Skydiver Profile

I am interrupting my Philippines trip postings to share this video, which I have just finished editing together. I met Marian Sparks at the local drop zone in Corpus Christi. She intrigued me because she's obviously not the young-male-adrenaline-junkie stereotype that many would expect to be in the sport. She and several friends had come down from the Houston area for a "boogie," or a large gathering of skydivers. Marian was gracious enough to allow me to shadow her for the weekend, and this video was the result.

I had hoped to integrate video into this project, but I experienced several technical difficulties with the video camera that I rented. The battery died without warning after recording for 10 minutes, and the auto focus had a difficult time keeping up with the fast moving skydivers (understandably so). My efforts at video were further sabotaged when my time with my subject was unexpectedly cut short. As luck would have it, the plane broke down on the second day of the boogie. All this to say, the video I captured was sub-par. This experience motivated me to finally make a purchase I have long considered - a Canon 5D Mark II. The next time I work with a subject so fitting for video, I will be adequately prepared.

Marian, thank you for sharing your story with me.