Well, it’s been a long time coming. It took imagination and hours of hard work to make the web camera page a reality. Most webcams offer a poor quality, grainy type-of picture. They provide a live video stream with a high frame rate but poor picture detail. That might be okay for security or other applications but I have always dreamed of something better, something more refined. Red Mill Pond is such a beautiful and unique environment. Doesn’t it deserve something better?
I finally came up with a solution. It involves connecting a Nikon DSLR camera to a computer, which is then hooked-up to the Internet. The computer uses special software to take a high definition picture every fifteen minutes. I then use other software programs to optimize the image quality and upload the picture to the Red Mill Pond website.
Of course nothing can take the place of the human eye. And what this whole process has really taught me is just how amazing our eyes really are, and how much we take their capability for granted. Also, I cannot duplicate the artistry and skill of a professional landscape photographer in an automated process. So, this effort represents the best I can do with the equipment and techniques I have available at this point in time.
Enjoy!
External Links:
CandyLabs VideoVelocity – Time-Lapse Capture Studio
ImageMagick – Create, edit, compose, or convert bitmap images
WinSCP – Award Winning SFTP Client
How’s the ice fishing out there?
The pond is quite shallow with the exception of the main channel. I have heard the thickness of ice can vary greatly when water flows underneath it. Is that true?
Good work Robert, nice to see the view of the pond. We have family in the area, this is a way we can feel closer, thanks from Granslev, Denmark.
Thank-you sir!
When are the nude swimmers showing up?
It’s frozen right now – we’ll have to wait until Spring at least!
Spring’s here, isn’t it? Skinny dipping anybody?
Indeed! I see lots of kayaks. I haven’t seen any swimmers yet. Of course the pond is very shallow – there’s only any real depth in the main channel so the challenge for a skinny dipper is to run across the shallow bits and find the channel before being discovered!
Nice clean design. The live photo update is very nice.