Summer is over, cold and rainy day are here. When it’s raining cats and dogs outside you might want to leave the camera in the bag and watch a movie. This is however no reason to stop learning photography!
The techniques used by cinematographers are very similar to those used by photographers. Next time you watch a movie or TV try to pay attention to how the cinematographer is using photography concepts to enhance or influence the story being told.
Look at the use of
depth of field: what is in focus and what isn’t
composition, does the subject fill the frame?
focus: where is the focus?
brightness, is the scene dark or bright?
color, many colors or monochromatic?
shadows, are there shadows on the subjects face?
contrasts, does the scene contain much contrast
etc etc etc
Try to link the use of these things to what is happening in the story and what emotion is the movie maker trying to evoke. Remember that as photographer you are telling a story too!
Happy shooting!
