Along with our recently announced Mavic 2 Cinema Series Filters and Mavic 2 Cases, we took flight in one of the most epic adventures that the PolarPro Team has experienced.
Day One - Kayaking Through Remote Alaskan Islands
For our first day in Alaska, we took a couple kayaks out to get some truly off-the-grid content. While out on the water, we focused on utilizing the Vivid Collection which features and ND4/PL, ND8/PL, and ND16/PL. Our goal was to get some footage straight out of the drone that really captures the beauty of the amazing Alaskan wilderness. The polarization of the Vivid Collection filters cut glare off of reflective surfaces, which is ideal when shooting above water on a sunny day. The polarization also increases saturation and contrast which gives the shots taken with them a nice pop right out of the camera.
Due to the rarity of a trip like this each and every opportunity to capture content has to be capitalized on. To make sure our brand helps in this creation process we introduced a couple features to the Mavic 2 Filter Line that were highlighted while out shooting on day one. First, is a polarization marker which allows you keep track of how the filter is oriented, this came in extremely handy while we were racing against the clock to get a couple sunset shots. When in more stable and time friendly situations we still suggest making sure you align the polarizer to the desired setting so you end up with the perfect shot. Secondly, we included a stock UV removal tool with each filter set which helped us tremendously while switching out filters on the kayak. This stock UV removal tool will make sure that changing out filters is efficient in the most crucial situations.
Day one was a unforgettable, we shot some amazing content with both the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom which elevated our trip recap to some isolated Alaskan Islands.
Day Two - Alaskan Backcountry Fly Fishing
On the morning of day two, we jumped in a bush plane to get deep into bear territory to capture some shots of fresh water . While going for a more natural look on this excursion, we decided to shoot all of our Mavic 2 content with the Cinema Series Shutter Collection. This filter set gives you a more “flat” color profile which can be color graded easily in post. After getting a few establishing shots we were on our way to a remote location where there is some of the best fly fishing we've experienced.
While a the location we were stoked to get some shots with the Mavic 2 Pro but at midday it was very bright. To remedy this we used the ND16 filter, which is the strongest ND filter in our Shutter Collection, reducing shutter speed by 4 stops to more cinematic levels. As the day went on, we were reminded why we put so much effort into our glass development. With all the constantly changing variables on a trip, it is extremely important to us that our glass is not one of those changing variables. We make sure our glass is consistently sharp, color neutral, and transmission is tested perfectly, so it will fully resolve when in front of the Mavic 2 Pro’s Hasselblad sensor.
Our second day ended at Eagle Beach where we were able to get some punched in shots with the Mavic 2 Zoom and Shutter Collection ND4 filter.
Day Three - Mendenhall Glacier Hike
We couldn’t leave Alaska without coming face to face with a glacier so we took a four mile hike up to Mendenhall glacier. Of course we brought the Mavic 2 Pro & Zoom along to get some aerial shots and to make sure we had easy access to them while keeping them protected we brought along our Rugged and Minimalist cases.
Our trek took us as far as the trail could but we also had to continue past the end of the trail to reach our glacial goal. We stopped about halfway to capture some of the surrounding water and icebergs with the Mavic 2 Zoom. We brought the M2 Zoom in the Minimalist case which is designed to carry the drone and three extra batteries to the filming location without sacrificing valuable space. This worked perfectly because we were able to throw it back in our bag after filming and continue on the hike.
After finally making it to the glacier we brought out the Mavic 2 Pro which was carried in the Rugged case. We chose to carry the Mavic 2 Pro in the Rugged case because it offers twice as much carrying capacity and we wanted to be completely prepared for our time out on the glacier. The Rugged case also provides a bit more protection because of its closed cell foam construction, which worked nicely as we ventured off the path.
Here’s a list of the gear we brought on this trip: