Techniques for shooting landscape
 

I was after some pointers to shoot landscape / urban shoots, one thing
i have found is when doing this kind of recording it has to be steady ie tripod for most shots.

I have a z1p and did a trial run and i found anything by hand made me feel
a little sea sick (to shaky).

I don't use a tripod for video. I put my butt on a shooting stick and turn my butt into the revolving head of a tripod, like so ...

http://www.ourmedia.org/node/191535

... in that situation it is the point of the shooting stick that turns in the ground. Its got a folding seat and a blunt steel point with a small plate 2 inches above the point to prevent it sinking into most surfaces. Then the usual rules apply about steady hands, elbows tucked in but, above all, practice.

I only thought of it and got one last month for €25 at a saddlery. But what suits me, wildfowl shooters and generations of horsey people may not be what you have in mind ... FWIW

so! you did manage to get something up on that site, senor videoraptor. cool! there's hope for a video to follow, yes?

another good landscape technique is the trusty beanbag. weighs a lot less than a tripod for long ascents or long hikes. around here, there's usually a big rock to set it on. tree stump, fence, car window. in fact, i keep one in my car at all times.

Nothing beats footage of a landscape (and most other subjects) taken with a sturdy tripod and smooth-actioned tripod panning head. The very best of handheld footage (even braced for support) does not match using a good tripod.

Sometimes you may be in a location, or shooting a subject, that is dificult when using a tripod...but I give this advice...always use a tripod when you possibly can, as you'll never regret the end results.

Another "good thing" to use for landscape shooting are graduated filters to control the skies...

Robin

I second that, although I think sometimes the grad affect is not always used carefully enough in a lot of recent TV programs and movies – as it should be very subtle, or not noticed in the scene at all. I find it best to use grads on a static fixed shot rather than handheld or panning on a tripod, unless the light remains exactly the same throughout the scene (which is rare in outdoor shooting).

I've found that a polarizer filter is extremely useful in a lot of scenes. Another item is a hood or barn doors to block out the suns rays, although when you are filming from a fixed tripod, simply holding out your palm to the edge of the front lens element is often better.

A wired control on the pan handle is an essential part of my filming. I have two pan handles on the large tripod head, with a Manfrotto 522C on one of the handles.

I rarely use grads any more. I find I can get a more realistic look replicating the effect in post.

thanks guys, think ill go the sturdy tripod at all times method for now.

:)

So, if you burn out the sky, you can recover that in post can you?

Robin

Robin, I agree with you that grad filters are essential for landscape shots but I have heard of cameramen shooting locked off shots with one exposure for the sky/clouds and the other for the landscape and combining the 2 shots in post