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Here is how to create a cinematic video piece under extreme time pressure

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When Benjamin Von Wong approached me to make a video for him I thought to myself that it would be like any other project. It was not. This one had an added twist; We have to deliver and showcase a full product before we left the location. This meant that we’d have six days of filming, and on the seventh day, we need to present the video of our work at the Nexus Global International Youth Summit.

A project like this sounds impossible on paper. Even more so when I realized that some of the days would be 40-hours long filming days. (That’s right, 40 hours, on your feet, filming). However, with a little a lot of planning and organization, you can succeed in delivering such a challenging product on time, and to the best of your abilities. Here are my top tips for succeeding in delivering a finished two-minutes video after a six-day construction project, with less than 24 hours for editing:

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Here’s how to shoot great video with any camera. Even a toy camera

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If you’re on a tight budget but are overflowing with ideas for making videos, you may feel limited with the gear you have. In this video, Jordy Vandeput of Cinecom.net offers you a helping hand to start shooting with whatever camera you own. He picked up a pink camera designed for kids to prove his point. This video has plenty of tips, gives you a confidence boost, and will amuse you.

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6 useful tips for photographers who want to start filmmaking

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So, you’re into photography, and you’d like to start shooting videos, too. You already know your DSLR or mirrorless camera as a photographer, and it is certainly a good start. But there are plenty of new things to pay attention to, as well as the old ones that you’ll need to do differently. In this video, Mango Street teamed up with White in Revery to give you six important tips if you plan to start filmmaking.

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7 Tips to make your camera’s battery last longer

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With the number of extra gadgets and doohickies built into our cameras these days, battery life is diminishing. Larger sensors, faster processors, more memory, built in WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS all drain our batteries faster than they used to. Keeping spare batteries on you is always a good idea when you’re out with your camera. Even with spare batteries, though, a long day or vacation without electricity can easily drain them all.

So, what can we do? This video from SLR Lounge talks about 7 different ways we can bring our camera’s energy consumption down. For a short day out, or a quick project, most of these probably wouldn’t even occur to us. But some seem surprisingly obvious.

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Focus: Why I choose Servo focus over Single

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Have you ever thought about changing your focus setting on your camera? Or perhaps wanted to delve into more of the reasoning behind why you should (in my opinion) consider it?

First and foremost, what you choose to work in and you feel you work best in is entirely your choice, I’m just putting out there what’s worked for me and WHY I think it works for me.

Like many, when I first started taking pictures I started with the camera on auto, then moved to the A/S/P modes on the dial and lastly ended up at manual.

With each progression I found myself delving more and more into the little things that can help you get ahead of your hardware barriers and software limitations so that the only thing between you and a great picture is yourself and not your gear.

The more I transitioned to shallow apertures in my portraiture work the more and more accurate focus became paramount to nailing my shots. As I shoot handheld 99% of the time it’s important to me that the focus on my camera can keep up with the subtle movements of my breathing, swaying and recomposing.

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10 Essentials Nitty Gritties Every Pro Photographer Should Have On A Photoshoot

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As a pro photographer there are all sorts of little tips & tricks that you learn on the job.

Aside from the basics – camera, lenses, lighting etc.  there are those little secrets of the craft that help you go from amateur to pro.  These are little tricks of the trade that I have picked up from my years as a photographer.  One of the things we photographers are great at is “improvising”  I have seen some of my fellow photographer friends come up with the funniest tools for getting the job done.

10 things never to be without when heading out on a photoshoot.  All of these things can be picked up at your local grocery/hardware store.

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Essential Tips To Improve Your Bird Photography Skills

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Photographing wildlife takes a lot of patience coupled with a decent amount skill, and photographing birds is no exception. If you’ve been thinking about giving bird photography a try, or are just looking for ways to improve your shots, this quick fire video posted on Paulo Carvalho’s YouTube page  is full of tips to help you out. The clip is just under three minutes long and is packed full of useful tips from start to finish. [Read More…]

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