I’ve decided to group together some of the various shooting tips that I have written over the years on a single page. Hopefully this will make them easier to find. Some are technical, some are practical or creative. For technical aspects of setting up picture profiles  see this page or for other technical information this page. Hope you find them useful!

• How I shoot the Northern Lights
• Filming in very cold weather
• Super simple FX30 time-lapse.
• Not all ND filters are created equal.
• Zebras and Log – Use a narrower window/range.
• Microphone Latency – Don’t mix and match!
• Low Light Shooting – S-Log3 or S-Cinetone?
• Timecode doesn’t synchronise anything!!!
• CineEI is not the same as conventional shooting.
• Handy Tips For Using The Sony Variable ND Filter Values.
• My Exposure Looks Different On My LCD Compared To My Monitor!
• SDI Failures and what YOU can do to stop it happening to you.
• Chroma Key and Greenscreen – Should I use S-Log3 or might Rec-709 be Better?
• Chroma Key and S-Cinetone
• What Benefits Do I Gain By Using CineEI?
• Rigging the FX6 – Shoulder mounts, Rod, Brackets, etc.
• There Is No Such Thing As A “12G” SDI Cable.
• A Guide the the FX6’s CineEI Mode.
• DIY Assignable Button Labels.
• Are We Missing Problems In Our Footage Because We Don’t Use Viewfinders Anymore?
• How To Live Stream With The Sony PXW-Z90 and NX80.
• Rigging the PXW-FX9
• PXW-FX9 User Guide Now Available for FREE Download.
• Look after Your Batteries In Lockdown.
• Streaming and Live Feeds.
• Temporal Aliasing – Beware!
• Using User Files and All Files to Speed Up Switching Modes on the FX9.
• How We Judge Exposure Looking At an Image And The Importance Of ViewFinder Contrast.
• Hot Pixels and White Dots From My New Camcorder (FX9 and many others).
• Struggling With Blue LED Lighting? Try Turning On The adaptive Matrix.
• Shooting S-Log3 on the PXW-FX9 – Do I need to expose bright?
• Beware multiple power supplies!!
• Recording the slow motion S&Q output of an FS5 to a normal external recorder (not raw).
• ISO and EI – using the right terms makes what you are doing easier to understand.
• Learning to be a film maker? Don’t shoot short pretty videos – shoot documentaries.
• Noise, ISO, Gain, S-Log2 v S-Log3 and exposure.
• ProRes Raw Over Exposure Magic Tricks – It’s all smoke and mirrors!
• Log and Raw Don’t have highlight a highlight roll off.
• Using an FS5 to shoot in low light – what can I do?
• ProRes Raw Webinar – How to use ProRes Raw with the FS5 and FS7
• When is a viewfinder a viewfinder and when is it just a small monitor?
• Beware the LC709 LUT double exposure offset.
• How to get the best White Balance (Push Auto WB).
• Use the cameras media check to help ensure you don’t get file problems.
• What shutter speed to use if shooting 50p or 60p for 50i/60i conversion.
• Using LUT’s for exposure – choosing the right LUT.
• More on frame rate choices for todays video productions.
• Low Light Performance – It’s all about the lens!
• Adjusting the Color Matrix
• Why do we strive to mimic film? What is the film look anyway?
• The Dangers Of Hidden Moisture.
• What does ISO mean with todays cameras?
• The making of “Fire and Iron”.
• Why is exposing log brightly beneficial?
• Beware Exposing To The Right With Log.
• Why you need to sort out your post production monitoring!
• Watch your viewfinder in bright sunshine (viewfinders with magnifiers or loupes).
• The great S-Log2 or S-Log3 debate.
• Notes on Timecode and Timecode Sync for cinematographers, part 2.
• Shooting in cold weather and shooting snow scenes. Updated.
• Notes on Timecode and Timecode Sync for cinematographers.
• LCD Viewfinder Calibration
• How much technology does a modern cinematographer need to know?
• What is “Exposure”?
• log is often a poor choice for low light.
• Video Camera Noise, ISO and Sensitivity.
• Deeper Understanding Of Log Gamma. Experiments with a Waveform Display.
• Treat it like a film camera!
• More info on CMOS sensor grid artefacts.
• Tales of exposure from the grading suite.
• Exposing and Using S-Log2 on the Sony A7s. Part One: Gamma and Exposure.
• Quick tips for shooting lightning – Video and Stills.
• LUT’s or LOOK’s when exposing via a LUT on the PMW-F5 or PMW-F55 (and FS7).
• Matte Boxes and Lens Hoods can make your pictures sharper, also a look at the Alphatron Matte Box.
• Why gain is bad for your dynamic range.
• Shooting in the dark – which gamma curve should I use?
• Correct exposure levels with Sony Hypergammas and Cinegammas.
• Exposure levels using EI ISO and zebras with the PMW-F5 and raw.
• What is PsF, or why does my camera output interlace in progressive?
• Tips for shooting in very cold weather.
• Back to Basics; White Balance.
• Why Nailing Your Mid Range Will Make Post Production Happy. Even with Cingammas and Hypergammas.
• Calibrating your viewfinder or LCD.
• When should I use a Cinegamma or Hypergamma?

The importance of using your own judgement when exposing with conventional gammas.

The importance of not over exposing with cingammas, hypergammas and log.

Exposing with S-Log and using EI S-Log.

Shooting snow and other bright scenes.

Back to Basics: White Balance.

Choosing the right tripod.

• Burano – What’s it like to shoot with Livestream
• Film making workshop in Dubai, 25th May 2024
• Sony Burano Events and Workshops
• 2025 Northern Lights Expedition and Workshop tour – now taking bookings.