Browsing all posts in Lensmans Corner.
World Cup adventure. . .
Not everything I film is to do with guns, bombs and bullets. With the World cup taking place in South Africa this year it looks like I’m going to be doing many more light hearted films. I’ve just finished a fun piece with Reporter Jonah Fisher where we travelled around South Africa exploring the route [...]
The Canon 5D Mark II – Wow. . .
This trailer for the Documentary “Battle for the Hearts and Minds” was shot on a stills camera. Photojournalist Danfung Dennis took his Canon 5D Mark II into the badlands of Helmand and came back with HD video pictures that are truly stunning.
Battle for Hearts and Minds Trailer from Danfung Dennis on Vimeo.
If you want to [...]
From here to Timbuktu: On assignment at the end of the world.
Our Fixer, Halis, was waiting for us as we clambered down the steps of our Air Mali flight. He wore his Tuareg regalia with obvious pride – his bright blue robes flowing in the gentle breeze and his nine meter head scarf perfectly wound around his head and chin. He had gentle eyes, [...]
When things fall apart, DRC August 2009.
Congo Mines, 2009. from caparkinson on Vimeo.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is an incredibly difficult, complicated and dangerous place to work. Large parts of the country are essentially lawless and armed bands (including the National Army) roam the roads and jungle tracks looking to shake people down for money or cigarettes.
I first worked [...]
The best Cameramen. . .
I’m often asked what the most important qualities are for a TV news Cameraman. People assume that I’m going to tell them about an ability to frame beautiful pictures or light an interview so that it looks like a Hollywood film set. Frankly I see these as secondary skills. Now obviously all Cameramen [...]
The Cameraman’s Workout: Keeping fit while on the road.
These days it is pretty rare that we, as Cameramen, have any spare time on our assignments to squeeze in a workout. If we get any down time at all we generally just need to catch up on our sleep. But once in a while we find ourselves with an afternoon or evening to [...]
Outstanding Local News Cameraman in US. . .
The Photographer of the Year- Darren Durlach, WBFF, Baltimore from Poynter Institute on Vimeo.
I’ve just seen the winning entry for the prestigious US National Press Photographers Award for 2009. Frankly I’m humbled. The winner was Darren Durlach, a Shoot/Edit from a local station in Baltimore (think “The Wire”). Although traditionalists might be tempted to criticize [...]
Multimedia Journalism: The future for TV Cameramen?
TV Cameramen can be set in our ways. It took a long time for the concept of Shoot/Edit (i.e one person filming and editing a News story) to take hold. We are now also expected to be computer savvy and able to send our finished films across the internet. It is no longer enough for [...]
Lensmans Corner: Bgan’s, what are they and how do they work?
It was Christmas night. I crouched close to the fire built by some of the Marines and tried to warm my hands against the cold. We were in Southern Afghanistan, at Forward Operating Base Gibraltar. It had been three days since I’d last showered and I was so cold in my tent at night that [...]
