6 Tips for Photographers Who Want to Try Shooting Video

Photographers, especially wedding photographers, might be tempted to start playing around with video or even offering some video services alongside their still work. This short tutorial will cover some basic tips that will help you navigate the chasm between shooting photos and capturing video.

The video is the latest tutorial from Mango Street Lab, but since Daniel and Rachel aren’t videographers, they enlisted the help of their friends at White in Revery to take over and show you how its done.

You might remember White in Revery from their recent viral elopement video captured entirely on the iPhone 7, but this time around, they’re going to show you how they managed the transition from stills to video using DSLRs. In all, they cover six key pieces of this sometimes-confusing switch:

Frame Rate – 24fps is cinematic, 30fps is like broadcast/TV, and 60fps is good for subtle slow motion. Use each appropriately.
Shutter Speed – A good rule of thumb, make your shutter speed twice your frame rate. So 24fps = 1/48 shutter speed.
Picture Profiles – Keep your picture profile neutral to preserve the most color and dynamic range for grading later.
Focus & Aperture – Don’t go too shallow. Try to shoot between f/2.8 and f/5.6 for most scenarios so your subject isn’t drifting in and out of focus as you (or they) move.
Sequences – Tell a story. Aim for three different perspectives, angles, or focal lengths per scene/shot.
Stabilization – You can use tripods, monopods, or gimbals. Tripods are best for stable shots where your subject is doing the moving, monopods help keep things stable if you have to move, and gimbals will really up your cinematic game… if you can afford one.

And that’s it. They’re not ground-breaking tips or mind-blowing revelations about the art of filmmaking, but the 6 tips do cover 6 of the most common hangups that photographers run into when they switch from capturing photographs to shooting video.

Give the whole video a gander up top, and then check out more tutorials and demos from Mango Street Lab and White in Revery by following those links.