The Difference Between Commercial and Editorial Style Work

As a filmmaker or photographer, if you’re working with different kinds of clients and talent, it’s important to understand the difference between commercial and editorial style work. You want to know the difference so that you can approach each kind of project differently in ways that are appropriate for the work.

Editorial

• Background

  In editorial style film and photography work, the projects are usually much more about the experience and the authenticity of the events you’re shooting. The goal with this kind of work is to capture an event, place, or adventure accurately and creatively, to display your subject in an honest and new way.

  Even if you’re working with a business, you could still be working on more editorial style work if the focus is on authenticity and capturing what’s happening.

• Tips

  For these kinds of projects it’s especially important to do your research ahead of time to know what aspects of your subject you want to capture. This way you can make sure to get yourself in the right position, at the right time to photograph or film what’s happening.

  If you’re shooting a live event for example, it’s important to know the layout of the space, the schedule of performers or activities, and what key moments you should be in place to capture. In addition to all this preparation, for these kinds of shoots you should also be constantly ready to adapt and reposition yourself to capture something unexpected.

  You’re not going to be able to capture every moment, but you want to coordinate with your team and your client so that you can capture the most important moments to be able to craft a compelling project and story.

Commercial

• Background

  Commercial work is more focused on crafting specific kinds of images for a client, business, or brand. In commercial work, you want to communicate with the business you’re working with and know exactly what story they’re looking to tell and craft for their image.

  
  The important part of commercial work is connecting to the company’s brand identity and personality. You’re working with the client to construct the narrative that will work best. In a sense, it’s like you're creating video or photos that are “based on a true story”, as opposed to documenting things as they happen.

  You still want to stay true to the company and the people involved, but the whole team has more control over crafting the creative vision and adjusting events as they happen.

• Tips

  Similar to editorial work, you still want to do your research when working on commercial style work. Instead of researching the event, subject, or activity, you instead want to focus on researching the business you’re working with, the style of campaign/project you’re discussing, and what similar kinds of work have been done before.

  In commercial style work you want to determine how you can best convey the business’ image with the video or photo project you’re working on. You should work with your creative team, and the business, to plan a project shoot that will fit with their brand.

  
  On the days of your shoot, you still need to be ready to adapt, like with editorial work, but in different ways. On a commercial shoot, don’t be afraid to manipulate the situation to create a better product. If you’re filming a promotional video for a coffee shop for example, and you’re shooting one of the barista’s pouring a cup of coffee, ask them to pour it in different ways, do multiple takes, and reposition them until you get the shot you want.

In the growing digital age we live in, images, both still and moving, are more and more important for all kinds of work. Whether you’re working on editorial, commercial, or other styles of work, just remember to communicate with your clients about what visions they have so you can work together to make engaging projects that are appropriate for each situation.

At Windwood, we make all different kinds of work and do our best to tailor our style to match the visions of our clients. If you want examples of the kinds of work we’ve done, check out our work here. If you want help with your own project, you can contact us here.

How to Get Your Drone License

One growing part of the video production world is drone photography and videography. Whether you want to fly a drone for recreation, or for commercial purposes, it’s required that you register your drone. Additionally if you plan on flying commercially, you also need to get a drone pilot license.

The registration and licensing processes are listed out on the Federal Aviation Association website (FAA), but it can be confusing if you’re new to the process. However, we made a simplified guide to help you out.

Before you get started, there are some general restrictions that the (FAA) has put in place in order to be a registered drone pilot. 

• Pilot Restrictions

• Must be 16 years or older

• Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English

• Be in a physical and mental condition to safely fly a drone

• Pass the initial aeronautical knowledge exam

If you meet the first three requirements, then you can proceed to the actual licensing process. 

• Step 1: Register

The first step is just to register, and create a profile with the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application. This will enable you to get an FAA tracking number as well. You need to do this so that you can register for an exam to get your drone license.

• Step 2: Schedule an Exam

Once you’re all registered and you have an FAA tracking number, you can sign up for a time to take the exam at your nearest exam center. You can check out the website here to find a testing center close to you, and register for an exam time. Make sure you sign up for the “Unmanned Aircraft General” (UAG) exam. Also make sure you bring a government-issued photo ID with you to the exam.

• Step 3: Study for and Pass the Exam

The next step is to prepare for the exam. There are lots of online courses and study guides to help you out. There are free options like the official FAA study guide pdf, and paid courses (both books and videos) that you can find online. There are lots of free options out there, so we recommend finding the best cost free option for you (whether that’s the FAA pdf, or a course on YouTube).

• Step 4: Send a Certificate Request

Once you’ve passed your exam, now you need to send a request form to get your actual pilot certificate. You’re going to go back to the IACRA website where you first created your account, and create a new application for a “remote pilot”. You’re going to need to fill out a 17-digit confirmation number from your test results, so you’ll need to wait to register until that number appears in your IACRA account. 

• Step 5: Wait for Confirmation

After you request your pilot certificate, the TSA will conduct a security background check. You should get a confirmation email when that check is complete. That confirmation email will also send you a temporary pilot certificate that you can use to start flying your drone. Then in anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months, you should receive your physical pilot certificate in the mail.

• Step 7: Register Your Drone

Before you finally get to flying your drone, you also want to make sure you register your drone. Head to the FAA website here to register your drone so you can finally start flying!

• Step 8: Fly Your Drone

Now that you have your pilot certificate and you’ve registered your drone, now you can go out and actually fly it! Remember to look up drone regulations wherever you’re going to be flying, so you know what additional permits you might need to fly in certain areas. Also remember to bring your pilot certificate with you when you fly. When you first get started, go to a big open space where you can practice flying and get used to different maneuvers. Then once you’re comfortable you can try flying in tighter spaces so that you’re ready for anything on your video or photo shoots.

While this process might seem daunting at first, it’s important to be an informed and aware drone pilot. This registration and testing process will hopefully give you the knowledge you need to be able to go out and fly your drone safely in any appropriate situation. Take it step by step, and before you know it you’ll be getting beautiful footage from the sky!

If you want help with your own project, or want a drone photographer or videographer, check out our own drone work and contact us about your project!

Camera Stabilization: Tripods, monopods, gimbals, and more

Whether you’re looking to place your camera on a stationary object like a tripod, or you’re looking to capture lot’s of dynamic movement with a stabilizer, there are things you should know to get the best quality out of your camera equipment.

Each piece of equipment is a specialized tool designed for specific jobs. This means you want to know how to approach using each tool, so that you can pick the right ones for your next video shoot.

• Tripod

  First up is the tripod. Arguably one of the “simplest” of camera tools, the tripod has three legs with adjustable heights that allows you to secure your camera at a fixed height and location. While it’s easy enough to just set your camera on a tripod and hit record, you can get more out of using your tripod if you plan ahead.

  Before you start filming you should ask yourself why you’re filming with a tripod and what that will add to your scene. Maybe you’re filming a talking head interview and you want a static, well composed shot of your interview subject. In that case you want to place your tripod at a height where your camera will be right around eye level. This will put your viewer level with your subject, making it easier to relate to them. Additionally you can use your tripod for low, or high angle shots for different emotional effects.

  Tripods are also good tools for slow pans or tilts. Most tripods allow you to loosen or tighten different joints for smooth movement. Higher quality tripods also add measures of drag or resistance so you can adjust how easy it is to pan or tilt the camera to get the smoothest motions. Before you start filming though, we recommend practicing with your tripod and finding what adjustments you need to make so that you are most comfortable once you actually start shooting.

• Monopod

  Monopods, while typically more for photography than videography, can still be a useful tool. Generally monopods are great for stationary shots when you want to have a little more movement to give a feeling of the camera being handheld. Monopods are also very light and mobile, so they are a great tool for any long shoot where you need to be able to be very mobile. This might be the right tool if you’re shooting a live event like a concert or a wedding and want some additional stabilization to your shots while constantly moving to different locations.

• Slider

  Now moving to tools that can give you more dynamic movement, we have the slider. Sliders are tracks that allow you to slide your camera in one of two directions. There are manual sliders which mean you move the camera yourself, and automatic sliders, where you set a beginning and end point and the camera moves on its own. Sliders are great for studio shoot situations where you’ll be in the same place for a long period of time. In order to use a slider you usually need two tripods to prop up either side of the slider. This means it can take a while to get everything set up.

  Once you’re all set up, sliders are ideal for adding slow dramatic movement to a scene. If you’re shooting a product video, you can have one continuous shot that moves from one side of a product to another. If you’re filming an interview, you can add a slow moving parallax shot where you keep your subject in the same part of the frame while the background seemingly moves behind them. All of these options will transform your shot from being static and simple, to dynamic and more engaging.

• Glidecam

  The next tool is the glidecam. Glidecams are weighted, mobile camera stabilizers that allow you to get smoother footage while moving with the camera. Glidecams are a great non-motorized camera stabilizer for mobile shots.

  If you’re looking to film things with a lot of action like dancing or sports, or you just want to add more motion to something a little more static like a live concert, then a glidecam is a great option. While all camera equipment takes time to master, glidecams in particular require a lot of practice, trial, and error. It takes a while to get used to balancing the camera and keeping your subjects in frame while you’re moving. If you do invest in a glidecam, spend a lot of time practicing with it until you’re comfortable and confident using it on important shoots.

• Motorized Gimbal

  A similar option to the glidecam is a motorized gimbal. Motorized gimbals give you a similar kind of mobile stabilization, while also giving you more options with the ability to move your camera electronically. There are advantages and disadvantages to manual gimbals and motorized gimbals. Generally manual stabilizers are slightly better at creating smooth, natural feeling motion, while motorized gimbals give you more flexibility in ways that you can move your camera creatively (like performing a 360 degree camera roll).

When you’re picking new equipment to buy or film with, consider what things you’ll be filming and what tool will best suit you for those situations. If you’re looking to film weddings where you’ll be moving around a lot and need to work quickly, you might want a glidecam, motorized gimbal, or monopod. If you’re filming product videos and studio interviews, maybe you want a tripod, or a slider (which means you need two tripods).

After you have your equipment, go out and practice shooting. Get used to your new equipment so that you’re better prepared for your important projects. If you want examples of our own work, we use a combination of these tools in lots of our videos. Additionally you can contact us for help with your own project.

Working with Shadows: Outdoor Photography Part 2

If you’re a photographer, chances are you’re going to occasionally shoot in natural light. Some people love working in natural light, while others are frustrated by it. The trouble is, you don’t have full control so it’s difficult to make sure your subject is well lit. Despite these difficulties, outdoor and natural light photography can be really rewarding.

If you struggle with natural lighting, or are just looking for additional tips, here are some strategies you can use on your next shoot.

• Positioning your subject

  If you’re working with natural light, it means you’re working with the sun. If you’re photographing people (or any smaller subject that you can move around) one of the simplest things you can do to adjust your lighting, is to reposition your subject.

  Depending on what kind of effect you’re looking for, you can position the sun in front of or behind your subject. You want to use the sun to your advantage as much as possible. This means that sometimes the best way to add more light to your photo is just to move to a different spot for your photo.

• Additional lighting

  If repositioning yourself or your subject isn’t much of an option, we recommend bringing additional lighting with you for your outdoor shoots. If you’re working in a small space the whole day, you might be able to bring studio quality lighting. However, if you’re on the move, bring small supplemental lighting.

  There are all kinds of products like Lumecubes and strobe lights which can help you add light to your shots. Worst comes to worst you can also resort to using headlamps or flashlights with the right color temperatures to fill out the lighting on your subject. 

  If you’re working on portrait photography, we would also recommend bringing a reflector. Sometimes the most effective way to get more light on your subject is to bounce sunlight the direction you need it to go.

• Equipment

  Another strategy for working with natural light is working with different kinds of cameras and camera lenses. Depending on the situation you might need lenses that are better suited for low lighting, like wider prime (fixed) lenses with low aperture capabilities.

  Ideally you want to shoot the best possible image in camera so that you have more to work with once you get to the editing room. This means we would recommend shooting raw files as often as you can, and working with your exposure and focus settings to get the best image possible.

• Postproduction

  You should deal with most or all of your lighting problems while you’re actually on location shooting, but you can make minor adjustments in post production. If you’re shooting on an especially bright sunny day for example, we would recommend slightly underexposing your image. You can always bump up the exposure in post, but you don’t want to blow out your images if you overexpose them in camera.

  Additionally, if you come back from a shoot and you need to boost some of the shadows on someone’s face in a few photos, you can work with highlight and shadow masks to make minor adjustments on your photos. This should allow you to bring out highlights on their face (particularly their eyes) to bring viewers attention to your subject. Remember though, that you should focus on all major decisions and issues in camera while you’re shooting, and simply use the post production process as a way to refine what you already have.

Hopefully by supplementing bits of all these strategies you can adjust to taking photos with natural light and enjoy the process! We work with natural light all the time, so if you want some fun examples, check out our photography page. Additionally if you need help with your photo shoot, contact us here.

Working With the Sun: Outdoor Photography Part 1

If you’re a photographer or videographer, there are plenty of times when you need to shoot outside in natural lighting, especially if you’re shooting events and working with musicians, athletes, or other artists. If you’re used to working in a studio, or just growing as a photographer, it can be daunting to shoot outside. It’s frustrating to not have full control over the lighting, but we have some tips to help you adapt to using natural light.

• Time of Day

One key part of outdoor photography and videography is knowing the best times of day to shoot and film. As a general rule, you want to work early in the morning close to sunrise, or in the evening close to sunset. At these times of day, the sun is low on the horizon, meaning the light is usually soft and more flattering for portraits.

Sadly though, these times of day are short, and it’s nearly impossible to fit in a full video or photo shoot during “golden hour” either in the morning or the evening. If you can, plan to get to your location early (no matter what time of day you’re scheduled for) so that you can scout out your favorite positions before the lighting is right.

• Using the Sun

Whether you can control what time of day you’re filming or not, you can always use natural lighting to your advantage in different ways. The important thing is that you consciously choose how you and your subject are positioned in relation to the sun. If you want your subject to be well lit, make sure you position the sun behind you and your subject in front of you. If you want dramatic silhouettes, position your subject between you and the sun.

Alternatively, if you’re able to take advantage of the weather, you can shoot on cloudy days for soft, dispersed light. If it’s Winter, you can shoot close to the ground to get light reflecting up off the snow. Alternatively, if it’s raining you can shoot dramatic urban night shots with all the street lights reflecting off the puddles in the street. The important thing is to go out and experiment so that you know what works well for you in different conditions.

With these steps in mind, just remember to have fun with it and experiment with different ideas. Even if you’re shooting in the middle of the day with unflattering overhead sunlight, you could position your subject in the shade of a tree, or try different dramatic angles to work around the problem. Obviously you should plan ahead to try and get the best conditions, but there are also plenty of creative solutions for all kinds of lighting.

If you want to see some of our own photos, check out our photography page. Alternatively reach out to us for help with your own project or photoshoot.

Setting Up a Quality Studio Backdrop

If you’re working in film production, studio work can be just as valuable as location work. When you’re on location, it’s often important to adapt and find the best lighting and angles. However if you’re working in the studio, it’s crucial that you craft a quality studio backdrop and lighting setup to make the most out of the space you have. If you’re looking to set up for a studio photo shoot, talking head interview, filmed podcast, or product shoot, here are some strategies to boost your own setup!

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Backdrop

• Green screen

One useful tool to have for any studio shoot is a green screen. If you need a backdrop that you don’t have, or something other than a solid color, a green screen is a great way to add a more interesting backdrop to whatever you’re shooting. If you do decide to use a green screen, the key is simplicity. Stick to soft focus backgrounds with lighting that matches well with your own studio lighting. The better you can match the theme and lighting of your added background with your original image, the more cohesive the final image will look.

• Textures

Another way to boost your work in a studio is to use visual textures. Tile, wood grain, brick, and even water are all useful textures that will help draw your viewers into the environment you’re crafting. If you add texture to an image you give your viewer something familiar to connect with. When choosing textures, think about the themes and subjects of your video/photo shoot, and choose textures that fit appropriately with those themes.

• Props/Background Elements

Once you’ve settled on a backdrop, another way to add to your background is to add objects to your space. Think about who/what your subject is going to be, and if there are objects that could help compliment that subject. If your subject is some sort of food or drink with a specific flavor, you can add the fruits, vegetables, etc. that make up that flavor to the backdrop.

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Lighting

• Lighting Setups

One crucial aspect of studio work is using lighting to make your subject look more flattering. There are all kinds of lighting setups, most of which can be created using 3 main light sources. If you want to learn more about 3 point lighting, check out our blog on the basics of studio lighting.

• Light Shapes

In addition to setting up lights in different orientations to make your subject pop, you can also use different kinds of lights for different visual effects. There are tube lights, ring lights, bulbs, etc. Often times, you can use these different lights to heighten the quality of something. Tube lights for example can reflect off of tall slender subjects and heighten the effect of how tall they look. Meanwhile ring lights can bring your viewer’s focus to a subject’s eyes by creating a distinct catchlight. If you can afford to buy different lights, try out different shapes and styles and find what works best for your particular studio shoot.

• Color Temperatures

Another way you can manipulate light is with color temperature. LED’s often allow you to adjust your color temperature to different levels of orange and blue light, and there are also gels you can put over your lights and add different colors to your images. Changing the color temperature of your lights can add a particular visual style. If you want a sad, moody look, you can add more blue light to your subject. Alternatively if you want a sunny, summer feel, you can add more orange light to your image. Consider what feelings you want to convey, and then use the colors you think will best convey those emotions while complimenting your subject.

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These general tips should help you get started with different backdrop and lighting setups. Your background and lighting are “make or break” factors in creating engaging studio images, so take your time and focus on different elements of your image as you set up your studio.

For examples of our own studio work, check out the studio page on our website. Additionally you can contact us for help on your own project!

Camera Settings Part 3: Shutter Speed

As we’ve said for every blog in this series, a key part to working in videography or photography is knowing your camera. Obviously there is a lot that goes into visual art, and it’s important to pay attention to framing and subject matter, but before you start focusing on what to shoot with your camera, you want to know how to shoot with your camera.

The third step we want to cover is shutter speed.

• Definition:

The shutter speed of a camera is how long your camera’s sensor is exposed to light from your surroundings. Camera’s have blinds, or “shutters” that block the light from going into the camera sensor. When you go to take a picture or a video, your camera’s shutter will open to let in light and capture that image. The shutter speed of a camera is how long that shutter is open. This is one of the three main settings for determining your camera’s exposure (the first two being aperture and ISO). 

• Effects:

Since the shutter speed determines how long your camera sensor is open and exposed to light, the longer the shutter speed, the brighter your image will be. Alternatively shorter shutter speeds will make your image darker. The shutter speed also has an additional effect on your image, which is motion blur.

Whether you’re taking a photo or shooting video, lower frame rates mean that your camera sensor is open for longer, capturing more of the motion from an object, blurring the exact position of that object. If you’re taking photos of a bird with a slow shutter speed for example, the bird will look blurry because of all of the motion that was captured for one single image. On the other end, fast shutter speeds allow you to “freeze” motion by capturing crisper images of fast moving objects.

• Camera Settings:

In your camera, your shutter speed should be labeled appropriately, followed by a number (usually a fraction). Shutter speeds are measured in seconds, but more often fractions of a second. This means a slow shutter speed of ¼ would be 0.25 seconds, while a fast shutter speed of 1/1000 would be 0.001 seconds. Shutter speeds range anywhere from multiple seconds, to multiple thousandths of a second.

• Using Shutter Speed:

1. Photography: In photography you want to pick a shutter speed that balances the proper exposure of your image while allowing you to capture the speed of your subject. If you’re taking still life photos or landscapes, you can generally stick to slower shutter speeds. However if you’re taking photos of athletes or moving animals, chances are you’ll need a high frame rate. Additionally, if you’re working hand held, you usually don’t want to drop your shutter speed below 1/40th of a second to avoid blurring your image

2. Videography: In video you need to balance your shutter speed with your frame rate. Since video is essentially just a series of photos played one after the other, your frame rate (fps) determines how many frames/photos are taken each second. Your shutter speed works in combination with your frame rate to determine the look of your video. To capture seemingly “natural” motion, shoot at a shutter speed double your frame rate. This means if you’re shooting at 24fps, then your shutter speed should be roughly 1/48, or 1/50. No matter what, don’t choose a shutter speed slower than your frame rate, because it will distort your video.

Now that you know what your camera’s shutter speed is and how it works, go test it out. Try filming the same actions or subjects with different shutter speeds to see how it affects your image. This way you can develop your own personal style.

If you want additional help working with your camera, you can check out the rest of our blogs here, or you can contact us about help with your own project!

Camera Settings Part 2: ISO

As we mentioned in part one of this blog, a key part to working in videography or photography is knowing your camera. Obviously there is a lot that goes into visual art and it’s important to pay attention to framing and subject matter, but before you start focusing on what to shoot with your camera, you want to know how to shoot with your camera.

The second step we want to cover is ISO (click here to read Part 1: Aperture)

• Definition:

The ISO setting for your camera, is a measure of how sensitive your camera sensor is to light. Originally, back before digital cameras, the iso was a measure of how sensitive the type of film you were buying was to light. Now though with digital photography and videography, you can adjust your camera’s iso as you work.

• Effects:

You can keep your ISO low for bright outdoor shots

The ISO setting on a camera has two main effects. Since the ISO is a measure of how sensitive your camera sensor is to light, the higher the ISO number, the brighter your image will get. Additionally, by increasing this sensitivity, you also add more grain or “noise” to your image. Alternatively, the lower your ISO is, the darker your image will be, and the finer the grain is, meaning there is less “noise” in your image.

One additional factor to ISO, is that as cameras are improving camera companies have been able to improve camera sensor qualities, meaning that higher ISO numbers will still be able to produce clean looking images with less grain/digital “noise”.

• Camera Settings:

On your camera, the ISO setting should be straight forward, listed directly as ISO. You can set your ISO generally anywhere between 100 on the low end, and 6400 on the high end. Newer cameras today though have ISO ranges that can go above and below these standards. An ISO of 100 will give you a darker image with little to no grain, while an ISO of 6400 will give you a brighter image with some digital grain (exactly how much depends on the quality of your camera sensor).

• Using ISO:

Unless you’re going for a specific “grainy” look to your image, we recommend using the lowest ISO possible for whatever situation you’re shooting. If you’re working outside on a sunny day, this means you could go as low as 100 for your ISO and still have plenty of light to produce a quality image. If you’re indoors, or shooting at night, you might need to boost your ISO to get a bright enough image.

It’s also important to know how your particular camera performs at different ISO levels. Since some camera sensors are better than others, and particular cameras have cropped sensors, some cameras will perform better at higher ISOs than others.

In a dark room like the photo above, you might have to boost your ISO to brighten your image.

Now that you know what your camera’s ISO is and how it works, go test it out. Get your camera, and figure out how to change your ISO. Then go experiment and take photos and videos. Try filming the same actions or subjects the same way but with different ISO settings to see how it affects your image, and to see when the grain in your image becomes too distracting.

If you want additional help working with your camera, you can check out the rest of our blogs here, or you can contact us about help with your own project!

Camera Settings Part 1: Aperture

A key part to working in videography or photography is knowing your camera. Obviously there is a lot that goes into it, and it’s also important to pay attention to framing and subject matter, but before you start focusing on what to shoot with your camera, you want to know how to shoot with your camera.

The first step we want to cover is aperture.

• Definition:

Your camera or lens’ aperture, is the opening in your lens that lets in light when you trigger the shutter. Essentially your aperture is how big or small the opening is that lets in light to your camera to craft your image.

• Effects:

Depending on how big the opening or aperture of your camera lens is, it will affect how much light is able to enter into the lens while the hole is open, and it also affects which directions of moving light are captured.

If the aperture is really big, then the camera will capture a lot of light, moving in lots of different directions, meaning only some of that light will be directed right at the camera. This means that your image will be brighter, and that only a small amount of the image will be in focus (which is called a shallow depth of field). The reason you will have a shallow depth of field is that only the light that was directed at a specific angle into the lens will be in focus, while the rest of the light captured moving in different directions won’t be in focus.

If the aperture is really small, then your camera will capture less light, but all moving in a similar direction. This means your image will be darker, and most of the image will be in focus (which is called a wide depth of field). Since the opening is smaller, only the light that is directed right into the camera will be captured, which is what creates that wide depth of field.

An example of a shallow depth of field (bigger aperture)

• Camera Settings: 

Now that you know what aperture is and what effects it has on your resulting image, it’s time to learn how to adjust that in your camera. Most cameras, analog and digital, allow you to change the aperture by adjusting the F-stop setting of your camera. The F-stop is a ratio of the camera’s focal length to the diameter of the entrance. This can be confusing, but what this means is that a high F-stop is a small aperture, while a low F-stop is a large aperture. Most apertures range from anywhere as low as F1.4 to about F22. The smaller the F-stop, the wider the aperture or opening of your camera lens.

• Using Aperture:

Camera settings are all about finding a balance in order to achieve a look that you like. There are no specific right answers on how to use aperture, but changing it will affect your image. As a general guide, to determine your aperture or F-stop, think about how much of your frame you want in focus. If you’re taking photos of beautiful open landscapes, you probably want a small aperture (or high F-stop) in order to see all of that landscape. If you’re shooting a specific subject like a person, and you want a shallow depth of field to soften the edges around them and direct your focus to their face, then you want to set a wide aperture (or a low F-stop).

An example of a wider depth of field (smaller aperture)

Now that you know what your camera’s aperture is and how it works, go test it out. Get your camera, and figure out how to change your aperture. Then go experiment and take photos and videos. Try filming the same actions or subjects the same way but with different aperture settings to see how it affects your image.

If you want additional help working with your camera, you can check out the rest of our blogs here, or you can contact us about help with your own project!

Studio Lighting: Tips for Lighting Up Your Subject

A crucial aspect of visual work, photography or videography, is getting the right lighting on your subject. Especially if you’re working in a studio, you should have full control over the look of your subject, because lighting can make a huge difference in transitioning your photos or footage from looking amateur, to looking professional.

However with lighting, like any creative endeavor, there is not one correct answer, but a number of effective ways to approach different situations. To get started, here is a list of some basic lighting tips and styles.

• Basics

Before we talk about any specific lighting style, we should talk about typical 3-point lighting. A good start to any studio lighting setup, is having three main sources of light set up around your subject. Each of these 3 lights serves a different role, but together they should help you construct a more dynamic image.

The first and main light is called the key light. The key light usually lights up the front of your subject, and brightens that subject to help them stand out from the background. This is usually your main light source. Your second light is the fill light. Since your key light often creates shadows across your subject’s face, you use the fill light to supplement some of those shadows so you can see more of their face. Third, we have the back light. The back light is usually used to light up your subject from behind and add a little more depth to your image. Often the back light creates a subtle “halo” of light on the edges of your subject, separating them from their surroundings. When you use all these lights together you can create a number of engaging visual looks.

• Soft Light

One basic lighting style is “soft” lighting. Soft lighting means that there is a lot of light, evenly spread out across a subject, and usually their surroundings. A good natural example of soft lighting would be a cloudy day, or a bright sunlit room. To achieve soft lighting, you usually want your key light just above your camera, or slightly off to the side. Your fill light should even out all the shadows, and create an even brightness on the whole subject. In this scenario you can use your back light to subtly add depth to your subject, or you can use it to light the background. This lighting style is great for light hearted, or happy material like weddings, senior portraits, or client testimonials.

• Hard Light

In contrast to soft light, there is hard light. Hard light is when you add shadows to your subject to convey depth and drama. To achieve hard lighting, move your key light off to one side of the camera and higher up, so that the light comes down across your subject’s face. If you move the light too high, you’ll create a shadow over their eyes, but if you move it too low you’ll light up the bottom of their chin, nose, and eyebrows. This means it’s important to find the right height. Next, you want to either dim, diffuse, or turn off your key light so that the shadows are prominent. The shadows don’t need to be pitch black, but you want significant contrast between your highlights and shadows. For your back light you want to light up one side of your subject’s back, either to match the lighting from the front, or contrast it. Hard light is great for dramatic scenes or for a more “cinematic” look to your images.

• Split Lighting

The next technique is split lighting. For split lighting you can remove your fill light entirely, and shift your key light so that it is 90 degrees from your subject’s face, lighting up only half of their face. This creates a really dramatic shadow, splitting their face into half light, and half dark. This lighting technique is useful for intense moments, or when you want to convey a character’s decision between two choices.

There are lots of different variations of these lighting techniques, along with many more styles that you can try, but this is a basic guide to get you started. Check out some of our own video and photo work to see how we light our projects. Additionally you can contact us for help with your own project.