Lee White » professional photographer

SECRETS OF VIDEO PRODUCTION FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Lee White — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:26:01 +0000

In the last year, the idea of photographers producing video has exploded and photographers are now gearing up to take advantage of this interest. As advertisers and magazines turn to video on the web, cable and mobile devices to get out their message, there are more opportunities than ever for you to do video in tandem with your photography to capture new clients and sell video services to existing clients.

Producing video creates a fundamental change in your workflow, so you need new tools and techniques to take the step from photography to video. You need to learn what the new technologies mean to you from a photographer’s point of view. This is why Lee White has created two events to help guide you into video. The first is a two–hour evening event that will go over the steps you as a photographer need to know to create video productions. The second is a one-day workshop that will go in-depth about each step so you can start producing your own video.

The Thursday evening will include:

Companies showing the latest in video equipment and software for video suitable for photographers getting into video.

A raffle for a copy of Apple’s Final Cut Studio editing software

FREE SOFTWARE: SmartSound will give each attendee a free copy of their Sonicfire Pro 5 software along with free royalty-free music.

A presentation that covers:

- The photographer’s unique position for this new market

- The creative planning stage and new concepts photographers need to think about

- Pre-production considerations when planning a video shoot

- Understanding lighting, filming and sound techniques for video

- Post-production in the photographer’s studio

The Saturday workshop will include:

- How photographers can apply their present skills to video

- The importance of workflow including recording formats

- Estimating and planning combined photography and video productions

- Tools and techniques of video production

- Camera, lighting and grip equipment demonstrations

- Editing demonstrations

For more information on the workshop visit: Video Workshop

LEE WHITE is presently instructing two college classes on HD video production for photographers at Santa Monica College. One is an intensive six-week class for professionals and the other is a sixteen-week class for photography students at the college. Lee has been a professional advertising photographer for more than thirty years. While still a student at Art Center, College of Design, he shot images for movie posters for Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount. Shortly after starting his professional career, he became involved with photomatics for companies such as Mattel plus shooting on set and so began his career-long adventure with narrative imaging. Over a decade ago, Lee started shooting digital video for clients and has experienced video production on all levels from feature films to simple web content.

Los Angeles events:

Thursday, January 14 evening presentation

6pm-9pm

5th and Sunset Studios

12322 Exposition Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 900064

Saturday, January 16 workshop

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Helms Daylight Studio

3221 Hutchin Ave #E,

Los Angeles, CA 90034

For more information on the workshop visit: Video Workshop

Denver events:

Thursday, January 28 evening presentation

6 pm – 9 pm

Saturday, January 30 workshop

10 am – 5 pm

7d, Canon’s Latest Entry in the DSLR Video Race

Lee White — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:11:09 +0000

Canon 7D DSLR camera with HD video of interest to advertising photographers. I’m looking forward to testing the 7d to see how it might work for the videos I do for my clients. Sept. 1, 2009 2:30 A.M. PST breaking news for those thinking about adding video to their photography and just using one camera for both. Just announced in Sweden a few hours ago was Canon’s 7D with expanded video capablities. In light of the Collision Conference that just happened in Los Angeles this last weekend and the stir created by the video REVERIE created on the 5D Mark II, a new addition to Canon’s DSLR line with video is welcome. The 7D is a less expensive camera than the 5D Mark II using a smaller CMOS chip of 22.3mm x 14.9mm rather than the full frame chip of 36mm x 24mm which give the 7D a magnification factor of 1.6x. It is set to be a 18 megapixel still camera using dual Digic 4 image proscessors that also shoots the two HD formats of 1920 x 1080p and 1280 x 720p. The ISO range is 100 to 6400 like the 5D but tops out at 12,800 expanded unlike the 5D’s expanded reaching 25,600. It has continous raw shooting speed is fast at 8 FPS for 15 frames compared to the 5D at just under 4 FPS. The autofocus has 19 points instead of 9 points for the 5D.

For video, the long hoped for 24FPS (23.976) is here along with 25FPS and 30FPS (29.97) in 1080p with 720p being restricted to 50 or 60FPS. The smaller chip means a depth of field much like that of the 35mm motion picture cameras as they both have about the same size image area. The Canon 7D has an interesting choice of 60FPS for the 720p which helps with fast action, crisper freeze frames and smoother slow motion. It will be interesting to follow the testing of this camera to see how it might best fit into a photographer’s workflow. Canon reportly plans on shipping late September. For more details on this camera visit Canon’s website.

Editorial Photo-Seeing the light.

Lee White — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:03:32 +0000

This weekend while walking the dogs down to the beach, I realized I was daydreaming about two advertising photography projects I want to do. Not assignments for an advertising agency, corporate communications or editorial client, but advertising photography projects that I wanted to do for myself. I was thinking about the lighting, casting, wardrobe and propping while I’m sure others this Sunday morning were thinking about where they wanted to go for brunch or the upcoming game. I then thought about a question Ian Summers asked in one of his webinars about whether photography is your calling. Ian questions, “If assignment photography was banned in America, would you continue to make pictures?”

I already have my answer that dovetails in nicely with my last blog post on finding subjects; my answer is of course I would. Recently, I had a very pleasant lunch with some photographers including Anthony Nex, an excellent photographer. While the conversion was engrossing, I couldn’t help but notice a shaft of light that played nicely on the wall across from us in the restaurant. It slowly walked its way along the wall until, as we were leaving, it rested on an abstract painting. I asked Anthony to stand in a spot that would allow the light to play across his face and took the one shot, shown above, with my ever-present Canon G9. No matter how involving the discussion on photography was, it did not detour me from seeing another possible photograph.

It reminded me that not only are there interesting subjects all around but that it is not about the equipment, it’s about the craft. As a professional photographer, for a job, I would have had the necessary equipment to create the light I wanted if it had not been there. In fact, that will be a subject of an upcoming post. But, if photography is your passion, it is about your eye and your craft.