Videography Tips for Photographers
- A variety of lenses (zoom and prime lenses)
- Lighting equipment (a 3-point lighting kit is great for beginners)
- An external microphone
- Lots of memory cards, batteries, and external hard drives
- A gimbal
- A good video editing software
- 24fps, or 23.98fps as it is sometimes written, is the gold standard in film and gives you that oh so sought after cinematic look that filmmakers crave. Personally, I would recommend shooting the majority of your projects in 24fps.
- 30fps is the standard frame rate for live television, news, sports, and talk shows. It’s a great choice if you are vlogging or making a video podcast. Additionally, it’s a great frame rate to use when flying a drone!
- 60fps is the frame rate closest to human vision, and is usually used when you want to record footage that will later be played back in slow motion. It’s a favorite among wedding photographers who absolutely love using slow-mo!
- 120fps is considered true slow motion, and is terrific for recording establishing shots, high speed sports, and water droplets. Unfortunately, 120fps is only an option on higher end video cameras.
- Establishing shot
- Long shot
- Medium shot
- Medium close-up shot
- Close -up shot
- Extreme close-up shot
- High angle
- Eye level
- Low angle
- Over the shoulder
- Point of view (POV)
- Bird’s-eye view
- Worm’s-eye view
- Pan shots
- Tilt shots
- Dolly shots
- Truck shots
- Pedestal shots
- Roll shots
- Learn the basics of audio recording
- Learn the basics of lighting, especially studio lighting
- Shoot in manual focus
- Keep the camera as still as possible, whether its with a tripod or a gimbal
- Play around with ND filters
- Practice, practice, practice
photo by lisegagne via iStock
Are you a photographer interested in shooting more video, but not quite sure where to start? No matter what type of video content you want to create, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article I’ll share videography tips for beginners, wedding videography tips, drone videography tips, and more.
Keep reading to discover my four top videography tips for photographers, plus a few bonus videography tips for those of you who make it all the way to the end.
Videography Tips: Get Your Hands on The Essential Gear
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One of the most important videography tips for beginners is to put together a kit of essential gear that you will need for shooting video. Having the right equipment helps make the transition from photography to videography much easier, and will instantly improve the quality of your footage.
The most essential piece of gear for videography is a reliable tripod. There are many great tripods specifically designed for video, but if you already have a tripod you use for photography and don’t want to buy a new one just for videography I totally understand. If that’s the case, you should at least invest in a quality “pan and tilt head” or “fluid video head” for your current tripod.
A sturdy tripod is far from the only video specific equipment you need however. Here’s a list of more essential videography gear to include in your kit:
Videography Tips: Learn Frame Rates and What They Mean
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Did you know that video is actually just a compilation of still images played back at speeds that make it look fluid! We measure this in what we call “frame rate” or “frames per second” (fps).
Simply put, frame rate is the amount of still images that make up one second of video. The majority of DSLR and mirrorless cameras give you the option to record in a handful of different frame rates, with the most common ones being 24fps, 30fps, 60fps, and 120fps. Let’s take a look at the differences between them and how to choose which one is best for you.
Learn More:
Videography Tips: Make Sure the Shutter Speed Matches the Frame Rate
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In videography, adjusting the shutter speed does not have the same effect as it does in photography. In video, when you change the shutter speed you are adjusting not only the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor, but the amount of motion blur as well!
If your shutter speed is too high, your footage will look dark and extremely choppy. On the other hand, if your shutter speed is too low, the result will be content that is overexposed and has excessive motion blur.
As a general rule, to get the best results you want to set your shutter speed to double your chosen frame rate. Once set, you don’t have to change the shutter speed unless you change the frame rate or are trying to create a specific artistic look.
Videography Tips: Understand The Different Camera Shots, Angles, and Movements
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Another sublime videography tip is to try and master the art of camera shots, camera angles and camera movements. In order to best tell your story and transmit it to the viewers, knowing the differences between these basic concepts will go a long way!
Camera Shots
All camera shots can be broken down into one of three categories, wide, medium, or close-up. As a rule of thumb, typically the closer you are to the subject, the more dramatic the shot is and the more emotion you are trying to convey. Here is a full list of camera shots, from widest to narrowest:
Camera Angles
Understanding the different camera angles available to use is also an excellent videography tip. Using a variety of camera angles will increase your creativity, change the viewer's perspective, and help better capture the audience's attention. Here are some of the most popular camera angles:
Camera Movements
Now, let’s talk about the different types of camera movements. There are six basic movements that all videographers should have in their back pocket at all times, and mastering them will undoubtedly improve the quality of your work. Without further ado, they are:
Bonus Videography Tips
photo by sturti via iStock
The four videography tips above are a great starting point when transitioning from photography to videography, but they are far from the only ways to improve as a videographer. Check out these awesome bonus videography tips!
