davidmclain

Like many people, I came to filmmaking after a long background in still photography and thought this automatically meant I knew a lot about filmmaking. I’m continually humbled by how different the disciplines of cinematography and still photography are and wanted to call out a few key differences and the practical implications they have on the skills you need to develop and the gear you need to use. In still photography, you are trying to freeze a single moment in time that stands alone. In filmmaking, nothing is frozen. You are capturing the movement of time, then editing many movements of time together in a way that adds context to, and change the viewer's perception, of what they just saw or are about to see. One of the practical implications of this is that you never want to recompose while you are shooting. Instead, you want to smoothly follow the action wherever it goes. This in turn requires a different set of tools to keep the camera steady- things like shoulder mounts, fluid tripod heads, and gimbals. In still photography, you never need to cut to a scene. In filmmaking, you are constantly cutting from one scene to another. Understanding how to cover a scene in ways that cut together is an entirely new way of thinking. The best way to learn how to think and see in terms of cuts is to learn how to edit video. Still photography is deaf and mute. You never need to think about what you are hearing. With filmmaking, what you are hearing is often more important than what you are seeing. One practical implication of this is that you need to be incredibly aware of audio and develop a new set of technical skills to capture it. All of a sudden, things like shotgun mics, lavs, and XLR inputs become very important. Try to wear headphones while you are shooting and follow the action based on what you are hearing. Ironically, this leads to an entirely new way of seeing.Still photographers are lone wolves and have sole authorship. Cinematographers are collaborators who work alongside a team. Have you ever seen a credit roll on a still photograph? Exactly. Photography is generally about capturing an extraordinary moment in time. Filmmaking is generally about an idea or story you are trying to convey. The work you do as a cinematographer is generally in the service of this story which is generally driven by the Director. A practical implication of this is that a bunch of pretty moments strung together with music or Voice Over is generally much less interesting than a bunch of less pretty moments that work together to tell an interesting story. I hope this gets your wheels turning and helps save you some time. I would love to hear more differences or similarities if you have them.

This is great advice Ira. My process is similar and I always find it to be both tedious and a roller coaster of emotions. It's not talked about much but identifying the best frames is incredibly important and a skill in itself. Thanks for sharing.

I love how stoked you are on video and how the A7iii helped open up the world of filmmaking to you and created a new business opportunity. Great work. Keep it up!

I wish I could shoot everything in "belt of Venus" light. I have no idea what it is but I love it. Great work.

Thanks Tony. That is the best description of what makes that lens different I have ever heard. You rock.

Tony, any chance you could explain how the STF part of this lens works? It's always been a bit of a mystery to me.

How much money do you have to spend?

I would definitely keep the A9 and upgrade to the A7Riv. The A9 is such a solid camera and as others have said, the A7RIV has some next-gen features.

Hi Andrew, what's your budget? I find that's often the best place to start when people ask what gear to get.

To me, phones and AI are just another reminder that the currency has always been, and will continue to be Ideas. The tools are always downstream and subservient to the idea. There might be some ideas where AI or a Phone camera is the perfect tool but for other ideas shooting on film might be the right creative choice.

My dad bought a Pentax K-1000 for himself when I was in high school back in the 80s. He never used it but I picked it up, fell in love with photography, and have never stopped shooting. It's really the most amazing craft and profession anyone could ever have and it's worth pausing to consider how lucky we all are to be photographers.

I'd love an 85mm 1.2!

I have to stop myself from always shooting the fast primes wide open regardless of the light. Everything just looks better. It can be really addictive and sometimes I use it too much as a crutch. I would encourage everyone to shoot these lenses wide open in a range of light and at a range of distance from their subject. It's a ton of fun.

Great work getting out of your genre. I think it's really important to shoot and explore a range of subjects. I did a big BW Landscape project this year and am not a Landscape photographer. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Go with the Sony 24 1.4. You won't be disappointed.