Category: DJI Mavic

Grosse Point Lighthouse Documentary

October 21, 2020 Richard Mack

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While we are still filming and editing the documentary The Sweetwater Seas – North America’s Great Lakes, we were asked by the Lighthouse Park District in Evanston to produce a short introductory film about the Grosse Point Lighthouse.

Because we live in Evanston and grew up on Lighthouse Beach, we were delighted to take on this project and help people know this amazing National Landmark. In these times of Covid-19, the Grosse Point Lighthouse has been closed to visitors, as is the case with all lighthouses on the Great Lakes. This film will inform people about the history of the lighthouse, show you portions of its interior and aerial views that not even the visitors get to enjoy.

Don Terras, the Director of Lighthouse Park District, gives us a great history of why it was built at Grosse Point, what the lighthouse keepers did and more.

Because we are just one mile from the landmark, Grosse Point Lighthouse and its adjacent beach has been one of the locations we have used extensively for filming, from shooting the weather in every season, sunsets, moonrises and more, to testing equipment.

We hope you enjoy this short film about the Grosse Point Lighthouse.

Cheers,

Richard

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

September 10, 2020 Richard Mack

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Tahquamenon Falls

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

While I have travelled far and wide to film the Great Lakes for our documentary The Sweetwater Seas: North America’s Great Lakes, I had not been to Tahquamenon Falls State Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’ve seen lot of great shots of the falls along with drone footage. When Mary and I decided to head somewhere in the Lance Camper RV we looked for a place neither of us had been and landed on Tahquamenon Falls!

The park is the second largest state park in Michigan, and most of the 50,000 square acres are wilderness and not accessible. Which is great for the moose which have been reintroduced to the area, but not necessarily for seeing them! The hiking trails are very well kept, and the lower falls is accessible to wheelchairs. There is a 5-mile trail between the lower falls and upper falls. The lower falls are much smaller yet there are several as the water makes its way downstream to Lake Superior. We hiked the trail between the falls one afternoon for about a mile before rain and darkness turned us around. The trail down low by the river was muddy but once you moved upriver and on the bluffs it was dry and beautiful.

This short film gives you a good idea of the park, the falls and the wetland areas and lakes inside the park. As most photographers know, when travelling with others you may not linger in an area as long as you would have if travelling alone. I also only carried my iPhone for shots on some of the trails. Otherwise it was my Canon 5D Mark IV and a tripod. Now the one thing I failed to do when I went to the lower falls the first time I left the heavy neutral density filters in my big bag instead of putting them into the small bag I carry on the trail. A mistake I made so long exposures we not as long as I wanted. And while filming the Moon over the lower falls I shot the video in 4K with the 16mm lens to get the widest shot, but should have thought about shooting in HD as it widens the shot even more although not as good as in 4K. Next time I realize the shot needs the width of the 16mm as seen in stills I will shoot it both ways.

You learn a few things every time you go out and shoot no matter how long you’ve been doing it! Enjoy the video and still images!

Peace, Richard

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South Haven Lighthouse

September 12, 2019 Richard Mack

Aerial Photography DJI Mavic drone Equipment Great Lakes Project Lake Michigan The Sweetwater Seas Travel Photography

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Over this past Labor Day weekend, I had the pleasure of joining a group of friends and family who have met each year at the wonderful Michi-Mona-Mac cabins in South Haven, Michigan. It was a wonderful time with this group of folks for the first time over the Labor Day weekend. I had the chance to use the DJI Mavic Pro drone to do some aerial video for our documentary The Sweetwater Seas – North America’s Great Lakes. On this morning it was slightly overcast at sunrise and with little wind.

Using manual settings, I shot at 1/50 of a second, as the frame rate in the end will be 24 frames a second. It is best to try and shoot with double the frame rate to give you a smooth image. Using ISO 100 and adjusting the aperture until I the exposure was accurate. I always use a polarizing filter as well – especially when shooting over water – but in all honesty whether shooting stills or video it is always on my lenses.

I knew several of the shots I wanted to get before starting out, and while I did not do a storyboard before flight, I had mapped it out in my head what I wanted in the finished film. Setting up each shot so I could edit them together later. There are always happy surprises like the folks walking the pier or only one boat coming down the river into the open lake instead of many at a time. I used Adobe Premier Pro to edit the film instead of the DJI software. We shall see if we use any of this is the final film and I am guessing some shots will be used.

I hope you enjoy this small piece!

Cheers,

Richard Mack

Addendum:

Tower Information
Tower Height: 35.00′
Focal Plane: 37′
Active Aid to Navigation: Yes
Latitude: 42.40100 N
Longitude: -86.28800 W

The South Haven South Pierhead Light is a lighthouse in Michigan, at the entrance to the Black River on Lake Michigan. The station was lit in 1872, and is still operational. The tower is a shortened version of the Muskegon South Pierhead Light, and replaced an 1872 wooden tower. The catwalk is original and still links the tower to shore: it is one of only four that survive in the State of Michigan. The keeper’s house is on shore, 2-¹⁄₂ stories tall, wood with a hipped-roof. It was also built in 1872, and is located at 91 Michigan Avenue onshore, was transferred to the city for preservation in 2000. The Michigan Maritime Museum has renovated the keeper’s house as the Marialyce Canonie Great Lakes Research Library.

Ludington State Park

December 1, 2018 Richard Mack

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Last September I rolled into Ludington State Park for a one-night stay on my way back from filming in Traverse City. I had never visited this park before, so I spent the evening walking the dunes and looking for images. To my surprise, while the campground was almost full, no one else was out wandering the dunes – much to my pleasure. Having the place to yourself gives you time to wander and take in the place and space you are in. It was interesting to find areas without any footprints in many places. It was a peaceful evening filled with images everywhere.