way to do it, as no dropzone out there will allow you to wear any kind of recording device while you're going through your student progression up to 200 jumps. Iwan

Nice shot, but I hope you backed off a bit to "tell the story" about what is going on... right now its just a cute girl hanging in a harness.... The "popped up" shot is probably THE most dangerous spot to be in EVER with a tandem.. if he signalled that he was about to pull and you flew yourself there and consider yourself lucky.... you should feel lucky.. if he had deployed while you were in that spot, you, the tandem instructor and probably the student would have gotten seriously hurt or worse....

But I thought SIZE mattered? Bigger sensor, more megapixels, larger files.. If I was using the the 5D MII for "party shots" I would shoot probably medium resolution jpg, but for anything where I want quality shots, the more resolution the better I think, I'd shoot full res RAW, even though the files are ridiculously large..

Sweet.. so what you're telling me is I should go for a 5D Mk II instead.. I'm very happy with my 40D, and I definately will not upgrade to the 50D, the "upgrade" is not worth it money wise, but I am considering the 5D very seriously right now.