Welcome to The Camping Machine Multimedia Gallery. Here you will find video clips from our
camping adventures, slices of life and more professionally produced video pieces from my days as a TV News Cameraman.
Though my days as a Fine Arts major are long behind me, and even though I am now a 40-something year-old desk jockey, I still
like to experiment with a camera and iMovie. Nothing like a BetaCam, mind you, but still, moving images are moving images
- you like how they are put together or you don't. So enjoy these for what they are worth.
If
you have questions, comments or observations about any of these pieces please send a note to campingmachineguy (at) gmail
(dot) com.
SOCCER HIGHLIGHT REEL
Those of you who have read text or posts here in the past may remember that I have two sons who play on two differen soccer
teams. I coach both teams. While I love the involvement I have with my sons and their teams, there are times when
I'd rather just watch them play and take pictures or video. As coach, that never happens.
However in
the last game of the season one of the other parents did shoot some video. Some of it was bad, some was good.
Why the parent didn't do this earlier in the season, so I could have used it to help show the kids how to better play
their positions, I have no clue. However, I appreciated access to the tape and enjoyed watching it.
This
particular game we lost 4-1. And as much as I am sure you will all think I'm favoring my son, the truth is he is
one of the stronger players on the team. I cut together three clips of him, which you can view by clicking on the link
below. He's wearing #10 in the red jersey. He's good. For a 7 year old he knows the game, has some
footwork skills and knows when to dribble, when to pass and when to shoot. So at the risk of being 'one of THOSE
parents', click the link below and watch him go.
And please feel free to forward to Division 1 soccer coaches
looking for players in 2018.
Back in 1987 I was a TV News Cameraman and had just relocated from Great Falls, Montana to the hopping, exciting metropolis
of Reno, Nevada. Reno was all Bright Lights, Big City to me at that time, and the whole gambling thing gave it
a slight aura of decadence to me.
One evening I shot video at local fundraiser/fashion show taking place
at one of the casinos. I took some of that footage and combined it with other footage I had been shooting of Reno at
night.
It's been 20 years since I shot that piece, but some things never change - bright
lights, attractive women, film noir scenes of rain-slicked streets at night and a classic soundtrack. If you'd
like to see for yourself, click the link below and see Reno at Night.
Do you remember the original Roller Derby? Those strangely sexy women and bad-ass men on roller skates going around
and around the raised, banked skating rink? I remember watching it as a kid, not really sure what the rules were, but
pretty sure the requirements were to knock down as many people wearing the other color jersey as possible. It may not
have been sport, but it sure was entertaining.
Fast forward 20 years - now a TV News Cameraman, given full access
inside the rink to experience Roller Derby up close and personal. As great as it was as a kid watching on TV, it's
even better as an adult with a camera and an assignment - show our viewers what Roller Derby is all about.
This
piece aired on the local news several years ago. The piece was titled "Roller Derby comes to town' for the
broadcast, but in its Internet debut on TheCampingMachine.com, it carries the title is should have had all along - Hell
on Wheels.
I'm your typical middle-aged,
married guy with two kids. Working hard, trying to keep up wth it all, juggling work, family and the twin juggernaut
of doom - saving for retirement AND college for our sons. I had been stressing out about that lately, what
with the housing market collapse and the stock market plunge. But my worries are over now! The college
thing is all set, at least for Chris - we have a guaranteed basketball scholarship
in our future! Yes, it's true Chris is only 7 - but he has skills that has college coaches calling us already!
Check out the video below!
In a recent blog
post I discussed how I was a TV News Cameraman for about 10 years. Like any job, it had its good points and bad points.
One of the good points (for me at that time, anyway) was the chance to travel to places I had not been. Back in 1988
I had the chance to go to LA for the very first time. In addition to the story we covered, I also created a video essay
of our drive to LAX to catch our flight home. It was never shown on TV, but I kept it all these years. Now I have
an audience to share it with. It's about 65 seconds long. Check it out!
In my Blog post of 12-21-2007
I talked about the snow we received and the sleding that resulted. Our boys love to sled, and with the visit of their
cousin it was all but impossible to get them off the hill for dinner. It was fun to watch, and you can see it yourself
in The Sultans of Sled clip (read the blog post to get the full picture).
They also tried going over some of the
jumps that other kids built on the hill - you can see the result of that in the clip called WIPEOUT.
It's my oldest son's
first year in Pee Wee football. He is an eight year-old boy on a team of mostly nine year-old kids. Still he is
holding his own and has earned the starting tight end position, starting cornerback position and kicker. The video below
is the highlight reel from his first game. #91 for the Jordan Maroon Gremlins - it's Chris. Take a look!
FLOAT MY BOAT
We recently had the opportunity to float the Snake River in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Since our boys are only eight and six years old respectively, we opted for the 'scenic' cruise as opposed to the 'whitewater'
trip. Sure, call me chicken. Still, we accomplished our primary objective, which was to have fun. And as
you'll see when you watch this video, we did in fact find some 'whitewater.' So now my kids can say they
ran the Snake River, one of the iconic wild western rivers, and survived a 'whitewater' experience. Not only
that, I can tell the dramatic tale to my co-workers in the office and raise my stature from office grunt to Weekend Warrior.
Well, sort of.
Click the link below to come along on the adventure.
How many people do you know who
have been in a grave and climbed back out? I didn't know any - until I did it myself.
Back in my TV News
Cameraman days I was covering a police search for a burglary suspect. One night I was covering an active police search
for a burglary suspect. I met up with a Sherrif's officer who was assisting in the search. He was driving
his patrol car slowly along the perimeter of a cemetery, and I was walking alongside the car as he drove. He was shining
his window-mounted searchlight across the dark expanse of the graveyard, the headstones catching his searchlight as he made
his way down the road.
What happens next - well, suffice it to say I found myself in an place I wasn't ready
to be in.
The best part is what the officer says to me after that. Turn up the volume on your speakers
to catch his audio. Click the link below to watch A Grave Step.
We've had a lot of
snow in our area and the skiing has been superb. One recent Saturday our local ski resort hosted an amateur ski race
for anyone who wanted to try. I've never been interested in ski racing, but Chris asked if he could give it a try.
Of course we said yes. Chris was very excited to be in a ' real ski race.' Though he didn't medal
(he's only 7, and his age bracket was 7-10 years of age) he held his own. I'll tell you what - he's a gamer.
I wouldn't count him for next year! So strap on your slats and go along for the ride - Run
the Gates with Chris!
I am an old man with two young kids. Boys, to be precise. How old am I?
Let's just say that I'll be trying to retire when it's time to put them both through college. So when I
talk about The Exuberance of Youth, you can be sure it's not me I'm talking about.
Still, even though I haven't felt The Exuberance of Youth myself for quite some time,
I know it when I see it. And when I see it on the face of one of my sons, it makes my day. So watch the clip
below, all 20 seconds of it,and see if it doesn't bring a smile to your face the way it did to mine.
I coach both of my sons
in our local city recreational soccer league. Unfortunately they are just far enough apart in age that they cannot play
in the same age bracket, so I find myself coaching two different teams. As coach, I cannot videotape my sons play as
the other parents do. When my wife happened to be shooting one of our games, she caught Chris scoring
a goal. It is some brilliant soccer execution if I do say so myself... :-)
On a recent
business trip to Minneapolis my meetings ran long. Desperate to make my flight, I had to engage in some creative driving.
You can see it here by watching the clip below. Oddly enough, it seemed most of the other drivers on the 494 that day
were also in a hurry...
