Monday, February 18, 2013
Dreamstate
As you may have gathering from some past posts, I strive to show emotion via motion from time to time. One of my favorite venues is the Northwest Folklife Festival held at Seattle Center each Memorial Day Weekend. In reviewing photos taken during past festivals, I came across the one below which I hadn't examined for sometime. It was taken with my Nikon D300, with a slow shutter speed (1/10 second) to start showing motion, and then a quick zoom of the lens. The woman is a fairly sharp focus, certainly relative to the rest of the photo. The dancers around her are in motion and the large area of darker tones makes her standout even more. A dreamy image. And a bit of serendipity - you need to be prepared to take lots of such photos, experimenting with shutter speed and zoom techniques, and seeing what happens. And occasionally, you hit it right on.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Simplicity
Keep it simple. I've "preached" this before on this blog as I recall. While a complex photograph with many layers of detail CAN work, I personally find that the simpler the photograph, the more dynamic. Simplicity is not always easy to achieve. Our eyes self edit to a large extent, while the camera lens, as we are all too well aware, sees all. Thus composing for simplicity is the art form.
And as we also understand, photograph is about light. Simple light. Dramatic light. Puerto Vallarta. Sunset. One band of a gradation of sunset red, from the mere hint to the final glow before the sun breaks out of the upper cloud layer. And framed top and bottom by deep bands of black. And enough hint of the shoreline dropping from on high to the waters edge. And just a glimpse of the sun bouncing off the water to give context. Simplicity.
And as we also understand, photograph is about light. Simple light. Dramatic light. Puerto Vallarta. Sunset. One band of a gradation of sunset red, from the mere hint to the final glow before the sun breaks out of the upper cloud layer. And framed top and bottom by deep bands of black. And enough hint of the shoreline dropping from on high to the waters edge. And just a glimpse of the sun bouncing off the water to give context. Simplicity.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Video Rule Breaking
OK, I don't usually blog about making videos. I'm still experimenting with this genre, and as part of that experimentation, I've been carefully watching videos to see the visual techniques of "successful" videos (read "popular" videos). And there's no more successful video than music videos on youtube.
In my brief experience making videos, I've tried to keep camera angles simple, not zooming during a clip, and letting the scene make the motion, rather than the camera. This follows all of the "rules" of video. And this really is a good starting point - knowing the rules before you start breaking the rules - a fundamental part of the Composition and Creativity workshop that I offer (next offering begins later this month - hint, hint.). But once comfortable with the rules, then breaking them - and knowing when and how to break them - comes next.
Same with video. With a 13-year old at home, I'm exposed to quite a bit of music video. Check out this popular music video by Taylor Swift, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64. And watch very carefully. Through clever staging, camera work and editing, the 3 1/2 minute video looks like a continuous camera shot. Of course, most of the effect is done in the editing phase, but there's also a carefully laid out storyboard and choreography.
(UPDATE: Well, guess what? The video WAS a a single straight shot - no splicing! All the more amazing. Shot with a Sony digital camera and Leica lens and a very large crew. Check out: http://www.fdtimes.com/2012/09/05/taylor-swifts-we-are-never-ever-getting-back-together/.
When you see a video that you really like (it helps to like the music as well!), watch carefully to see what it is you like about the "cinematography." In video, this is one of your roles, along with producer, writer (storyboard), editor, and sometimes even star!
In my brief experience making videos, I've tried to keep camera angles simple, not zooming during a clip, and letting the scene make the motion, rather than the camera. This follows all of the "rules" of video. And this really is a good starting point - knowing the rules before you start breaking the rules - a fundamental part of the Composition and Creativity workshop that I offer (next offering begins later this month - hint, hint.). But once comfortable with the rules, then breaking them - and knowing when and how to break them - comes next.
Same with video. With a 13-year old at home, I'm exposed to quite a bit of music video. Check out this popular music video by Taylor Swift, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64. And watch very carefully. Through clever staging, camera work and editing, the 3 1/2 minute video looks like a continuous camera shot. Of course, most of the effect is done in the editing phase, but there's also a carefully laid out storyboard and choreography.
(UPDATE: Well, guess what? The video WAS a a single straight shot - no splicing! All the more amazing. Shot with a Sony digital camera and Leica lens and a very large crew. Check out: http://www.fdtimes.com/2012/09/05/taylor-swifts-we-are-never-ever-getting-back-together/.
When you see a video that you really like (it helps to like the music as well!), watch carefully to see what it is you like about the "cinematography." In video, this is one of your roles, along with producer, writer (storyboard), editor, and sometimes even star!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
No Caption Needed
OK, it might not be the best photo I've ever taken - at least I hope not! But every time I run across it in my photo files, I can't help but smile and laugh. The photo was taken at the Portland Saturday Market. Makes you hungry, right? Well, maybe not.
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