10 DIGITAL CAMERA^ JUNE 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com“It was a hobby that
got out of control...”
Matt shares his story of getting started,
and plans out the trip around SkomerBuilding a travel photography portfolio
“Photography started off as a hobby at
university, which is when I did my first
couple of jobs. I then became a chartered
accountant, but would spend as little time
as possible in the office and would spend
all my time doing photography. During
that time I built my portfolio and got some
connections within the industry, so that
when I quit my job, I already had some
things in the pipeline. If you’ve got good
photos, contact travel providers or hotels
and offer them an exchange of images
for a few days of accommodation.”Planning and logistics for filming
When we arrived in Skomer, Matt and
John took a careful moment to study the
island map, deciding where and when to
shoot. This was a vital way to ensure that
all subjects would be covered.one
to
one
If you want to get into
filming with your DSLR,
come up with a concept
and think carefully about
how you want it to look
Matt and John set
themselves the photo
challenge of capturing
puffins in flightDuring a trip to Kerala, India, in 2017, their
pilot Photo Escapes film was created.
Moving back to the present for our trip, we
are hoping to see and shoot puffins, along
with the rugged coastal scenes that Skomer
is known for. The island is only accessible by
ferry – and thanks to Storm Hannah, our first
day was delayed, as the crossing was too
rough. Fortunately, using a remote Airbnb in
Wales as a base, shooting still began, to set
the scene for the trip. I then began to see
how the magic happens behind the scenes...
Matt and John are constantly thinking of
ways to structure, complement and developtheir short films. Using cinematic drone
footage is a key part of Photo Escapes, but as
Matt had checked ahead for permission to fly
on Skomer (unfortunately not), our extra day
on the mainland was used to capture plenty
of aerial scenic and driving shots using the
phone-operated DJI Inspire 1 and Mavic Pro.
During the next morning, on our crossing,
Matt kept out a camera to record the journey
to Skomer. He understands how important it
is to create a narrative with video, and to link
up each section of the trip for the viewer. Once
we’d arrived, a study of the island gave us a
chance to talk logistics over tea, then we
bounded out to shoot the island’s spectacles.
Day two on the island remains overcast, but
that doesn’t stop us capturing our first puffins
and plenty of B-roll (supplemental footage
intercut with the main shots). There’s a great
amount of effort (and footage) that goes into
creating an authentic and immersive video,
including walking shots from one location to
the next – arriving and departing. Continuity
is key, so the pair try to keep the same jackets
and clothes on throughout.
On our last day, the focus is on filming the
puffins in flight, which means panning across
the screen with long lenses and perfecting the
tracking technique. Matt practises following
the puffins with his Sigma 120-300mm lens,
prefocusing on where they were likely to fly
and then anticipating their movement. He
tries it with and without a tripod. “The tripod
means less flexibility, but more stable
movement. We tried 4K for a while in the
D850, leaving room to crop in on footage.”
Stills photography and video are two very
different media to create, and Matt knows
how important it is to record quality audio.
Before recording, he checks and tests the
levels to make sure the audio isn’t clipping.
At the end of a long piece to camera,