This August I was able to visit Coastal Norway by way of Iceland
Add Venture #1
Travel, the great outdoors and intentional image making with a sprinkling of risk-taking !
Sat Feb 13th, 2021
You gotta start somewhere, right? This newsletter is just that. Me starting in a new direction.
At the heart of Add Venture is image making. Intentional image making, photographic or film-oriented. Making photos and movies takes us places. Geographically, it can take us to our very doorstep or as far from home as we can go. Mentally, it challenges our status quo day after day. New techniques, new ideas, new gear, new places. Things we haven't done before. Taking chances. Venturing.
This newsletter is about living adventures and telling them visually.
Taking small steps out of our normal path, guided by others who have been there before. This is why Add Venture links to recent articles and videos created by other travelers and explorers, all chosen with a specific idea in mind and intended to provide a little nudge to make us consider ideas we might not have otherwise. Controled risk-taking is one of the greatest sources of satisfaction and happiness there is. So this is what we're doing here : adding venture to get the most out of life.
As with all worthwhile endeavours, the best time to start is always yesterday. But our best work is always done tomorrow. This page was created today, smack in between the two. It's much better than nothing and a little less good than it can become. Let me know what you think, what you would change, what topics interest you the most, and it will only get better and better with time.
Live exciting and prosper ;)
Pascal

Travel Great Outdoors Adventures
Adventure, in a time of global pandemic, can take place within. The challenges and benefits of learning new skills, for instance, are well documented, and we'll return to these in future episodes. For today, here's a link to Boris Buschardt's extraordinary transition from photography to filmmaking, if you haven't already read it. But, with the hope of vaccination and a potential, gradual, return to a normal life in sight, I asked myself what single most important leasure piece of gear I'd want to take with me for that return to the wilderness. And there's no contest. No, it's not a camera. It's binoculars! You need some too, and here's an concise guide from a birding expert.

#1090. From photography to video
by Boris Buschardt (DearSusan.net)
Learning an important new skill can be the adventure of a life time. Practising 35 years to become a master of nature photography only to switch to video at the top of your game, how about it?

The 8 BEST Binoculars To Take On a Safari! [2021]
by Scott (Birdwatching HQ)
Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, I can't think of any observation instrument more useful in a hike than binoculars. Mine have been with me for over 40 years. If you don't yet own a pair, forget that new lens and read this instead ;)
“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal!” - Paulo Cuelo
Photo Video Ideas & practice
There are teachers who help you create a slightly less good version of their work for a day or two. And there are those who leave you with new ideas and points of view that can guide you for years to come. Alec Soth is one example of the latter. If you've not been able to attend one of his masterclasses, here is a summary of three important takeaways. And another important idea for photographers and filmmakers comes from Thomas Heaton: get out there!

Three takeaways from Alec Soth’s ‘Photographic Storytelling’ course
by Kyle McDougall (YouTube)
Creative geniuses such as David Lynch tell us to follow an idea wherever it takes us, this is how new ideas emerge automatically. Alec Soth describes a similar process in this 24' video.

Hiking for Photographers | It Will Change Your Life
by Thomas Heaton (YouTube)
Not everyone can climb Mount Kailash. But the psychological benefits of being out in the wild are the same at every level of hiking. You need to have done it to fully understand.
Tell me what you Think
You can't seriously let me continue with quotes like those. Please say something to replace them ;) ;)
He means well
Pascal's daughter
/ Patient student
Come and eat, that thing can wait
Pascal's wife
/ Busy MD
This is the best newsletter dealing with travel, the great outdoors and intentional image-making with a sprinkling of risk taking I have read all week!
Ted Greenrock
/ Imaginary friend
Gear Tech & Motives
Those who've not used film, or simply consider it a hispter toy, can watch the Makina 670 video below. Not only is this an exceptionally good camera optically, it uses what I consider to be the most beautiful format: 6x7. And, in expert hands of Jason Kummerfeldt, an afternoon at the beach can soon turn into a exhibition.
Speaking of retro: Aperture fans never got over Apple's dumping of the software. Well, now it's back. More or less.
Finally, because modern gear can be superb as well, here are two reviews that couldn't be more different, yet are both at the very top of the quality charts. The products under scrutiny are both "out there", pointless for 98% of the photographic population, and utterly brilliant for the other 2%

Whoah… Aperture is Running on macOS Big Sur
by PhotoJoseph.com
For many lovers of Aperture, the prospect of seeing the app ever run on a recent MacBook Pro, iMac or Mac Pro was just a daydream. But a little while ago the Retroactive app made this possible again. Here's how …

HPlaubel Makina 670 (First Impressions)
by grainydays (YouTube)
Just because this was my dream camera as a kid. Just because of the wry humour of Harvard dropout/photo genius YouTuber, Jason Kummerfeldt. When someone blends talent, info and fun this well, you sure get a big smile out of it. A must watch 12'.

Sony Alpha 1: A VERY IMPRESSIVE Camera!
by Gerald Undone (YouTube)
How could I possibly ignore the hungry new kid at the very top of the specifications race podium? Many have reviewed it, Gerald Undone goes straight to the heart. Now, you can ask yourself whether that spec sheet is useful to you or not.

Anamorphia 2
by Make. Art. Now. (YouTube)
A review detox. You've seen the good (mine ;) the bad (dorks photographing charts in mum's basement) and the ugly (solid reviewers who couldn't take a good photograph to save their lives). Now prepare for the wierd and utterly wonderful.
In Conclusion
So, what do you think? About the concept? Which post did you want to read/view the most? What else would you like to see?
And while you're about it, would you care to share this page among your friends? It just takes a handful of seconds :)
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