"Understood, I'll be there in an hour."
After hanging up the phone, Su Wei went into the washroom.
The cold water splashed on my face, washing away the lingering weariness.
He changed into a set of durable, windproof overalls and put on a fleece lining.
Cotton Candy squatted by the door, tilting her head as she watched him put on his heavy snow boots.
Su Wei poured double the amount of freeze-dried food into its food bowl and rubbed its head.
"Stay home quietly, I'll bring you something nice when I come back."
Pushing open the wooden door leading to the garage, cold air crept in through the cracks.
The black Raptor pickup truck was already warmed up, and a thin layer of ice covered its body.
Su Wei started the vehicle.
The full-time four-wheel drive system is locked, and the snow chains engage on the thick snow-covered road surface, producing a crisp metallic clanging sound.
The forest road leading to town was covered with thick snow, with only a few scattered tracks.
Su Wei firmly gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
After each sharp turn, the rear of the car would sway slightly, which was then forcibly corrected by the power distribution system.
An hour and a half later, the pickup truck stopped in front of the warehouse at the freight station.
An administrator wearing a fluorescent vest pulled open the heavy roller shutter door and pointed to five black Pelican hard-shell security cases in the corner.
"Dude, the shipping cost for all this stuff could buy a lot of nice stuff. Do you run a photography studio here?"
The administrator checked the documents and signed the form.
Su Wei lifted the heaviest box.
"It's just a personal hobby."
The administrator curled his lip, looking at the "precision instrument" label on the security box.
"Your hobby must be quite expensive. I've seen these kinds of cases in Vancouver; they're used by the crew filming National Geographic documentaries."
Su Wei did not respond.
He carried the five boxes into the back of the pickup truck in two trips and secured them firmly with ropes.
On the way back, the snow had completely stopped.
The clouds thinned, even revealing a sliver of blue through them.
Su Wei returned to the cabin at exactly 10 a. m.
Without even taking off his coat, he lined up the five boxes on the long table in the living room.
Click. Click.
Two crisp clicks as the metal latches popped open.
The Sony FX3 cinema camera, three white G-Master lenses, DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone, a carbon fiber tripod, and various accessories lay quietly in the laser-cut foam slots.
The 400mm F2.8 telephoto lens refracts a deep, dark green coating in sunlight.
The third box contains DJI Mavic 3 Pro.
Its gimbal camera has three lenses with different focal lengths, and when folded up, it is only the size of a kettle.
Su Wei took out two huge carbon fiber tripods from the fourth box.
The last box was filled with memory cards, microphones, and various light-blocking components.
With the help of the instructions, he assembled the parts quickly.
Remove the cover.
Align with the red markings on the checkpoint.
Screw in.
Click.
The 35mm F1.4 lens is perfectly integrated with the camera body.
Su Wei plugged the receiver into the RØDE wireless microphone on the side and finally hung up the windproof rabbit fur cover.
A complete video shooting system for individual soldier combat has been developed.
Su Wei held the camera in one hand and turned it on.
The screen lights up.
The 4K image quality, so detailed that you could see the dust particles, reassured him considerably.
You get what you pay for.
The Cotton Candy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, showing great interest in the dark, lumpy metal object.
The little guy hopped onto the table, tentatively extending one front paw and pressing it against the lens cap.
"Hey, don't break it, this thing is worth two years' worth of your food expenses."
Su Wei smiled, then squatted down and pressed his eyes close to the monitor.
He turned the focus ring.
The focus quickly settled on the Cotton Candy.
At maximum aperture, Cotton Candy's deep blue eyes were magnified.
Every single eyelash, even the silhouette of the Su Wei reflected in its pupils, was clearly visible.
The fireplace and sofa in the background are blurred into soft spots of light.
Su Wei pressed the red REC button on the side.
As if sensing something, the Cotton Candy tilted its head and yawned at the camera.
Its pink little tongue curled up, and its sharp canine teeth flashed by.
Then, it rolled over, revealing its snow-white belly to the camera, its claws making grasping motions in the air.
This is a kind of unguarded trust.
Su Wei adjusted the focal length to capture the delicate texture on its paw pads.
Then, he took the equipment to the yard.
The snow hasn't melted yet.
Su Wei switched to using drones.
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro's propellers spun at high speed, and the buzzing sound disturbed the snow on the trees.
It soared like a nimble falcon, reaching a height of hundreds of meters.
The image was transmitted back to the screen in Su Wei's hand.
Emerald Lake is frozen over, resembling a giant piece of white jade inlaid in a birch forest.
The distant Pillar Mountain Range is covered in silver, its peaks imposing.
Su Wei piloted the drone to fly around his wooden house once.
An aerial view.
That solitary wooden house, emitting white smoke, exuded a sense of tranquil seclusion amidst the vast snowfield.
This is the image he wanted.
It is desolate, majestic, and carries a hint of the resilience of human civilization.
Su Wei retrieved the drone and returned indoors to begin his first attempt at post-processing.
He took out the high-capacity memory card and inserted it into his laptop.
The interface of the DaVinci Resolve editing software unfolds on the screen.
Su Wei drew upon his knowledge of video editing.
He captured a close-up of the Cotton Candy yawning and slowed it down four times.
In the picture.
The snow-white fox fur rippled gently like ocean waves.
He adjusted the video to a low-saturation color tone for a cinematic feel.
He then added an ethereal polar wind sound effect.
The final cut is only fifteen seconds long.
But the sense of healing and the exquisite image quality surprised even Su Wei himself.
This was his first step in building his personal brand.
He opened a social media app on his phone.
Register an account.