About six years ago a client asked me if I could shoot video that looked like my stills. I'd hardly done any. I said yes anyway, which is pretty much how I've done most things in my career!
It was a baptism of fire. Stills I knew inside out. Video was a whole new world: movement, sound, frame rates, and no hiding place if you get it wrong. But I loved it, and I've never looked back. It’s still a big learning curve, and I learn something new every time I go out on a video job.
WHAT I STARTED ON
The Canon EOS-1D X Mark III. It was already in my bag for stills, so it made sense to start there.
Then I moved to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro. That camera taught me a lot, mostly about grading and how good footage can look when you take your time with it.
These days it's Canon C70s, and I love them. They're built for the job, they don't let me down, and the footage looks the way I want it to.
WOULD I TELL OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS TO DO IT?
Not really, no. I wouldn’t tell anyone to just jump into it. It’s not easy, and it’s a different job. That said, I think going from stills to video is easier than the other way round. Your eye is already there, but there’s sound, editing, more kit and a lot more hours. I made it work because my clients wanted stills and video that look like they belong together.
WHAT IT'S DONE FOR ME
My commercial clients can get stills, video and drone from one person. On smaller shoots I do both on the same day. On bigger jobs we spread it over two or three days. Clients love not having to brief two people.
