About the video
Yesterday, I created the first video in my tutorial series on photography, “DSLR Camera Basics.” The purpose of the video is to help people understand the basics of how cameras operate and the terminology of DSLR cameras like exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and how these things come together to create a digital still image. The video and the series is meant for newcomers to digital cameras, photography or videography.
If you like this video, please share the link, visit YouTube and don’t forget to hit the like button. Let me know what you thought in a comment down below and what you’d like to see in the next video. Don’t forget to share, subscribe and hit the bell notification so you’ll be the first to know when I upload more videos. For more tutorials like this visit this blog again.
The creative process
Creating the video was an interesting process as I have never made a video with myself in it before. I learned a lot about video production, video editing and especially about how long it takes to create a video like this. It took me an entire day to create this short six and a half minute video and I still see some parts that I want to re-shoot after reviewing the footage.
Finding images
The majority of the images and video used in the video were created by me, specifically for the video but I still used some outside resources. I did have to use an encyclopedia for one definition that I wasn’t sure about exactly – what DSLR really stood for.
The only images that I had to use that were not my own were icons for YouTube, which I did not want to have to create from scratch as this would take a long time. I used icons for the like and subscribe buttons and the notification bell. I also used a couple of templates when creating my video in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. The template was used in After Effects to create the intro video and the template in Premiere Pro was used for transitions. I also used Adobe Illustrator to create the exposure triangle graphic.
Finding audio
For audio, I used the free YouTube audio library. I used one short song for the intro video and the other, longer song was used as background music. I also used the free sound effects to stretch the intro video and make the sounds match the film strip animation. For this I used the Projector Screen Slow Pull, Inserting A Cassette and Button Push sound effects. I edited the short intro song and the sound effects using the free audio editor, Audacity.
YouTube famous? Hardly…
I expect that it will be difficult for users to find my video since it is the first video on a new channel. I also think it will be difficult since I only show the video on this blog, which is also new. Straightforward searching might be what users use to find videos on YouTube (Wolf, 2016, p. 7) but that doesn’t mean it will get watched. The amount of other photography tutorial videos might also bury my video in the results. What get watched on YouTube is dependent on YouTube’s algorithmic suggested videos homepage (Wolf, 2016, p. 7), so my videos will need more #tags and I will need more subscribers for people to find my video. I expect that I will need to use social media, especially Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and proper #hashtags to share a link to my new video and blog if I want more people to see it.
I think users that are into photography or the visual arts in general will find it worth watching. It is also general enough that people with no experience in photography will be able to understand core concepts and get started snapping photos. I think that it will appeal to users because video, as a participant in Christine Wolf’s study says, “I think videos are easier to understand … it involves a lot of terms related to either the components and tools related to this task … it’s easier to see what they look like” (2016, p. 5). As Wolf says, “videos also play a role in processes of identity-making, impacting whether participants perceive
activities and tasks as something they are capable of doing,” so I hope that people will watch my video and see photography as something they can do. Additionally, since users prefer transparency and authenticity (Wolf, 2016, p. 7), my video will appeal because nothing in it is fake or appears embellished. In the future, I will try to improve my camera set up to be able to demonstrate in person photography techniques, using more video instead of stills because many consider the “first-person perspective and demonstration in the videos as an indicator of their credibility” (Wolf, 2016, p. 6).
Links
Works cited
All images except those cited below are the property of Alexander Lewis and Alex Lewis Media and Alexander Lewis Photography, All Rights Reserved.
“Encyclopedia.” DSLR Definition from PC Magazine Encyclopedia, https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/42047/dslr.
Wolf, C. (2016). DIY videos on YouTube: Identity and possibility in the age of algorithms. First Monday, 21(6). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v21i6.6787
Free vector logos:
Logo vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com
Technology vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com
“youtube logo collection with flat design 2448102” Designed by Freepik. This work is licensed under a Freepik License, free for personal and commercial purpose with attribution.
“facebook thumbs up like collection flat style 2405057” Designed by Freepik. This work is licensed under a Freepik License, free for personal and commercial purpose with attribution.
“youtube notification bells 2562937” Designed by Freepik. This work is licensed under a Freepik License, free for personal and commercial purpose with attribution.
Motion Array templates:
Digital Film Strip by Tyler. Motion Array. All Rights Reserved. This work is licensed under the Motion Array royalty-free license.
Film Roll Presets by Tyler. Motion Array. All Rights Reserved. This work is licensed under the Motion Array royalty-free license.
YouTube audio:
Music:
Riot. Donations (Sting). On YouTube Free Audio Library [Audio Recording]. https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary_download?vid=dc29fb04c5f2233f.
Moreira, Q. Cumulus Nimbus. On YouTube Free Audio Library [Audio Recording]. https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary_download?vid=d4a7827bc4dbc394.
Sound effects:
Projector Screen Slow Pull. On YouTube Free Audio Library [Sound Effect] https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary_download?vid=c08d7e8f1610053f.
Inserting A Cassette. On YouTube Free Audio Library [Sound Effect] https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary_download?vid=007edf5521cdc336.
Button Push. On YouTube Free Audio Library [Sound Effect] https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary_download?vid=ad52ac00e6be0ecb.
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