Regardless of why you’re thinking about becoming a filmmaker, you can use several skills you learned as a photographer to give you a head start. Are you curious to discover which ones we’re talking about? If so, keep reading, and we’ll reveal everything.
1. Good Storytelling
Every excellent film you watch has a clear beginning, middle, and end—and the same is true for those YouTube videos you keep coming back to. You won’t necessarily think about a beginning, middle, and end if you’re a photographer, but you will need to tell a compelling story in your images.
Having gained experience with your camera, you’ll already know about portraying your message in a visually-appealing manner. Once you begin capturing moving images, you can use techniques you’ve picked up—such as showing emotions in your subjects—and build on them.
2. Color Grading
When you’re in your early photography days, you’ll probably point your camera at whatever you think looks pretty. But as you evolve and start thinking about how you can stand out, colors will play more of an essential role in the images you take.
Whether you use Adobe Lightroom or Capture One, color grading is a powerful tool for transforming how your photos look and feel. Beginners make many mistakes, but you’ll learn how to make your pictures pop over time.
Do you remember those hours you spent experimenting with color grading on your still images? Good news: all of that learning will help you get fantastic results with your videos as well. Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Final Cut Pro all have color grading features to give your videos an extra punch.
3. White Balance
Once you’re comfortable using your camera settings, you should consider learning more about white balance. Keeping those skills in mind when you’re out and about is crucial for ensuring that you get the colors right in your photos, and you’ll save a lot of time in post-production.
In filmmaking, white balance is just as crucial as in photography. You can use your camera to change the Kelvin temperature, use white balancing presets, and more. When you’re editing your content, you can choose a white space in the picture to automatically correct anything that looks wrong.
4. The Exposure Triangle
The exposure triangle is one of the most fundamental theories in photography; balancing your shutter speed, ISO, and aperture will significantly improve how your pictures look. You can use several settings on your camera to achieve the right balance; many photographers use manual mode, but modifying the aperture and shutter priority can do a similar job.
When you start filmmaking, those exposure triangle skills you learned will come in handy. Videography, like photography, is about light—and you’ll need to control all three of these elements as you shoot your moving images.
You’ll still need to learn a few additional terms, such as mastering frames per second (FPS). However, getting your exposure right will automatically improve your video quality.
5. Location Scouting
If you’ve ever been on a photoshoot—regardless of whether it was professional or with your friends—you’ll know all about the importance of choosing suitable locations. Where you capture your visuals, along with the time of day, can alter your photos’ mood and message dramatically.
In filmmaking, location scouting becomes even more critical. If you look at any successful film, you’ll quickly notice that the producers and people behind the camera have thought carefully about the setting for every single frame.
When taking videos, you’ll have to think about the sounds of your surroundings as well, and not just visual appeal. But if you’ve already got experience searching for great shot locations, this shouldn’t be an issue.
6. Composition
Composition is arguably the most crucial visual art skill you’ll ever learn. In photography, framing your pictures well shows the viewer what they should focus their attention on.
When you pick up your camera to shoot films, composition is just as essential. Luckily, you can use many of the same tricks you learned in photography; the rule of thirds and leading lines are two great examples.
7. Focal Length
Anyone that picks up a camera (and sticks with photography for a long enough period) will quickly learn about focal length. You’ll soon realize why you can’t replicate those fantastic close-up shots of wildlife with your kit lens and start thinking about which lenses you should upgrade to when the right time arrives.
In filmmaking, the focal length you use will have just as much of an impact on the shots you capture. You can use zoom lenses to achieve specific shots that prime lenses can’t, and you can pick the latter to get closer or further away from the scene you’re trying to shoot.
In video, you can use many of the same lenses as you do for photos, so you don’t have to worry about buying an entirely new set.
8. Post-Production
You don’t need to strictly edit your pictures after taking them, but you’ll often struggle to achieve your desired style without doing so. And when you step into filmmaking, you’ll quickly learn that the same is true for that craft.
You can transfer many of your photo editing skills to post-production for video. Sliders you can use when processing your films include:
Saturation Sharpening The curve graph in your editing software
When editing videos, you can add presets just as you can with photos. Videographers refer to these as look-up tables (LUTs).
Take Advantage of Your Photography Skills in Filmmaking
If you’re a photographer, and you’ve remained engaged with the craft for a while, you’ve clearly got an eye for aesthetics. Videography is an excellent skill you can use to complement the stills you capture, and becoming a filmmaker can open several new avenues you never thought existed.
You’ll have to pick up several new skills in videography, and you shouldn’t expect a straightforward learning curve. However, many of the fundamental traits you’ve already learned as a photographer will serve you well.
