1. Figure out your “story” before you get into the editing room.
2. If interviews are needed – make a list of good questions that will lead to insightful answers and concise sound bites.
3. Always think about your “audio” – listen to your room sounds.
4. Capture your audio with external mics – not the mic in the camera.
5. Wear headphones – camera meters only indicate that you’re getting sound – but it may not be good sound.
6. Shoot and move – getting wide, medium, tight and close-ups from various angles.
7. Anticipate what’s coming next and be in the right spot to get the shot.
8. When shooting, think about how you will “get into” and “out of” a shot in the finished piece. Play it out in your head.
9. Shoot action and reaction – both points of view. Example: Teacher and student’s reaction
10. Don’t talk over your video – even if you think you might not want to use the audio – because you never know.
11. Use a tripod for long lens shots.
12. Get lots of close-ups especially if the finished piece if for the web. You’ll be happy you did when you get in the editing room.
13. Have a plan but be prepared to be spontaneous and let serendipity happen.
Do’s and Don’ts for Hybrid Cameras
Many still photographers get started in video with a “hybrid” camera. Canon just came out with the EOS 7D to add to their already popular EOS 5D Mark II. Nikon has their – D90 and Panasonic has the Lumix DMC-GH1K.
There is plenty of information online particular to all of these cameras so rather than repeat what others have written, I’ll list some tips on shooting with these cameras.
1. Don’t shoot verticals when in the video mode – the reason should be obvious but nevertheless because these cameras look and feel like still cameras (and are) turning the camera vertically is a common mistake photographers make.
2. Use an external mic if audio is important and it usually is.
3. Use a tripod – hand holding video is far different than hand holding a still camera where just the “moment” has to be sharp.
4. Don’t try to be sneaky in venues that prohibit video by pretending to shoot just stills. It’s just not ethical.
5. Remember when shooting video it’s a motion medium – so seek out subjects with motion.
6. Make sure your sensor and lenses are always spotless – while you can retouch video it’s quite labor intensive or can be.
7. Editing files from some of these cameras can be slow and clunky in the edit room, especially when trying to blend with other video shot at a different frame rate like 24p. If you’re shooting with the 5D which shoots in 30p you may want to convert your files to the standard Apple Pro Res at 24p to make everything compatible first.
8. If you’ve been hired to shoot stills for a client and they ask you to “just” shoot some video footage for them from the same camera – don’t just throw that content in for free. There’s added value there and you’ll short change yourself as well as set a bad precedent for your future video clips.
To be honest, I don’t own a “hybrid” and most of these tips have been collected by hearing complaints and advice from others. So please add your own tips and cautions.
Blog Statistics and What They Don’t Tell You
I don’t get it. Typically on any given day, I get between 25 and 50 hits or readers for my blog. Note a huge fan base for sure – but I like to blog. For some reason which I can’t figure out, my blog entry entitled “Mistakes Still Photographers Make When Shooting Video” got 687 hits in one day. Why?
1. Is it because it was a top “10” list of mistakes?
2. Is it because I left #10 open for comments?
3. Is it because of the word “mistake” was in the title?
4. Is it because “bullets” are easy to read?
5. Or was it just a slow blog day?
I blog when something is in my head that I need to write about. I know there are tips that serious bloggers offer – keeping in mind SEO, keywords and links. But maybe if I started to “write” with those things in mind – it would be just “that”. And it would certainly take the joy out of blogging for me.
Is this what people want?
- Lists
- Blogs loaded with links whether interesting or relevant.
- Trendy and “hot” keywords
Or was it just a lot of interested still photographers who didn’t want to make mistakes when shooting video?
The Flip
My husband gave me The Flip a couple of months ago for an anniversary present. While not exactly a romantic gift, it was the perfect present for me since I’m not a diamonds and pearls kind of woman. He decided to buy the HD Flip, rather than the SD version, although it’s certainly not true HD or in the same league as my Sony EX-1. But it’s still a pretty amazing little video camera, shooting in the 16×9 pixel aspect ratio. It can record up to one hour of footage, which can be downloaded easily by plugging it into the USB connection on your computer. It also downloads its own software that enables you to email your videos as well as edit them. The editing part is quite limited, but nevertheless it enables you to link clips together.
I’ve played with it a couple of times, but hadn’t really put it to the test until our recent trip to Costa Rica. I’m a firm believer in choosing the right tool for the right situation and in this case decided to use the Flip when we took a canopy tour of a cloud forest. I had never “zip lined” before, but I did know that taking a big camera – still or video – would not be an option because I would need both hands on the zip line. At the same time I knew that I wanted to capture the motion experience of zipping through the trees high above the canopy of the forest.
The Flip was the perfect camera. It was small, light, and easy to use and could capture the sound and feeling of the experience. And that it did. Check out this video – zipping through the trees and also this video of my husband coming in for a landing. Mind you the “execution” of the video was shaky and because the camera is so small – there is a challenge with holding it steady – especially when multitasking or just trying to stay “on” the platform high in the trees. However, I could not have captured this footage with my “real” HD camera and the video from the Flip was good enough to yield a few seconds of footage that could be imported into a “movie” and give a viewer the vicarious thrill of gliding over the trees.
More importantly, it allowed me to enjoy the experience, as well as record it. That’s not always possible when bogged down by equipment and technology. I certainly wouldn’t recommend this camera as an all-purpose video camera. But because it’s small, light and portable, I always have it with me, wherever I go. I never know what surprises may come my way, and when they do present themselves to me – I’m ready for action.
Living The Dream
There’s that feeling again – a surge of energy and excitement running through my body as I stepped off the plane in Costa Rica. Feeling the wonderment of being in a “foreign” land and the unknown possibilities that awaited me. I love that feeling – I live for that feeling, even after more than 30 years of traveling the globe –I get that same “surge” that I felt the first time I left the comfort of my “norm”, all those years ago.
My journey to Costa Rica was a short one – too short because of life’s other commitments but nevertheless worth all the hassles that one must endure when flying these days. I actually don’t mind the hassles and the hours of waiting in airports or train stations, because it’s my time to just let my imagination run wild and I choose instead to focus on the rewards that come with traveling.
The insatiable desire to “explore” is what led me to become a photographer. My camera has been my “eyes” on the world and all it has to offer whenever I’ve needed to get outside of myself. But oddly enough this time, I didn’t feel compelled to let photography or video drive the experience. In fact there were several times during the trip that I made a conscious choice not to shoot something but rather to see things through my own eyes and immerse myself in the experience instead of just through the viewfinder. Those moments weren’t recorded for others to see in print or on the web, but nonetheless were indelibly carved in my memory – listening to an off key singer in a surfer bar performing a Bob Marley tune, watching hot lava rocks tumbling down an active volcano from my hotel room, laughing at the monkeys in the rain forest and feeling the freshness of the rain in an afternoon’s downpour – all etched in the recesses of my mind.
When I was a young girl, I remember walking home from a friend’s house on a cold winter’s evening. It was that magical time of day when there was still a bit of light left in the sky, yet dark enough that you could start to see inside people’s houses. The big picture windows were like movie screens to me and I remember wondering to myself about what went on inside those walls. As much as I felt a certain warmth while peering through those windows, I also felt a bit of loneliness in being “on the outside and looking in”.
Years later while hitching a ride in Romania, I was picked up by a man who was headed up the road to attend a wedding. When we arrived at his destination, he asked if I would like to go with him to the wedding. I was in no particular hurry and didn’t really have a place that I needed to get to so I took a chance and said yes. That “wedding” turned into a three-day event and one of those magical times where I became part of the “inside”. At the end of the long weekend and when I knew that it was time for me to go, my new “friends” and I exchanged addresses and made promises to see each other again. We all knew that a reunion would most likely never happen and that the “magic” could never be repeated but I’m certain that I am not alone with the memories from that weekend etched in my head.
My camera has always been my “tool” that has enabled me to live my dream. But at the same time, a lot of the magic and wonderment has happened when I’ve taken my eye away from the viewfinder and found my way “inside”.
Mistakes Still Photographers Make When Shooting Video
Short but to the point – common mistakes still photographers make when starting to shoot video:
1. They break timecode (only applies when shooting to tape)
2. Bad audio – audio is everything in video.
3. They don’t turn the camera on soon enough.
4. They turn the camera off too soon (thinking in the “decisive moment)
5. Use auto – focus.
6. They don’t shoot sequences – beginning, middle and end
7. They don’t shoot in “storyboard mode” – “How will I get into and out of a shot and what’s next?”
8. They pan and tilt and zoom in and out – too much – the motion should come from the subject matter – not necessarily the camera.
9. They don’t shoot enough B-roll with variations.
10. I’m open to suggestions as to what #10 should be – feel free to chime in.
“Virtual” Companies
I recently got a phone call from a photographer friend complaining that he just lost out on a job. One of his clients came to him asking if he shot video and he answered no. He went into a long fear based monologue about how this is happening to him more and more and that he was afraid that he would lose his clients to video shooters and worse yet, video shooters who would also start providing “his” clients with still images pulled from frame grabs from high end video cameras like the RED.
After he calmed down, I asked him “Why did you answer no when your client asked if you shot video?” He explained that he was an honest guy and that he would be doing a disservice to his client by pretending to be something that he wasn’t or that he couldn’t deliver. I told him quite simply that perhaps he could have provided that service to his client but that by sending his client away, he was not only doing himself a disservice but his client as well because “he” couldn’t fill their need. Then I explained the notion of forming partnerships.
Video is made for collaboration and partnerships because there are so many facets to it – shooting – sound – post production etc. So why can’t a still photographer create partnerships or virtual production companies and work with a team of colleagues to serve a client’s many needs? It’s a win win – you keep your client in house and your client can work within a comfort zone that you’ve already established with them. You become the producer which for the most part, many still photographers are already.
Look around – virtual companies are being set up in all types of businesses – partnerships that are not confined to the traditional bricks and mortar setting – but rather created on a need basis. I’ve recently worked with virtual PR firms and ad agencies where the art director may reside in Colorado, the client in NYC and the account exec in California. Or they all might be in the same geographic location – but just not in the same confined “space”.
So before you say no – think about likely and unlikely partnerships you can form. Anything is possible which in turn can become profitable.
Being Proactive vs Reactive
I have always approached new technology in a backwards sort of way. I’m not one to buy the latest camera or software version if I don’t have a need driving me in that direction. I got into video because I felt the need to incorporate motion and sound to the stories that I wanted to tell.
Lately all you hear about is video. Clients are coming to me because they feel the need to add video to their website. And more and more still photographers feel the need to embrace video in their work. Whenever someone questions me about getting into video, I always ask them “what do you want to do with it?” A typical answer is “because everyone is getting into” or “I feel the need to keep up and not be left behind”. While these are honest answers, and certainly there’s some merit to them, I always try to get people to focus on what it is they want to use the medium of video for. Will video convey their message better than a still image or text?
Personally I’ve never been a fan of “getting on the bandwagon” just because everyone else is. Whenever I’ve acquired a new “toy” for that purpose – it generally sits in the box because I haven’t thought about how I will use it to “tell the story” that I have to tell. I was reminded today when watching a piece about Don Hewitt, the creator of the TV program 60 Minutes. He was all about “telling the story” and felt that the story is what we humans are interested in and will hold an audience’s attention. His vision was to create a magazine in a TV format. That was almost 40 years ago and 60 Minutes is still on the air. But Hewitt was a persuasive and dynamic man with a strong belief in his convictions. He was also a pioneer in TV broadcasting and at the right place, at the right time – because back then everyone was learning and they were writing the rules as they went.
Right now I think we’re at the same place with video on the web. We’re all struggling with not only new technology but how we can apply it in a business sense. The 100 million dollar question (or more) is How to monetize the Web? I for one don’t have a crystal ball but I do know one thing that history has taught me and that is – nothing new ever comes from keeping the status quo. That’s not to say that every pioneer has a success story and in fact behind every successful person is usually a trail of failed ideas. But if they hadn’t taken that chance……….you gotta wonder.
The other big dynamic is that being proactive is taking control of the situation rather than reacting to something out of fear. For the most part fear stifles creativity. Either way – there’s always going to be a bit of fear but I find when I take control and become more proactive, I focus on the creative aspects and remove the mental roadblocks that are telling me to stop. I don’t always succeed – but I always give myself a shot at success – when I free my mind and am open to possibilities.
“Breaking The Spirit”
I was reminded recently of an experience that I had while shooting a story for Smithsonian Magazine on Arthur County, Nebraska. Truth be told, it was an assignment that I almost didn’t accept. I thought that a story about the least populated county in the United States was not a story for me – I shot city stories for the most part. But then I thought, why not? It ended up being one of the most gratifying magazine assignments that I ever did – on many levels.
Personally, it pushed me out of my cultural norm. “What am I going to do in a desolate part of the country where cows far out number the people?” Photographically speaking as a people shooter, it really pushed me to see and shoot differently. Because there were so few people, I lingered longer and got a closer glimpse into their lives than I normally would have on a 7 day city shoot with lots to cover.
One day stood out for me. I was photographing a cowboy “breaking” horses. 
I watched as he worked with an incredibly spirited horse, trying at first to calm the animal. I remember asking a question about “breaking” the horse to which the handler replied that he never wanted to “break” an animal’s spirit, but rather to gain the animal’s trust. I thought to myself that this cowboy must be a wonderful father and husband and a part of me fell in love with that notion – his understanding of the difference between “managing” this stunning creature and “breaking” its spirit.
I realized that maybe that moment in time was in essence the story itself and the reason that I needed to take that assignment. I remind myself of that every time I’m hesitant to stray from my comfort zone. That almost always there’s a reward. I was fortunate that the assignment editor on that piece saw something in me that I didn’t. So many times, for a variety of reasons “clients” feel the need to over dictate the visual message and the end piece reflects that, becoming an entity that is neither “here nor there”. The “spirit” of the piece becomes broken.
These days because of tight budgets and fear of losing one’s job – things tend to become more predictible and safe – choosing shooters who’ve done that type of story before or re-doing the same stories that have proven to be “successful” in the past. But every once in awhile – someone (like the cowboy) comes along and recognizes something in my spirit and gives me the necessary “rope” to bring my vision to the project while still managing the “whole” – and marvelous things happen.
Staying Outside The “box”
A friend of mine recently reminded me that I have said that I like to stay outside the “box”. That I have spent much of my career trying not to be categorized or pigeon holed into one specialty of photography. Perhaps not the greatest business decision, but nevertheless a series of mini decisions to continually depart from whatever my norm is or has been.
Even as a child I discovered early on that I wanted to explore – in the broadest sense of the word. I surely did that in my days right out of high school and college when I embarked on a year long backpacking odyssey across half the globe.
But it was after that sojourn that I pursued a career in photography to facilitate a somewhat vagabond life. And that I did combining a photographic career with my quest for discovering people and cultures. I ‘ve been fortunate over the years to have garnered assignments from high profile magazines like National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian and Travel & Leisure. And I loved the path that I had chosen.
It was about ten years ago that my restlessness pushed me into the medium of video. Technology was making it possible and affordable for me to shoot my “stories” in this medium with sound and motion. But I was more focused on adding those new dimensions to “the story” rather than on the “tools” itself. Getting into video proved to be a great move, certainly a good business move as society has gravitated more toward the web.
So in my desire to live a life “outside the box”, I’ve come full circle and realize that “decision” has not only been “good” for business – it’s led to a very interesting and rewarding way to live life.
Journeys of a Hybrid 