Stills, Video, and Drones
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zachary Todd is a marketing communications coordinator with SNA Displays and works out of the company’s Dallas office. He writes and edits company blogs, case studies, press releases, and numerous other types of marketing copy. Since joining SNA Displays in 2020, he’s also become an amateur photographer, capturing company events and Dallas-area LED installations.
In part one of The Perfect Shot, I discussed how a recent visit to the AT&T Discovery District inspired my colleague Davis Green and I to share our experience doing photoshoots for SNA Displays. I mentioned some general tips like getting authorization to shoot, when to show up, and the importance of understanding camera settings, even if you end up mostly using presets.
I ended that blog with a bit of a teaser: the shot list. This resource will help you get consistent stills, video, and drone footage. Consider this a road map for how to get repeatable images that are website- and social-media-ready.
Purpose: Why Use a Shot List?
I learned early on in my visual documentation efforts that having a standardized checklist of the types of photos I needed to get is essential to the process. The shot list helps Davis and I maintain long-term brand consistency across the various projects we document, something far more critical than streamlining our personal workflow.
My photo shot list, for example, tells me to get pictures from short, medium, and long distances. It also reminds me to avoid standing too close to my subject or I’ll increase the chances of picking up digital artifacts (distortion).
And of course, I always take way more shots than I think I’ll need so my editor has enough to choose from!
Execution: Perfect Angles
When I set up a shoot, I make sure the display is in the center of the frame and take pictures at multiple angles: straight on and to the left and right of the display. As a general reference, 30 degrees to the left and right is a good place to start. Obviously, the perfect angle won’t always be available so it’s important to adjust for obstructions or safety concerns. (I.e., don’t run out into traffic; I won’t be held responsible for natural selection.)
Other display elements like louvres can affect how the screen looks on camera, particularly color, so continue to adjust your angle and distance if you see those distortions in your image. Often, avoiding moiré effect is as simple as zooming in/out slightly or taking a step to one side until you get the right angle for your subject.
Philosophy: Creativity vs Consistency
The shot list is an important guide, but it should be somewhat fluid. Allow some room for creativity where it makes sense without getting too artsy. I’ve enjoyed experimenting with unique perspectives and framing techniques, but consistency is always top of mind.
To keep it simple, somewhere around 90 to 95 percent of your images should be “hero shots” (consistent, repeatable), while leaving yourself the rest as “bonus shots” (creative, experimental).
With consistency at the forefront, I focus my efforts on getting stills that show how the display will look to most viewers at street level while keeping an eye out for notable structures that give it context. Sometimes that means well-known landmarks; other times, it’s people or objects that show scale. At Grandscape, for instance, my favorite pictures are of the double-sided ellipsoid display with the nearby giant Ferris wheel in frame.
I also recommend capturing notable display features such as the Media Wall’s corner wrap or the Lobby’s LED column that goes up into the building’s second level. In these cases, it’s okay to ignore some of the rules in favor of highlighting what makes these displays unique. LED display technology is versatile and there’s all kinds of creative, fun things to show off about its integration into various architectures.
Of course, contextual objects like lobby front desks or recognizable landmarks should always be secondary to keeping the display in its proper place at center stage. It’s also a good idea to keep surrounding lighting visible to show how the display performs in real-world conditions.
Make sure the display looks good in the photo first; you can always tweak the background color or fade out visual clutter later. That’s where RAW files are particularly valuable for LED photography. As a side note, proper editing software like Lightroom, Photoshop, Adobe Premiere for video, etc. are vital. It’s rare that a still image or video, even on a proper camera, is ready to go as soon as it’s shot. Colors don’t always translate as expected and shots may be tilted. These are all fixable with the a little editing. If you’re new, the Adobe Creative Cloud is a good starting investment.
Motion-Specific Guidance: Transitioning to Video
Depending on the environment, you may have the opportunity to wander all around and figure out what kind of story you want your still images to tell later. For filming, however, think about exactly what you want your final video to look like before you begin shooting. Otherwise, it will be hard to stich clips together coherently.
Gimbals are great for capturing steady footage on the go, but make sure your movements are as slow and deliberate as possible. Even the best gimbals often require a little extra stabilization while you’re walking.
If you’re not ready to invest in something like a gimbal, at least get a tripod (also helpful for still images). It may help to lock the camera’s exposure and focus while filming and understand that content transitions can affect footage timing. That’s one reason my video editor asks for clips that are at least 60 seconds long. Longer chunks of video footage means more room for error.
At a medium distance, take some straight-on shots with the display centered in the frame and some with the display on the left or right side of the frame. You might want to add some details to the video like specs or customer quotes during post-production. When filming at the left angle, keep the display on the left side of the frame and flip it when moving to the right.
For long distance shots, film straight on with the display in the center and follow the above instructions when you move to either side.
Advanced Skills: A Bird’s-Eye View
Since I’m not a drone pilot, I asked Davis to break down what his filming days look like. Side note: watching him operate the drone was fascinating—you basically fly it around with a video game controller… and my parents said playing Xbox was a waste of time!
Drones are where you get to be more artistic and capture beautiful, sweeping aerial views that do wonders for showing off the grandeur of massive LED spectaculars. Common drone shots include approach, orbit, and pullback.
However, drone photography is best paired with ground photography shot from the perspective of the pedestrians for whom the screen was made. This helps you preserve the sense of scale, especially if you can include footage or stills of people walking by the screen.
Drones are best as supplemental footage, not replacements for ground-level shots.
Drone footage also pushes the limits of viewing angles. Too high up, for example, and the exterior LED louvres can make the screen look bad. This is where planning and emphasizing consistency over creativity comes into play again.
Wait…There’s Paperwork?
Whether you’ve learned the basics of drone operation on your own time or finally convinced your boss to let you buy one on the company’s dime, you’ll have to do a few extra steps before your first drone shoot. There’s more than the pre-shoot checklist I discussed in part one of this blog series.
First off, you need a Part 107 license (Remote Pilot Certification) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones commercially in the U.S. Davis recommends checking out Pilot Institute for a user-friendly way of starting down that road.
Before any drone shoot, review airspace requirements via programs like Aloft as some areas require FAA approval before you can fly. Occasionally, you will also have to submit a manual request for airspace access and wait for it to be approved before liftoff.
In addition to the FAA check, you obviously need approval from the property owner to fly from their property, and any flights from public property may require a city film permit. Keep records of all those approvals with you! Even if you’ve crossed all your T’s and dotted all your I’s, the local security guard still needs to see some proof that you’re supposed to be there.
As with buying a camera for shooting LED, consider drone photography a skillset that needs to be cultivated. You can’t just pick up a drone (or camera) on Amazon and expect amazing photography right out of the box. Here, again, resources like Pilot Institute can help. And above all, practice, practice, practice!
Well, that about covers it for general tips when planning a photoshoot. Remember to prioritize viewer perspective, shoot from multiple, consistent angles, and always do your homework before arriving on site.
We in the digital signage industry always want to present our work in the best way possible and hopefully this blog series has given you some tools to that effect. Enjoy your next field trip!