Sometimes I Create →

Sometimes I get an itch or find the motivation to create. I’ve been taking a lot of photos lately but the post-processing is a whole different story. With that, I took this drone video using my DJI Mavic Mini and put it together all on the spot. Check it out below!

This video is of the Endless Surf Camp in Mission Beach, San Diego, California. This would have been our 3rd year but 2020 but it is the first year for our six year old son. Such a great time! Pictures to come… maybe.

A Bike Tour of UCSD Through My Kids Bike Paths →

It was such a beautiful Thursday afternoon, w decided to head to La Jolla and bike around the University of California, San Diego / UCSD. Our kids love their Woom Bikes so much that and couldn't be more proud of their adventurous spirit.

We parked at Revelle College using the ParkMobile App in a (V)isitor spot then made our way towards Atlantis Hall, up by Argo, through Gilbraith (CLICS) down the main path pass "What Hath God Wrought," through the Student Center, passing by Mandeville Auditorium, down the forest and onto Library Walk and Price Center where we had a small picnic.

After we ate a delicious meal from Rubios and dessert from Sprinkles Cupcakes, we headed towards Geisel Library down to Warren but we had to walk up and down the Snake Path. Benji even rode his bike up and down it twice! After a prolonged detour and checking out the Fallen Star / House on top of a building, we made our way to the Engineering / CSE Bear. The kids wanted to climb the bear but we stayed away from that. We then p back to Library Walk, heading west up the CogSci Stairs, which weren't there before, into Marshall towards the Marshall Uppers, all the way across the bridge to Oceanview Terrace. We then took the upper route back to Revelle. All the while, Adelle and I reminiscing about our time on campus over 20 years ago. So much has changed! The kids loved the stories on where we met and wanted to retrace our conversation. Fun times for sure!

Filmed with GoPro Hero 7 Black: https://amzn.to/30Urgqg GoPro Jaws Flex Clamp: https://amzn.to/3kI5Ep3 Edited with iMovie, Thumbnail by Canva, Music by https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Benji Reads "Mat" BOB Books S1B1 →

After my son Benjamin saw his older sister recording a YouTube video presentation for her class assignment, he was eager to create his own. Down below is the first of what may be a series of readings. I present to you, Benji Reads “Mat” BOB Books S1B1.

Norah Nicolas' First Grade Landmark Report - Golden Gate Bridge →

My daughter chose to do her first grade landmark presentation, on the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. I hope you like it!

/// Links /// Sony A7Rii Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Wide-angle Zoom Lens (SEL1635GM), Black Peak Design Carbon Fiber Tripod Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic

///Credits///

music: http://www.bensound.com

Embedded Photos by: By Wa17gs - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 By Calibas - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 By Wa17gs - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 By Roulex 45 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Norah Nicolas' First Grade Report on Bottlenose Dolphins →

Why not continue to use this shelter-in-place, safer-at-home, homeschooling, amazing family time to teach Norah on how to edit a movie using iMovie on macOS. I may have gone a bit overboard as it took an hour or so, but we had a lot of fun.

We taped using the Sony A7Rii, took pictures of the report then imported the data into iMovie. What we have below is Norah Nicolas' First Grade Report on Bottlenose Dolphins Norah Nicolas' First Grade Report on Bottlenose Dolphins for Mrs. Shemanski, Francis Parker Lower School.

During the past six weeks, Norah researched and learned how to not only create a report from scratch but how to write complete paragraphs using transitions, creating a table of contents and a glossary as well as voice-over work and editing on iMovie with her Dad, Elijah Nicolas. She marked, split videos and learned about transitions as well.

/// Links /// Sony A7Rii Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Wide-angle Zoom Lens (SEL1635GM), Black Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone Peak Design Carbon Fiber Tripod Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic

///Credits/// music: http://www.bensound.com Bottlenose Dolphin and Killer Whale Orca sounds by: Watkins Marine Mammal Sound Database, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Norah and I are Mystery Readers →

A last minute request, the setup and simple chop editing took longer but we had a lot of fun! Hope you enjoy the story!

Reading for Mrs. Shemanski's First Grade Class at Francis Parker Lower School, Norah chose to share one of her favorite books by Mo Willems titled, "Waiting Is Not Easy!" This was setup and recorded last minute. Sorry for the quick chop.

Tools: Sony Alpha A7Rii + Manfrotto Stand for Universal Cell Phone Edited with iMovie on macOS and recorded via OBS Studio: https://obsproject.com

/// Links ///

Sony A7Rii Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Wide-angle Zoom Lens (SEL1635GM), Black Manfrotto Stand for Universal Cell Phone Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone Peak Design Carbon Fiber Tripod Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic UGREEN Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable Male to Female: Waiting Is Not Easy by Mo Willems: https://amzn.to/2LlfFrO UGREEN Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable Male to Female: https://amzn.to/2Wse7CQ music: http://www.bensound.com

Breakfast Waffles

Lately, I’ve been fortunate to stay home and am able to prepare my children breakfast. Usually it’s a batch of waffles or pancakes but lately, I’m into the eggs and no carb kick. Here’s a shot of my little one Arden enjoying her waffles which were cut up into tiny tiny pieces.

I might have mentioned before but I love carrying my camera or having it readily available to capture these moments. I did have my iPhone X in my back pocket at this moment but the Sony A7RII was also nearby and I was able to grab it within seconds and take this snap.

Dogwood 52 2019 Week 4

Besides making all the silly excuses about not having the time or such to post Week 4 of the Dogwood Challenge, finding “Warmth” proved to be rather difficult for me. I wanted to use a shot of our children and capture the right moment and to be honest, that didn’t happen until last night. I’ll post both pictures down below and you tell me which is “warm” but my official “entry” is the solo coffee cup. This is a from a little shop in Bankers Hill called James Coffee. Make sure to hit it up before Extraorindary Desserts opens up next door as it’ll still be easy to find parking and grab a seat. I wished that I took a better photo of the cup itself (apparently you can buy them for $64.95 a pop!) but alas, it was the latte art that proved to be more eye catching during that specific moment. I chose to edit it in the stock iPhoto App on my iPad Pro 9.7” (still no new iPad Pro or MacBook Pro) and used a Vivid Warm Filter along with some other tweaks in color and brightness.

📷: Week 4 Story Telling: Warmth // Tell a story that makes us feel warm inside. 

Because my wife and I mistakenly thought it was BBQ Day at our daughter’s school, we found ourselves with an open time slot for lunch and decided to stay in the area. We called up our awesome friend on our way an amazing sushi restaurant in Bankers Hill called Hane Sushi (restaurant / yelp). After a few delectable dishes and specials, I’m sorry but I don’t have the names but here are some photos below, we strolled around and found James Coffee (restaurant / yelp). There aren’t too many days that I bring the camera along, but I’m getting use to carrying it and love it so much. Check out the awesome sushi we had and oh yea, that other warm photo. 

So maybe the piano shot isn’t as “warm” but it’s still an easy favorite. Girls are indeed precious.