Reader Q&A

For more information on shooting/selling stock footage check out my other posts:
GETTING STARTED
KEYWORDING
WHAT SELLS?

Q. Hey, my name is Blake. Love your blog! I'm starting to get into stock footage shooting, and am a total novice. Do you have website recommendations for me to learn more?

and How did you light your car stock footage? Was that with your t2i, if so what lens did you use. I use a t3i and Most indoor footage I get a lot of noise, no where as clear that!

Thanks for all your tips!

A. Hey Blake,
Thanks for checking out "Shooting Stock Footage" and thanks for the e-mail. A great place to get an overview of the process is at http://www.istockphoto.com/help/sell-stock/training-manuals/video

That's awesome you're getting into it. Don't putt too much pressure on yourself, just have fun with it and shoot what you like. The car shot you are talking about I believe was just shot with natural light, and I probably shot it with an HVX200. Although I have used a converter in the cig lighter to put small lights in a car before.

t3i is great for shooting video, the #1 thing to remember with DSLR cameras is do not shoot at a high ISO, the highest I ever shoot is at 200. Shoot at 100 whenever possible, the higher ISO's introduce a lot of grain. If you do any color correcting, that usually creates a lot of unwanted grain as well, try to avoid that. Adding a little light to the scene will help, it's not too hard to grab a desk lamp, and pull it close to your subject. Might even be worth picking up some higher wattage bulbs and keeping them on hand to boost the light where you are shooting.

Finally, a "fast" lens will allow you to shoot indoors with less light, I have a 50mm lens that is a f1.4, the lower your f-stop the faster your lens, and the less light you can shoot with.

Low f-stops also allow you to get that really cool shallow depth of field look that can make the right shot look really nice.











I haven't shot ink drop shots, but it is definitely on my list of things to try and shoot, when I do I'll have to do a tutorial on it. Great ideas for shots, you mind is definitely in the right place.

Great questions, Happy Shooting!
HDCineman

Quick Tip - Polish your product!

For more information on shooting/selling stock footage check out my other posts:
GETTING STARTED
KEYWORDING
WHAT SELLS?

Stock footage calls for some emphasis on quantity over quality. Don't be afraid to post a clip that isn't the most stunning 15 seconds you've ever created. You never know exactly which clips will do well for you.

However, take extra time to polish clips that need it. Each clip in your library is a product that could potentially earn income for you for the next 10 years.

I recently shot a time lapse shot of a clock. I noticed that there was a logo in the middle of the clock that would probably get it rejected. I did a quick blur in After Effects to take out the logo. At that point I could technically post the clip, but I was unhappy with the clip when the minute hand crossed behind the blur. With this "polish" tip in mind I took the extra time to mask around the hand so that it would appear to pass over the blur. This gave the clip a much more natural look, and it avoids calling attention to the blur.

The process took some extra time, but time invested on the front end often pays dividends on the back end. Remember to polish your product and maximise you clip's potential to make you money.

Happy Shooting!
HDCineman

Quick Tip - Shooting on the go

For more information on shooting/selling stock footage check out my other posts:
GETTING STARTED
KEYWORDING
WHAT SELLS?

With a full time job and a family it can seem impossible to find time to shoot stock footage.

Sometimes it pays to be an opportunistic shooter. Always keep your camera and a good tripod with you and don't hesitate to whip it out if something interesting starts happening.

This morning a crew started running a wood chipper in front of my office. I quickly grabbed my t2i and got a shot.

It wasn't exactly art, but sometimes the most unlikely shot can turn into a cash cow.