250928 - Trial & Error

28 Sept

Remember what I said in my last blog? Practice the 5 P’s: Practice Parts Promotes Perfect Performance.

Side-Eye Saturday again at The Cube Gym and I wanted to trial “Shutter Drag”; a video process by which you slow the shutter down to a point that the subject looks blurry. It’s a creative look that when done well, can look eye catching. I use this on every Architectural Photography shoot I do; but it’s less complicated when taking photos. Example:

All of the above photos were shot for Hunter Mason and can be viewed in my Interior Architecture portfolio.

To produce smooth looking video, the 180 degree shutter rule is used to create realistic and cinematic motion (see last blog post for more details). Therefore, if shooting 25p & 1/50 fps, to create “shutter drag” you have to decrease your shutter speed. How much? That depends on how bright it is and the amount of blue you want. Hence, the trial and error.

Here’s another factor… a slower shutter speed means more light will get into the sensor, therefore over-exposing your footage. Introducing ND (Neutral Density) Filters. This is a filter you put on your lens to reduce the amount of light coming into the sensor. How do you know which filter to use? Trial and error. The other (easier) way is to use a Variable ND Filter which you can adjust to reduce or increase the amount of light coming through the lens. I used a 1-5 Stop VND which allowed me to reduce up to 5 Stops of light coming through the lens. In basic terms, it allow me to get the correct exposure when shooting at a slower shutter speed (because the shutter is open for longer, it lets more light in).

Have I lost you talking photography jargon? Go back to Blog #1 where I said this is an outlet for me to talk photography. Sorry, not sorry!

Long story short; it works, it looks cool and I included it in the following Reel. I messed a few up, but that’s all part of the process and why I’m doing this. I’m also juggling between shooting photo, video, slo-mo and now adding shutter drag into the mix. All things considered, I think the amount of content produced in a 90min shoot is pretty good.

I’ll let you be the judge. Show it some love ❤️