Buca di Beppo with the Canon 7D from Ted Chen on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago, I declared video to be the next big thing, and every photojournalist/photographer would need to add the new dimension of motion to their repertoire. Then I took the big (money) step to purchase one of the latest hybrid DSLRs, which can capture both quality images and full-HD video.

And yesterday, I brought that Canon 7D on a lunch trip to Buca di Beppo. The Italian restaurant is famous for its family-style portions and vintage decor. While I have also been building my audio equipment list, this set up was still short of ‘professional.’ I had no rig, everything was hand-held and manually adjusted. For sound I had the Zoom H2 recorder, which I’ve had personal experience using while I was at Columbia’s journalism school.

Shooting video is tough. Extremely. You have to predict motion more so than photography, and visualize how every small clip is going to be put together in the end. Then there’s audio. In this video I cheated a little by having background music, despite recording all the ambient sound within the 7D. Sure I could have used the Zoom to record audio, but only for ambient sounds. You’d have to put the Zoom really close to whoever’s speaking to get a good signal. Plus, I was also in the middle of eating the sumptuous food at Buca di Beppo!

As far as video shooting went, I shot everything from the same spot, choosing carefully what I wanted to capture and using selective focus. Keeping the camera steady while filming was a little bit challenging. What I’m really pleased is how the 7D performed at ISO 3200. The video is still cleaner than many other camcorders out there. It won’t beat the 5D2, but I am sufficiently pleased. Besides I really need the better auto-focus and frame rate of the 7D. Once I had the source video and audio files, I put them all together in Final Cut, adjusting the color balance and a little bit of the gamma.

From here, I hope to produce more videos, while slowing expanding the video rig I have. There are way better options for audio out there (like switching to XLR inputs), but right now the Zoom works well enough for me. Also, I need to try and get everything right in-camera while shooting. It’s much easier than tweaking the settings (such as white balance) in post-production.

That’s it from me! Check back on the website often to see if I have new videos up!

Taking video with the Canon 7D at the Italian Restaurant Buca di Beppo

Taking a group shot is like going on stage to do a solo act in front of a packed auditorium. Everyone’s eyes are on you, expecting you to deliver. Fail, and they will remember you even more.

But they’re also dynamic, as each one will contribute their own poses, and it’s nice to see (later in the day) how people can be so different and yet go together so well. Today I covered a group of YMCA kids who baked cupcakes for those at Ann Arbor’s Ronald McDonald House. This group shot was virtually the last snap of the day, when all the trays were scrubbed and the tables wiped clean.

Now this shot isn’t bad, but it’s not perfect. The fundamentals are there thankfully. I ensured there was enough depth of field by closing the aperture to f7.1. Doing so, I had to boost the flash power. It’s important to get some catchlight in the eyes, which I did successfully for most of them, but less on camera right. Doesn’t matter what type, but it’s important to use a diffuser for your flash.

If I could change some things about the photo, I probably should have asked for them to stand in an arc around the cupcakes. There was too much rigidity, almost like taking a high school class photo. But it’s also important not to get people too close to the corners as wide-angle lenses (and I did use one) tend to distort the edges. Bear that in mind when you’re taking group shots.

Overall, I’m happy with the shot.