I thought about making videos for a long time. Blog or Vlog or both. People have asked me about it for a long time. And I’ve resisted making any for a long time. And then this morning I made this:
Your thoughts would be appreciated. Not sure where I might go with such things as video. This one was a spur of the moment thing. No script. No planning. A non-stabilized camera on the end of a little tripod. Stabilization added in the editing process that cropped the heck out of my head.
Still, I wonder if it would allow me some creative vacation from writing all the time.
I’m not Steve McQueen and I’m hardly animated. So there’s no future in VLOGGING for me I suppose. Still, I have ideas.
A VLOG completed.
Thanks for the video. Personally, I have not been a big fan of the vlog or blog. The egocentricity in evidence in most of them puts me off. It may be a generational thing. I am 71 and find so many of the bloggers are bumptious wannabes of one kind or another. And I like the written word. But having read your posts for a couple of years and found them well written and of interest I had you pinned as a thoughtful person with whom I would be happy to share a beer or a coffee etc in one of your local haunts. So I was intrigued to know how your speaking voice sounds and if it matched the persona I had created for you. I am pleased to say that it does. I hope this does not sound patronising it is not meant to be. I would say don’t be shy about another video. You might grow into it.
Thanks for the comments and reactions. Like you, I often find YouTubers and Vloggers a little too, well, something. Enthusiastic in a manner that seems more performance than reality. And made up and dressed up for the show. That said, I have found huge amounts of helpful information from them as well. But mainly I have resisted because I don’t think I have a lot to say. Or at least not often does it just flow past my teeth like this first one did.
I’ll keep at it for a while and see what happens.
Thanks again for your comments.
In this time of social distancing, this vlog brought you closer to your readers. To see you come to life differently than in your texts and photos adds a third dimension to Scooter in the Sticks. Thanks. Make more! It was difficult to hear you say that riding should be curtailed to essential trips. For some of us, riding will be an important way to endure or escape both the cabin fever and the overall malaise of this plague. Though the result of a post-crash hospitalization is not to be taken lightly, perhaps the lack of riding to restaurants and other crowded in town locations, along with the general dramatic decrease in traffic over all, places riders at less risk (although riding always has risk riding pillion). I’ll be giving your suggestion serious thought.
A third dimension. I like that. Photography, writing, video. If I only played a musical instrument or could sing!
I’ll be posting soon about my own thoughts on curtailing riding and what I plan moving forward. I’ve made a decision but I want to illuminate the thoughts behind it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate them.
Well done Steve!! Great to see you again in living color.
One suggestion: tell us where you’re walking/recording. As a naturalist I want to know where is this brushland with mowed grassy walking trails.
I am curious, are you using an iPhone? Handheld or with a selfie stick? Or some higher tech gizmo? You kept it remarkably still.
I urge you to offer future VLOGs. You seem so natural and comfortable. But please don’t stop the written blogs.
Stay safe,
Steve
I look a lot different than the last time we crossed paths Steve. Glad you could still recognize me!
I will share more detail on the landscapes I traverse. I’ll provide my non-expert opinion on the spread of Hemlock wooly adelgid and the type of cuts underway in the forest. I’ll not comment on forest maggots though.
Nothing high tech involved in the video. A Nikon D3300 DSLR — the cheap plastic Nikon, a tiny tripod which serves as a stick to hold the camera out in front of my face. The audio was recorded using the microphone in the camera. I can’t see what the camera is recording. I just point it at myself. There was a shake in the raw video because the camera has no optical or digital stabilization. I edited in iMovie 10 on a 12-year-old iMac (ugh) and applied digital stabilization to the video. Took hours to render. And it cropped the video a bit. But all in all, it worked ok. That said, I’ve already been looking at new cameras and stabilizing devices and microphones. But I’ll stick to what I have until it gets in the way.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Steve. I appreciate them and I won’t stop writing.
So very good to hear the voice behind the voice, Steve. Thanks for the book suggestions. Back at you with “Coffinman” The Journal of a Buddhist Mortician by Shinmon Aoki. It is a wonderful, touchable, and poetic exploration of what scares the crap out of most of us.
It sounds like an interesting book. I’ll add it to my list of things to read. My wife might like that book as well. Thanks for the head’s up!
Good morning Steve,
What a surprise this morning to put a human face to words and pictures. Your VLOG sure makes any interaction with you much more personal than just an occasional comment or two.
I want you to know that I have been reading your posts for an extended period of time now especially when I discovered a number of years ago that one of things that we share in common is our love for our VESPA motor scooters and the feelings that we have when out riding alone. How relaxing and how energizing a ride can be both at the same time!
I hope you will be so inclined to record additional VLOGS when you have something that you would like to communicate in person. I will look forward to seeing them in the future.
Stay safe and stay well especially in relationship to the Coronavirus which has affected so many people in our country and across the world.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and reflections on the things I share here Karl. It’s easy for me to get lost in my own little world that it’s good to have some outside reactions to keep me honest and critical of what I create.
I plan to produce more VLOG entries. I just don’t know what at the moment. Or if I should consider them stand-alone pieces or integrate them into posts with photos and longer text. The possibilities are exciting.
Keep your head down and safe in the coming weeks and months. The Coronavirus seems to be everywhere now.
Love it, Steve, thanks for posting one. You bring up a good point about now is not the time to occupy a hospital bed unnecessarily. I thought about uncovering my GTS after winter, especially since my winter beater is dying. Will have to ponder on that. Take care, glad you provide distraction.
Look for a future post about the wisdom or folly of riding at this point in time. It comes down to a decision each of us will have to make for ourselves. Unless the government steps in and makes it for us.
Be careful whatever you decide to do. The risks of riding have changed.
Nicely done Steve. Video offers an intimate connection that writing can’t capture. Videos are necessarily short and can only offer very small slices of content. Writing on the other hand offers more depth and precision. Perhaps the best answer is a blend of both. In this time of isolation and stress, the intimacy you offered is a source of comfort. Thank you, I know it’s not easy.
Thank you David. Watching your videos on your new gear and new studio inspired me to think more seriously about VLOGGING. You’re right about the difference in connection. I can’t see doing it all the time but it might be just what I need to do at this point in time.
Thanks for your insight. And stay safe in Canada. The virus knows no boundaries.
Well done, Steve. I enjoy your writings and the Vlog is a nice bonus. Hopefully you will continue, it is a great way for your readers to stay close in this time of “social distancing”.
I plan to try a few more to determine if this is a good fit for me. I appreciate your feedback. It helps to point me in the right direction.
I’ve always been a fan and I thought it was and I like the idea. One thing I would like to see you do is to put the camera on the scooter so that we can see what it’s like to ride along. Either way I’ll continue to watch or read your blogs.
PS
After this is all behind us I can fix that haircut you’ve been hiding under that hat
Adding that kind of extra footage is possible through a lot more work in shooting and editing. But for the right subject would work well.
My hair is getting longer and longer. And thinner and thinner at the same time. I’ll have to get you to transform me from the homeless look to something more elegant!
👍
Thoroughly enjoyed putting a voice to the many photos! Thanks for the book recommendations as well. I would like to see videos interspersed with your wonderful writing and photos.
Thanks for your kind words about the video. I’ll be working to figure out a path to integrate more in the future.
Thank you, Steve ! What a nice addition to your already great blog. I’ve been along for the ride from the beginning and this helps us get to know you even better. This is certainly a labor of love on your part but we all certainly appreciate it and look forward to each new contribution. Stay well…we need you !!!
The blog has been a labor of love. And a tool to focus my thoughts and deeds. Video provides another lever in that process.
Thanks for your comments. I appreciate what you shared and hope I can continue to share things in which you find some value.
Stay safe in this brave new world!
Thanks for taking the time to answer us all.
It’s always been a pleasure to read and respond to the things that readers like you contribute to the blog. If someone takes the time to share their thoughts, I’ve always felt it’s the least I can do to respond.
This video fits well with this social distance thing that we are to comply with. Will read you are and the sage is beautiful that you are carrying.
Social distancing has been easy. The thoughts in my head are far more problematic. I’ll keep working at it though.
Good Morning Steve … I now have a voice I can associate with when reading your posts, well done. Subject matter perfect too, perfect under these unfortunate circumstances as we struggle with choices. I too have been thinking about my occasional riding and struggling some with my wants and genuine needs. Nice technique btw, as a retired television news camera guy who on many occasions had to to walking intros, extros and interviews your camera work/movement and soft light were primo. Looking forward to seeing some more Vlogs and Blogs. Stay safe 👍
It’s a lot easier shooting the walk and talk with a little digital camera on a stick than it would have been with a videographer walking in front of me with a Betacam. I just have to watch I don’t get caught up in the sort of perfectionistic technical stuff and end up thinking I need a Steadicam or some exotic powered gimbal system. For now, I’ll just use the old stuff I have and try and make sure content triumphs over the technical limitations.
Finding the right story or topic will be a challenge for me. Often I don’t know what it is until I sit down to write. I’ll need to develop a different approach for a VLOG. I’m looking forward to working on that puzzle.
Thanks for sharing you thoughts on the video. I appreciate them.
Be well and be safe!
Nice to see you, Steve! Next time you should include the dogs, too 🙂
Hey! Good to see you too Jillian. At home working hard for the ongoing glory of the college now? Talked with Jon. Things sound intense.
I have the current issue of the magazine sitting on the table beside me. Was planning to drop you a note. Now I don’t have too. It gets better every time. Nice work. Looks great. Now I need to read everything!
Be well. Stay safe. Say hello to everyone for me!
Edward Abby’s “Desert Solitaire.” YES! Just read it this Winter. It was especially interesting to me since I have been in most (all?) of the areas he described.
It’s a great book Robert. I pull it off the shelf every so often to restore my soul with thoughts of wilderness.
Thanks for the VLOG! I enjoyed the walk with you! The quality of the Vlog was excellent and opened a dialogue in my own mind. Your thoughts continue to trigger self examination. Currently many of our usual wooded walking areas are closed , encouraging folks to “STAY HOME” as requested by our Prime Minister and the health departments. We still do a daily local town walk, usually about 6 klm, thankfully. The urge to ride is for me tempered by that request, and again reinforced with your thought about the hospital / emergency load. There may yet come a time when I need to over ride that concern. We are still working to “plank the curve”, but anticipate heavier #’s soon.
I personally have only rarely enjoyed the “video cam while riding ” productions, perhaps due to the lack of adequate editing? I like that you don’t disclose the exact locations, as Steve and I love it when we recognize a place (or so we think) that you’ve shot some pics at! The solitude being so much a part of the beauty of the spot, one wouldn’t want thousands of your readers to all flock to that same spot!
Please continue to VLOG when that urge comes first, and it’s always exciting to receive a new post from you. THANK YOU and do stay safe!
Thank you Shirley for the comments. Your reflections and insight are appreciated.
So far we’ve not been severely restricted by the government other than to be mindful of what we’re doing. I can think of a lot worse things than having to stay at home. Kim and I are slowly adapting to the new pace and the scary things that emerge in our heads from time to time.
Regarding future videos, I’ll definitely make more. I understand your lack of enjoyment with video cam while riding. After a few seconds of a road flying by I’ve usually had enough. So the talking better be great or it’s time to cut to a different scene. Video is tough. I’ll have to scratch my head a bit.
Be well and stay safe. Let’s hope the pandemic passes without too much lasting catastrophe.
Well done Steve. I was glad to see your voice sounded about what I thought it would sound like. If you have ever read Peter Eagan’s work, it’s alive and vibrant. I saw a video of him on Cycle World and his speech is flat, slow and halting. It took some of the luster away from his work for me. I want to see the dogs in action so a follow up video is called for.
I’ve always sounded flat and uninteresting to myself. It’s probably why I write. Good to know I wasn’t a complete failure in front of the camera. Maybe I”m maturing into a nice old guy character!
The dogs are a real challenge to photograph. Shooting video even more so. But they’ll definitely make an appearance at some point.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Stay safe and be well.
I enjoyed your first effort and would encourage you to consider more as a periodic segue from writing. Would especially like more of a POV video with us seeing what you are seeing as you comment. I know this would be more demanding of you as would demand much more spontaniety and crimp your rumination of topics prior to writing but I think it would be very well received.
That’s probably the path I’ll take. I don’t see myself abandoning what I do already but instead search for the topic that I can uniquely address with video. Integrating POV footage takes more time and effort but for the right story, it would be essential. For now, I’m just happy I could do anything!
Thanks for taking the time to share your comments. I really appreciate them. They help confirm or dismiss the things swirling between my ears.
Great video, great voice. Well done and most appreciated, Steve.
Thanks Steel. Long time no hear!
Take care of yourself and ride away from the Coronavirus.
Very pleased to almost meet you in film. It would be most interesting to see much more of yourself and surroundings in film.
I do hope you and yours keep safe and well for the future.
Thank you Bill. Glad to make your acquaintance!
I plan to show more of the environment in the future. I am just not sure how or in what context.
Steve:to borrow some what (and edit as required for the situation) from the great poet Tom :Petty: The I-Man says he does hear a hit. That’s supported I think by the number and content of the responses so far.
A very good start, and great eye contact with the audience. Well done, enjoyed it very much.
Thank you Fred. I hope I can repeat the performance on another topic.
I appreciate your comments.
It’s a YES from me. 🙂
Thank you Ken. I’ll try and produce something worth watching.
I think a vlog fits you and your content really well. Though vibration reduction will help the shaking of the video. How do you feel talking to the camera?
I wasn’t nervous about talking to the camera mainly because I had an idea of what I wanted to say. I didn’t want to script anything or plan. I just picked the camera up and started talking. May just be dumb luck it turned out as it did. Time will tell. Let’s see how the next one goes!
Like RichardM said, it’s a good fit for you this vlogging…..how did you hold the camera so steady?!
Thanks Dom!
The camera was mounted on a tripod that bobskoot recommended to me. I just had the legs folded in and held it out in front of me. The video right out of the camera was a little shaky. I used a post-production stabilization tool in iMovie to smooth things out a bit.
Now if I bought a new camera with optical and sensor stabilization. And a powered gimbal. Then it would be super smooth!
Wow Steve would have thought you are a regular segment contributer for a network …Thought you did a smashing job with the few minutes you shared with us scooter heads.Hope you continue with this ,honestly I’m lazy and don’t like to read much so I will read every word when I get a new post but the video is Super and I guess most of us now have a sense of a little closer look at our 2 wheeled friend
Thanks for the kind words of support Don. Not doing this kind of thing I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m glad I didn’t turn everyone off. Video is a lot more personal because I’m displaying more than my words. It was a little weird.
I plan to produce more when the right topic appears.
Enjoyed it very much.
Thank you!
Thank you.
Thanks for having a look at the video.
It took me a whole year and more to finally remember to watch this first vlog and I was delighted to hear your voice advising about books. Maybe the best thing we have done in this long year.
Desert Solitaire, then. We’re sorta tuned 😉
I’ve made 10 videos I think. And while it’s been fun, it is departure from the ease of production I have just making still images. I will probably make more at some point when I have something to say that fits into video!
Books. I’ve been reading a lot more than I did before the pandemic but not nearly as much as others I know. I would be curious about your reaction to Desert Solitaire if you read it. That book doesn’t seem to match the European experience. It’s almost like the American version of Hesse’s “Knulp.”
Not yet. It’s been sitting in my to-read list for years and maybe it’s time to read it, together with the Monkey Wrench Gang.
Now I’m reading Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley across America. A pleasant read indeed, though not bike-related 🙂
I have Travels with Charley on my shelf. Haven’t read it yet. Other books keep getting in the way.