| DSLR & Mirrorless Video for Photographers

Discover the art of DSLR and mirrorless video for photographers, learning essential techniques to elevate your visual storytelling skills and bring your photography to life through motion and sound.

As DSLR and Mirrorless cameras become ever more capable and accessible, visual artists are afforded remarkable opportunities to create in multiple mediums with a single tool. In this class, we explore the fundamentals of motion picture cinematography and storytelling with video. Our starting point for examining this medium will be in its relationship to the still photo. Individuals with a background in photography or visual arts, who are looking to explore a new medium, will find this class particularly relevant.

Our days will include lectures, screenings, demonstrations, and exercises. We will touch upon the areas of filmmaking and still photography that cross over such as composition of shot, exposure, depth of field, and color, and how a still photographer might use their skills in these areas while shooting. Most importantly, we will discuss the distinctions between the two mediums and what you need to know when moving to the video side.

In the latter half of the week, students will use their newfound skill sets to create a short video project under the guidance of the instructor.

We will cover:

The practicalities and possibilities of introducing movement (both of the subject as well as of the camera). We will discuss frame rate and shutter speed as well as techniques and motivations behind various camera moves.

The implications of editing. In all forms of filmmaking, be it documentary, commercial, or narrative fiction, we are always creating scenes. We will discuss “scene coverage” and shooting approaches that will allow us to have the shots we need to edit most effectively.

The immensely powerful tool of sound. We will discuss the basics of audio capture and the many possibilities that sound design affords us in telling stories.

Leave the week with a foundation of new skills, having tasted an exciting and powerful visual medium in which to tell stories.