We have all endured the excruciating home movie. You know the one… a single wide shot of “Little Johnny” or “Little Judy” running around a field playing some sort of pee-wee sport. The camera is locked on a wide shot, the kids are dots in the back ground. A proud mom or dad offers commentary about how, “there is my kid. The blue smudge over there.”
A Wild West dentist would inflict less pain than these parents. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Shot variety is a great way to propel a story or event. Wide shots should be left to the domain of surveillance footage, establishing shots and weather cameras. As photographer and story teller it is up to you to choose what is important and communicate that point of view with your camera. It is all about how you frame the shot. This episode introduces you to the notion of shot variety and camera placement. There are a number of thoughts about how you can convey emotional messages by how you position your subject in the frame, and in future episodes we’ll explore the logic and emotion behind the choices you make. For now, I just want you to start thinking about where you could be to make your shots more interesting.
It is not difficult and once you practice moving around you will find that you are placing your camera and framing your shots by intuitively knowing what is best for your story. There is no need for intimidating theories and a pile of jargon. Let’s keep it simple. Get up and move. Often closer is better. Look at the corners of your shot, is there anything distracting there? What feels right?
Shooting your home movies is not a test, it should be fun. Sure, there are times where the final outcome is not the vision you had. But that is how we learn. There are events in your family that can not be repeated and if you stop using your camera because you are afraid you will make a mistake, well that would be the real mistake.
I love shooting everyday stuff. After a while all the Christmas packages look the same, but the water fight in the back yard, the inflatable pool, bath time, dinner in a high chair… those have a special beauty in their own right. Most of life is lived in the in-between moments, not just during life’s milestones. So be certain to capture life’s little pleasures. Twenty years from now having your four-year-old daughter sleeping under your arm will only be a sweet memory. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could revisit the moment with more than your mind’s eye.
