Snowy Moods

Shot from early morning to midday on December 26, 2012

After a major snowstorm over December’s holidays, I got up early on Dec 26, and armed with everything I thought was needed, decided to go do some video shooting around the Blue Hills area. The Sun hadn’t come out yet, and the sky was still laden with storm clouds.  It was cold! My plan called for shooting macro and closeups framing the striking looks when snow embraces plants and trees. And so, I did for a while.

As the morning progressed, the sky cleared up and the sun made its shy appearance. The crystals formed on branches and bushes began glistening and sparkling and all trees appeared to be colored with golden hues. The scenery changed totally and my plan changed accordingly. I switched from closeups to long shots, and began panning to capture the beauty of the colors. Whatever eventually showed up in film, wasn’t quite the spectacle that my eyes saw (and my brain remembers). So, here’s my humble rendition of a glorious, cold, beautiful morning after the storm.

Enjoy,

Leo

Autumn golden mist

When the struggle for supremacy between Winter and Autumn – night and day begins to unfold, we can witness amazing events, light, darkness, cold, fog, mist and colors. These are observations beginning with early twilight prior to sunrise and continuing as the day progresses, offering us the richness and beauty of the season.
I hope you’re having a peaceful Autumn, and are getting ready for the Winter.

My thanksgiving wishes to all, for a beautiful season,

Leo
~
Music: Troppo lontano da te – Andrea Rossi ::  http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/752163/troppo-lontano-da-te
Remix by Leo Bar
Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photographed during October, 2012 in the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Pizzaiolo Pazzo – Mad Pizza Maker

Tempted for many years to create the best pizza Napoli can offer and not succeeding. Unfortunately my baking and dough preparation skills lack severely. So instead of making a pizza, I’ve concentrated in documenting the steps to achieve the perfect “Pizza Napoletana” as officially sanctioned by the Italian Department of Agriculture and the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana.

According to the rules proposed by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of wheat flour (type 0 or 00, or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer’s yeast, salt and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin or other machine, and may be no more than 3 millimetres (0.12 in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire. When cooked, it should be crispy, tender and fragrant. There are three official variants: pizza marinara, which is made with tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil, pizza Margherita, made with tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra-virgin olive oil, and pizza Margherita extra made with tomato, mozzarella from Campania in fillets, basil and extra virgin olive oil. The pizza napoletana is a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (Specialità Tradizionale Garantita, STG) product in Europe.

The video was sped up by 30% to create a more dynamic feel. The selected music is a live performance of Funiculì, Funiculà by the famous three tenors José Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, directed by Zubin Mehta.

In 1889, during a visit to Naples, Queen Margherita of Italy was served a pizza resembling the colors of the Italian flag, red (tomato), white (mozzarella) and green (basil). This kind of pizza has been named after the Queen as Pizza Margherita, as shown in this video.

Lyrics for Funiculì, Funiculà:

Yesterday evening, O Nannina [short for Carolina], I climbed up,
Do you know where?
To where an ungrateful heart can no longer vex me!
Where a fire is burning, but if you flee
It lets you be.
It doesn’t chase you, doesn’t melt you, with just one glance!
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go to the top,
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go to the top,
Funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà!
Let’s go to the top, Funiculì, funiculà!

Let’s go from here below up to the mountain, O Nannina, a step away!
You can see France, Procida, and Spain,
And I see you!
You rise, pulled by a cable, quick as a wink
into the sky.
We’ll rise up like a whirlwind all of a sudden knows how to do!
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go to the top,
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go to the top,
Funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà!
Let’s go to the top, Funiculì, funiculà!

My head is spinning, O Nannina, It’s gone up there already!
It went there, spun ’round, and then returned:
It’s always here!
My head is spinning, spinning,
Encircling you!
This heart of mine is always singing
the same refrain:
“Marry me, O Nannina”!
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go to the top,
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go to the top,
Funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà!
Let’s go to the top, Funiculì, funiculà!

Enjoy the the show and Buon Appetito!

Leo

Zion Visions

When you are surrounded by the most magical scenery and can hear the silence of nature, you’re probably visiting Zion National Park. Words cannot describe the awesome vastness, sculpted peaks, shades, colors and just peaceful feelings…

I have used a unique approach to create a pseudo time lapse… By manipulating the saturation of an image over a period of time in a graduated manner and directing the angle of light rays from a specific angle the sequence appears as if taken on a TL during sunrise. It was done in Vegas using 3 different effects.

The only problem I had with this production was that I had to edit it over 14 times!! Really frustrating! Everything was falling apart, as I was changing certain parts. At one point I felt like throwing the “baby” with the bath water. This happened over a period of 6-7 months. I had began this project the 24th of April of 2010 (I can’t believe it >> ??%^*%$*%#@!`<< )

This is my way of sharing it.
~~~
Elements used in this production:
Photography all at http://www.flickr.com: James Marvin Phelps; Louis Vest; StephenConn; Tim Hamilton; Leo Bar
Music: Presence by Neils Peter Molvaer
Montage, Animation, HDR, Pseudo-Timelapses: Leo Bar
~~~
Enjoy,
Leo

Tierra Del Fuego

As I started thinking about putting together a video on this subject, I grappled with how to express the fantastic vastness of this land. By using aerial photography, long shots, macro and HDR I begun approximating the grandiose scenery of this unique area. The more I got into it, the more I doubted whether it would come through as in reality. After I re-edited 5 different times, I decided to tear it apart, and start all over. New music, new images, new animation. This is the result! Not sure if I did it justice, but I hope so.
Enjoy!

~ NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE~
Creative Commons – Attribution – Non commercial – No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License: http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
===
Elements Used In This Production:
Photography all @ Flickr: Ricardo Martins; Alberto Concejal
Art & HDR: Leo Bar
Music: Last Breath by Greendjohn
http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/398175
~~~
History and BAckground
Tierra Del Fuego – Argentina ~ THE FIRE THAT STILL PERSISTS

The southern-most city in the world, Ushuaia, is the entrance door to Antarctica, the place where mountains, glaciers, forests and sea meet; it is the capital city of the Argentinean province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and Islands of Southern Atlantic. Mystic and remote. Rich in legends and stories of conquerors, adventurers and people chased by justice. It is also said that Tierra del Fuego is the place where the world starts and from where it is still possible to explore virgin lands.

Tierra del Fuego continues feeding the imagination of travelers and, suggestively, invites us to discover how the smooth Patagonian plain combines with the extremity of the Andes, the forests with the rivers, the mountain tops with the sea and reality with myth.

Water Sonata

This video was inspired by a beautiful piece from an original symphony created by Alex Conrado (a Vimeo member). Alex was very courageous to take a chance with me, and what I would do with his yet unreleased music. Stay tuned for the full symphony coming out soon.
In this production I incorporated a lot of modified images in HDR to accentuate the power of water in all its manifestations. In addition I used some outstanding storm scenes from James Phelps. Finally, animations of composites and pseudo time lapses (video/photo) were used to simulate thunderstorms and lightning.
~~
Music Copyrighted by Alex Conrado. All rights reserved.
~Six Gardens For Meditation~
Learn more about this composer :: http://www.alexconradocomposer.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Conrado

Photography all @ Flickr.com:
James Marvin Phelps; LupineHorror; StuckinCustoms;
GraphicReality; ZedZap; LeoBar

Animations, PTL and HDR Leo Bar

Enjoy

Bryce Canyon – Utah

I have visited Bryce Canyon twice. Although it’s hard to get to, I recommend that if you’re in the general area, do not miss to visit it. If I could, I would go there every year… Such a miraculous place on earth! One feels overwhelmed by the beauty of the surrounding cliffs and canyons. Words always come short of describing the way I feel about this place.
Depending on the light and time of day, one can view the scenery, and it never looks the same. The hues and shades are just magnificent.

Elements used in this production:

Music: Ritual del fuego by Santiago Trigueros :: jamendo.com/en/track/487859

Photography – all @ Flickr.com:

• Noam Fein;
• James Martin Phelps;
• StephenConn;
• Leo Bar

Background and History

Bryce Canyon National Park  is located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon which, despite its name, is not actually a canyon  but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.

Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by wind, water and ice erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular vistas.  The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m).

The Bryce area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874. The area around Bryce Canyon became a U.S. National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a national park in 1928. The park covers 56 square miles (145 km²) and receives relatively few visitors compared to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, largely due to its remote location.

(Source: wikipedia)

Andes – Salta Y Jujuy

When Silvia Marmori, a great Argentinian photographer offered to send photos of one of her trips to the very northwest corner of Argentina, near the Bolivian border, I got excited.
The images that she sent were great, ambitiously taken and so well conceived that it inspired me to make this production a special one. Took me quite a while, because I didn’t want to compose a regular video. It had to be special, with music that would enhance and heighten the experience rather than complement it. So… that was the starting point, from then on and after 12 edits, 2 uploads (due to encoding problems) it finally came to see the light.
I hope you enjoy watching it,
Leo

Andes Northwest – Argentina
Images taken in the Provinces of Salta & Jujuy

Photography
Silvia Marmori; Hans Koot
See more about these photographers :: http://www.LightVoyager-PhotoExpeditions.com

Music
Mosaica by Roger Subirana
Remix by Leo Bar

Locales where photos were captured (not in precise order) 

• Puna Catamarqueña, Laguna Blanca
• Tafi del Valle, El Mollar
• Quebrada de las Conchas, Cafayate
• Cachi, Quebrada de las Flechas
• Pucara, Tilcara
• Iruya, Salta
• Humahuaca
• Salinas Grandes, Jujuy
• Tolar Grande, Antofagasta de la Sierra

Lake Placid – 1932 Olympic Winter Games

It just felt right to evoque some simpler times, when people had fun, high hopes and experiencing the beginning of a recovery from the great depression.

Hope you enjoy watching it, Leo

Background and History:

The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4th and closed on February 15th.

The Games were opened by New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States later the same year.

Irving Jaffee won the 5,000 m (3.1 mi.) and the 10,000 m (6.2 mi.) speedskating gold medals, beating previous champion and world record holder Ivar Ballangrud in the 10,000 m by 4.5 m (5 yards).

The USA won the medal tally with a total of 12 medals (6 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze). This was the only time the U.S. had won the medal tally in a Winter Olympics event until Vancouver in 2010. Seventeen countries participated.

At the tender age of only 16, William “Billy” Fiske III (1911 – 1940) steered the five-man U.S. bobsledding team to gold at the 1928 St. Moritz Games, becoming the youngest gold medallist in the sport. Four years later at the 1932 Games, he led a four-man team, considered to be one of the most eccentric team ever assembled in Olympic history, to another golden triumph. Fiske was invited to the 1936 Winter Games to be held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, but declined due to his disagreement with German politics. However, Fiske’s heroism was not immortalized on the sporting field. In 1940, He became the first American pilot to die in World War II, when he fought for Britain’s Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain

Andes :: Cordillera Central

(central range)
San Juan province, Argentina

When I connected with Hector Tenaglia a while ago, and while looking at his impressive photographs of the Andes in the Province of San Juan, I got the feeling that this could be a great piece. The majestic Andes range, at this latitude, sports a variety of hues almost like painted out in layers.  Sometimes these colors can be seen variegated and sometimes as straight layers, due to the formation and compression of this massive uprising. Depending on how the sun hits it, you see these tones changing constantly during the day. What a spectacle!

Since I had been experimenting/exploring with light and the lack of it in my imagery, this work surfaced as a clear example of how light impacts us and changes our moods and perceptions…

Elements used in this production

Music: Dragons – Roger Subirana  :: www.jamendo.com/en/track/167882
Photography: Hector Ricardo Tenaglia :: www.Flickr.com/tata536
Aerial Photographs: Courtesy of NASA
HDR Art & Animation: Leo Bar
Background:
The province of San Juan is part of the continental semi-desert Cuyo region. The arid plains on the east, with a few low sierras (hills), swiftly turn into 6,000-meter-high (18,000 ft.) mountain peaks towards the west. Both areas are subject to the dry hot Zonda (a dry foehn wind descending the eastern slopes of the Andes in the central Argentine in winter, probably polar maritime air warmed by descent from the crest which is some 6,000 meters above sea level). Most of the precipitations take place during the summer, often as storms.

The hot wind has modeled the clay-rich red soil into Pampa del Leoncito (Reserva Natural Estricta El Leoncito) and Valle de la Luna (Parque Provincial Ischigualasto) where one can find 200 million year old geological formations.

The Jáchal and San Juan rivers, both part of Desaguadero River system, are the source of fertile valleys and central to the province’s economy. The San Juan River finishes in the Huanacache lagoons (sometimes called Guanacache), on the southeast.