FRM Blog

Get inside the minds and happenings of Front Range Media. From behind the scenes videos and photos, to the gear we use, we’ll keep you up to date on how we get our work done.

July 19, 2016
in Photography
by frontrange

Drive Train Industries

Early in February of this year I had a photo shoot with The Bonfire Effect (fantastic people I might add) at Drive Train Industries in Denver, CO.  We crammed as many shots as we could in a single day, starting at 6 am and finishing just before 6pm. There were tons of challenges shooting in a wharehouse/factory/machine shop/mechanics shop/etc… the biggest being the multiple locations and different lighting situations in each spot. For most of the shots I used a simple off-camera speedlight shot through a diffuser (softbox, diffuser panel) for others I used an alien bees 800 mono light. I was pretty pleased with the shots for how quickly we moved from scene to scene and mixing ambient with the strobe allowed us to see all the texture the location had to offer. Some of my favorite shots of the day were lit only by ambient and the arc welder. Another great part of the day was how awesome the guys in the shop were about getting their photos taken. Couldn’t have asked for a better, more willing group to photograph.

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June 29, 2016
in Photography, Uncategorized, videography
by frontrange

Monday links, on Wednesday

6/29/16

Video

GreatWestCollectiveRacing

We often seek out talented, local artists to gather inspiration. Check out some of the Great West Collective videos by clicking the image above.

Video: http://bit.ly/295TE0x

Photo

masai-lioness-stretch_95185_990x742

It’s extremely important to know when black & white photography is appropriate. Sometimes it can take away too much from your photo, but this B&W of a Masai lioness is perfection. Click on the photo to check out the original post on the National Geographic website.

Photo: http://on.natgeo.com/293EB6q

 

Design

Social-Media 2016

Here are some priceless insights into where your marketing team should be leading you. There’s endless opportunity, you just have to focus on these simple goals. Check out the article by clicking the image above.

Design: http://bit.ly/29amkEV

 

Adobe Update

fstoppers-adobe-premiereprocc-2015-3

In an attempt to always stay up-to-date with our software, adobe and it’s hoard of followers find the power in their updates. Hope this helps you too!

Adobe Update: http://bit.ly/293EfNe

 

Drone Use

Firefighting LA Times

Pretty obvious, but a simple reminder never hurt. Click the image to visit the original post.

Drone Use: http://bit.ly/293ls0l

 

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June 21, 2016
in Uncategorized
by frontrange

FAA Drone Regulations

What can I say, I like gifs

Heads up!

The FAA released news today of revamped regulations to commercial drone use. Before today it was a lengthy process of actually having to be a licensed pilot in order to fly a drone weighing between .55 and 55 lbs. This was for commercial use only. Any person doing it for a hobby could fly it as long as you were in the proper airspace and your drone was registered. This is big news for smaller production companies and photographers wanting to legitimately add aerial photography and videography to their business model.

“We are part of a new era in aviation, and the potential for unmanned aircraft will make it safer and easier to do certain jobs, gather information, and deploy disaster relief,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We look forward to working with the aviation community to support innovation, while maintaining our standards as the safest and most complex airspace in the world.”

You’re basically going to have to take a test once every 24 months to prove your airworthiness and that you don’t plan on using your drone for anything bad (background checks, etc…)

“You must be at least 16 years old to qualify for a remote pilot certificate, and you can obtain it in one of two ways:

  • You may pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center.
  • If you already have a Part 61 pilot certificate, other than a student pilot certificate, you must have completed a flight review in the previous 24 months and you must take a small UAS online training course provided by the FAA.”

Although the new regulations don’t go into effect until the end of August, you can expect people to start trying to sell you just about anything in the way of training and test taking readiness software. Read more about the updates here.

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June 20, 2016
in Uncategorized
by frontrange

Monday Link Fest

bongoday

That time of the week where we start it off with some links to help in your procrastination. Enjoy!

• #maxyourdays from The North Face
https://youtu.be/1UWnr4nyrxA
• Ever wonder what you have in common with the most successful people?
http://www.fastcompany.com/3033906/how-i-get-it-done/how-the-most-successful-people-poop-at-work
• Casey Neistat on why you should just use your gear.
https://youtu.be/AAmrIVa7UyA
• These fantastic coffee pour over stands are made by a friend right here in Fort Collins, CO
http://thecoffeeregistry.com/collections/pour-over-stands
• This video by Colorado State University hits the nail on the head. Beautiful footage, great story. Makes us want to abandon the office on a Monday and just go do something awesome.
https://youtu.be/MkavQH9HYiY

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June 20, 2016
in Photography, videography
by frontrange

Dion Dolva: CD, Photgrapher & Videographer

Dion_Dolva_Family

A few months ago a guy by the name of Dion Dolva joined the crew at Front Range Media. He’s pretty decent with both stills and video. If you have a minute or so, check out his latest demo reel.
A native of Minnesota, Dion has been a professional photographer and videographer for the past 11 years. Shooting for clients like Seagate, HP, Juniper Networks, Datalink, Quintess and UC Health, his ability to shoot a wide range of subjects makes him a key addition to the FRM team. He lives in Fort Collins with his wife, 3 kids and 2 dogs. Loving to hike, ski, bike, run and lift when he’s not chasing light. You can check out some of his work at: www.diondolva.com

2015 Demo Reel from Dion Dolva on Vimeo.

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June 13, 2016
in Uncategorized
by frontrange

Monday Link Roundup

Mondays

Monday is almost over and you need a break. We’ve got you covered with links that caught our attention when we should’ve been working.
https://vimeo.com/169993072 The Lion City II- This clip takes time lapse to another level. Literally, there are some sick construction shots in there.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2GayCJ/:1V6bWll+:HYWYOf7-/vimeo.com/114900089 Color Theory – Design and style are hot topics around the Front Range Media office, that and what would it be like if we had a window. When we talk about creative color schemes and designing to please the eye; this is where we start.

https://vimeo.com/170000748 Trail Tales – Escaping on the weekends to ride your bike allows for the free flow of creativity. This is a beautiful escape from your Monday start of the work week.

https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks/166930720
Amazing views from Russia.

https://youtu.be/u4ZoJKF_VuA Start with why — how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound – A fantastic talk by Simon Sinek on leadership. Fantastic.

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June 8, 2016
in Photography, Travel, Uncategorized, videography
by frontrange

Gear in Our Bag

A sampling of the gear we use

A sampling of the gear we use

As a photographer and videographer it’s tough not to get caught up in gear you want in your bag. Sure, gear doesn’t really define your work or your art. But it tough to ignore what someone used to shot that silky smooth slo-mo or what lights were used to freeze that action shot at 1/2000. We get that gear isn’t everything, but walking around NAB this year for the first time and I was in gear heaven. We use a lot of gear and while some of it may not be drool-worthy, it does the job and I don’t feel like we use it to it’s full potential sometimes. Last week I posted an instagram photo with a small sampling of our gear. I thought I’d take a minute to go through the photo, tell you what it is and why we use it.

  1. Rode-Mic: Standard issue shotgun mic for those many talking head videos we do.
  2. Rode video mic: Great on-camera-mic to get the ambient audio for b-roll and on-the-fly interviews
  3. Atomos Shogun: Recoding 4k to pro-res is a pretty nice little feature to have. We shoot 75% of our stuff to this external recorder.
  4. Digital Juice MiniBurst 256: We have 2 of these things. Fantastic little battery powered light that can be put anywhere.
  5. Manfrotto monopod: Perfect for fast and light shooting. A couple of bungees and you can also strap this to most anything for a solid lockdown shot.
  6. CameTV cage: We picked this up for our A7s, added protection and tons of mounting options has made this a must for our camera.
  7. Sony A7s: This is our workhorse. Probably time to upgrade the thing, but it still gets the jog done well with the Atomos Shogun.
  8. Old school Minolta primes: Old lenses, but with the metabones adapter, they still produce a sharp image.
  9. GoPro: We have a few of these as well. Great image, bombproof camera. They go everywhere with us.
  10. Barndoors: Not sure of the brand, but these are nice to have when shooting in different lighting situations.
  11. iPhone 6s: Nails those BTS shots, plays music, has maps, solitaire, pics of the fam, etc…

That’s it, well not all of it, just what’s in the photo. I hope you enjoyed a look into our bag!

-Dion

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