Worley's Cave, Bluff City, TN - Illuminated

I visited this wild cave that is open to the public the end of March, 2017. It's a BIG cave, with 4.4 miles of passages. Spent 8 hours underground and didn't see all of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1659MqVs0Ys&feature=youtu.be

Lights Used:
* Henlin SL-3570
* Barn Burner
* Home-Made 100W
* FireFoxes FF4

Link not working on iPad.

Stollman, that was :thumbsup:.

Thanks for sharing that. I've been in tame tourist caverns but this was 100x better, I could almost feel the cave while watching. And those tight squeezely passages not for me.

Did you provide all the light for the video or was some of it provided by the people who run the cave? In either event it was excellent lighting, bright and good CRI.

Stollman, I love your videos! Great narration, titling... graphics! Camera work! Soundtrack!! Nice editing and transitions. And what a cave. Are you a caver or a director? I can't tell the difference. This is a very nice documentary. Thanks.

@ NoNotAgain - Google and Apple haven't got along since Apple Maps. Google pulled support for the iPad YouTube app, but the iPad will still try to open that app with a www.youtube.com link in some versions. Likely, Google is detecting your mobile Safari browser, and denying you access. Join me in shaking my tiny fist at Google, "shame on you Google! 'Do No Evil,' indeed!"

Try this link instead:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1659MqVs0Ys


Edit:
Hey Stollman, got a couple questions. You seem to have no problem lighting your video takes. I am experimenting with flashlighted video, and I am not happy with my results: too dark, or washed out, my Apple video cams can't find the right amount of light to get good shots, and the autoexposure is messing things up.

What camera are you using? What headlamp are you using, and how bright is it? Also, you mentioned seeing evidence of prehistoric people. I've been curious about this since I saw first saw one of your videos, if you had seen stuff. What evidence? Petroglyphs? Tools? Bones? Thanks.

This cave is a wild cave that is open to the public. There are no light switches, paved walking areas or hand rails.
My caving friends, who I affectionately call my "Caving Sherpas", help me pack mule all the lighting and video equipment. Carrying in equipment, setting it up for the shoot, taking it back down, and then packing it up adds a lot of time to the trip. Also, after running the HID Lights for 10-15 minutes, you have to let them cool down or they will melt your backpack (lesson learned a long time ago).

Lighting is a huge factor in shooting caves. Most videos on YouTube are dark and you cannot see the detail, making them not very interesting to watch. For a typical cave, I pack in these lights:
* XeVision Barn Burner - 80W HID
* Henlin SL-3570 - 70W HID
* Home-Made 100W HID
* FireFox FF4

The first three lights are generally enough to light up most spaces. If I know the cave has a really BIG room, I'll also pack in my Modified Vector.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?272969-Vector-192-BFL-172W-Dual-Beam-Build

I use the FireFox FF4 for lighting up a smaller area.

Video - Camcorder:
You also need to find a camcorder that performs well in low light. That feature is usually affiliated with the size of the processor. The larger the processor, the better the camera does in low light. I also use a wide angle lens in most shots.

Video - GoPro:
All helmet cameras to date are designed to be used during daylight hours. That means they have a smaller processor than camcorders. That being the case, you need a lot of light for the video to not look pixelated. I use the helmet mounted GoPro when I need my hands free for climbing or squeezing through tight areas. That means you can't hold a powerful light in your hands, but have to rely on the light mounted to your helmet. That being said, you need to have something that puts out at least 1000 lumens in my opinion (i.e.Zebra Light). If you can find a brighter helmet light, that would be even better. Also, GoPro footage should only be shot in smaller passages because they do so poorly in low light conditions. I'll be looking to upgrade to a GoPro Hero5 or an YI 4k+ (not out yet) this year.

Prehistoric Evidence
I read an article where the owners found a wall built in the cave by aboriginal people. Actually, TN has a lot of caves where evidence has been found where aboriginal people lived in them...Big Bone Cave, SaltPeter Cave, etc. In some of these caves, they have found artwork, evidence of mining, dried weed stalk torches, etc. What kills me is that these people from long ago went deep into a cave with only a torch. From a caver's point of view, if your light goes out when you're in a cave, you're in some deep trouble. Without any light, you'll never find your way out. That's why you 1) Always pack in three sources of light along with spare batteries and 2) always tell someone where you are going, so if you don't show up the next day they know to come looking for you.

Thanks for the comments.

stollman said:

you need to have something that puts out at least 1000 lumens in my opinion (i.e.Zebra Light)

Click to expand...

Well, that's not what I thought, but it explains my own video dissatisfaction, as I've been attempting night shooting with only 100lm, or 2x 100lm. On your video, the helmet light doesn't look that bright, but it must be very bright in person. I'll try experimenting with my brighter lights. I didn't before because I was getting a lot of washout with only 100lm. Decades ago, now, I used to shoot a lot of film with SLR in the dark with nothing but ambient light pollution, moonlight and starlight, and I got fantastic results using a tripod, pushed slide film, even on f22 with deep field focus, but long exposures. I advanced from still life shots to B&W sports photography, still with nothing but pushed film, the ambient light, f8 depending on the speed of the subject, and faster shutterspeeds, and loved the results. I wanted to hack the new autoexposure cameras to do what I want, but I'm giving it up, too frustrating... need more control, need a more advanced tool... and I have one, inherited digital SLR Nikon D200, very advanced. I'm still working through the instructions... it gives even more control than traditional SLR, and I also haven't figured out what I want to shoot. Wish I could shoot turtles nesting, but that would be too disturbing to them, unless I went completely IR... but it's best to leave them be, I think. I'm sure something will present itself, eventually... c'mon inspiration.

Appreciate the info! Edifying, thank you!