Camera workshop with Fergus

Doing a camera workshop with Fergus allowed me to gain a greater insight into the Sony EX cameras and even directing. All of which I will talk about in greater depth.

After doing self taught photography during my gap years, I was familiar with the terms of "aperture, f- stop and ISO" however I later realised that it was a slightly different ball game when it came to the cameras in terms of finding and changing the F- stop itself. I struggled with finding the right buttons sometimes but after a little play around I was able to comfortably select the correct F-number /exposure for the shot. As we were working in a slightly dimly lit room with not s lot of controlled light, it was important to have a slightly lower F number which meant that more light would be let through. But I had to make sure that it wasn't over exposed and that the subject wouldn't look 'washed out'. One feature that really helped me do this was the "shutter off" button. Although the it took me a little while to find it, this feature allowed me to not being the F number too low but still gave a brighter scene, allowing me to see more detail instead of losing it.

Another thing I learnt this day was about focus. The "expanded focus" feature really made it easier for me when trying to ensure my shots were fully focused because it zooms in on the display only, allowing you to have a closer look at your subject so you can adjust the focus to suit. It's such a good feature because without it, you might think your shot is in focus but in reality it isn't. So when you zoom in and focus on the subjects eyes, you'll be able to get a fully focused shot that is desired. It took some practice for me though, especially when I had two subjects facing each other in front of a black background without much light. Because even when I used the 'expanded focus' feature, it was as if my eyes couldn't really tell the difference between the slight unfocus and the sharp focus. I had to turn the focus wheel all the way and make everything out of focus to then see what parts were focused. I believe I got the hang of it in the end. 

Directing

Fergus gave us the task of creating a short sequence using a variety of shot types. The sequence had to involve "the bag". After a short discussion, we came up with the idea of mimicking the western films where they have a face off before a shoot out, except for us, instead of shooting, they would exchange a bag. instead of making our short sequence a serious one, we thought it would be fun to add a comical twist to it by having the two characters smile, laugh and wave at each other after the short change over.

My group members thought I should have a go at directing and I was quite excited about but then I became a bit nervous when it came down to it. Even though this was only a short task for fun, I really felt the slight pressure in getting the shots right, especially as I only learnt some of the basic features of the camera only a few hours ago. There was a lot of things to consider; getting the subjects to walk directly in the center as they meet, having the right exposure and focus and just making sure the overall shots looked good. I almost forgot where the buttons where for certain things and I had to keep checking on the camera where to press since this was all new for me. This then caused the little shooting time we had to be a bit jumpy however after a little bit more practice as I went along, it was fine. There is still a lot for me to learn and improve on but overall I was impressed by the efforts of my team members and myself. And although it was a short task, I learnt a lot about the skills needed in order to create a good production. I now know how important it is to focus shots correctly and also making sure the right exposure settings are chosen for a brighter, much clearly subject.

It was a really good experience though, having to get stuck in and project my ideas and visions. It has also been a real privilege learning more about these cameras. I noticed how clear and crisp the quality of the shots where and it made me really excited to learn and create things within this course.