I am no videographer. So, when Stu asked me to video our travel adventures, I was really nervous. After all, he is a professional photographer! I have so much to learn!
But, hey, why not try? So I learned iMovie and took my trusty iPhone everywhere to practice taking videos. That’s how I became a video-taking fool on our recent cross-country roadtrip.
LEARNING VIDEO WHILE TRAVELING
Being a newbie, I took videos of everything. Rocks (note: they don’t move), flowers (not a lot of action there either) and scenery as we drove down the highways (reminiscent of the blurred movies my mom took from the car on vacations-what a waste of film in those days)! Stu finally managed to get me calmed down about taking video of every single thing and I slowly became more discriminating with my IPhone.
My unbridled enthusiasm came back, however, when we reached New Mexico. The terrain changed so much and is so different from where I live, I got very excited
.
The day we arrived in New Mexico was a glorious sunny day. We drove 70 mph down the highway “ooooing and awing” as plateaus and rock outcroppings took over the landscape.
I whipped out my cell phone, rolled down the window and started videotaping. An SUV came alongside to pass us on the passenger side of the car. I pulled the phone in toward me so the driver wouldn’t think I was photographing him when WHOOSH! The wind hit the changed angle of my phone and the phone took off. MY PHONE WAS GONE!!!!
I looked at Stu and screamed, “Oh, my God!” Stu looked in the rearview mirror to see my precious IPhone bouncing down the highway behind us.
“Quick, stop, stop, stop the car!!!” “Pleeeeeeeze, stop!”
Stu had to drive another mile (while I constantly pleaded with him to stop-poor man) to find a place where we could turn around the car. With hands over my mouth, I tried to keep my cool and convince myself that the phone would be fine.
We headed back and after a couple of miles we were able to retrace our original drive. Fortunately, there wasn’t much traffic so we could drive slowly and look for the phone. The median strip was wide and full of tall weeds. If the phone had bounced into the median, the chances of finding it were slim to none.
We searched for about 10 minutes when, there, sparkling in the sun, was my IPhone resting on the yellow line in the highway! Stu stopped and I scooped it up. But just look at it!
WHAT NOW?
We spent the next 2 hours on Stu’s phone trying to find out what coverage I had on the IPhone and what the steps were to replace it. One representative told me I had no coverage. Another said not to worry, there would be no charge. A third said it may cost me “a bit” of money.
When a claim is made on your IPhone, an “expert” has to look at the phone to make certain it cannot be repaired. This was a $800+ question in my case. I couldn’t afford a new phone. If it couldn’t be repaired, Apple would replace it for $90 with my Apple Care. To say I was stressed is an understatement.
We had to find an Apple Store-fast.
However, there is only one Apple store in New Mexico-in Albuquerque; 4 hours from our location. As you may know, Apple Stores don’t take appointments in advance. I still called to try to get an appointment. No luck.
Have you spent more than 24 hours without your cell phone recently? Stu had his phone but I felt like I was stranded on a desert island without a boat. I was panicked.
We left early the next morning so we could reach the Apple Store when it opened at 10 a.m.
The lines for technical assistance were LOOOOONG. The staff were not very sympathetic and some might say rude. We were told it would be an hour’s wait.
My name was finally called, and a technical assistance person took one look and sent word back to bring out a replacement phone! Whew!!!!! I ended up with a new IPhone and a bill of $90. Considering my boneheaded mistake, I got out of the mess pretty well.
And the photos and videos on the ruined phone? Well, since I’d been backing up photos and videos every evening, I only lost what I had taken that day (although it included two of the best interviews on the whole trip and dozens of photos).
As for the footage I was taking along the highway? It was gonna make for a great video. Honest.