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MillimeterFreelance photojournalist in Afghanistan uses Sony HVR-A1U
Apr 24, 2006 11:52 AM
All the way from Afghanistan, photojournalist Scott Kesterson will share his vision with fellow American citizens and people around the world through his video blog with the help of Sony’s one-pound, seven-ounce Sony HVR-A1U camcorder that will allow him to embed unobtrusively with American troops.
In March, Kesterson joined soldiers of Joint Task Force Phoenix for a 16-month mission that began at Camp Shelby, Miss., and will take him throughout Afghanistan. Joint Task Phoenix is the Coalition organization tasked with training the Afghanistan National Army to conduct independent military operations. Kesterson will move across Afghanistan, interacting with U.S. military personnel as well as coalition forces from seven allied nations.
Kesterson will report his experiences in a daily blog, providing short essays and images, which will be frame grabs taken from the Sony camcorder. Kesterson will compile the footage he collects, supplemented with submissions from a media hub, to produce a full-length documentary.
Kesterson chose the Sony HVR-A1U camera because its compact, lightweight, and durable design will allow him to move and position the camera quickly in the field so he can get close to his subjects without being intrusive. He was also impressed with the camera’s 40X zoom feature, which he will use to gain unprecedented access to scenes without intimidating subjects or interfering with the action in front of the camera.
“My reporting will focus on the ‘human element’ as these troops move from being civilians to full-time war combatants,” said Kesterson. “My hope is that my work will not only establish new bench marks for image capture but also further the advancement of HD video as a method for modern photojournalism storytelling. The Sony camera also has several unique advantages, including its ability to take incomparable high-resolution still images that make it the ideal tool for such a venture.”
Kesterson’s use of the camcorder as his sole acquisition source to gather both moving and still images simultaneously is unique for journalists shooting in this type of environment.
“Sony’s CMOS sensor technology and new techniques being developed in photojournalism are producing an image quality from frame grabs that is now rivaling still-frame digital cameras,” said Kesterson. “The results are simply impressive.”
The HVR-A1U camera is ideally suited for the dusty conditions in Afghanistan and the rigors of fast-paced photojournalism, according to Kesterson, who noted that the camera’s bottom tape loading feature benefits hand-held shooting without a tripod and affords quick changing of tapes while reducing exposure to dust within the camera’s mechanisms.
“The designers really took into consideration the diverse situations in which a user must have a solid two-point hold for stability as well as easy access to features that are well positioned, including the mic and mount,” said Kesterson.
The Sony HVR-A1U is the latest expansion of Sony’s new affordable high-definition 1080i HDV recording and playback systems. The HVR-A1U also offers DVCAM/DV recording and playback capabilities provided on current Sony DVCAM models. Other professional features include XLR audio input, SMPTE timecode capability, automatic shooting modes, and still picture recording.
“End users like Scott Kesterson are constantly finding new applications for our products,” said John Holmes, HDV marketing manager at Sony electronics. “We listen to our customers’ feedback to help us develop new products that meet their needs, but Sony believes that ultimately it is up to the content creators themselves to best determine how to use a product and for what purpose. We simply provide them with the tools to do their job.”
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.
