Cinematographers Apply Old Tools With New Tech Judging by this year’s awards-worthy entrants in the cinematography category, the format wars have been settled, and the winner is “all of the above.” SEE MORE: Awards: The ContendersSEE MORE: Standalone Movies with a legitimate shot at trophies originated on everything from Super 16 film to Ultra Panavision 70, an anamorphic film gauge last used in 1966. Cinematographers have always chosen format and lenses according to the opportunities offered by the story and the demands of the shoot. But today’s proliferation of digital formats, combined with the adaptation of lenses old and new, gives d.p.s an unprecedented range of options. Many major directors still see the value of shooting film, and the cinematography world is abuzz with anticipation for Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight,” a Civil War-era Western photographed by three-time Oscar winner Robert Richardson. Roger Deakins, a perennial nominee, may find his 13th outing to be the charm.
20 Things I Wish I Knew About Photographing in Manual Mode » Photography Awesomesauce 1. ISO is an important setting you shouldn’t ignore. It works differently than ISO on an old film camera. 2. 3. 4. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means Photography Awesomesauce receives commission if you make a purchase using affiliate links. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. These tips are not by any means rules to follow. Is there a digital look as a new aesthetic value emerging? Quality in the artistic field or: Technical achievements and their aesthetic consequencesLecture by Rolf Coulanges BVK, translated by Herman Verschuur.at CINEC 2014 / Cine Congress „Creativity in the digital era", Munich 2014 Is there a digital look as a new aesthetic value emerging? I ask myself this question, what recording technique I want to use when I prepare for a new film given thechallenges I am facing in this project.
13 Creative Exercises for Photographers Like the world’s tidal waters, photographic creativity ebbs and flows for many of us. Sometimes creativity can use a jump-start, an artificial method to get the photographer to start looking at the world in a new way in order to facilitate, restart, refine, or improve your photography. There are many ideas on how to get yourself to push through an artistic block or inspire you to further expand your boundaries. Not all of them involve the camera. Several websites and books publish a mix of assignments or exercises for the intrepid photographer. These are my versions of various exercises that have been passed down from one creative generation to another. Exercise 1: Two Dozen Pick a location. The first time I did this, I hit a virtual brick wall after about 12 shots, and that was eye-opening in many ways. Exercise 2: Ten of One Take 10 unique and/or abstract photographs of 1 small subject. The smaller the subject, the more challenging this can be. Exercise 3: Four Corners You get the idea.
Everything You Need to Know (& Even Some Stuff You Don't) About Camera Lenses Many pros will tell you: it's less about the camera you're shooting on and more about the lens. I mean -- that's neither here nor there, but one thing's clear: knowing all you can about lenses, how they're built, their properties, and even their history, will benefit you immensely as a filmmaker. This is something Filmmaker IQ's John P. Hess obviously knows, seeing as he has dedicated two separate videos to diving into the history and mechanics of the camera lens. It's 45 minutes well spent, so check out both videos below: Hopefully after viewing both videos you've come away with a wealth of knowledge about where lenses came from, how they're used today, as well as how they're built to capture the images we wish to record. Hess breaks down everything from focal length, aperture, and the differences between primes and zooms -- and does so in his typical fashion: thoroughly and entertainingly.
Learning about Exposure - The Exposure Triangle A Post By: Darren Rowse Bryan Peterson has written a book titled Understanding Exposure which is a highly recommended read if you’re wanting to venture out of the Auto mode on your digital camera and experiment with it’s manual settings. In it Bryan illustrates the three main elements that need to be considered when playing around with exposure by calling them ‘the exposure triangle’. Each of the three aspects of the triangle relate to light and how it enters and interacts with the camera. The three elements are: ISO – the measure of a digital camera sensor’s sensitivity to lightAperture – the size of the opening in the lens when a picture is takenShutter Speed – the amount of time that the shutter is open It is at the intersection of these three elements that an image’s exposure is worked out. Most importantly – a change in one of the elements will impact the others. 3 Metaphors for understanding the digital photography exposure triangle: The Window Aperture is the size of the window.
5 Different Meanings You Can Evoke with Framing "Framing an image is defining its meaning." This is the concept at the center of Chloe Galibert-Laîné's excellent video essay that examines the way directors of films released in 2015 have chosen to frame their images. It explores the different ways a frame can be used to communicate to an audience, whether it be a political discourse, a visual metaphor, or even the psychological effects of a certain aspect ratio. There is a lot to chew on in this video, but one thing that particularly appeals to me, which I also find important for young filmmakers to know, is the concept of juxtaposition, is when two opposing things are placed near each other to highlight their contrast. This happens in film all the time, and not just with framing. This happens in screenwriting, say, when two characters, who are opposites of each other, are put together, many times with a common goal. This happens in editing, too. She gives an example from Force Majeure.
50 Incredible Photography Techniques and Tutorials Oscar-winning ‘Revenant’ Cinematographer Talks Bear Mauling, Digital Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki has won two Oscars in a row, for “Gravity” and “Birdman,” and he could be in line to win a record-breaking third for “The Revenant.” Shot on the large-format Alexa 65 digital camera, it’s an interesting note in his career, given that his work in digital photography stretches back to Michael Mann’s “Ali” in 2001. Few have been a part of the gradual progression of this technology like he has. How are you feeling? I’m tired! I bet! Alejandro was trying to kill me. You’re going to take a vacation, I hope. I’m leaving to Hawaii for a couple days. Great. Thank you. You should take some longer time off. Oh my God, I wish I could. Well your work on “The Revenant” was storied before anyone even saw it. I can tell you a lot about this shot until you stop me and you find it boring. See More:‘Revenant’ Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki Used Only Natural Light So this scene has all those elements. It’s very complicated. We did a lot of shots digitally. I agree.
Best Nikon Lenses For Food Photography Let’s pick up where we left after the first installment of food photography, shall we? This blog post will cover Nikon lenses that you can successfully use for the purpose of photographing food. Please keep in mind that the information I present below is a personal opinion based on my experience so far, which I do not think is subject to change anytime soon, as I like my set-up very much. I always reach out for prime lenses while photographing food. Helps me visualize the composition I am going for without the equipment (eye composition), which gives me an idea of what I can potentially capture with the camera at a later stage.Forces me to move around by getting closer and further away from what I am photographing and try out different angles.Fast aperture prime lenses allow me to isolate subjects effectively. For more information on prime and zoom lenses, check out Roman’s Prime vs Zoom lenses article. 1) Nikon 50mm f/1.4G 2) Nikon 50mm f/1.8G 3) Nikon 35mm f/1.8G 6) What About the Camera?
Here's Every Type of LEE Diffusion Explained This video helps demonstrate the subtle differences in LEE diffusion materials. Lee Filters became the standard filter company in British television in the 1970's and are now fairly ubiquitous in the film industry. White diffusions like 216 (full white) and 251 (quarter white) are very common, but are only the beginning to the rabbit hole of materials. Don McVey and Kieron Jansch test each piece of diffusion in front of an 800w HMI and a 2K Tungsten light source. Of course, LEE isn't the only company making professional grade diffusion. Rosco has also been making color gels and diffusion for over 30 years. As is explained in the video, the difference between a lot of these diffusion gels can be extremely subtle, but it's important to know the tool that will accomplish your desired effect. [note: I only use paper towels on LED lights] :)