30 Comments
Sep 15Liked by Erik Hogan

Stoked to watch this later today, Erik.

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Awesome! FYI, I scheduled it to post on YouTube tomorrow. I get the feeling most people on this platform are watching on their phone and that might not be the best.

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Sep 15Liked by Erik Hogan

100%, I’ll check it out there!

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“All of this is just to say that this has been a labor of love and I’m proud to present it to you now.” - this is the best note ever 👏👏👏

Being personally proud of the work and excited to present your work is the best. We do this creative work for ourselves and to be proud of it, is what matters most. Congrats on the film!

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Thanks Nick! Lol, I had the whole thing rendered and uploaded (takes hours) and then re-did it because I wasn't happy with a 2 second clip! 🤣

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Sep 15Liked by Erik Hogan

Wow, what a journey! Good thing you managed to get out of the hail, it’s never fun to be caught in it.

What was the water temp when you went swimming?

The only times I’ve been really scared hiking was when it was wet and all the rocks were slippery. It looked like a lot of slick surfaces.

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The rocks were very slick, but I was prepared for that. I'm not sure the exact water temps, but it pretty chilly! Felt great after hiking, though!

The storms started coming on the way up Sassafras. I was hoping there would be a shelter at the platform, but no luck. Under the concrete ramp was the best I could find. I'd already been hiding there in the driving rain for about an hour when the hale started!

Thanks for watching Tim!

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Really enjoyed following your journey Erik. The film shows the beauty and the hardships of the trail as I am sure it must have been tough at times, especially with all the rain! I also enjoyed seeing the wildlife and different plants you encountered.

Did you find the filming easy as it must be time consuming to set up some of the shots. I am interested in your views as I am thinking about trying to incorporate some video into what I do but am not sure if I have the patience for all the learning that is involved. 🙂

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Thanks Gill! There is a lot of learning involved. I use a GoPro, which is very easy to film with. It's on a small handle/tripod and the settings are saved as presets, so I just put it down and walk past it. It becomes hard because this adds up to a lot of extra walking, especially for some of the far away shots. When a film shows me crossing a stream towards the camera, it means that is the third time I had to cross the stream!

The GoPro is limited. I can't change focus or use a shallow dof. But, I haven't learned to film using my main camera. Maybe that's next?

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Thanks Erik. There is a lot to learn and I admire your commitment especially when you are on a long walk. I think filming adds an extra dimension to a photographers work and I can see the advantages - I just need to find some time to put in the work 🙂

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YouTube is an amazing resource for learning the basics. And I use DaVinci Resolve for film editing. It's a professional level program available on line for free!

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Thank you. Someone else mentioned DaVinci Resolve so I will definitely check it out. I appreciate your comments Erik, thanks. 🙂

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Great video Erik, I really enjoyed coming along on the journey with you. Love the conditions you got on the last day - wet and foggy - great for photography, not so great for walking!

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Exactly! But it was so windy at that point, and I was so tired that I only took the one photo!

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I know that feeling well!

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Wow, I went to Table Rock years ago but had no idea there was a thru hike from there! Very cool. Will check this out!

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Yeah, the Foothills Trail is very well maintained. It's a great route!

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It is hard to get five days of footage into 30 minutes!! Looking forward to watching this when all the morning farm chores are complete. Love watching through your eyes!

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I'd love to hear your impressions when you do. Thank you!

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I will report back!

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Simply beautiful! So green and so peaceful! I watched it while on a train rocking through the hot dry central valley in California! What a lot of work to it that together.

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Wonderful! I'm glad you liked it. That's quite a contrast between the film and your surroundings!

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Sep 19Liked by Erik Hogan

I enjoyed this. Thank you!

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Of course! Thanks for watching it!

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Sep 22Liked by Erik Hogan

I...I really want to watch this, but I've been procrastinating on it so hard! I'm torn between "Oh man I want to see Erik's cinematography!!" and "Oh shit do I want to "spoil" it, now that I'm definitely going on my Foothills Trail hike?!" Ah the struggle!

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Lol, I totally understand! I watched a bunch of YouTube videos before I did my hike, so I didn't even think about that angle! You could save the film for afterwards and then be able to recognize spots in it!

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Sep 22Liked by Erik Hogan

Ooh...that's true!!

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I'm sorry it took me a whole week to even open this email!! Inbox hell last week lol.

First, I love your email banner update! Nice work.

And second, I'm going to lay on my couch this evening and catch this one on YouTube on my big TV. Great suggestion 👌

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Hey, no apologies necessary! I figured everyone would check this out whenever they can because it's so long.

You saw the banner!! That's only thanks to your suggestion, so thank you!!

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You're welcome! I love seeing a good brand refresh 😊

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