As a photographer how do you take video?

Johnmcl7

Before anyone says it I know there's a video section here but I'm more interested in seeing video from a photographer point of view.  It's something I only ever dip my toe in and not looking to do much more than that but as I was taking some video with my phone today I've been rethinking how I should handle video.

Hence I'm wondering how people here handle it either don't use video at all, do a bit on the side with an existing camera or have a different setup for video.

snerkler

Very very rarely take video and if I do it’s with the iPhone. Any editing is done in iMovie, although I used to use Final Cut Pro several years ago.

newbie1

Using the same cameras and lenses for video and stills.  I started with stills and have added video over the past 4 years or so.  More gear and practice helps, eg gimbal or flycam for dynamic footage, mic and sound recording stuff, continuous lights, and video editing software. Had some success last year too Endless Summer - ZFF 72 Talent Contest

Johnmcl7

Is that using the equipment in your signature?

newbie1

Yes.  5DM4 with clog upgrade is my main video camera.  1DXM2 for slow motion.

GaseousClay

I've been trying some video, using a mix of cheap action camera, iphone and my old canon 600d with Magic Lantern. Haven't created anything meaningful but have got a small library of what might be classed as B-roll content, much of it time-lapse. However I'm concentrating my time on creating motion graphics with Blackmagic's Fusion.

12harry

Johnmcl7 - how to make moves; It probably depends on the target audience.
For example even out-of-focus babies  will satisfy family -but is unlikely to appeal to a large "public" audience.
You already know "Stills" which represent a moment in time . . . they "condense" a complicated event into a slice.
However, movies are more about "Telling a Story" - I guess Time-Lapse allows the viewer to experience something that would be too-slow for them to watch normally. Similarly, the opposite applies to Slow-Mo -where our eyes normally miss the individual movements, which can be quite beautiful for their own sake.

FWIW I think Stills folks tend to wait until the time is right - - - whereas for Video you take what's available and make the magic happen in the Edit. If you have several movie-sources this can help if an event is brief... since you can capture it from different angles ( these might represent the different perspectives of the participants - for example a rider falling off a horse and the medics   Friends  over the next few days/weeks. Does the horse feel guilty when their rider fails to turn up next day?).
Ideally you will create the Script/Storyboard,  as this saves times at each location ( and avoids missing-a-shot that may not "match" if done later ).

Finally; film whatever pleases you.

Cheers.

AMc

[Gone]

12harry

I can see yr point, clearly.... but by making a short-story (film) of the youngster doing something ( the story develops), maybe in the style of a "silent" so you can dispense with all that microphone work... they could do a good deed, or take a letter to a post-box,  or similar... you will create an almost "Timeless" film that your child will be able to show some years later . . . rather than a family at play at the zoo/seaside, which is probably what most family videos are -or worse- being encouraged to do something they don't want to, by an aged grandparent.
If the "Story" can include some footage of the local buildings, library, etc. that has some good historic value. - esp. if they are soon pulled-down!
I'm not sure that they'd want to show any family Stills years later to friends.   


A lot of work needs to go into a decent movie, I agree - but that is (hopefully) reflected in the end-result.

Cheers.

AMc

[Gone]