Monday, May 26, 2008

In videography there are the many and the few - Mark Harding is one of the few.

Mark Harding videographing a Tiger Shark in Aliwal Shoal

Click on image to enlarge

The videos you normally see in the internet (YouTube) are, well, how should I put it nicely? - OK, they are made by amateurs who think that quality does not matter as long as people have something to watch.

I'd say 98% percent of the clips you see in YouTube are that kind of amateur videos. Very, very rarely does one come across a clip that is outstanding.

I found such a jewel. I will not say what it is about. Let me just tell you what my reaction was when I saw the video. I was glued to the screen, and was mesmerized by the cinematography, the sound track, and by the haunting images, some tender, some gruesome.

Above all it was the sincerity of the message that captivated me. Nothing about the man behind the camera. You don't know who he is, yet he guides you in such a way that you feel he is actually next to you showing you what he sees.

My young buddy Mark Harding made the clip. Mark is a videographer, and he loves wildlife. His passions are sharks and mantas. Conserving them has become an obsession for him.

This guy is one of a kind: He is modest, sensitive, genuine, without any ego issues whatsoever. Mark is a committed, unpretentious professional. And he has the type of humor I like best: He'd rather laugh at himself than at others.

Enjoy the clip, and read Mark's blogs. They will tell you a lot about him.








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