Still image of the Fagradalsfjall volcano eruption.
By Mike Mezeul II
Shooting in slow motion is a fantastic way for a videographer to bring a scene to life. From adding drama, conveying emotion, creating depth, revealing detail, and more, utilizing slow motion is a technique that you should consider for your next film project. But is it as easy as it sounds? Just simply shoot slow-motion? Well yes and no. There are definitely a few things that you should take mental note of for settings within your camera, the gear you’ll need, and your vision for the scene.
Before we get going though, let’s quickly understand what slow motion is. Slow motion is essentially the slowing down of a moment in time so that the action appears slower than in real life. This can be accomplished by either filming the moment in slow-motion or using a playback method to slow down the moment. For this article, we will aim to discuss how to film the moment in slow motion and then how to complete the process in post-processing.
Fagradalsfjall volcano eruption in Iceland.
Frames Per Second
Understanding frames per second (fps) is key to understanding how to shoot video. Most videos are shot at either 24fps or 30fps. This means that essentially (i.e. 30fps), it takes 30 single images shot in succession to make up one second of video. A good metaphor to this is thinking about a flip book. As you flip through it, it creates motion, the same technique applies for video. The more images you can capture to create a higher frame rate, the more you can slow down your video in post. It’s extremely important to know that you really want to aim to get your frame rates correct while shooting. You can technically slow down video that does not have a high frame rate in post-processing, but the video will look choppy and won’t present itself well. Starting at 60fps, you can begin slowing down motion. At 60fps, you can slow a video down by 50%. At 120fps, you can slow video down to 25% of its original motion on a 30fps timeline.
Setting FPS & Shutter Speed
When going through your “Video Recording Menu”, scroll down to “Frame size/frame rate” and click “OK.” It is in this menu where you can choose to shoot from 24fps to 120fps. Both the Z 9 and Z 8 camera bodies have the capability of shooting up to 8k 60fps and 4k 120fps.
For your shutter speed, you’ll want to try and keep your settings to nearly double that of your desired fps. For example, if you’re shooting at 120fps, you will want to aim to have your shutter speed close to 1/240 second. For scenes that are shot at 60fps, you will want to aim for 1/120 second. Now you don’t have to be exactly precise with doubling the fps, but the closer you can get to that, the smoother and sharper your slow motion will be.
Gear You May Need
Tripod or Gimbal – The goal with slow motion is to create a captivating moment that draws your audience into the scene. Having a shaky video doesn’t necessarily achieve that as the slower the motion, the more noticeable camera shake becomes. Try your best to utilize a tripod, monopod, or gimbal for shots.
Neutral Density Filter – A three or six stop neutral density filter is a great tool to have handy if you’re shooting in an extremely bright environment. This will allow you to easily cut out “x” amount of stops of light to reach your desired shutter speeds.
Additional Lighting – With faster frame rates, less light will pass through your shutter, so contrary to the tip above, you will need a way to light your subject if in a dark environment.
Cooling lava from the Fagradalsfjall volcano.
Choosing the Right Scene
Not all scenes are created equally, so thus not all scenes require slow motion. When trying to decide what fps you should use, first ask yourself what the moment is showing you. For example, scenes where you are trying to show the raw sensation of an athlete winning a championship (emotion), fountains of lava shooting up into the air (detail), or gigantic waves crashing along the shoreline (power), a 60fps or 120fps frame rate may be perfect to slow the scene and allow your audience to really indulge in it. When it comes to capturing small movements like the wings of a hummingbird fluttering away or extending the drama of a rather quick scene like a raindrop falling into a puddle, slow motion can be a wonderful way to document these moments as well. The key words here are “slow motion”, so if there isn’t much motion within the scene in the first place, there is no point in slowing it down.
Editing
Once you’ve shot your footage you won’t be able to see the video playback as slow motion in-camera. You’ll need to take your media into an editing program like DaVinci Resolve, Adobe After Effects or Apple Final Cut Pro to just name a few. Here you will be able to retime your footage to your desired speed, color grade it, and sync it to music.
Bonus Tip!
Shooting high fps scenes results in large file sizes, so make sure you have a large capacity CFexpress or SD Card that can handle the files and the required read/write speed.
JP explains how he turned his creative process into a dynamic dance video with the Nikon Z 8.
Jesus Presinal (JP) is a breakdancer turned creator (photographer, director, editor) who often turns the camera on himself. You’ll find his gravity defying images at Instagram/officialjpnyc
JP’s creative journey has been long and winding. Starting with drawing, JP moved into music, performing in a rock band, before turning to dance. After years of dancing professionally, JP picked up a camera— specifically the Nikon Z 50. Since then, he has shot with various FX-format Nikon mirrorless cameras, including the flagship Z 9 and the new Z 8. His most recent project, shot entirely on the Z 8, is a visual exploration of his journey as a creator.
The Concept
The video features JP’s brother, playing a younger version of himself as he starts on his creative journey.
At the beginning of the video, I’m asked, “what’s your creative process?” and it cuts right into a shot of a lightbulb. The lightbulb signifies an idea, and the room represents my brain. The video starts with my younger brother playing the younger version of me. Before I was a dancer, I was really into drawing, and I was in a rock band. After that, I danced professionally for 10 years. The whole concept of the video is to lead the viewer through my creative process, to show what inspires me, and what’s flowing through my brain when I create content.
Shooting with the Z 8 handheld, JP moves the camera to match the dynamic movement in the scene.
Most of the time, the camera movement and position are choreographed based on the movement in the scenes. For example, if my brother is spinning clockwise, I will spin counterclockwise with the camera. Let’s say I’m filming someone doing a kick—I want the focus to be on the foot, and for the camera to move with it. That’s where the dancer in me comes out, you know?
Using Features Creatively
The Z 8 can capture video at up to 120 frames per second (120p) in HD and 4K, and up to 60 frames per second (60p) in 8K. In his videos, JP uses framerates creatively, speeding up and slowing down the footage to tell a story.
I love messing around with framerate. I have a dance background, and I edit and shoot as if I was dancing. So having the ability to speed up and slow down the footage in post lets me show the story from the perspective of a dancer, where I can go from regular natural movement, to fast, then super slow, to focus on a moment in time. I was able to pull that off perfectly with the Z 8.
When the Z 8 was announced, I felt like my prayers had been answered. The Z 8 has the power of the flagship Z 9, but it’s small enough that I can take it anywhere. I’m taking photos and shooting video on a regular basis, and I can rely on both aspects of the cameras. The Z 8 is incredibly versatile— I know it’s going to pull off high resolution stills, and it’s also going to give me crisp video.
The feature that stands out is the autofocus tracking. I can trust it completely. This past weekend I was shooting breakdancing, which is very fast and very dynamic. A lot of systems I’ve used in the past will lock onto the subject, but then lose it. With the Z 8, the autofocus finds the subject and stays there.
Settings and Colors
The Z 8’s video footage is incredibly versatile, with options up to 12-bit N-Raw capture offering a massive scope for adjustment in post. But for JP, the colors that come straight out of the camera at standard settings are almost perfect.
I shoot HD and 4K video at standard, default settings, usually 60p, and I export at 24p. I shoot at as wide an aperture and as low an ISO setting as I can. In my photography, I usually shoot at high shutter speeds to freeze the action. I tend to shoot both my stills and video a little dark, so when I edit, I can bring out those vibrant colors. I like the image out of the camera to look like a rainy day. I shot the entire Z 8 video at standard settings. I was going to shoot N-Log, but I loved the way that the standard footage looked on the camera. That’s another thing about the Z series, whatever you see on that screen, is what you get. When I was looking into that screen, I was like, “these colors are beautiful.”
I don’t really need to do much post-processing. I might adjust shadows and highlights, and sometimes I’ll bump oranges and blues. But besides that, these cameras don’t need a lot of editing. A lot of people ask me, “dude, are you using a preset?” and I’m just like, “it’s straight out of camera.”
As a content creator or vlogger, you know that you need to be able to rely on your gear to be able to produce the quality content your followers demand. And that means a camera that you can depend on, like the Nikon Z series mirrorless cameras.
Mirrorless cameras offer more features and functionality packed into a smaller package than the cameras your parents used to use. Sorry mom and dad!
The most important decision to make about a camera purchase is which one is right for your needs. So, you’ll want to think not only of what you’ll use the camera for today but what you might need it for in the future as well.
Mirrorless cameras are smaller and lighter than DSLRs. If you want a super small and compact camera, an APS-C size/DX format model like the Z 30, Z 50 or Z fc would work well for your needs. Need the extra battery life, and robustness of a full frame/FX format camera? You may do well with the Z 5 or Z 6II.
And cameras are not just for taking pretty pictures either. Today’s mirrorless cameras can capture 4K video footage, time lapse videos in-camera and even slow motion at 100 or 120 fps.
Other features that are must-haves in today’s digital age are built-in Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi® so you can quickly and easily transfer photos and video to a compatible smartphone using the free SnapBridge app or transfer them wirelessly to a personal computer.
For the Do-It-Yourself Creator
For those creators who are the director, camera operator and host of your own videos, you’ve got flexible options for changing settings and starting and stopping video without having to walk off of your set to change settings.
The SnapBridge app on your smartphone practically turns your phone into a remote. Or use Nikon’s ML-L7 which is a small handheld remote that lets you control most Nikon mirrorless cameras.
The Creator’s Accessory Kit for Z 30 even gives you most everything you need to get started vlogging including a small handheld tripod/grip from Smallrig that even houses the ML-L7 remote control and a RØDE Videomicro™ microphone (with windscreen).
Why you need a dedicated camera
A mirrorless camera has a much larger and higher quality camera sensor than the one on your smartphone, so images and video you can produce in low light situations will look much better, be sharper, crisper and files will be cleaner with less noise. This makes post-production editing (if you need to go that route) much easier.
Along with the quality from the image sensor, you’ve got a lot more versatility in lens selection with an interchangeable lens mirrorless camera. Choose from ultra-wide and wide-angle lenses to macro lenses, telephoto and super-telephoto focal lengths. The variety of focal length choices can really make a difference in how your content is differentiated from someone using a smartphone (limited zoom or macro capabilities or depth of field control) to really make your subject pop against the background. Lastly, a larger image sensor will be able to provide more resolution, so you can actually crop into photos or video if you need to without the file degrading to the point of being unusable.
On an overcast winter day I noticed I had company just outside my bedroom window. Two very young raccoons lay napping in a tight bundle up in an evergreen brushing up against the house. I left them for a few hours, then noticed they started to become active again as the afternoon grew dark. I eased my camera lens out the window and waited. They were a bit curious of me and dropped down to a lower limb where I captured this photo of one of the twins gazing into my window. These moments of intimate contact are my favorite as a wildlife photographer. As I looked into his world, he looked into mine. They continued down the tree after this brief encounter and plopped into the snow before shuffling off together into the wilderness.
Peeping Tom On an overcast winter day I noticed I had company just outside my bedroom window. Two very young raccoons lay napping in a tight bundle up in an evergreen brushing up against the house. I left them for a few hours, then noticed they started to become active again as the afternoon grew dark. I eased my camera lens out the window and waited. They were a bit curious of me and dropped down to a lower limb where I captured this photo of one of the twins gazing into my window. These moments of intimate contact are my favorite as a wildlife photographer. As I looked into his world, he looked into mine. They continued down the tree after this brief encounter and plopped into the snow before shuffling off together into the wilderness.
Her social handle is Savannah Rose Wildlife, and she’s a wildlife photographer. You could say she’s obsessed with the photographic pursuit of wildlife and splits her time between creating images for herself and as a camera assistant on wildlife documentary jobs. She’s also a tracker and scout.
Living in Jackson, WY allows Savannah access to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks as well as the Wyoming expansive public lands system.
Those interested in taking up wildlife photography will be happy to know that much of Savannah’s grizzly photography is created from the side of the road. Being in a vehicle or over 100 yards away ensures that both you and the bears are perfectly safe. However, she does spend a great deal of time in the woods, searching out elusive animals. And a lot of that time can be spent waiting and watching.
One factor I love about this ecosystem is the amount of opportunity to shoot wildlife you can have right from the road. While I prefer to adventure off on my own, I absolutely take advantage of this as well! I love the accessibility of the area to everyone of every skill level. You can roam into the high alpine backcountry or cruise the expansive road system if you prefer.
The single best tip I have for anyone who wants to elevate their wildlife photography or get into the craft is to familiarize yourself with track and sign. Good fieldcraft and naturalist skills make all the difference in the world. There are droves of excellent resources for all skill levels, from books to apps to websites.
It is of utmost importance to know that wild animals have boundaries you should never cross. When out in bear country, Savannah says to familiarize yourself with bear spray and how to use it in case of emergency. She also carries a GPS spot device with her that is capable of calling search and rescue through a satellite connection.
Fox on a Fence I spent some time with a pair of red fox families in the spring of 2022. The most interesting characteristic about this father fox is he was delivering food to two dens next to each other, each with their own female, with a total of 11 kits. He was rather comfortable with my presence and would use the buckrail fences to dart around the boundaries of the property, which is where I captured this portrait. His winter coat is molting out in this picture, giving him a sort of haggard patchy look.
Ethics in the Woods
To Savannah, ethical photography of wildlife is her utmost concern. And she uses her social platforms to inform and educate her followers.
I believe that it is absolutely paramount that wildlife photographers give back to their subjects in some way. Otherwise, sharing their time is simply exploitative. I’m aware that I trespass in their home, intrude on their time, and I know to some extent disrupt the peace; although I try hard to be as noninvasive as possible.
Be An Ethical Wildlife Photographer
• Feeding or baiting wildlife creates unnatural dependencies on human food sources, leading to conflict, spread of disease, dangerous proximity to roads and civilizations: all result in untimely death. • Unsecured trash is another form of this problematic food conditioning, though largely unintentional, which is why people should be educated on what harmful practices they might be overlooking. • Unethical photography practices like the usage of hounds to tree bears or mountain lions for photography puts an incredible amount of stress on these animals. It is unacceptable to run an animal to the point of exhaustion for some photos. • It is crucial to practice good field ethics when photographing wild animals. That means not chasing animals, putting too much pressure on fragile sites like nests or dens, or putting yourself in a situation where an animal might feel like it needs to defend itself. • Safety of the animal is important. Understand that your presence is capable of disturbing the peace. Always let an animal leave a scene if it wants to.
Challenge your beliefs and contemplate how you can be on your best behavior in our wild friends’ home. They deserve it!
It Girl Three Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep rams swoon as an ewe in estrus passes by them. These iconic animals have one of the more aggressive ruts during the early winter, typically around the time of Thanksgiving. They are quite compelling to watch as the males kick each other in unsavory places, butt heads, and court their ewes while spreading their lips in a humorous flehmen response. On this day, I was laying in the road watching these boys in the snow. It was love at first sight when this pretty lady strutted by.
Favorite Subjects
My all-time favorite subject is the elusive mountain lion. I’ve watched them slink from shadow to shadow under the light of a full moon, careful not to reveal their presence even in the dead of night. I also enjoy spending time with grizzly bears, which are sentient and powerful creatures. Where the cats are shy, the grizzlies are proud. The cats are subtle, the bears are obvious. In addition to these incredible apex predators, my favorite subjects are always the ones that are the most hidden. Nesting Great Grey owls and goshawks, Martens and weasels, pikas and beavers, and the rare boreal owl. Truly, there are just too many amazing creatures to mention!
Gear that needs to last
Savannah notes that she is not gentle on her gear, and neither is the wild. “One of the main reasons I’ve stuck with Nikon throughout my entire photography career is the substantial quality of gear that endures my abuse,” she says.
A big part of Savannah’s photography includes the setup of camera traps. These remote cameras need to survive intense abuse by the weather and curious bears. Even though the cameras are housed in boxes, she explains that bears learn through touch. “They will not hesitate to get their mouth on anything they find interesting. My lenses have been slobbered on quite a bit and sport a few teeth marks as well but so far, they are still producing great quality images.”
Brown Eyed Girl Eye contact with one of the most misunderstood animals in the world. There is something so deeply profound about the coyote’s persistence, and the unfortunate irony to the degree humans persecute animals that nor only adapt to our presence but thrive in the shadow of mankind. Efforts to wipe them out have failed miserably; any time they are knocked down they come back stronger.
What is a camera trap?
A camera trap is a form of remote photography, in which you place a camera in the wild, that captures candid images of animals in their natural habitat, triggered by a motion sensor. The results are unpredictable.
I like to think that the unique quality of the animals’ presence interacting with your [remote’s] premeditated composition is like the subject having autonomy over how their portrait is taken.
Savannah tries to keep her camera traps out all the time but notes they can be laborious to maintain. It’s not as easy as just turning on a camera and walking away. And plenty of factors are outside of your control: severe weather, animals knocking the kit over, humans tampering with the setup, blowing branches setting off false triggers, and animals not behaving how you anticipated.
My gear does often get grief from bears as they are quite curious and tactile creatures. Usually, they take the opportunity to stop and play with the new toy they have found. Last year, I even had a black bear carry a camera to her bed site and chew on the case all night! Luckily, the camera inside survived the ordeal.
The f/2.8 window
I believe there is a vastly important window of creative expression between f/2.8 and f/4 that is worth the investment for my work, and why I use a 400mm lens and not a 500mm or 600mm. I absolutely love razor sharp depth of field in an up-close wildlife shot.
Savannah says the sharpness of an animal’s eyes while the rest of the image falls away into a dreamy background, “actually represents the moment of the encounter as accurately as possible.”
In a close eye to eye encounter, you’re transfixed as you stare into the animal’s eyes, and they stare into yours. My f/2.8 portraits represent this connection to me and that is the story I want to tell in my work.
The extra f/stop is also valuable in that Savannah often photographs at dawn, dusk and night-time, not in bright sunlight, so the fast nature of the lens means she’ll be able to come home with usable images that hold up from the most dramatic conditions.
Patience is a Virtue
I think I very likely have more patience than most. I’m perfectly comfortable sitting in a blind for hours, as long as there’s a chance of something magical happening … My finished work makes it look like I frequently am face to face with wildlife up-close, when in reality most of my hard drives are filled with animals grazing or walking away. The real up close, face to face types of encounters are in the minority for sure.
Savannah says she tries to be more of a “fly on the wall” when capturing animal behavior with her photography. “I believe there is an element of consent in wildlife photography that is not often discussed,” she says. Best-case scenario: the animals she’s photographing are indifferent to her existence. “Every once in a while you’re lucky to have a wild creature approach with curiosity. These fearless, wonderful moments of interspecies connection are what mean [the] most to me,” she adds.
Creating engaging videos
Along with sharing her photographs, Savannah shares her exploits using short videos on Instagram and TikTok, which she finds to be the quickest way to garner attention for her work. She explains: “Creating punchy, engaging short videos is an art form in itself that is still new to me, and I am enjoying learning how to best use this format to reach out to people.” Along with giving context to her images and bringing those stories to life, she’s found them to be a positive avenue for her business, gaining several thousand followers in a day from videos going viral. “A viral post is incredibly helpful for my small business, in which every order placed makes a difference,” she adds.
The film “Chasing No One” is a personal story. It is Anthony Riso’s story, capturing what was in his heart and his mind. And he’s found that those who view the film find it resonates with their own lives.
“Usually when I’m thinking about my own life and a struggle I’ve had to face, and I happen to be listening to music that provokes emotion, a scene starts to form in my head. If I can expand on that scene and create a story that will resonate with others, I hurry like a madman to get it out into the world.”
“I’m an emotional person, and I’m constantly reflecting on life. Sometimes I just let my emotions take the reins and hold on for dear life. So, I guess you could say my inspiration comes from being out in the world and being true to my emotions. Music is a catalyst for that inspiration while I’m out and about in the world.”
For this trip, Anthony used the time interval shooting tool in his Z6 camera a lot because he was by himself. His tripod was deep in the water for this shot, and his Z6 was touching the surface of the water.
Puzzle Pieces
“I think photography is interesting because it’s a medium that shows so much but tells very little. So much is left to the viewer’s interpretation. Video can at times be a more ‘in-your-face’ kind of storytelling where the meaning isn’t left to interpretation. That’s not to say video can’t also be subtle, but I think it’s maybe easier to be subtle when telling a story with photography than video..”
Anthony is always striving to become a better storyteller, especially since he’s made the move to video,
“Finding key clips to fit into a timeline for a video is like crafting my own jigsaw puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle that needs to come together to look like what I had pictured in my mind.“
The opening shot to Anthony’s short film, “Chasing No One,” taken on the road leading into Emerald Lake in British Columbia.
Make the Switch
The switch from stills to video can be daunting.
“In stills, you don’t have to worry about aspects like audio quality, continuity editing, and a whole host of video-specific details that can make or break a finished film. Video editing in itself is a major departure from still photography editing.”
You can spend hours upon hours learning a new editing technique and perfecting it, to be used on screen for mere seconds.
“A lot of the small editing tweaks in video (the most subtle and minute details that most people wouldn’t notice) are what make a film truly unique.”
Anthony’s advice to other still photographers longing to make the switch to video: watch hours and hours of YouTube tutorials.
“It sounds like trivial advice, but trust me, there are some incredibly talented people creating on YouTube, and they are willing to show their tricks to everyone wanting to learn. Watch what the other video creators are doing and try to emulate it.”
Photo taken on the shores of Vermilion Lakes in Alberta, Canada minutes after Anthony fell knee deep in thick mud to gain this perspective.
He also suggests taking the camera you do have and creating a video. Not sure what to shoot? Pick any subject and create a video.
“Create a 30 second Instagram story of yourself doing something during the day. Break that thing you’re doing into small clips and use the clips in your Instagram story as cuts to take the viewer on a journey. Pat yourself on the back for creating something instead of nothing. Rinse. Repeat.”
Don’t get caught up in all the gear either.
“I meet a lot of photographers and videographers just starting out who want the “latest and greatest” equipment and spend thousands of dollars, but what they don’t realize is that the finished product won’t be any different if you haven’t learned the medium in which you create art.”
Anthony’s first camera was a D5300 with the 18-55mm kit lens.
“When I was just starting out—it was about the satisfying “click” of the shutter and messing around with the camera in manual mode in order to really find my artistic voice. I didn’t really notice the constraints of equipment. I fell in love with the medium of photography first. I’m a complete geek about photography and video gear today, but that’s because I found my voice and know which tools I need to amplify that voice.”
Anthony spends a good deal of his free time caring for gray wolves at a local wolf sanctuary, which also happens to be the subject of a future project, so stay tuned…
BIO: Anthony Riso is a 25-year-old photographer and videographer living in the seacoast area of New Hampshire. His curiosity makes him a lifetime learner, and he has traveled down many rabbit holes to find new knowledge and friends along the way. Anthony can be found deep in thought sauntering through the woods with his camera and music in his mind or contentedly spending time caring for gray wolves at the wolf sanctuary he volunteers at. If you see him out and about, he only asks that you bring with you good conversation and an open heart.
