health & safety

in the studio:

- check to make sure wires are tied down to the floor to prevent tripping over them. as well as other objects lying around on the floor 

- make sure equipment is hooked up properly without lose wires. if anything was to happen with the equipment, it is important to alert a member of staff as soon as possible to help resolve the problem

- no food and drink are allowed in the studio. this can help prevent damages to equipment from spillages. no food also means no crumbs which will help to keep the studio clean 

- once finished in the studio, make sure to tidy up after yourself. put equipment away in its designated place so it is ready for the next person to use it

due to covid-19, it is important that only a small amount of people are in the studio at a time. people that are in the studio should wear a mask apart from the person being the subject. it is best to keep a safe distance away from each other which is why the studio shouldn't be too crowded.

ISO

ISO is the sensitivity to light. a lower ISO setting makes the sensor less sensitive to light, meaning it either needs more illumination or a longer shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure. a higher ISO setting will make the sensor more sensitive to light and therefore makes the image/video brighter. 

increasing the iso creates more grain or noise, it can also deteriorate the dynamic range which is why you tend to keep the iso as low as possible. because having a low iso can make your image darker, you may need to change the shutter speed and aperture to get the right exposure. 

using a fast shutter speed with a high iso can help to prevent motion blur, leaving you with a clear and sharp image/video.

the iso values are: (from lowest to highest)

- ISO 100

- ISO 200

- ISO 400

- ISO 800

- ISO 1600

- ISO 3200

- ISO 6400 

this is a video of the 3 different iso settings in video. we used ISO 100 for the first clip which has no grain or noise. the next clip we used ISO 200 which again has no grain. for the last clip, we increased the ISO to 1600. there is a bit of grain in the last clip as we used a higher iso. we lowered the shutter speed and aperture as the video was slightly over exposed. 

aperture

the aperture affects the depth of field. it is the opening of the lens through which light passes. a lower f stop gives more exposure because it represents the larger aperture. a higher f stop gives less exposure because they represent the smaller aperture.

the 4 key factors that affect aperture are:

- f stop (f2.8 or f22)

- focal length, the longer the lens, the shallower depth of field 

- focal distance between the camera and subject

- physical depth to see the effects of depth of field

the wider the aperture, the narrower depth of field

the focal length determines depth of field

wide angle lenses often create deep depth of field which leaves your image sharp and clear

telephoto lenses create a shallow depth of field

references:

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/understanding-maximum-aperture.html

in this clip, the aperture is set at f2.8 with a 50mm lens. this lens gives a more natural look to your photo or video. a 50mm lens has a fixed focal length.

in this clip, the aperture is set at f8 with a standard lens. this lens produces images that are similar to the human eye. it helps focus attention on the subject/object rather than distracting the viewer with an unusually distorted image.

in this clip. the aperture is set at f22 with a wide angle lens. this lens allows you to fit more in the frame which is good when shooting landscapes. it has a wider angle of view than a normal lens. they also typically have much closer minimum focusing distances which enable you to shoot and view a lot more in tight spaces. 

shutter speed

shutter speed is the length of a time the camera shutter is open, exposing light onto the camera sensor. the shutter speed should be at 1/50 when recording at 24 or 25 frames per second. 

using a higher shutter speed means more light will be captured in your image. whereas using a lower shutter speed means less light will be captured so your image will be darker. 

shutter speed also can be used to prevent blur. motion blur occurs when using a low shutter speed and having a moving object/subject like when shooting sports. anything that moves when an image is being taken will blur when the shutter is open. to avoid blur, the shutter speed should match the speed of what you're shooting. 

references:

https://www.creativelive.com/photography-guides/what-is-shutter-speed

the shutter speed used here is 1/30. in this clip, it is clear that a low shutter speed was used as the fan is slightly blurred. using a low shutter speed of 1/30 means that it takes longer for the shutter to close, this allows more light to be exposed. because the fan is moving, the long shutter speed will create motion blur when the shutter is open. 

the shutter speed used here is 1/50. by using a slightly higher shutter speed in this clip, parts of the fan are more visible and clear to see than the last clip. there is only a slight motion blur as the shutter is open because the shutter speed isn't high enough for it to be completely clear.

the shutter speed used here is 1/250. this clip is the most clear because of the high shutter speed. there is no motion blur in the fan, allowing us to see it better. because of the high shutter speed, blur is prevented leaving the video to be sharp.