AXIS Flight School is Skydive Arizona’s Training Center. AXIS specializes in coaching individuals as well as groups to further jumpers knowledge and skill sets. Here is an article that appeared in the most recent Parachutist (July 2011 page 23). 
Also featured on the Cypres Blog, Skydive Arizona News, and 90Percent Magazine!
You can download any of the following iPhone wallpapers by clicking them. Simply save the image to your computer, then email or sync the image to your iPhone and set it as your new wallpaper.
I was making a time lapse video of a growing storm cloud, when a wall of dust started to form on the horizon. The first 11 seconds of the video are a time laps of the haboob moving in, the rest is regular video footage.
Last night I set out to take pictures of some fireworks for the 4th of July celebration. Once the sun finally set however, I found myself turning my camera towards a much more spectacular light show brought on by mother nature.
I took this image at Skyventure Arizona, a facility designed for skydivers to practice free-fall maneuvers. Canon 7D / Lens 18-55 / Manual Mode / Exposure time 20 seconds / ISO 200 / F3.5 / WB Fluorescent
In celebration of Independence Day I have compiled some photographs depicting the American flag. Happy 4th of July everyone!
For those of you who watched my time lapse experiments and wondered how I did it, here are some things I learned so far that I would like to share with you.
First you will need to get comfortable shooting images in “M” or manual mode. If you allow the camera to make any auto adjustments, you will encounter flickering when you put the movie together. Next, you will need to invest in an intervalometer. This little gadget plugs into the camera and allows you to take pictures periodically (ex. every 4 seconds). Once you have taken your set of images, you will need to compile them into a movie using software like Quicktime Pro or After Effects.
There are many more toys that allow you to add another dimension to this style of photography. For example a bulb-ramping intervalometer will allow you to time laps a scene in varying light conditions such as day to night. Cranes and dollies can ad movement, when combined with the right set of motion controls.
Since I currently don’t have the budget to purchase one of these cranes, here is another test I did using my iPhone 4. I downloaded a time lapse app from the apple store, gaffers taped my phone to an egg timer, and set it all up on a tripod in the desert. Since the egg timer makes a 360 degree rotation in one hour, I though that it would be just the right speed for the movie.
About ten years ago I watched the movie Baraka by Ron Fricke. It came out in 1992 and was inspired by the movie Koyaanisqatsi (1982) by Godfrey Reggio. The movie has no conventional plot, merely a collection of expertly photographed scenes. Without words, cameras show us the world, with an emphasis not on “where,” but on “what is there.” I was truly amazes at the images I witnessed and have had them in my mind ever since.
Only recently after having seen the trailer for the movie Time Scapes by Tom Lowe, have I been inspired to give time lapse a try for myself. Over the past week I have performed experiments with clouds, rivers, sunsets, the milky way, people, and some other random ideas. All images were shot with my Canon 7D using various lenses.
On March 25th, Barry Holubeck and Will Kitto came to visit me at Skydive Arizona for another XRW training camp. Skydive Arizona was a new location for us, as well as an unfamiliar discipline to the local staff. Over the weekend, we completed 8 jumps. We would like to thank Skydive Arizona and its staff for having been so helpful with their operations!
Also featured in the German Skydiving Magazine Freifall Xpress and Wingsuitnews.com!
Over the past four days I shot video for VFS team Arizona Arsenal. Here is a picture I took with my new Really Right Stuff mount, which allows me to take vertical oriented images.
I’m experimenting with a blog site of my own in order to publish information about myself and my work in a more timely manner. If you’re looking for my newsletters, they will still be available on my website. I’ve not yet decided whether to stop publishing new newsletters or dropping them in favor of this blog. Any thoughts?
Enjoy!
Niklas Daniel
The Drop 
