Holiday Photo Tips: Getting The Most Of Your New Still Or Video Camera Copyright c2014 by Al Willen Now that the holidays are upon us, youll be taking a lot more photos or videos. Thats good news. But to get the most out of your cameras – whether they are brand new, or a “trusted friend” – you need to consider a few simple rules: * Taking photos or videos is a lot like playing the piano. My cat can jump on the piano keys and get a sound from the instrument, but that doesnt make my cat a musician. Likewise, anyone can nowadays take a half-way decent still photo, or video, but by understand the basic rules of Photography, youll improve your chances of getting really great shots, rather than haphazard “so-so” shots. * Even if your camera has the most advanced “motion stabilization” features, always frame your shots carefully, and hold the camera steady. Press the shutter button in one smooth motion. * Every camera is different. For example, Im a really great photographer when it comes to macro shots using my Pentax cameras … but Im not as good using my Canon 7d camera and a high-quality 100mm macro lens. My Canon is a “better” camera, but I dont know it as well as my Pentax cameras (yet) … so it shows when Im trying to take closeup photos of flowers, plants, and small animals. Read your camera manual, and practice with that specific camera. Before every camera shoot, I practice the night before with what I envision the settings, and situation will be. Just by doing this, youll make your photographs and videos better. * Dont rely on just the “automatic” settings. While they will ensure that youll get “pretty good” photos, the truly one-in-a-kind photos are usually taken when you begin to experiment with the manual settings. (Automatic settings are created by computer programmers at the manufacturers based on common photo environments: normal daylight, dusk, macro, in a dark restaurant/bar, sports, beach, etc.) There is a very delicate relationship between your camera, your lens, any lens filters, the flash, your environment, sensor sensitivity (ISO), aperture (size of the hole that lets in light), shutter speed (i.e. how motion is perceived and captured), flash speed, quality of light (i.e. natural sunlight, indoor fluorescent, indoor incandescent, etc.), depth-of-field, angle-of-shot, etc. By experimenting with these controls, youll be able to approach any photo situation and say “this is want I need to achieve, and heres what I need to consistently get that result.” This is why photography is a “craft” (i.e. knowing how the different settings affect the finished outcome), AND an “art” (having a “photographers eye” to make any shot significantly artistic; seeing the world in a “magickal” way. * It is important to note that the methodology between taking still photos, and videos is different. When you take a still photo, you are capturing a subject in time and in space. When you are filming a video, you ARE time and space, and the subject plays out within those confines defined by your lens and frame. A simpler way of stating this is when you take a still photo, you are “working the camera” around the subject to explore how forced perspective and variations in light, shadow, textures, and depth are represented. You can take the same photo of a Christmas Tree the same way and end up with hundreds of tree photos that look all the same … or you can try to see that Christmas Tree in wonderous and different ways, all resulting in photos that become memorable. For videos, the trick is not to over-react. Unless youre trying to make a “Blair Witch” movie – with a “shaky cam” technique – the best videos are subtle, smooth, and dont rely on sudden jerky movements of both the camera and/or the lens being zoomed “in” and “out.” The point of taking successful videos is to let the “action play out” without forcing the viewer realize that the video is even being taken. The aim is to involve the viewer in “that moment” without hitting them over the head on how brilliant or clever a film maker you are. You can, and should zoom in (slowly/smoothly) to emphasis something like a persons gift being open, but dont over-do any effect. Just film the scene … transition out … reposition yourself in a different location … and transition in for the subsequent shot. Perhaps “boring” to the videographer, but very rewarding the the eventual viewer. * For both still cameras, and video cameras, a tripod is often one of the best tools you can use. * Finally, for bother still photography and videography, you may want to emphasize true scale (size) or de- emphasize scale depending on the effect you want. Sometimes youll want to trick the viewer into thinking that an object within the frame is a certain size. (Examples: The Hobbits in “Lord Of The Rings” … or when working with specific actors. People like Bill OReilly, Conan OBrien, James Cromwell, Jonathan Frakes, Chevy Chase are all very tall. People like Dustin Hoffman, Prince, Bette Midler, Seth Green, Michael J. Fox, Tom Cruise, Johnny Galecki are all short. Yet, most people assume that they are the “same size” just based on how they are portrayed photographically, and against other actors.) So, if you do want to show size-perspective, you need to photographically contrast the main subject against an object whose size will be known to your viewers. (i.e. showing “King Kong” against the “Empire State Building” establishes size, something that people who try to film cryptids, UFOs, and other elusive subjects should be aware of). Armed with just a few simple guidelines youll ensure that your precious holiday moments will be best preserved in photographs and/or in videos.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 23:02:11 +0000
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