Photo Documentation

Video Documentation

Documenting a residency experience should be fun, but often, in the excitement of the moment, it is easy to overlook a few easy steps that could alleviate problems such as improperly exposed film and out-of-focus subjects. Review the following information to prepare your camera for working order. Make sure you have chosen the best medium for the situation to create photographs or videos that represent the experience shared by the participants.

Use of Camera and Flash
Whether you are an experienced photographer with a classy system or just an average person using a simple point-and-shoot camera, take the time to dig out the owner's manual and review the features of your equipment. Know the capabilities of the camera and flash. Pay particular attention to how the lens focuses, how to set the film speed, how to determine a proper exposure and the brightness range of the flash. If the camera has not been used in a while, shoot a test roll of film in conditions similar to those you will encounter documenting the residency.
When using a flash, make sure the batteries are fresh and charged. Again, look over the owner's manual. Make sure the subject is in the range of your flash. For example, a flash may have a range of four to 12 feet. Subjects closer than four feet will be too light (overexposed) in the picture. Subjects farther away than 12 feet, will appear too dark (underexposed) in the photo. The flash range changes according to the type of film you use. A film with a higher speed usually will give a greater depth of field, or broader range of focus, and will illuminate subjects at farther distances.

Prepare the equipment for use before you arrive at the site so you do not have to load film with kids and teachers orbiting you. Install fresh batteries and carry an extra set. If you are using a manual camera, make sure the flash is synchronized with the shutter speed. Usually this requires using a shutter speed around 1/60th of a second.

Choosing Film
The OAC staff likes to have photographs in slide form and color prints. Slide film is quirky. It's not as forgiving as color negative film, which means the exposure has to be correct. It's also very sensitive to different types of lighting, so using the wrong kind can result in strange colors. During manufacture the film is balanced for daylight scenes or for those lit by tungsten light sources. Daylight balanced film should be used when photographing outdoors or when using a flash. Tungsten film is produced for scenes illuminated by a heated tungsten filament. That means a conventional light bulb. Tungsten light sources do not include fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lights have their own unique set of circumstances. In most residency situations, tungsten balanced film is not practical. It's not fast enough to photograph indoors without a tripod.
Ninety percent of the time, daylight balanced film is the best film to use in residencies. Make sure you use a flash when photographing indoors and turn off any overhead fluorescent lights. Otherwise, a psychedelic green haze will appear in your photos.

Suggested Films
Use any color slide (reversal) film made by the major companies such as Kodak or Fuji with an ISO of 100 to 400. ASA or ISO rating refers to the film speed that tells how sensitive the emulsion is to light. A film with an ISO of 400 is more sensitive than one with an ISO of 100. That means faster speed films can be used in lower light situations than slower speed films. However, image quality is sharper with the slower films. Make sure the film is daylight balanced. Tungsten balanced films usually have a T after their ISO number. Most slide films are manufactured for E-6 processing, which means they can be developed and mounted within two hours.
Point-and-shoot cameras usually have weak flash units. If you are using one, buy a higher speed film, such as one with an ISO of 400.

Shooting
In the words of photojournalist Robert Capa: "If your pictures aren't good, you're not close enough." Think of yourself as a film director. Start with a few wide establishing shots, then get closer to document the details of the residency. Be sure what you want to be important is in sharp focus. Experiment with different camera angles. Try sitting on the floor and pointing the camera up or stand on a chair looking down. Get eye level with your subject. Be aware of your background. Is it distracting? Avoid posing your subjects directly in front of a wall because flash creates shadows on walls, which can be overbearing. If you see a great picture, take more than one shot. If you miss a shot, have the participants re-enact the scene. Photograph kids individually and in groups. Don't wait until the last day of the residency to take pictures. Photograph from the beginning. Show the kids' creative process.

Prepared by Mary Strubbe, AIE Artist in Residence

Video Documentation

Videotaping a residency can be a very powerful method of documenting the success of your work. However, if done poorly, the videotape may be painful to watch. On the other hand, a well-shot, brief program can capture the energy and fun of your residency in a way no other medium can. By following a few simple rules, you can dramatically improve the impact of video documentation.

Shooting
Echoing the point made in "Photographing Residencies" the problem with poor video is usually because you are not physically close enough with the camera. This point is even more important when videotaping for three reasons:

1. Television is a lower resolution medium than film. In a wide shot the detail is lost. Television loves close-up images. Although you periodically may need an establishing (wide) shot to give the audience perspective, for the most part, closer is better.
2. Most artists will rely on the camera mike for sound. The closer you are to the sound source the better. The microphone on the front of the camera is directional and will pick up the sound in front of the camera. As you move back, the subject's sound is mixed with background noise that is undesirable. Use headphones whenever possible to ensure that the sound quality is good. Often, there will be sound problems from air conditioning, fluorescent lights, shorts in the mike and other sources that are not noticeable unless you are using headphones. Headphones will help you hear these noises before it is too late.
3. Unless your camera is on a tripod, you need to be physically close to your subject and avoid zooming in. Zooming in accentuates the shakiness of handholding the camera.
   

Poor lighting often mars videotapes. Fortunately, you can see this problem in the viewfinder, but many people fail to move their angle or their subject so that the image is not silhouetted or washed out. Although some cameras have a setting to compensate for backlighting, it is usually easier to change your angle.

In composing an interview or presenter, it is usually better not to center the person in the shot. If they are looking in one direction, place them to the side of the screen so that you show the space toward which they are looking. If the shot is static, make sure the background is as interesting as possible. It is often good to have a lot of space behind the person, such as a classroom or hallway so that the background is out of focus. If at all possible, avoid placing your subject in front of a blank wall.

When shooting children, it is important to get down to their level. Looking down on your subject may be more comfortable for you, but it has the psychological impact of diminishing the children. Shooting eye-to-eye shows respect for your subject.

In shooting events such as a dance performance or concert, it may be useful to place the camera on a tripod to make zooming and panning back and forth viable. However, most consumer tripods are not good enough to provide a quality pan. If you are able to obtain a fluid head tripod, you will be able to achieve a much more professional feel. In that event, practice a bit before you shoot because the tripod will have several adjustments that need to be made to achieve a smooth motion. If you do not have access to a fluid head, you may want to consider shooting brief segments using a hand-held approach and following the above suggestions. Capture highlights as the performance unfolds and avoid the temptation to document the entire event.

When you are shooting an event, be sure to get a variety of shots, including the audience (again get those close-ups of the faces) and some behind-the-scenes footage. It is often very effective to capture the excitement of the audience and the performers before or after show. If you are shooting a conversation, try to capture both angles.

Editing
If you have access to editing equipment and are interested in creating an edit of your residency footage, your control over the end product will be greatly enhanced. Today's non-linear computer editing systems are like word processors, giving you complete control in the editing process. You can add or delete scenes, move them from one place to another, and lengthen and shorten them at will. If you know you will be editing the footage, you can be much more liberal about what you shoot, because you know you will be able to cut it down in the editing process. Remember, shorter is almost always better. Try to keep your videotape from five to ten minutes in duration.

Editing is the best way to improve your shooting skills because you are constantly seeing what you need and wish you had. If you know you are going to edit, be absolutely sure to get cutaways or images of the audience or other shots that can be used to provide a smooth connection between two shots that are too similar. A cutaway is used to cover a jump cut where you basically have two images of the same shot, but there is a break in the time. You may want to leave the camera running to obtain a complete soundtrack even though you will not be using all the footage.

If you are not going to be editing you have the challenging task of editing in the camera. Try to remember to change your angle or subject in each shot to avoid jump cuts. Using this style also leads to breaks in the sound.

Delivering the Video to the OAC
There are so many video formats to choose from. Most consumer cameras are Hi-8, VHSC, Digital 8, or Mini DV. Use whatever you have, but copy the tape to VHS before you send it to the Ohio Arts Council. If you prefer, you can create a QuickTime, Real Video, or Windows Media file and deliver it on a CD-ROM. Increasingly, these files are being used on the OAC's website and may be preferable to videotape. The downside is that CD-ROM video is usually lower quality than VHS.

Prepared by Eric Johnson, Video artist