the 312 hole

Here are a few photos from the Cubs’ opening weekend against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Spirits were high and seats were empty. Now, just 5 days into the season, spirits are low and seats will be even more empty. The Cubs have lost 2/5 of their starting rotation to the DL – and hopefully the short-kind of DL, not the Dr. Andrews-kind of DL.

Anyway, here are a few shots from the game on Saturday. More photos to come later.

Click here to see a few more photos.

A year ago, the real champs cut down the nets at the Final Four in Indianapolis. A team like the 2010 Blue Devils (and a class-act player like Nolan Smith) cutting down the nets was more fulfilling than watching the Huskies do the same last night – amidst allegations and sanctions.

Every time I see Will Hoge, he gets better and better. The guy is a class-act performer, with poignant lyrics and rocking tunes. His songs continue to get more and more powerful over the years. He’s been through more in the last few years than most artists go through in a lifetime, yet he keeps marching on and touring. Night after night, city after city, he leaves it all on the stage for every person in the crowd. Will is by far the most genuine person I’ve come across in the music world, and he deserves all the success that comes his way.

I will be posting more photos in a few days, but here are a handful of shots from Saturday’s show up in Evanston.

Click here for a few more photos.

March Madness has officially started, and like many Duke fans… I’m holding out hope for an ending like last season. For memory’s sake, check out the below video – Duke’s victory over Butler back in Indy. How sweet it was.

2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four from Jeff Trost on Vimeo.

I’m heading to San Francisco today, and I’ll be in the bay area for awhile – with stops in Tahoe and Seattle. Looking forward to it – it has been awhile.

Middle Brother is composed of members from Deer Tick, Dawes and Delta Spirit – combining a super group of awesome sounding rock music. When you mix in opening sets from the full Deer Tick and Dawes bands, with a side of Jonny Corndawg, this Middle Brother tour is an off the charts party. Photos here are from their latest stop at Metro in Chicago.

Click here for more photos of Middle Brother.

I shot this in Costa Rica with my new 70-200mm Canon lens. I had the lens on my old Rebel to get a little extra length with the smaller sensor. Nothing too crazy here, but this is one shot in a series that I put together for a timelapse that I’m working on. Eventually I will get around to finishing the video, but here is one moon shot as it moved across the frame.

Click to see more photos of Hollywood.

I would love to get some feedback on everyone’s favorite panorama of the Chicago Skyline. I’m posting a couple of new ones and a few old ones and putting them to a vote. I’ve had some people give me feedback already, but I thought it would be fun to try out a poll on the site – which I’ve never done before. Let me know your thoughts.

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Option #1

Option #2

Option #3

Option #4

Option #5

I’ve been looking for ways to stabilize my DSLR for video shots, while also adding some form of movement – panning or zooming. When doing some shopping online, I came across an assortment of sliders for purchase – from the IndiSlider system to much higher-end, higher-priced professional grade models. I definitely understand the reason behind these high prices – the build quality is excellent and the add-on potential for motorized control and other features is limitless. However, for the average Joe, these prices are unnecessary.

This past weekend, I decided to create my own slider using some ideas I had in my head. The end result is a fully functional, DIY camera slider for less than $15. As a starting point, I opted for a compact, 24″ slider, but with the purchase of a longer board and longer PVC pipe, you can easily construct more length. I wanted to be compact and lightweight, but it will be easy to upgrade if I need it.

I’m not going to type up a step-by-step tutorial here, but the tool and supply list is extremely simple and can easily be adapted to fit your tripod and/or camera. I will note that my tripod is a Manfrotto model with a 3/8″ thread – so my supply list reflects that. I hope that the video of the slider and its function – along with the supply list – will be helpful for others to create their own versions. Happy to answer any questions or be helpful where I can, but you will see it really is quite simple. The high price for the sliders you can find online is really not necessary for the beginner.

Enjoy the video below, which shows the slider itself and a few random clips to demonstrate its use.

Build Your Own / DIY Camera Slider from Jeff Trost on Vimeo.

Tools:

1. Drill

2. Drill Bits – 3/8″ and a 1/8″ (used to pre-drill the holes in the wood for the center 3/8″ tripod connection, the U-bolts on the base and the pipe fasteners for the sliding component – see below)

3. Adjustable wrench (used to tighten all nuts & bolts)

Supplies:

1. 3/4″ x 6″ piece of clear poplar

I purchased a 3′ piece from Home Depot and had them cut a 26″ piece and a 5.5″ piece for the top sliding component. I chose this type of wood because it was lightweight, strong and not as prone to splitting like pine or the cheaper lumber at Home Depot. This was the most expensive piece of the set-up.

Price = $5.00

2. Two pieces of 3/4″ PVC pipe

I purchased a thick gauge of PVC for added strength, but these are extremely lightweight and will also be supported with strength from the wood base. Home Depot has hacksaws around the PVC supplies so you can cut off whatever size you need. I opted for a 24″ section.

Price = $2.00

3. Four 3/4″ U-bolt Pipe Fasteners

These are the bolts on each end of the PVC pipe. They loop over the PVC and fasten to the base / bottom plank of wood.

Price = $3.00

4. Four 1″ Tube Straps / Pipe Clamps

These are used to connect the sliding component to the PVC pipes. The clamps are sold without nuts and bolts, so I added those to my list below. These bolts, through the clamps, connect the 5.5″ piece of wood as the main sliding component.

Price = $1.00

5. Four 1/8″ Bolts & Four 1/8″ Nuts

As mentioned, these are used to fasten the clamps to the 5.5″ piece of wood that serves as the sliding component on top of the PVC.

Price = $1.00

6. Two 3/8″ Bolts of 2.5″ Length

One of these bolts is fastened in the center of the sliding component. This bolt pokes through the 5.5″ piece of wood and allows your tripod head to be screwed onto it. The other bolt goes through the center of the base piece of wood, and with the addition of a 3/8″ female extender, this bolt fastens to the tripod.

Price = $1.00

7. One 3/8″ Female Bolt Extender, Four 3/8″ Washers and Two 3/8″ Nuts

Again, the bolt extender was necessary because my tripod has a small male 3/8″ thread sticking up – to which my tripod head normally fastens. I screwed the extender onto this, and then put one of the bolts through the base piece of wood into the extender. With a washer on the top and the bottom of the wood, it creates a very sturdy connection to my tripod. The other two washers are used on top and bottom of the wood for the slider component and fastened tightly with the other nut and bolt. Hopefully this can be seen in the video.

Price = $2.00