The best photographs are taken in moments of natural, unstaged action. Spontaneity and sincerity make the pictures unique and alive. A charming half-smile on the face of a person who does not know that he is being photographed is sometimes more beautiful than a million perfectly rehearsed poses and facial expressions. Natural, spontaneous shots are a real art, and many authors strive to master it.

by Lia Mstislavskaya

Andy Hamilton, a wedding photographer from the Canadian city of Saskatoon, has experienced firsthand how difficult it is to take "easy" shots. The award-winning author for an unusual approach to creativity, with commissions from Australia, Saudi Arabia, her native Canada and many other countries, promotes an innovative take on photographic art. His photographs combine passion and a sense of the moment with technical precision and compositional perfection. Andy has prepared some tips for those who want to learn how to take spontaneous pictures.

What is spontaneous or sudden photography?

Snapshots are photos in which the model does not realize that she is being filmed. The person in the frame is absorbed in some action, thoughts, he smiles, reads or just walks down the street. It is impossible to achieve the desired effect of spontaneity by staging, and the photographer has to work in conditions of complete unpredictability.

As a rule, such work is more difficult than shooting "with preparation" and requires a serious level of skill from the photographer. Only a skilled author with a "trained" look will be able to make a good shot. To learn how to shoot in the "sudden" technique at weddings, festivals, mass events, follow Andy's advice.

Try not to use flash

Spontaneous shots work best if the model doesn't even know she's being photographed. If you don't use flash, you are less likely to be "spotted". To minimize the negative effects of low light, experiment with your camera settings. It is important that the shot comes out as natural as possible - this is the point of spontaneous photos.

by Massimo Giachetti

Looking for the right place

The experience of the photographer is manifested, among other things, in his ability to choose the right angle and point for shooting. Find a place that will give you an advantage - a special setting, an environment, a vantage point for the model. You can diversify the plot - for example, if the object in the foreground is out of focus, you will photograph the main character from behind someone's shoulder, and so on.

by Leniel Velazquez

Be mindful of dynamics and composition

The most important moment in spontaneous photography is non-staging. The model should not give the impression of posing, knowing that she is being filmed. Dynamics is often used to create a "peeping effect". Shooting actively moving people, you will create the right mood. If it is impossible to make the object move - for example, in a commercial shooting - the composition will play the right role. Change the angle from which you shoot (sit down, lie down on the floor) and the picture will become more natural and non-trivial.

by Brett Goldsmith

Use continuous shooting mode

It is impossible to predict when the best moment to press the shutter button will come. In addition, there is always a danger that the model will be out of focus, and the photo will be blurry. The use of continuous shooting mode helps to reduce the risks. Take a quick series of photos to be able to choose the lightest, most spontaneous and emotional. Continuous mode greatly improves your chances of success, especially if you have little experience with spontaneous shooting.

Take a telephoto lens with you

The telephoto allows you to shoot from a considerable distance, while maintaining high quality photos even at close-ups. The further away the photographer is from the model, the less danger she will notice his presence and the camera pointed at her. With telephoto lenses, you can take amazing spontaneous photos, as well as build spectacular complex compositions, using a long distance.

Spontaneous photos are difficult to create - the quality of the frame depends on too many factors. For a photographer who likes the sudden-emotional genre, it is important to learn patience. To take a memorable picture, you have to wait, all the time remaining on the alert. It doesn't matter how much time you spend, if the result of labor is a unique moment of true feelings and perfect naturalness captured by your camera.

In its specifics, professional staged photography is very close to the work of an artist and requires no less talent. There should not be anything superfluous in the frame. The main feature of staged shooting is the thoughtfulness of the little things that fall into the frame. The role is played by the pose of the model, the background, as well as the plot. Unlike standard photography, you do not get a randomly caught moment, but the result of the joint work of the photographer and the one who gets into the frame. Professional staged photography in Belgorod is carried out by a photographer with extensive experience, who creatively approaches the solution of the task. But you need to understand that preparing for filming will take a lot of time. Haste can spoil the result, it is important to pay attention to every detail. The picture itself takes a fraction of a second, most of the time is devoted to preparation, which is emphasized in this type of shooting.

Staged shooting is, first of all, a preparatory progress, the photographer takes on the elaboration of the plot, choosing the ideal shooting location, the angle that best suits the specific conditions, adjusts the light, adds additional elements to the frame, or vice versa removes something. It will also help the model to take a suitable pose, ideal for a photo. The main thing here is to do everything carefully and slowly, only by paying attention to details you can get the desired result. A professional staged photography studio offers its services at an affordable price and guarantees that you will be satisfied with the result.

Photographer for staged photography

Often, professional photographers not only take pictures, but also work with them in Photoshop to add new effects and make the frame even more interesting. Thus, you can even combine the received images with each other, which will make you look at them in a new way.

A staged photo allows you to realize any, even the most creative ideas, which becomes possible thanks to careful preparation. The shooting process can take place both on the street and in a professional studio, where you can choose a background and there is a large selection of scenery. You can arrange a themed photo session by arranging the background in a certain style. It can be a family, wedding or children's photo session.

A talented staging photographer will help you set up any look and get in the right position for the photo so that you are satisfied with the result. You can make a fairy-tale princess, a fairy-tale character out of you, everything is limited only by your desires and imagination. As a result, you get a collection of beautiful photos that will show you or your loved ones.

The benefits we offer you:

• Extensive experience in this area and a creative approach to solving the problem;
• Using professional equipment that allows you to get the best quality pictures;
• The opportunity to get original photographs, the plot of which is built depending on your wishes;
• Prices that everyone can afford.

Reportage shooting is probably the most diverse shooting by category. Everything that we shoot without the light brought with us, in many cases without a tripod, this is a reportage. Such a shooting does not require a script and the development of complex details. Everything happens on the spot. The mind of the operator must work clearly and see the already assembled material.

It is the dynamics that make the openings of shops and shopping centers lookable, but the smoothness of shots can give the necessary charm to reportage shooting events at the conference and in the library and in the broad sense of the word, the reportage includes absolutely everything, from the birth of a child to video filming of a large, large-scale event on the space stations.

Reportage shooting involves editing in chronological order. With the exception of a separate overview video, which, as a rule, is attached to the report. This video contains the best moments from the event and is a "teaser" for a one and a half or two hour film about the event.

But there are exceptions, if reportage shooting is accompanied by a correspondent and the finished tape is divided into separate headings in the program, then the editing can go not chronologically, but in accordance with the direction of the plots, which depends on the sharpness of the newsbreak, in order of increasing viewer interest.

Reportage video filming of news and events

This is a site for video filming and it is natural that I post here my works, that is, those that have to be filmed, including in a reportage style. This event, which was filmed in the winter of 2020, can be confidently called an event for reportage shooting. But an interview with children on the bus moves this report closer to shooting a non-fiction film.

Reportage shooting of reconstructions

Knee-deep in snow, with frozen cameras and dead batteries, we did not go into battle, but filmed reconstructions of legendary events that can be described as a report from the battlefield.Military historical reconstruction - photo page reconstruction. Reportage shooting was carried out with one camera.

Shooting a report from the Kremlin

An exhibition of contemporary Russian sculptors and artists was filmed in one of the towers of the Moscow Kremlin. The gallery was exhibited in the premises of the presidential regiment. This report, voiced by the announcer, contains several interviews with the artist and the organizers of the exhibition. Filming was done with one camera.

In such videos, the emphasis is not on chronology, but on successfully shot plans. You cannot demand something artistic or staged from a reportage, but if time permits and there are gaps in the action of the event, you can try to film something beautifully. Interview spectators or participants of the event.

It is better to shoot a report from 2 or 3 cameras, only then, in the tight schedule of the ongoing action, the operator will have a window of opportunity to move the camera to interesting faces or take a close-up of the participants in the events. Knowing that the second camera captures the entire event in chronological order.

The operator of the first camera will decorate this event with those shots that will subsequently be included in a short 2-3 minute video. If there is only one camera, then you can’t expect something bright. After all, the task is to remove everything !!! There is no escape from this. I am attached to those events that have a tight time limit. For example, a sporting event or a speech by an important person on the podium.

If you only need a review video from a big event. Then the freedom of action is not limited and the videographer can easily choose and shoot those shots that he considers the most beautiful - the best for the video. In this case, the sound is recorded on an external recorder and you can always play the necessary audio segment on the video. The desired fragment of speech or something else. Light is always on-camera, even during the day. Because in bright sunlight, only this light can remove the shadow on the face in bright sun, shoot in front of the window. It is better to use a reflector, but the reflector requires an assistant.

If the videographer shoots a report alone. He knows exactly when to shoot. Small pauses of 1-2 minutes will always help to shoot interruptions, so that during the editing of the gluing, television reportage would come out. But this applies strictly to the rules of binding to the full event in chronological order. Now many companies have gone away from this and just want a beautiful video, with a reflection of all the significant moments, which means that everything is possible to shoot with one camera.

What is required from the reporter operator. The main thing is not to yawn, so that the very moment that the customer wants to see in the final version of the video does not slip past. If you do not shoot everything in a row, then the cameraman must already roughly plan the entire event before shooting, at least ask the manager and administrator. But, there are also surprises. For example, a common surprise is to turn off the light in the hall!!! And nobody told you. If there is no on-camera light on the camera at that moment, then the frames of an interesting surprise chip will disappear. So you have to be ready for everything.

In fact, for the operator, this is fighting with an unknown enemy. We got a call yesterday and they said we're going to shoot today. What to shoot? I ask. We say we don't know. Just take it off! And I just don't want to shoot. You always want to shoot well...

Reporting video

Reportage video shooting is, at first glance, the simplest type of shooting (what I see is what I shoot.), which combines landscape, portrait, everyday and other shooting genres.
The most important thing here is to see. To see the moment that will convey the atmosphere of the event, its dynamics and capture it in faces, emotions and poses.
Reportage photography is used to cover concerts, cultural events, sports matches, corporate parties, anniversaries and celebrations. the videographer must reflect these events as he sees them, while not forgetting that this video will be watched by the participants of the events and guests themselves.
So that those who watch the video report could experience the best moments together with its participants.

A feature of reportage shooting is that no one will pose for the second time especially for the videographer.
To solve such a complex task, the videographer, as a rule, has to focus on key points. At the same time, he must observe a certain chronology of the event, consistently showing the viewer all the ongoing actions.

Today, almost everywhere we come across reportage video filming - on the Internet, on the TV screen.
At first glance, everything seems quite simple, however, reportage photography requires special skill and painstaking work. Its task is to document all events.
But in such a way that a person who was not present at this event could see in detail what happened and understand the logic, emotions or drama of what is happening.

Reportage shooting is one of the most difficult genres for a videographer, because in addition to technical skills, his skills and experience are important here. For high-quality reportage shooting, it is necessary to have a quick reaction and the ability to see certain events through the lens of a video camera.
Professional intuition and experience always tell you what will happen in the next minute. Thanks to this, he can be prepared in advance to capture the most interesting moment.

Thus, the main quality that a reportage videographer should have is the ability to be in the right place at the right time. At the same time, he must always remember the logic of what is happening, clearly tracking various events and their relationship. A good reporting video is a definite story about an event.
the videographer must be able to make decisions quickly, while remaining unobtrusive and invisible to the participants in the event. He must show the viewer the reality that surrounds him, but which he sometimes simply does not notice.

The scope of reportage photography today is quite wide. These are not only military reports from the "hot" spots of the planet or coverage of political events, to which we have long been accustomed. This is also shooting a variety of public events, conferences, presentations, sporting events or children's parties.

Reportage video shooting can also be carried out to cover significant domestic events, whether it's a wedding, birthday or graduation party.
High-quality video reporting helps to keep these events in memory, as well as the impressions, emotions and personal experiences associated with them. Videographers must capture the highlights and climaxes, creating a coherent and memorable picture.

It is important that the video materials fully correspond to the text, expressing a certain idea. In many situations, textual information does not attract the attention of the viewer, unless a bright, interesting video is attached to it.

Video frames from a simple reportage are very rarely painted (color corrected). As a rule, color correction is done for a short video from a large reportage shooting. You could call it a teaser. This video comes as an addition to the main video of the event. This photo: A screenshot from the video, a clip from the Shrovetide event in Moscow on Manezhnaya, Teatralnaya, Red Squares and in the Izmailovsky Kremlin.

• One cameraman travels to the shooting location.
• More often - the operator brings one camera and a tripod, less often - he takes shooting equipment in addition.
• Reportage camera is limited in its characteristics.
• Shooting takes place without a clear plan.
• During installation, you can get the same type of video, because. shooting takes place from a maximum of 3-5 angles or even from one angle. Limited equipment does not allow for smooth camera zooms.
• Shooting only what is happening (or not happening - if you just need to remove the equipment).

Staged video shooting

• A film crew leaves for the shooting location. The minimum composition is a cameraman and a director. As the shooting becomes more complicated, they are added to the illuminator, shareholder, focus operator, second director, actors, make-up artist, production designer, costume decorator and other personnel.
• Shooting equipment: cameras, steadicam, lights, rails, microphones, etc.
• Cinematic camera allows you to get a bright juicy image.
• Shooting takes place according to a pre-planned script and director's storyboard, where each frame is described in detail.
• During installation, a dynamic video is obtained, because the director provides for a smooth and private change of plan. To create a smooth movement of the camera, use an electronic stabilization system or rails.
• The director draws up a scheduling plan that guarantees that the team will create the maximum possible number of shots in 1 day of shooting.
• Scene creation. When shooting equipment, it is not just removed from one angle, the camera zooms in and out, plans change, a scene of equipment use is created.

Choice between staged and reportage shooting

Your decision should be based on what you want the video to achieve. For advertising shooting, it is better to use staged shots.

Suppose you need to sell a shower stall. You are waiting for a specific action from the viewer - he must bring you money and buy a booth. What kind of shooting will make it faster?

• With the help of reportage shooting, you will simply show the fact that you have a shower cabin. The viewer will say: "Oh, this is a booth."
• With the help of staged shooting, you will show the beauty of the shower cabin, its characteristics. The viewer will say: "I want the same for myself."

Shooting for video advertising

Photography is one of the few art forms in which the result (i.e. photo) can be obtained both through initial preparation, thinking through, and completely spontaneously. Not every sculptor picks up a piece of clay without knowing at least roughly what he wants to sculpt. Just as an artist is unlikely to initially simply run a brush across the canvas until something that looks like a painting is obtained. But in photography, both ways of creating works are possible.
There are two main types of photography work: staged photography and random, spontaneous shots.
Let's consider them in order.

What is a staging?
In short, this is the realization of a certain plan, scenario.

In photography, for this, the shooting point, angle, photographic equipment, optics, light, actors, filters, and more are used. A staged photograph, or, as it is also called, an artistic one, implies an idea in an idea. This is the basis of any staged photo. It will differ from all others in that it does not imply an objective reflection of reality, but rather captures pictures specially selected or hand-made for photography in order to display some artistic idea.

Scroll through albums at home. Wedding photos, pictures of other celebrations, staged photos of the school years of boys in musketeer hats and girls in lady costumes. Any shots where the model is posing in some way. These are all staged photos. In ordinary life, this genre is used for shooting solemn, commemorative events and carries certain information about the event, characters, and, as a rule, many of these shots have a “memory” label.

But there are also professional performances. They are taken care of by professional photographers in their studios, where anyone can order a special series of shots that have a certain plot. Or the photographer is engaged in this type of shooting for himself, in order to improve his own skills, to obtain real works of art that are worthy of even serious exhibitions, and their cost amounts to considerable sums.

This type of work requires various technical components. The camera, lighting, final processing of the image, elements of purposeful materialization - objects, actors, makeup, natural elements, and, directly, the artistic idea. This is a kind of result of a combination of images and technical ideas that require quite serious skills and knowledge of working with photos, and, of course, the artistic eye and imagination of the photographer, which, nevertheless, does not deprive amateur photographers of the opportunity to try their hand at staged photography. This is available to everyone, tk. the main condition for them is the presence of imagination and imagery of thinking.
And now let's move on to the second type of photography.

What is a spontaneous photo?
In its own way, a spontaneous, random photo is interesting and much more filled with life. There are also no restrictions on the degree of professionalism, the presence of expensive optics or props, and, again, there is a prerequisite for the author to have imagination and an artistic eye.

What is the difference then, you ask?
Firstly, in the absence of a staged, artificial plot and planned pictures for shooting. Secondly, such photographs reflect the characteristics of a person’s character, his emotional and mental state as subtly and accurately as possible. We can say that these are the most truthful photos. And that's why.

This genre implies a “hunt” for real pictures of everyday life, lively emotions of people who are unaware that they are being filmed, people who are carried away by experiences or some kind of action. For a family album, such pictures can be taken without leaving home, capturing moments of the real life of your loved ones, pets, and trying to capture a frame in which the character has not yet realized that he is being photographed and enthusiastically busy with something of his own. For more serious work, going out into the street in the same way, and in any weather, just according to the mood and without any specific thought, walking around the city, you can notice many interesting pictures and entertaining situations.

The sharp eye of a born photographer will immediately snatch out of the bustling crowd, even in bad weather, one face shining with happiness, a person completely immersed in himself, or ready to burst into tears. Usually, after all, passers-by rarely notice this - everyone is in a hurry to go about their business. Here is a touching moment - a three-year-old peanut, who does not even have a clue that he is being watched, holds out his candy to the fawning mongrel. Or here a girl on a thin hairpin, indignant at the annoying drops of the beginning rain, runs to a dry place to hide from the weather. Not noticing anyone around, he makes a very funny face. These are the simplest examples of what spontaneous shots can be. But with the acquisition of experience and skills in classical photography, you can also achieve amazing results in this genre.