Suzi Pratt

Thanks everyone for joining me today! If you want to learn more, find me on YouTube or on Instagram!

https://www.motionvfx.com/store,mtutorial,p3630.html

Specifically, I use mTutorial. It has a bunch of titles, effects, generators, etc, but they all relate to creating tutorials (and product reviews), which is mainly what I do on YouTube. So choosing plugins based on your end goal is definitely the best way to start.

But here's the YT video on the topic:

I have a YT video on that topic, but it's all about practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets. I always try to envision a close friend behind the camera and try to speak as if it's a conversation. That's one way to get over that initial awkwardness of talking to a camera.

For camera comparisons in particular, I have some plugins from Motion VFX that was really sped up my workflow. I think these plugins work for Final Cut, Resolve, and Premiere. For publishing, I just upload directly to YouTube!

I started out on Final Cut Pro and used it until early this year, when I switched over the DaVinci Resolve. I mainly switched b/c my husband also uses Resolve, so the idea is we can tandem edit better this way. But I've preferred Resolve so much more over Final Cut. It has way more tools

Also, talk with other photographers and creatives in your field. I've learned the most from my colleagues and peers while chatting at photo shoots we've both been present on, or over coffee.

Don't be afraid to experiment with new gear and techniques, but don't do it on a client shoot! I made this mistake early on and all it did was stress me out. It's best to try new gear and techniques out on our personal projects or when a client isn't involved.

If I'm editing in bulk like for events, I use Lightroom. But for everything else, especially food photos, I use Camera Raw/Photoshop. It's mostly out of habit because I know the programs so well, but Lightroom is also great to use.

For my a7IV, I love the flip out screen and the ability to shoot in live view -- those are things I was missing my Canon DSLRs and they really changed the way that I shoot. I also love the vast library of native and third-party lenses. I think Sony has the most of any other mirrorless camera brand.

I think the blandness can come from the colors of the food -- everything is so orange, brown, and honestly not super photogenic. How do you make mashed potatoes not look bland? Adding props and tableware can definitely help, plus hands and models can make it more dynamic and visually appealing.

Definitely the A7IV. I want to replace my A7RIII so badly, but I'm holding out for the A7V, whenever that will be. But I like the hybrid nature of the A7IV--it's so easy to flip between video and photo -- and the menu and layout is so much easier to use than the A7RIII.

and my husband was gung-ho about being in front of the camera, so he kicked off the vlogging. After some practice, I started getting in front of the camera too, and at this point, I'm pretty comfortable with vlogging.

Long story, but...my husband got a drone right before our wedding/honeymoon, and we ended up with all this video that we had no idea what to do with. So that was our gateway into video. For vlogging specifically, we just noticed that vlogs got a lot more engagement on YouTube than "cinematic" videos