Diary of a San Diego Video Crew
Acropolis Restoration Project
In 2020 the Acropolis Restoration Committee invited me to submit my photographs to the Restoration project. They selected one and it currently resides at their website where it’s #21 on their Focusing on Restoration page.
Purple Tulips for Lupus
Saturday, our erstwhile crew loaded up the gear and headed down the road for Liberty Station where there were signs during the overcast morning that the sun would be joining us eventually. And during one point between interviews, there was some rainfall and we needed to protect the gear with an umbrella. But nobody’s spirits were dampened. On the contrary, most of the people we spoke with expressed their joy that upon seeing so many other people who bear the mysterious disease known as lupus, they realized they were not alone.
With Eyes Wide Open
One of my most amazing mountain-bike race adventures occurred in 1989 (in Big Bear Lakes, California) while I was participating as a downhill racer on the Tioga Downhill event of the Fall NORBA Nationals. Unfortunately and only recently did I learn that downhill racing at Big Bear was ended because of too many lawsuits and the skyrocketing cost of insurance. That’s a shame, because I’d love to hammer down one more run as a 67-year-old woman with two bionic knees to prove to the world that I’m still fat at heart.
How to Take Better Photos
Taking better photographs is always a fine goal for the aspiring photographer. Henri Cartier Bresson was arguably the greatest photographer of the 20th Century. He did not consider himself a photographer but merely a man who took pictures. He used to say “I don’t take the photograph. The photograph takes me.” For him it was a matter of geometry, sensitivity, spontaneity and intuition. Here is one of his most famous photographs, which illustrates what he called “The decisive moment.”
Best Video Productions
People often ask us what our best video productions have been. The Crystal Pyramid Productions crew have enjoyed many years of producing, shooting and editing videos for both broadcast and corporate clients. Here are some of the stand-outs.
USS Stennis
Several years ago a British television company called us up. They wanted to know if we could provide a sound operator for a video shoot on a boat. I’ve worked on various boats before. For instance, the Hornblower, a local tour boat that cruises around San Diego Bay and under Coronado Bridge. And then it returns to port. I’ve also worked aboard assorted sailboats and motor boats. A crew from the UK would travel to San Diego to shoot a segment for a tv show called “Top Trumps.” So I said yes, I’d do it.