Videography

Videography and photography share a foundation — light, composition, optics — but moving images have their own demands around motion, audio, frame rate, and narrative pacing. This section is built for photographers who shoot video or want to start, covering the transition from stills to motion: the gear decisions, the technical differences, and the storytelling skills that make video work compelling rather than just competent.

Casey Neistat Reviews His Favorite Video Camera, Google Glass

YouTuber, Casey Neistat is known for his over-the-top viral videos, his sometimes eccentric working and organizational methods, and countless little DIY studio and life hacks. Rather than working with dedicated cine gear or even DSLR kits, Neistat typically uses $100 point-and-shoot cameras for their compactness, accessibility, cost, and their innocuous appearance.

Look "Through the Ground Glass" in a Short Film About Large Format Photography

Through the Ground Glass is a beautiful short film by Taylor Hawkins that features large-format photographer, Joseph Allen Freeman as he — very candidly — talks about the process, frustrations, difficulties, and joys of shooting with large-format film. Even if this type of photography isn't your cup of tea, this video is worth a watch.

Explore the Magic of Chicago with Eric Hines' Latest Timelapse

Chicago based photographer and timelapser Eric Hines returns with a brilliant follow-up to his acclaimed Cityscape Chicago timelapse released over a year ago with the debut of Cityscape Chicago II. His first timelapse won him a Vimeo Staff Pick along with nearly 1 million views and part 2 surely doesn't disappoint.  

Taking Your Video Viral: Podcast with Fstoppers' Jaron Schneider

Everyone gather around and learn how Lee Morris got our San Franciscan features editor, Jaron Schneider, fired from his previous job. In the latest installment of the TogTools Fstoppers series, Jess and Stephen have an engaging chat with Jaron where we learn the interesting tale of how he got started at Fstoppers.

Photographing the World's Most Dangerous Church

Philip Lee Harvey recently went to Ethiopia for Lonely Planet to photograph the world's most inaccessible church... 2,500 feet up and carved into the side of a mountain. The view from the top? Nothing short of spectacular.

Saturday Night Live's New Look And How They Did It

Alex Buono, member of the SNL's film unit, helped produce one of the coolest title sequences ever using time-lapsing, light writing, freelensing, and other effects. The show is celebrating their 40th season so they wanted this sequence to be classic and iconic, a little dressed-up, and typography integrated into the cityscape.  

Tyler Shields Blows Up His Rolls Royce Silver Shadow... For Art

Photographer Tyler Shields is known to be one of the craziest photographers in the world. Just few months ago we posted about how he fed a $100k purse to an alligator, all in the name of art. That seemed to be a bold move that can take years to recover from (financially).

"GoPro Array" Creates Incredible Action Video In Bullet-Time

When my friend and filmmaker Marc Donahue of Permagrin Films told me about the idea behind his "GoPro Array", I was speechless. Place 20 GoPro Cameras side by side in a slightly curved custom holder, set them all to film in super slow motion, and then use the footage to create a "bullet-time" look at break dancers performing some super cool moves.

The Making Of The Amazing New Gus Van Sant BMW i8 TV Commercials

If you have not heard of BMW's nimble new i8 hybrid supercar, you should look it up now. Even if you aren't into cars, you do have to take a moment to marvel at not only its beautifully-futurisitc aesthetics, but it's equally as impressive performance technology. BMW hired director Gus Van Sant to create a trio of gorgeous ads to help introduce the car to the world.

A Warning to Long Lens Shooters: Heat Wave Distortion

We’ve all seen heat waves rising up from the asphalt of a hot road in the summertime. But did you know that this same effect happens across all types of open area environments? In this informational video, nature and wildlife photographer Steve Perry demonstrates what long lens shooters need to look out for in order to preserve sharpness in their images. 

Watch the Cityscape of Boston Dance Along to Music in this Unconventional Timelapse

Making a timelapse stand out is getting more and more difficult. I love that making them has become much easier and more approachable, but with hundreds being produced every day it can be hard to filter through to find the really great ones. This "layer timelapse" by Julian Tryba goes in a totally different direction than most lapses, ignoring the general perception of time. 

Aerial Video And Night Photography Of The Spectacular "Fly Geyser"

Have you ever seen a photo of a unique place, but could never find exactly where it was located? For years, Justin Majeczky was aware of the existence of the Fly Geyser, but only after research and some smooth talking was he able to locate and document this unique phenomena. 

 

This Aerial Video of a "Typical" San Francisco Morning is Anything But

Toby Harriman, founder of the creative collective Planet Unicorn and good friend of mine, just finished a beautiful aerial video featuring my hometown, San Francisco. In just two, one hour flights, Toby was able to masterfully capture the beautiful pink sunrise and signature San Francisco fog out the door of a helicopter. It reminds me how much I love this city. 

Beyond the Rule of Thirds - A Masterclass in Better Composition

Sure it's easy to put off watching a video that isn't under five minutes long. Sometimes you just have to make an exception, and the weekend is the perfect time to do it. In this video, David Brommer talks about not only the rules of composition, but the theory behind the rules we all know and how they relate to our way of seeing.

Storehouse: The Best Media Sharing App in the World Adds Lightroom Support

Every day, people are taking more and more fantastic photographs. The only problem is that they’re all stuck in the Camera Roll or Lightroom. What if there were an easy — I mean, actually EASY — way to share multiple photos and videos from your shoots along with text in a clean, media-centric, easy-to-view format for your followers to enjoy?

Canon Lenses On The Panasonic GH4, Using The Metabones Speedbooster Adapter

In a recent article by Jaron Schneider about the Metabones Speedbooster on a Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera, several readers had questions about the model designed for the GH4, whether this one would work with it or not, and other comments. I bought one of these a week ago and wrote this article to tell you what works, and what doesn’t. 

Photographers Karl Taylor and Urs Recher Team Up For Broncolor "How To" Videos

In a world filled with videos and tutorials featuring every yahoo with a camera telling us how-to setup, pose, light, and edit, it's hard to know what's just noise and what's worthy of our time. Fortunately, there's experienced instructors like Karl Taylor and Urs Recher who have teamed up to share their techniques in the latest How-To series from Broncolor. 

Jeremy Cowart on Why Your Story is More Important Than Your Pictures

Jeremy Cowart is obviously an incredibly talented photographer. But it's not his skill as a photographer, he says, that gets him the best work - it's his story. In this video from CreativeLive, Jeremy discusses a meeting with an art director at a huge ad agency.

How to Photograph a Glowing Tent under a Starlit Sky

It’s one of those iconic images that makes your camping trip look like an epic experience of a lifetime. In this segment of AdoramaTV’s “Getting the Shot,” Corey Rich takes the mystery out of how to capture your own glowing tent photo. From gear to technique, this video goes over all the basics to have you prepared for your next adventure. 

Is Shooting Film for Photojournalism Still Feasible? Photojournalist Mike Drew Weighs In

Mike Drew is a Calgary-based photojournalist who's worked for the publications such as the Calgary Sun and the Toronto Star since 1978. Recently, Mike was challenged by the guys at TheCameraStoreTV to try and shoot film for a day while working as a photojournalist to see if it was still a viable option for the type of work he does.

Photo Throwdown New York City Part II Released

Here is the exciting conclusion to the New York City Photo Throwdown episode. Just after their REFOCUS last week, Chris Fain and Jennifer Rozenbaum are now going to get down to the nitty gritty and putting their finger to the shutter to shoot street performer Matthew Silver in the Peter Hurley Studios. YOU decide the winner of this episode of Photo Throwdown! 

A Behind the Scenes Look and VFX Breakdown of The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner, a new film by Fox and Dayday Films, is a new film in what seems to be a trending list of young adult dystopian movies to be released recently. In these behind the scenes featurettes we can see a small glimpse at how they filmed the movie and how the special effects were created.  

Latest GoPro HERO4 News - The Best Action Cam Gets Even Better

It seems like everyone and their accountants have known someone who had the inside scoop on the details surrounding the highly anticipated GoPro 4. Every week, Facebook feeds would explode with the latest outlandish rumors,  getting even the most tepid of us excited. Well, these latest rumors may in fact be the real deal.  

Fotodiox Packs Powerful LEDs into Flat, Compact Package

Fotodiox just announced some very flat, very compact AC/battery powered LED edge lights for use in video productions. My experience with Fotodiox LEDs has been relatively positive, with strong power and excellent color consistency. The new lights, called FlapJacks look to be an excellent addition to your lighting arsenal.  

Video Shows Off New Phottix Indra TTL 500ws Battery Strobe

Last week at Photokina, Phottix announced their battery powered TTL strobe the Indra500 to much accolades and this week they released a video on scet with acclaimed Hong Kong Photographer CM Leung and Hong Kong Arnold Classic Winner Brenda Lo.

Seeing The Light - Shane Hurlbut’s Philosophy On Success

What sets you and your work apart? Having a clear idea of this is critical if you want to develop your work but when was the last time you actually thought about it? Shane Hurlbut is a veteran Director of Photography and today shares his thoughts on his career and success. Whether you work with stills or motion, his approach sets him apart and we can all learn from him. 

How A Photographer And Team Of Climbers Lit Up The Matterhorn Mountain

Mountaineering photographer Robert Böesch stood at the ready, next to several cameras as he waited for the right conditions and timing, to capture an unbelievable exposure of the Matterhorn Peak, one of the most notable mountains in the Alps, if not the world.

Short Film Shows Powerful Video Features On An iPhone 6 Plus

Oregon based photographer and filmmaker Ben Canales decided to take his shiny new iPhone 6 Plus to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to create a short film to show off the power of the new pop tart sized phablet. The resulting footage is great, but is Ben in fear of losing some business to iPhone cinematographers?

"To the Ends of the Earth" Canon Nails it Again

After hitting it out of the park a few months ago with the brilliant "Eye-Opening" commercial, Canon Austraila releases another one. "To the Ends of the Earth" features Canon Master Krystle Wright doing what she does best - creating breathtaking action photos in epic places.

Austin Mann Pushes the Limits of the new iPhone 6 Plus Camera for 5 Days in Iceland

Austin Mann recently got hold of the new iPhone 6 Plus after Apple’s Keynote at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California. In partnership with The Verge, he set out on an amazing adventure through Iceland with the phone in tow. His reason? He wanted to put the iPhone 6 Plus camera through the test to see how much has improved since the iPhone 5s. His results?

How This Amazing Film Was Shot Entirely on an iPhone

The old photographers’ saying, “It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer” sounds like a self-serving flattery when it comes out of the mouth of a photographer, yet has never been more accurate than today. Its ironic how, as a professional photographer, I posses the knowledge of manipulating the most sophisticated gear and cameras available, yet when I shoot an image on the iPhone&nb

Photo Throwdown Debuts Their Brand New Reality Photography Show

Photo Throwdown just premiered their first show today, and I can’t be more excited to tell you about it! This is only part one of their two part first episode where photographers Jennifer Rozenbaum and Chris Fain go head to head in New York City. There they receive challenges to try and win so that they can get one up on their competition.

Sony Announces the FS7: A Documentarian's 4K Dream

Sony's answer to many filmmakers' dreams comes in the form of the refined, lightweight, portable, and ever-enabling PXW-FS7. The FS7 offers internal 4K recording at 60fps and 1080p at 180fps, with a single extension unit and external recorder required to shoot 4K RAW footage.