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Today Fell Apart + Upcoming Announcement + A Special Present
🕑 Added 2021-11-11 08:59:11 +0000 UTCHey everyone! Norm here (lol, like who else would you be expecting?)
There is this project I am working on that has thrown me challenge after challenge. It has been draining in every way from physically, to mentally, and the scheduling has been a nightmare of epic proportions. There has been more cost and loss than I will ever be able to recoup... and while it sounds like I am complaining here, I am sure you know me well enough to know that there is a hook coming (^_-)
This whole week has been dedicated to the recovery of just shooting the end of this one single video. It was all planned out. I have had to cancel more cars, flights, and other "special" reservations in the past week, than I have ever canceled in my life. Each time taking about a 50% hit as it kept happening less than 24 hours before.
I am now in the final stretch. I refuse to give up, but I am out of days. Out of time. Everything has come down to one last day. One last chance. One last location. If this doesn't play out, the video might disappear for 6 months, or possibly.... forever.
Everything rides on this one last swing...
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So by this point, you may be wondering what this photo above has to do with any of this (if anything at all)
This photo was taken from the mountain area where I did the video on the Forest of Mononoke.
For months, I tried to do that video. Every single time... it fell apart.
The conditions had to be insanely specific for it to look that way.
I was told it had to be a bright, sunny morning, after a heavy downpour the night before, and that this perfect condition only hits a few times a year.
This place is not close to my home. With car rental, gas, and highways, I was looking at as much as $300+ per attempt at going out there.
But on that final attempt, I sat in the car thinking that I had failed as it was midnight and the skies above were clear. I went to bed in disappointment, and woke up to an absolute downpour at 2am. And then in the morning... clear skies.
This photo is stitched together from 5-6 drone photos and is by far one of my favorite panoramas ever. I wanted to post the high-quality version for you all here today (as I might share just the photo to twitter or something)
This photo with the Unkai (sea of clouds) and sun peeking just over them, is beautiful on it's own even if you didnt know that the forest below, was the Mononoke no Mori...
And every time I see this, I remember the struggle I went through just to get that one video.
I like it. I'm glad I stuck it out
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I don't have the ability to just give up.
Even when it all falls apart, or the entire project snowballs out of control... I just have too much gratitude for where I am and the fact that literally anyone out there would get value from these stories in any way. And while I have said it before... it is this that keeps me going.
While you might sit there thinking "oh yay, a pretty picture and a post to read", you are actually the driving force behind making all of this possible. You are the reason I push and the reason I won't give up. So thank you~
If you wanted to help in any other way... cross for fingers and try to give me the best possible weather over the next 72-96 hours. It all comes down to this!
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So with all of that being said...
I have mentioned it in a few streams, but I have spent the last 18 months or so working on something special that I am personally very excited about.
It is designed to be something for everyone. Something unique. Something that has never been made before.
My personal excitement is through the roof, so I don't want to say much more in the risk of over-hyping it lol.
It will be ready to share around the first or second week of December!
It has taken every little bit of willpower I have, to say only this lol.
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Finally... this picture! I have also uploaded it as an attachment to this post so that you can hopefully enjoy it in it's full glory!
Thank you so much for being you and being a part of this
and I will talk to you again... Real Soon!
Comments
That Chick In Florida
Congratulations on your new(ish) license!
Sonny Steffes
Hey norm, beautiful photography, I aspire to be that good in the future.
