Video: South America by Drone

Adam Humphrey, the filmmaker behind this beautiful short film, spent five weeks backpacking through South America, covering more than 19,000 km (11,800 miles) in the process. Along the way, he shot some amazing video – with the help of a drone – in Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, and Peru. The results speak for themselves, as viewers are treated to fantastic shots of some of the most stunning landscapes on the continent, if not the world.

South America by drone from Adam Humphrey on Vimeo.

Video: A 10k Timelapse Demo

Remember when we all use to get excited about 1080p HD video? Now, while everyone is busy talking about 4k resolutions, the filmmakers behind this demo have made the leap to 10k. Shot with a camera that is capable of collecting 80 megapixel images that provide a stunning resolution of 10327x7760 pixels. In the short film we get a glimpse of what this looks like with some fantastic timelapse images shot in and around Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The sense of scale is very impressive, with details that will blow you away. If this is the future of video, I can't wait for it to get here.

10328x7760 - A 10K Timelapse Demo from SCIENTIFANTASTIC on Vimeo.

Polish Explorer Planning Trans-South American Expedition via The Amazon

Polish explorer Marcin Gienieczko has announced a bold new expedition that will get underway on May 1 of this year. The adventurous photographer and journalist intends to cross South America by bike, canoe, and on foot, with his route that will take him to the very heart of the Amazon Rainforest and along the mightiest river on the planet.

Marcin is calling his expedition the Solo Amazon (site in Polish and Spanish), and he will begin the journey with a 750 km (466 mile) bike ride from Lima, Peru to the small town of San Francisco. From there, he'll begin an epic canoe journey that will eventually cover more than 6130 km (3809 miles) beginning at the Apurimac River and the very headwaters of the Amazon itself. He'll then proceed downstream to the Enge, Tambo, and Ucayali before paddling out onto the Amazon. He'll follow the river until he reaches Belem in Brazil, at which time he'll complete his journey to the Atlantic Ocean on foot, running all the way while carrying the Polish flag.

Passionate about photography and exploration, Marcin is no stranger to long distance adventures. His previous expeditions have taken him down the Yukon River in Alaska and the Lena River in Siberian Russia, as well as several other long distance floats in those locations, as well as Canada. In 2009 he even crossed Siberia on foot in temperatures that routinely plummeted to -50ºC/-58ºF. Crossing South America will be an entirely different challenge however, as the unique environments of the Amazon will create obstacles that he hasn't seen on his previous journeys.

While the expedition is called "Solo Amazon," Marcin will have a guide for part of the excursion. In the most dangerous section of the trip – when he'll be passing through a region mainly under the control of drug lords – he'll be joined by Gadiel "Cho" Sanchez Rivera, who accompanied Ed Stafford on his historic expedition to cross the Amazon on foot a few years back. Cho has become the "go-to" guide in the Amazon since those days, and he'll help lead Marcin through some perilous parts of the route.

Marcin says that he is looking forward to the start of the expedition, although he knows that it will be a physical and mental challenge. The journey will be a long and difficult one, but his past experience will help him survive in the wilds of South America. We'll see how he fares when he gets underway in a few months time.

Good luck Marcin!

Video: Drones in the Mountains of Brazil

The combination of a GoPro camera and an aerial drone have given amateur filmmakers a set of tools that simply haven't been available in the past. As a result, we're now seeing some amazing videos that simply weren't possible a few years ago. Case in point, this clip that was shot in the Sierra Fina region of Brazil, where a series of mountains rise above 2500 meters (8202 ft). The landscapes are captured in a truly beautiful fashion thanks to the use of drone. This looks like a beautiful place to visit, and we get a wonderful three-minute tour of the place that is simply tantalizing.

DRONE DA MONTANHA - Alto Capim Amarelo - Brasil from DRONE DA MONTANHA on Vimeo.

Long Rider Completes Epic Journey From Canada to Brazil on Horseback

It has been a couple of months since we last checked in with the progress of long rider Filipe Masetti Leite. At that time, he had just arrived back to his home country of Brazil, after spending two years on horseback riding from Calgary. The end of his journey was in sight, but he still had a long way to go, plenty of bureaucratic red tape to navigate, and some other commitments to his schedule. But in that moment, Filipe was happy. He was inching closer to home, and he was in Brazil in time for the World Cup. Now, more than five months later, we can report that he is officially home, and the journey has ended.

For those who don't know Filipe's story, he graduated college in Canada, and was preparing to head back to Brazil. But, he didn't just want to launch directly into a normal career, but instead wanted to have a grand adventure before he settled down. As a child, his father had read him the classic equestrian adventure story Tshiffhly's Ride, the true account of Aime Tschiffely's journey from Buenos Aires to New York City, that covered more than 10,000 miles back in 1925. That story had stuck with him, and the spark of an idea began to form in his head. What if he made a similar journey back to his home in São Paulo?

Getting his adventure off the ground was not easy. Filipe had to remain persistent, even as potential sponsors continually closed the door on him. But eventually his tenacious attitude began to pay off, and two quarter horses were donated to his cause. He also received a contract from OutWildTV to tell the story of his journey, which provided some funding to get him going. It all came together just a few months before he had planned to hit the trail, setting in motion one of the great equestrian expeditions of all time.

All told, Filipe's journey took more than two-and-a-half years to complete, and covered over 16,000 km (9941 miles). That puts him on par with his hero, Aime Tschiffely, who inspired him to begin this adventure in the first place.

Back home, Filipe is now working on a book about his ride, and has become somewhat of a celebrity. He reports in his last blog post that he has hit the motivational speaking circuit, and has appeared in a commercial for Burger King. Reading his words, it sounds like he is happy to be home, and close to friends and family, although he is already missing the open trail, and a nomadic lifestyle. Something tells me we haven't heard the last of Filipe Masetti Leite, and that we just might see another long distance journey on horseback out of him in the future.

Congratulations to Filipe on completing this amazing expedition, and thanks to my friend CuChullaine for sharing his story along the way.