I shot some video at a sled dog and skijoring race in north Idaho and shot it in 3D using two
Lumix GH-2 cameras mounted on a short rail. This was the first time that I shot 3D both at a live event, and also, at times, handheld.
As a general rule, we want to shoot 3D using a tripod as it is important to keep the horizon horizontal because of how stereoscopic images map to our eyes when we watch the video. The handheld shots worked okay for my viewing, but for those not familiar with watching 3D video, this can cause a “sea sickness” feeling until you are used to it.
Shooting 3D at a live event adds additional challenges including that it is very hard to be thinking ahead in 3 dimensions – harder than expected. When shooting 3D we have to deal with not only “framing the image” but we also need to be thinking about depth and avoiding having objects or people only part way into the frame. If an object enters or exits the frame, it has to do so quickly.
That said, there are good scenes and bad scenes in this short video. The scene with racer #42 is particularly messed up. The version I uploaded also has some places where I did not get exact vertical synchronization between the left and right, fully aligned. My bad. I fixed that later but not in the upload version. I think my favorite scene comes near the end where a sled dog team is stretched out in front of me – nice depth!
Update: I’ve gotten better with the 3D video editing since I put this together!
Red/blue anaglyph – red/cyan glasses required.
Same video but in Youtube’s multi-format 3D. Click on the ‘3D’ label in the viewer to select your type of 3D viewing.
The race was the Pacific Northwest Sled Dog Championship, held at Priest Lake, Idaho. The event runs two full days and features both small and large dog teams and skijoring, where one or two dogs lead a cross country skier.
I will try to get a post up at some point with more details as to how I shoot 3D with two cameras and what I use for editing.
Related articles
- Let your dog take you cross-country skiing (theglobeandmail.com)
- Dog sledding!! – Fernie, Canada (travelpod.com)
- Weathered Out Doggies (wisconsinbucketlist.com)
- Ginger the Sled Dog…Mush, Mush! (joyinthemoments.com)
- Clearwater’s Mullen wins Rail Trail (cchin01.wordpress.com)
- Just You, Your Dogs And The Yukon Sled Race (npr.org)
