A Medium Long Shot is a camera shot that is primarily from the waist up. It was invented in the late 1800s and remains popular today in both film and television. In film, there are three types of medium long shots: the Medium Mid Shot…

“What is shutter speed?” is a common question for photographers. Shutter speed refers to the amount of time a camera’s shutter will remain open to capture an image. If you have ever taken a picture and noticed that it was blurry, this is likely because…

A normal lens has a focal length approximately equal to the diagonal measurement of the film format or sensor size The concept of the normal lens is based on a particular type of perspective that is generally regarded as natural for human vision. This “normal…

The 16:9 aspect ratio has become the standard for HDTVs, Blu-ray players and other consumer electronics. The ratio represents the number of vertical pixels to horizontal pixels. For example, an HDTV with a 16:9 aspect ratio will have 1920 lines of vertical resolution to 1080…

In photography, focal length is the distance in mm between the sensor and the point at which light rays converge to form an image. Focal length also describes what angle of view your lens covers, which is a function of the lens design. The focal…

Practical lighting refers to the light that’s present in a scene and is visible to the camera. It can be an overhead lamp, a flashlight, a candle, or any other light source that will exist in the frame. In film sets, these lights are called…

Focus breathing is the term used to describe what happens when you adjust focus while filming, and it refers to the focal length of a lens expanding or contracting. The problem with focus breathing is that it makes the frame feel like its zooming in,…

Want to know how to clean camera sensor? A dirty camera sensor can ruin a photo, and cleaning it by yourself may seem scary. Don’t worry, check out our guide on how to clean your camera sensor safely A clean camera sensor is essential to…

Robert Richardson is a talented cinematographer who’s been nominated for three Academy Awards. When reading about his work, I was struck by some common elements in his projects. Here are a few things that he does, that you can use to improve your own videos….

Photography is a subject where you can easily get lost in jargon and technicalities. But some of the concepts are fundamental to understanding how a camera works. One such concept is Field Of View or FOV for short. In this guide, I will demystify the…