VisionInMotion the newest release from Craft & Vision.

When Vincent Laforet released Reverie back in 2008, the photographic world had its eyes opened to the possibilities available now that HD video was possible from a DSLR. I was no exception to this and eagerly awaited the release of the Canon 5D Mark II so that I could try my hand at it myself. Although I did buy one soon after they appeared in camera stores, my experiments with video didn’t run to much more than learning which buttons to press. I went out a couple of times to record some video footage on the camera but that was about it. For some reason, creating my own videos at the time didn’t really grab my attention, and the video files I shot now sit archived on a hard drive, still mostly unedited. Recently however, I’ve taken a few steps into the multimedia world, putting together a few audio slideshows through Soundslides Plus, and also been filmed myself while testing some pre-release versions of the new Phottix Atlas flash triggers and also while running a studio workshop. These have caused my interest to be piqued again, and so the timing of the latest eBook release from Craft and Vision is perfect.

Vision In Motion by Trevor Meier is the newest release by Craft & Vision. Created by David du Chemin, Craft & Vision has been releasing regular eBooks for the past year that are designed to inspire and push photographers to higher levels without needing to spend a lot of money on gear. Vision In Motion is a guide to digital video for photographers who are looking to cross over from still photography. While there are some commonalities, video is a different medium than still photography and this eBook is great for helping one get started. Like all Craft & Vision releases, it focuses on the vision, the desire and the technique while keeping gear talk to a minimum.

Meier starts off by talking about the power and responsibility of creating moving images, the differences between still photography and moving images, and how his first real experience with video was went he was sent to another country to create a documentary film Having a vision and knowing what you want to communicate is the all important first step in creating great art of any kind, and Meier shows how it applies equally to motion. From vision comes story and sequence, and Trevor takes us through these concepts, describing desire, character and action, and moving on to sequence, that is, the way it all builds upon itself as the clutter is removed. With suggestions to focus on the important events and look for the emotional moments. His description of sequence could easily be utilized by the still photographer engaged in the creation of a photo essay.

Technique follows, with a look at exposure control, frame rate, motion rendering, depth of field, sensitivity and ND filtration and composition. The explanations given are both detailed and easily accessible to photographers, as Meier relates them back to still photography. Vision In Motion continues with discussion on lighting and color control, or as it’s described in the eBook “we move from the science of cinematography to the art form”. Again, a lot of what’s here will be familiar to photographers including advice such as paying attention to skin tones and accurate white balance.

Inside VisionInMotion

One of the biggest differences between the two art forms is that video requires manual focusing. With the possible exception of macro photographers, most of us probably haven’t focused manually in years if at all, so this requires a bit of a learning curve. Trevor gives tips to maximize your chances of success. The technique section concludes with a mention about sound. This is one area that I’d have liked to see a bit more detail in, so hopefully there’ll be a follow up release covering this. Sound is fundamentally important to the final product, not just for video production but also for multimedia slideshows and background audio.

Vision In Motion finishes off with a look at the basic gear that’s required for video work, as well as a round up of Meier’s current kit.

Overall, this is well worth the $5. Until 11.59pm PST (GMT -8) June 27th, if you use the promotional code MOTION4 when you checkout, you can have the latest ebook for only $4 OR you can use the code MOTION20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection.

Click here to visit Craft And Vision.

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