PAH-Fest – Shoot Days

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We covered a lot of ground in our quest to really capture the diversity of ecosystems and birds in Los Angeles.  Being brand new to this Gigantic metropolis, it was a grand excuse to see/experience a lot of places it might take us years (if at all) to get to.

Jeph and Arlyn, our fabulous PAH-Fest coach, at Sepulveda Basin

Jeph shooting birds (with a camera!) at Fryman Canyon

Dorothy recording bird sounds @ Fryman

Pigeons flying downtown

A few of our subjects

Here’s the full location list:

Day 1

Plummer Park in West Hollywood
Sepulveda Basin in the valley
Santa Monica streets/beach/pier

Day 2

Fryman Canyon in Studio City
covert in a cemetery
downtown park and streets
Hollowell Park in Boyle Heights

Day 3 – briefly, in AM

Plummer Park again

8  locations in 48 hours might not sound like a lot but traffic in L.A. really is as bad as everyone says and we were all over this joint (roughly 75 miles traveled to all of the locations we shot).  On Day 2 the wind got pretty crazy – ~40mph – and was tearing huge palm fronds down and dropping them on the ground.  It was kind of scary filming in the cemetery under the palms.  The gusts were blowing masses of little leaves around all afternoon and it was hard to tell what was a bird and what was a leaf.  So much dust and dirt was kicked up, we were entirely coated in it by the end of the day.  It was almost as bad as the sandstorm we encountered on our recent road trip passing through Winslow AZ.  You can’t hear, it’s hard to think, and it just batters you.

Between all that driving, the patience required for filming birds, the stiff necks, and that damn wind, it was guerrilla style.