Arran trip video

[leighv]

Hi guys!

Last week I circumnavigated Arran with a few others. It was my second time doing this trip and I loved it so much the first time round that I decided to do it again. I've cut together a film that I made in a somewhat personal style, with a loose theme of camaraderie. It's 25 minutes long so a bit of a marathon but one that I hope you'll enjoy over a cup of something warm :)

[seastu1]

Excellent video of your lovely trip, only half-way so far but saved to savour later. Thanks for making, and superb narration. So many videos end up spoiled by music, but your selection was ace. Thank you.

[leighv]

Excellent video of your lovely trip, only half-way so far but saved to savour later. Thanks for making, and superb narration. So many videos end up spoiled by music, but your selection was ace. Thank you.

Hey thanks for watching ☺️ I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[Chris Bolton]

Very well done, Leigh. If anyone asks me why they should try sea kayak touring I can show them that!

The filming must have taken quite a bit of effort. Did you manage to find opportunities to put the drone up without it being a disruption to the paddle, particularly on the long day when time was pressing?

[leighv]

Very well done, Leigh. If anyone asks me why they should try sea kayak touring I can show them that!

The filming must have taken quite a bit of effort. Did you manage to find opportunities to put the drone up without it being a disruption to the paddle, particularly on the long day when time was pressing?

I actually arrived on the island three days before the others did in order to shoot a lot of the drone footage and B-roll shots (scenery, wildlife, etc) in order to avoid disruption whilst we were underway :)

But as you can see in the video, I did also occasionally rush ahead of the others to land, get the drone in the air, and get footage of arrivals, carrying boats, etc. I kept the drone in a convenient location in my boat to enable me to grab and launch it very quickly when the opportunity arose. Basically, it took a lot of planning and forethought! Because I don't feel confident flying the drone while I am actually paddling, I would use our coffee/lunch breaks to fly the drone back the way we'd come and then forward ahead a bit (the drone actually has a significant range) in order to get the shots of the areas we were passing if I hadn't already got them prior to the trip, which is why you don't see the paddlers in most of the drone footage of the coast itself.

Until such time as someone brings out a compact, waterproof, floating drone, I've found this the most effective way of incorporating contextual aerial footage into the cut. Because we were circumnavigating clockwise, as long as the land is on the left in the drone footage, it flows correctly in the cut and it doesn't necessarily feel strange to have the paddlers missing. If you look closely in the cut, you'll see the weather in the coastal drone shots often doesn't really match the weather in the footage shot on the water/on land, and that's because those shots were filmed prior to the actual circumnavigation. Movie magic!

[Chris Bolton]

Thanks - the drone shots do flow into the narrative very well, although I did wonder whether some might have been done separately. Flying a drone from the boat is indeed risky - I read of somebody flying one from a canoe in Canada, launching it, paddling several miles on a big lake with the drone following, then panic when the warning came up "battery low, returning to launch point"!

[on the rocks]

Thanks Leigh, I really enjoyed that. I like the editing and voice over too. Apart from the GoPro and drone did you use any other camera?

[leighv]

Thanks - the drone shots do flow into the narrative very well, although I did wonder whether some might have been done separately. Flying a drone from the boat is indeed risky - I read of somebody flying one from a canoe in Canada, launching it, paddling several miles on a big lake with the drone following, then panic when the warning came up "battery low, returning to launch point"!

Heh yeah I’m really cautious. I’ll sometimes launch it, get in my boat and control it from the boat before landing back onto shore and landing the drone there, but mainly I only fly it when I’m not actually in my kayak at all. Any gusts of wind can dramatically shorten its battery life so I’d never paddle too far from a landing spot if I had it in the air whilst underway. Too risky! I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we get waterproof ones, which will be great because drones are one of the best things to happen to amateur videographers and photographers in the last few decades; previously, aerial footage was only available to those with the funds to charter flights. And the value they add to videos in terms of context and scale is incredible.

I know a lot of people find them annoying and I’m very careful about when and where I fly mine, but it always comes with me on adventures because I just love getting that bird’s eye view :)

[leighv]

Thanks Leigh, I really enjoyed that. I like the editing and voice over too. Apart from the GoPro and drone did you use any other camera?

Thanks for watching! I use several cameras :)

The other two, in addition to the GoPros (a 11 and 12) and drone (DJI Mini 4 Pro) are my trusty iPhone 16 Pro, which I use to get all the handheld on-the-water footage and some of the onshore footage, and my Sony A6700 with a couple of Tamron lenses for all the animal shots, a lot of the scenery stuff, timelapses and footage around camp. I also have a DJI Pocket 3 on hand as a backup but didn’t end up using it at all on this trip.

When I’m shooting hiking videos I pretty much only use the Sony and the drone, but salt water and a mirrorless camera don’t really play nicely together! I’ve bought a waterproof housing to try to use it more on the water on future trips though.

[on the rocks]

Thanks. I have used an Olympus OM1 mirrorless, sometimes on the water in calm conditions, stored in my day hatch. It is water resistant but a little salt corrosion is evident so it will likely be restricted to land use from now on

[leighv]

Thanks. I have used an Olympus OM1 mirrorless, sometimes on the water in calm conditions, stored in my day hatch. It is water resistant but a little salt corrosion is evident so it will likely be restricted to land use from now on

I’ve actually heard from multiple sources that Olympus cameras have the most reliable weather sealing. But still, as you mention, salt is a beast and starts ruining everything eventually. It’s a shame that waterproof housings are so very expensive. Even though the iPhone 16 Pro has a surprisingly excellent camera, I miss the versatility you get with adjustable aperture lenses and longer telephoto reach.