I was trying something different with the panning in this one.

When 'panning' what happens is, the subject stays still, whilst the scenery moves, in cases where there is a fast moving subject it can be essential that the scene is panned to keep the moving focal point clear.

So, I thought, what if I pan ahead of the subject, then let the focal point move into the frame, then this could be more natural, the animate subject is moving whilst the background is stationary, which is the natural way of things. With a subject such as a waterfowl, if they look towards one direction, the chances are that they will travel a predictable route. Not so with the fish, which are very unpredictable.

Because I left the system whilst the video was being rendered, I didn't notice until viewing on Vimeo that there was an extensive blackout at the end. I looked closely in the editor, but could not find the cause of this. As you say, there must be a remnant of something in my timeline.

In this video I particularly like the last Moorhen shot, where something has captivated her interest, the scene creates curiosity, and thereby viewer involvement. I apologise if she was a male.

Thanks for stopping by.

Wow this is impressive considering you are new to the software -you are making quick progress here - congratz. I think you collected a nice round of shots so far- the long shot at 00:50, the transition between 1:12 & 1:19 is excellent so maybe the thing to do at some point is apply some color correction just enough to take the flatness away - which is mostly in the pond shots. I find ponds can be very challenging to shoot because of the coloring. I tried some test shots a month ago near my sister's pond as some lillie pods came out and I found it to be difficult – lots of shade from the trees etc...
What would be nice is if the colors where up to par to the wide pan shot at 00:50 which is is gorgeous. It seems to hesitate a bit though as you pan - I don't know why - is the maneuvering of the camera or Vegas? Anyhoo- let me know when part 2 is up. Sorry to see the pond dried up – hope you’ll get rains .

Maria, I’d like to take you to my pond and marry you, albeit amidst protests from my partner lol.

As for video editing, I have been doing this for quite some time. The problem that I have is getting to grips with the way in which Sony goes about doing things. For example, whereas I used to define a ‘moving path’ to get the double video insert at the beginning, I now have to ‘pan and crop’ to do this in Sony Vegas. I tend to lose patience, and get a little frustrated at my slow progress.

I’ve had a look at the extensive colour tools in Vegas, but have not yet got serious with this feature. Thanks for the advice, I’ll certainly have a poke around in the colour factory, and see what I can come up with.

The hesitant video may be the result of conversion between the UK 25fps PAL standard to 30fps standard of the NTSC TV system, I’m not too sure on this one, but the video plays smoothly from the original edit.

I hope to get the Carp up and swimming before my storage allocation is renewed on Saturday. I’ll mail you once it has been opened for view.

It’s great to hear from you as always Maria, thanks for stopping by.