Moving Pictures

Hi-dee-hi, Blitz Pack! Everybody thinking about the Poe/Pho Project? ("Poetry/Photo" for those who are joining the class late.) We'll have that Facebook page set up for posts in a couple of days, so start working on them. We're anxious to look at some new pics! Speaking of which...

Think back a couple of days. Remember how we told you to start looking at pictures for inspiration? Well, one category was left out: Film. Movies. The Grand Cinema! Or as they used to be called, "Moving Pictures".

Yes, back in the day, all movies were actually shot on big, huge, gigantic reels of film. A series of consecutive, still images that were projected onto a screen, giving the viewer an illusion of continuity. But, in reality, they were a series of separate images. Just like what we shoot with our still cameras.

Even though "films" are mainly shot digitally nowadays, the basic idea is the same: a stream of moving images are presented to a viewer. So it stands to reason that viewing a well-shot movie is good PhotoBlitzing inspiration.

This brings me to The Banff Mountain Film Festival, which I caught on Thursday night. The fest, sponsored by National Geographic (the heavyweights of PhotoBlitzing) is basically a touring short film exhibit, which travels around the world, exhibiting some of the most awesome outdoor flicks you will see. The San Gorgonio Wilderness Association sponsored the tour's Redlands, CA stop. Eight short films, ranging from four minutes to forty-five, were shown that evening. Were they any good?

OH, YEAH! They were so cool! Not only were the films beautifully shot, but I was totally inspired by the ingenuity and courage of the film subjects. Though the flicks highlighted different sports, the athletes and adventurers themselves demonstrated so much talent, I sat there just thinking of how I could bring that sort of passion and excitement to what I'm doing. See, it's not about what people do, but about how they do it. These folks were committed to their callings and just went for it. One of the films that showed how a crazy idea could be brilliantly life-changing was, "Take a Seat". It chronicled the adventure of a young guy from Britain who decided it might be fun to ride a tandem bike from the top of Alaska, aaaaalllllll the way down to the bottom of Chile. Wow. Really? Oh, indeed. It was an epic quest and it was A-MAZ-ING. It's the kind of thing that helps you find the ooomph to begin, or continue, your own epic quest with a huge shot of energy. And that is what the best moving pictures do.

Click here to check out where the Banff Mountain Film Festival will appear. Hasta later, Blitzers. I'm going to sleep!