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Weekend Retreat

On my recent blog I talked about A Weekend Retreat: Camping, Waterfalls, and Scenic Views in Yilan County, Taiwan where I spent the weekend with my friends by camping and going to a waterfall. That weekend, I've had few opportunities to fly my drone albeit with the gloomy weather. And that is what I will be sharing with you in this blog 😁

A brief Header 1 information about Yilan County:

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Yilan County

Yilan County is found in the northeastern part of Taiwan, an island in East Asia. It's surrounded by mountains to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the north. This creates a beautiful landscape with lush greenery and stunning coastlines. The people of Yilan are known for their warm hospitality and strong connection to nature. They celebrate various traditional festivals, and their cuisine is famous for fresh seafood and local delicacies.

Low Light Shots

We arrived at our camp in the afternoon. It was dusk when we finished preparing our tents and started to prepare for the barbeque dinner. Meanwhile, while I was waiting for my friends to prepare the food I found it as a good opportunity to fly my drone to see how can DJI Mini 4 Pro capture images and footage in a low-light scene.

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And it did not fail to meet my expectations! Look at that beautiful array of tents being lit by yellow bulbs! The green trees, and the blue ambient light of the evening. It just blends perfectly with DJI Mini 4 Pro's lens!

Here's a YT shorts for you to enjoy with a lofi music!

This is my first ever drone and I haven't explored much about its features. Yet, its default configurations amaze me. I feel like I don't need to tweak any settings at all. Perhaps if I have to shoot for professional footage. But I obviously have to learn more.

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While rewatching the raw footage to select good clips and create a cohesive video, I realized that I was placing too much emphasis on the drone itself rather than paying attention to framing and scene durations. There are numerous scenes that could have been impactful, but I either adjusted the drone position prematurely or concluded the scene too soon.

Here is another compilation of clips. You'll notice that the transitions aren't seamless, and some still footage moved because I adjusted the drone.

But anyway, Perfectionism is the enemy of all. But things get better through experience.

Morning at the camp

I woke up very early in the morning as I heard the relaxing noise of the birds and the rustling trees. I just could not miss to enjoy this moment, so I get out of the tent make a coffee and seat in calmness.

And of course, it is another opportunity for me to fly and see what the place looks like from above during the morning.

It was a gloomy and cold morning in the camp. I guess that is why most campers are still enjoying their sleep during that time. I also discovered that our campsite is situated beside a river that runs through mountains.

The Waterfalls

In the afternoon, I and my friends went for a short hike to view the enchanting 3 stages of Xinliao Waterfalls.

I was excited to fly my drone and capture beautiful footage of the river and waterfalls. Despite the gloomy weather, it adds to the enchantment of this place. You'll notice the higher part of the forest covered by clouds, while the river appears misty.

To be honest, I'm itching to bathe by the waterfall, but it's not allowed. Well, I understand it's for safety reasons. But where's the fun if it's not a little bit risky, right? Haha!