Digital cameras are various. If you have a digital camera or phone (Android or iPhone, even an older phone), search the brand and model online and find your digital camera’s manual. This way, you can learn the features and dive into the more technical side of camera operating.
Begin by checking your battery, formatting your sd card and picture quality (resolution). To get a steady, sharp and clean image while using your camera, pay attention to Focus, Exposure and White Balance.
Focus: Adjustment of the elements in a lens so that an image is viewed the way the storyteller wants.
A- Soft focus: When a storyteller intentionally puts an object slightly out of focus to make the image look softer or unclear.
B- Rack focus: When a storyteller shifts the focus from one object to another in the same shot in order to direct the audience’s attention.
C- Deep focus: When the foreground and the background are equally in focus.
Exposure: Refers to the amount of light allowed to enter any imaging surface.
White Balance: A feature many digital cameras and video cameras use to accurately balance colour. It defines what the colour white looks like in specific lighting conditions, which also affects the hue of all other colours.
While you are using your camera, light will be your greatest assistant. Try to practise with your camera before shooting begins, so you are familiar with how it works. And sometimes you accidentally capture a moment or film something that could be turned into magic.
Your camera is a great tool to capture what’s behind the viewer or frame, something that we would like to say or share. It also surprises us with unexpected illusions captured without planning.
In this workshop we are more interested in your story than in image quality, as this is a creative development space. We strongly believe that you will capture the moments as you plan or as you feel. The advantage of having a digital camera is that you can look at what
you’ve shot right away.
During this workshop we would ask you to think about your story and provide just enough material for your story. This old school filmmaking approach saves time by limiting your sources. Often people try to put too much into one digital story. Simplicity is powerful and one of the keys to thinking and planning while storytelling. We have great examples that have just one image 🙂