Here's the tale of a recent outing with Robert Bucknell, after some foxes that are taking rather too much interest in a flock of sheep about to lamb. It's the first item in this episode of The Shooting Show, coming just after the intro sequence.
As usual, Robert and Nigel tested my camera skills to the limit - they have shot together for years and seem to read each other's minds. They certainly don't give me much clue what they've seen and what they're about to do next. It's all done in almost complete darkness, and total silence. I'm filming with night vision, which helps but it's hard to see much in the viewfinder.
If you're not careful, the camera is pointing one way when, bang, it's all over and you never saw a thing! Quite a result, then, that I managed to catch both kills on camera - just!
“Deranged” – PETA • “Super-posh” – The Mirror • "His own worst enemy" – D Barnes Esq • "Barbaric" – Liverpool City Council
Friday, 14 February 2014
Rat shooting with an air rifle
Here's the latest episode of AirHeads, in which I visit some friends who are somewhat over-run with rats. They're running about the place in broad daylight, which gave me the opportunity to get some unusual daylight rat footage. My bit starts around 16:35.
Schools Challenge TV goes to buy a gun
Here's a piece I filmed on a dreadful wet day at Oxford Gun Co for Schools Challenge TV. I thought Doug Florent came across very well, and had some good advice for people buying a first gun. He makes a very good point about people thinking they've a master eye problem when really their gun doesn't fit - a trap that a lot of more experienced shooters fall into.
Squirrel assassin
Fieldsports Channel have put up my garden squirrel shooting video as a standalone item - and it seems to be proving popular with close to 5000 views in the first four days.
Friday, 31 January 2014
AirHeads: a mooch down memory lane
In the latest episode of AirHeads, I'm out in the woods with an old springer, a BSA Meteor, just like the one I had from the age of 11. My bit's at 18:35, but watch it all!
Driven pheasants and partridges
It was a challenge to film the item on Paul Childerley's Bedfordshire driven shoot for this episode of The Shooting Show. It's never easy filming any type of shotgun shooting, and live birds are much less predictable than clays. I've developed a technique of holding the camera to my right eye and zooming until it matches the picture from my left eye, then keeping both eyes open while locking head/camera/neck so they move together. Well, it helps me!
I cheated a bit, if you want to call it that, by setting up a Sony AS15 behind the gun and leaving it running throughout the drive. In the edit, I always had the fallback of a wide shot to cover what I'd missed with the hand-held camera - and I needed it quite a bit!
It's hard to convey the reality of a driven day on video. The birds either look too close or miles away, depending on the lens, angle, etc. If you stop and think about it too hard, the action is all over and it's too late.
Some of the birds on the video look lower - and easier - than they were in real life, a fact that's clearly lost on the couple of sneering commenters who seem determined to give shooting a bad name. All in all, though, I think it turned out quite well for a demanding day's filming followed by a quick turnaround on the edit.
I cheated a bit, if you want to call it that, by setting up a Sony AS15 behind the gun and leaving it running throughout the drive. In the edit, I always had the fallback of a wide shot to cover what I'd missed with the hand-held camera - and I needed it quite a bit!
It's hard to convey the reality of a driven day on video. The birds either look too close or miles away, depending on the lens, angle, etc. If you stop and think about it too hard, the action is all over and it's too late.
Some of the birds on the video look lower - and easier - than they were in real life, a fact that's clearly lost on the couple of sneering commenters who seem determined to give shooting a bad name. All in all, though, I think it turned out quite well for a demanding day's filming followed by a quick turnaround on the edit.
Schools Challenge TV goes to the opticians
For the latest episode of Schools Challenge TV I went with David Florent to see Keith Holland, one of TSC Academy's sponsors. He's an expert in vision for shooting, and had some fascinating stuff to say about shooting glasses - plus I learned that contact lenses have come a long way and now more than 90% of people can wear them without problems.
From a technical point of view, I was specially pleased with the footage inside the opticians - tricky white balance, low light and lots of other problems, but it turned out rather well.
Plus we visited Bredon School to see what changes the new headmaster is making, and see how the school's shooting team is getting ready for the Schools Challenge.
From a technical point of view, I was specially pleased with the footage inside the opticians - tricky white balance, low light and lots of other problems, but it turned out rather well.
Plus we visited Bredon School to see what changes the new headmaster is making, and see how the school's shooting team is getting ready for the Schools Challenge.
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