Video DSLR Basics: Shutter Speed

This short but very useful post is a must for anyone thinking of shooting video on their DSLR

Here is an excerpt:

“To understand shutter speed for SLR video, it helps to understand how the shutter works on a traditional motion-picture film camera. In a film camera, the shutter spins at a constant rate. Half the time, it is open, exposing the film, and half the time it is closed, pulling the film into place. The long-standing industry standard is for this to happen 24 times per second…….So, if you want to set your SLR to correspond to cinematic standards, set it to shoot at 24 fps (“24p”), and set your shutter speed as close to 1/48 second as you can. Usually, that means 1/50.” Thanks to Alex Fox for this insight

Canon EOS 5D Mk2

Digital photography tutorial – change shooting angles for better photos

“The shooting angle means, in simple terms, where you stood in order to take the photograph.  For most people, most of the time, they were standing up, looking face-on to their subject when they pressed the shutter button, and why not?  That’s how we saw the scene, and that’s how we want to remember the scene. Nothing wrong with that at all.  In this digital photography tutorial I’ll show you a few alternatives. And give you a gentle workout too!”

I have brought you this short tutorial because I believe that anyone can improve their photography, even at the most basic level, by considering the subject and finding different angles or points of view. Shooting low down or from a high vantage point completely changes the dynamics of an image. You may not know instinctively which angle best suits a particular subject but by practising regulalrly, by exploring different viewpoints, you will build an experience base that helps you to do better, to make more interesting images.