A PHOTOGRAPHERS GUIDE TO SHOOTING VIDEO

WHAT?  AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, I NEED TO BE A VIDEOGRAPHER TOO?

 

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AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, I ALWAYS TRY TO LEARN ALL THE SETTINGS ON MY CAMERA AND TRY TO LEARN HOW TO USE THEM ALL, AND UNDERSTAND THEM ALL.  THE CAMERA MANUFACTURES TODAY TRY TO MAKE IT REALLY EASY TO HELP YOU TO TAKE GOOD PICTURES IN TODAYS PHOTO WORLD.  I LIKE THE EXAMPLE ABOVE.  LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE MAGIC DIAL ABOVE AND GO OVER THEM:
 
1- LET’S START WITH THE MAGIC ONE:  [A].  DOESN’T THAT SEEM TO BE THE SAFE SPOT WHERE EVERYONE STARTS OR THE “GO TO” SWITCH.  IT SIMPLY MEANS AUTOMATIC.  THERE THE CAMERA PICKS THE SHUTTER SPEED AND APERTURE THAT IS RIGHT FOR THE SITUATION THAT IT SEES.  

IN AUTOMATIC MODE, EVERYTHING SHOULD COME OUT PERFECT IN A PERFECT SCENARIO, AND WORKS GREAT IF YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO BE CREATIVE IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 

2- [P] MODE:  I AM STILL NOT SURE TODAY THAT YOU NEED THE P MODE BESIDES THE AUTOMATIC MODE.  ISN’T THE SAME?  WHEN YOU READ THE MANUAL IT SEEMS THAT IT IS THE SAME AS THE [A] MODE.  DON’T FEEL THAT IT IS MUCH DIFFERENT, ALTHOUGH THE CAMERA MANUAL TELLS YOU THAT IT THINKS DIFFERENT.  OK, WHATEVER.  IT STILL GIVES THE CAMERA FULL CONTROL.

3- [TV] OR TIME VALUE.  OR PROPERLY STATED:  SHUTTER PRIORITY.  YOU CAN SET THE SHUTTER SPEED YOU WANT, AND THE CAMERA WILL SET THE APERTURE TO MEET THE SHUTTER SPEED THAT YOU SET, AND STILL GIVE YOU THE PROPER EXPOSURE.

Photo by :  Eddie Pittman photography
Photo taken with a 1 second long exposure

4- [AV] APERTURE VALUE – HERE YOU SET THE APERTURE ON YOUR CAMERA, AND THE CAMERA WILL SET THE SHUTTER SPEED AUTOMATICALLY ACCORDING TO THE APERTURE YOU SET AUTOMATICALLY.  AT LEAST YOU PICK THE “DEPTH OF FIELD” THAT YOU WANT.  FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DEPTH OF FIELD, GO TO:  http://123photogo.blogspot.com/2016/05/understanding-depth-of-field.html

 
5-[M] – MANUAL MODE:  HERE THE CAMERA HAS NO AUTOMATION TO THE SETTINGS AT ALL.  YOU PICK THE SHUTTER SPEED, THE APERTURE, AND THE CAMERA WILL NOT TRY TO CHANGE ANYTHING, WHETHER IT’S RIGHT OR WRONG.  IF IT’S WRONG, IT’S NOT THE CAMERA’S FAULT.  BUT, WHAT IF YOU WANTED TO PURPOSELY OVEREXPOSE, OR UNDEREXPOSE?  THIS IS THE PLACE TO DO IT.  THIS IS THE PLACE THAT GIVES YOU TOTAL CONTROL OVER YOUR CAMERA.  THIS IS WHERE THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER LIVES. 
6- ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DIAL IS EMOTICONS:  THERE IS THE PERSON’S HEAD [👱] OR FOR PORTRAIT MODE ( I ALWAYS HOPE THAT IS RIGHT).  AND THEN THERE IS THE MOUNTAIN OR SCENERY MODE: [🌅].  SHOULD BE SELF EXPLANTATORY.  AND THEN THERE IS THE FLOWER : [🌹], OBVIOUSLY FOR CLOSEUP PHOTOGRAPHY ( OH, I WORRY ABOUT THAT AUTOMATIC SETTING).  AND THE NEXT ONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN ICON OF A PERSON RUNNING: [🏃], I WOULD ASSUME THAT IS A FAST SHUTTER SPEED PHOTO????  AND THEN THERE IS THE ONE WITH THE STAR AND THE PERSON IN THE CORNER: [🌟].  AND I WILL ASSUME THAT IS FOR THE PERSON TAKING NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY. 
 
SO, ALL IN ALL, YOUR CAMERA HAS A LOT OF GREAT SETTINGS THAT YOU CAN DO A LOT OF GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY WITH.  BUT WAIT !!!  THERE IS ONE MORE SETTING THAT ALMOST EVERY CAMERA HAS:     IT’S THE VIDEO CAMERA SETTING: 

 

 
 

REALLY?  I DIDN’T BUY THIS CAMERA TO TAKE VIDEOS.  WHY NOT?  HAVE YOU EVER TRIED THIS?  THIS IS WHAT THIS ARTICLE IS ALL ABOUT.  YOU REALLY NEED TO TRY THIS.  THIS IS THE LATEST THING ABOUT THESE CAMERAS..  YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THA THESE CAMERAS ARE IMPROVING THEIR RESOLUTION, AND IMPROVING THEIR ABILITY TO BECOME A GREAT VIDEO CAMERA AS WELL AS A PHOTO CAMERA.  SO WITH THAT, LET’S HELP YOU UNDERSTAND ALL ABOUT VIDEO CAMERAS:

FRAME RATE:

Generally, digital cameras offer three base frame rate options: 24, 30, or 60 frames per second (fps). Photographers usually opt to shoot at 24 fps, which is often utilized by filmmakers and offers a “cinematic” feel. However, if you’re trying to capture a moment in slow motion, you’ll want to shoot for 60 fps, then play back at a slower frame rate.

SHUTTER SPEED:

In videography, shutter speed makes a bigger difference than you might expect. A certain amount of motion blur is necessary to keep everything looking fluid and natural. A good general rule of thumb is to set your shutter speed to double your frame rate.

PICTURE PROFILE:

When a camera records video, it compresses each still frame of the film, resulting in resolution that may not live up to your still photographs. Picking an appropriate picture profile goes a long way in preserving your colors and tonal dynamics despite compression. Instead of sticking to automatic or standard settings, most photographers like to use a neutral base.

APERTURE:

 

Lots of the time, videographers must focus in on a scene manually while a subject is in motion, making working with wide open apertures incredibly difficult. Even though it’s tempting to blur out distracting details in a still photograph, keep in mind that you may not be able to successfully replicate the same effect while shooting video.

SEQUENCING:

As photographers, it’s easy to identify and capture a “money shot.” However, successful videos often tell stories rather than focus on one singular scene. Use short sequences to guide your viewer into a moment; by visually explaining to your viewers how a subject gets from point A to point B, you create a more compelling tale.

STABILITIY:

Last but not least, keep your camera stable. Tripods, monopods, and gimbals are your friend. Bringing one along will take away any unintentional jitteriness or motion blur, and the smooth movement and still framing will instantaneously up your production value.

Of course, there’s a lot that goes into becoming a professional videographer. Thankfully, the art of photography cements many of the base concepts necessary to get ahead. So take the time to do a bit of experimentation. With these tips on hand, you may just find that the transition from photograph to film comes quite naturally!

THIS ARTICLE ABOUT VIDEOGRAPHY IS FROM:

PICTURE/CORRECT, AND THE AUTHOR IS:  MEGHAN B

A special thanks to Meghan B for the use of this article.  Her photos are used as well, and copyrighted.

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