I had around a week in Biarritz (which is in the Basque province between France and Spain) to see a friend and teach a dance workshop at her studio. I have only briefly been to Biarritz once before so I was really excited to explore it. Although I was visiting a friend, she still had things to do and so it really felt like I was doing some solo travel. I also had a lot of 'self exploration' to do (not as kinky s it sounds).
I think the best way to visit new places and to solo travel is just to get out and do it. There's always the temptation (if you're a planner like I am) to spend time researching things to do, planning your days, plotting co-ordinates on maps and calculating logarithms for happiness...I have no idea what I'm talking about anymore...My point is to not get caught up in the details. Wake up and leave the house. If you have an idea which direction the beach is, you'll get there. If you know of a museum you want to get to, people will direct you. You'll work it out. Remain open to experiences and people,and sometimes the randomness may bring unexpected treasures.
[row style="collapse"]
[col span="3" span__sm="12"]
[/col]
[col span="6" span__sm="12"]
View this post on Instagram
[/col]
[col span="3" span__sm="12"]
[/col]
[/row]
This brings me to the shoot. A couple of friends took me to visit their studio on the first evening and so we thought we'd have a little jam. I had a camera in my bag and thought I'd get a few test shots. I thought "maybe I could make a vlog or something". Before I knew it I was down the rabbit hole. Filming them dancing, trying to find interesting camera angles and movement with no more equipment than the GH4 and 12-35mm lens I had in my bag.
[row style="collapse"]
[col span="3" span__sm="12"]
[/col]
[col span="6" span__sm="12"]
View this post on Instagram
[/col]
[col span="3" span__sm="12"]
[/col]
[/row]
For some reason I felt so connected to this video on that trip. Normally I sit on my footage and end up forgetting how I felt in the moment. But this time I was so proactive in making the video happen. Every night I'd be editing to the early hours because I couldn't give it up. At the time I was just capturing random shots and sequences, but in the edit I was finding a way to turn it into a story, and that just kept compelling me to do more and more. Before I knew it, I had a video I was really proud of.
Set yourself a goal to do one productive thing this week that you wouldn't normally do. Maybe it's to go take some pictures with that fancy camera you've never used. Or maybe you could go for a run? Or a bike ride? Hell, I'll settle for going in your garden and doing some star jumps. You've got this buddy! Don't hesitate to tell me about it or follow me on Facebook, Instagram and check out the rest of the blog.
Stay tuned! - Kallum Love
[blog_posts style="normal" columns="3" columns__md="1" cat="106" excerpt="false" image_height="56.25%"]
[ux_banner height="185px" height__sm="100px" bg="4650" bg_overlay="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17)" link="http://www.travelvideographer.co.uk"]
[text_box scale="140" scale__sm="100" parallax="2" position_x="50" position_y="50" text_depth="2"]
[/text_box]
[/ux_banner]
