vdschoor

Here's how I take care of my backup strategy: http://www.iwanvanderschoor.com/blog/2010/07/01/pro-workflow-on-semi-pro-budget/ This is my first article on this, and since I am still working on fine-tuning the workflow, and automating more of it.. I will have a second one sometime in the near future. The thing with backups is.. if you have to think about it, if you have to remember to do it.. you will end up forgetting it. so I want to make sure it happens automagically, Regarding organizing, I do it similar, but not by dropzone name, since I do a lot of stuff off the dropzone as well: Year => Month => Project => Day => Camera I know you said "backups are a drain on your harddrive", two things: 1. no backup means you WILL lose your work 2. dont backup on the same harddrive

Yes, but they do get a LOT of coaching... OK. so do some canopy pilots. I agree Kallend.. but those are not the jumpers we are talking about in this thread.

That's fair enough, I suppose. Sorry to hear you have given up in your safety crusade. Doc.. another reason not to post your jumpnumbers / canopy type is : If someone with 3000+ jumps, flying a Velo gives advice to someone with 100 jumps flying a small eliptical.. really what they are doing is trying to stop them from progressing.. not coaching or protecting them from pain we've been in ourselves, or we've seen our friends in. The objective is to stop them from progressing, otherwise we might lose from them in the next swoop comp, or they might end up looking cooler than us when swooping the beerline.. So basically if we don't post jump numbers we're not credible, if we post them we're blocking people from progressing.. Having an argument on the internet is just too much fun.. I totally understand Skybytch' point.. standards are beeing lowered, I read comments earlier that people needed 200 jumps to fly a square parachute years ago.. there's no need to go back to that extreme, but people need to start learning that flying a smaller faster canopy is not just something you can start doing overnight... Think of it as driving a faster and faster car, in more traffic all the time.. with very limited brakes. Those skills take a lot of time to learn and people seem to forget that these days. Just because you have 2000 dollars in your hand and you can afford a smaller, faster parachute, doesn't mean you should be flying that. Taking a step back, walking up to someone and saying: hey.. I want to fly a faster canopy, I want to learn how to swoop, etc.. can you work with me so I can be ready for the next canopy? You will find a whole different response than: hey, I bought a 100 sqft canopy and I keep biffing it in, but I am not going back to my bigger one, just teach me on this one.. Attitude is everything, not just in this sport, everywhere! It is time that people start respecting the journey to get to the experience level that some people have, and think for a minute.. the 3000 jumps I have most certainly were not all on my Velocity, the skills that have kept me out of trouble until now were all learned on bigger, more docile parachutes.

Alright.. those experiences are exactly what I've seen on previous model batteries myself... this just confirms what I kind of already knew: Stick with what works: SONY!! I've never used knockoffs myself, but I saw other people using them on older cameras and complaining so I was just wondering if it still applied to the CX100

Guys, I have a question, I need to buy some backup batteries for my CX100. Do you recommend to stick with Sony ones, or just go and get the knockoffs? Experiences are very welcome.. the sony ones are quite a bit more expensive.

According to some of the reviews, the camera has a 2.5mm remote jack, so any bite switch or tongue switch that works on a Digital Rebel should work?

I've found "both" to work just fine, it all depends on how the helmet is setup. What you should look for is balance, so if both cameras safely fit on top, and you balance the helmet properly, then up top is the best. In my case I switch it around, sometimes both cameras are on top, sometimes the still is on the front if I'm shooting something with a heavier camera up top. In that configuration I usually move the videocamera back more to balance out the helmet again. Like JP said, the weight balanced on top of your spine is what you should go for.

Just make sure the camera is properly aircooled shouldn't be a problem on your camera helmet right?

Saskia.. that is one of the problems with "which camera is better" How well do those 2 camera men know their camera and how are they shooting it? Mine works like a charm every time, set to M on the body that way the camera doesn't make any smart decisions for me. Whenever I have to use automated metering / exposure, I pay very close attention to what I am shooting and how, and choose my metering mode based on that.. otherwise you get crappy results for sure. Those two people probably would have had the same results on a Nikon. I am all in on Canon, the only thing non Canon I have is my Sigma 15mm, but I'd just as happily shoot Nikon. The reason I stuck with Canon was because I already had a couple of lenses when the DSLRs started coming out, and the remote options on the really early Nikons were not what I wanted... Canon / Nikon... its not the little box that takes the picture at the end of the day..

I'm not a lawyer, but you are essentially just running a photography / video shop.. Have your videographers fill out I9 forms Have them sign a seperate piece of paper that they are doing "work for hire" with all video / photos shot by them are your property. The tandem passengers really only need a model release I guess.. since they are already signing waivers to do the tandem jumps... you are just coming along to record it..

Doogie, if you go back now, there are pictures galore! http://www.iwanvanderschoor.com/

Someone should call in the clowns.. just for your entertainment Remster

Shit, now I'm not coming. don't worry there is no bar ON the dz to leave your CC all night.. and I am not bringing The Sack(tm) this year..

WOW, The Mrs., is letting you out of the house... g ha ha.. yup.. she does all the time.. it's work that is not letting me leave most of the time

Are people still playing this? I hadn't played for a while, but just got back into it.. I added everyone on here to my friends... Lets race! 2406-6352-7870

I'm there! Tickets booked.. car rented.. See you guys Thursday morning bright and early.

Is anybody that is staying at the hotel here looking for a roomie to split the cost? If so, let me know: iwanvdschoor AT yahoo.com A free 8x10 photo of the record on top of split room cost

Hmm.. that sounds familiar to what I went through last summer But it's all worth it.. so it's ok.. This year I am getting back on the horse though, that's why I am asking. I am really liking smugmug from what I can see so far.. a lot more options than shutterfly.. and 50 bucks cheaper a year!

All, I am shopping around for a site to sell photos online. I've been using Shutterfly for the last 5 years, but I am thinking.. there has to be something better out there, what you can do as far as customization on shutterfly is extremely limited. What do you guys use, and why?

C: Iwan R: D-ring

You want a reliable canopy that opens in a reasonable amount of altitude, and on heading... A Crossfire is a great canopy, but it snivels for a long time.. which means opening low might be a little nerve-wrecking when you open at 2200ft. I have a Spectre for bigways.. (for multiple reasons.. cameras + reliable openings + not very fast flying..)

+1 If you HAVE to shoot "into the light" bring your own light for best results. Shoot manual would be another tip, figure out what the right / almost right settings would be, bring your fill flash and go up and get the shots Most important though.. have fun figuring it all out.. and don't be scared to ask questions. I think the real answer to the "ultimate" setting is.. there is none.. If you take a shot that is heavily over exposed.. it might just look like that to most of us, but if it's what you WANTED to get.. that was the "ultimate setting" for you.. Overexposed "I meant to do that!" But.. but.. it's art DSE!!! It's not an excuse to tandem customers.. but it is if you're really going for a certain look.. I actually have gotten a "talkin' to" from an organizer since he saw me filming into the sun, and pretty far away from the formation.. and then I showed the footage.. End of conversation with the organizer

+1 If you HAVE to shoot "into the light" bring your own light for best results. Shoot manual would be another tip, figure out what the right / almost right settings would be, bring your fill flash and go up and get the shots Most important though.. have fun figuring it all out.. and don't be scared to ask questions. I think the real answer to the "ultimate" setting is.. there is none.. If you take a shot that is heavily over exposed.. it might just look like that to most of us, but if it's what you WANTED to get.. that was the "ultimate setting" for you..

3001... come on What have you been up to man? I need to make it back down to ElsiWhore again soon... I miss that place!

This is going to sound funny, but the only thing ideal about my setup.. is my helmet. My ideal setup is different for whatever I want to do. If I film tandems, my ideal setup is my TRV17 (I cant part with it cause it just wont break) and my 20D If I film something else.. my ideal setup is "something else" Sometimes its my HC-1 sometimes its my 40D sometimes its my 40D with 1 flash sometimes its my 40D with 3 flashes sometimes its my 40D + HC1 sometimes its my 40D + HC1 + super 16mm film camera sometimes its an EX1 etc... All these options are NOT available to me if I don't have the right helmet.. so my recommendation is there.. figure out what you want to film. If you are just going to film tandems, or just film your friends, you might pick a different helmet / camera combo compared to wanting to go professional... etc.. and as the others said, read the other thread..