Page 40 - Australian Photography Dec 2020

slow-motion at 50fps then your shutter speed should be set to 100/sec. The challenge with shooting at a set frame rate, shutter speed and ISO for all situa- tions is controlling your light levels. For example, in using these settings in bright light conditions, it is next to impossible to not overexpose your image. You could try closing your aperture right down but that would also affect things such as DOF and sharpness. However, there is a solution. I recommend the use of a variable ND filter. When the ring of a variable ND filter is turned it can reduce the light entering the lens from one stop, up to 10 stops, depending on the filter. This will allow you to select your desired aperture, but also to precisely control your exposure at the same time.
WHITE BALANCE Because you are not shooting in a RAW format, it is important to get your white balance correct in camera. You can do this by selecting a preset, setting it manually or in some situations you may like to use automatic mode. When I am shooting in sunlight, I use the outdoor preset (5600K) and when inside under halogen lights I use the indoor preset (3200K). I will manually set the white balance using a white card if there are mixed light sources.
FOCUS The camera system you use will determine whether you decide to use autofocus or not. Personally, I never (ever!) rely on autofocus for video when I’m using a DSLM camera. In my opinion, there are too
many variables that can ruin your shot. Things such as focus breathing of a lens, focus pulsing and, let’s be honest, sometimes your camera will just choose to fo- cus on the passing dog in the background rather than your subject. Fortunately, there are many tools that can help you with manual focusing in modern cameras. Focus peaking is one. It highlights all the elements of your frame that are in sharp focus, with the colour
5of your choice. My camera also has the feature to zoom in to the frame to help you nail critical focus.
SHOOTING VIDEO: HOW TO GET STARTED
ABOVE: A combination of music, filmmaking and creativity sees me in my happy place. It also helps when you work with a great crew in cool locations such as the Sydney Props studio in Marrickville.
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AUDIO
If you are new to video, then chances are you are new to recording audio, too. For photographers, this is a new element that will help you tell your story. All cam- eras come standard with a built-in mi- crophone, but most of these are useless for anything other than reference audio. There is some good news, though – great audio does not need to come at great expense. RODE is an Australian
company that makes amazing microphones, with a modest price tag. A good starting point would be a shotgun microphone, such as the RODE VideoMic Pro. This type of microphone will give you a more tar- geted audio capture, with less ambient sound, and is good for general audio capture and close-up interviews.
© SARAH J. MORGANS