Derek Nielsen Photography

 

In today’s world content is king. More important than ever is the need to provide seriously valuable content to your audience and the world. Attractive, engaging, stimulating content. I have been a still photographer since 2003 when I purchased my first film camera. Technology has evolved so drastically over the years. Never in my life would I see the need for a high-powered cinema camera. Until now. Just as the camera has evolved over the years so too has my desire to bring diverse content to my growing audience. So too has my audience’s appetite for stimulating information grown along with the fine art I was already providing. Look for yourself at the growing popularity of YouTube, Instagramreels, and video, TikTok, just to name a few. Check out the career paths of our industry leaders like Peter Mckinnon, Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, and Chris Burkard. These world-class professional photographers have had the luxury of shooting with both the world’s most sophisticated still cameras and cinema equipment. Now we do too. Note, it’s not only stills they are using to bring in a larger audience it’s the video footage they are shooting of the process. With everything we have seen coming out of the new Canon EOS R5 C we now can create some of the industry-leading pros. The fact that it’s all in one camera blows my mind. Let’s dive into its features, why they are important, and how we content creators could use them.  

 

I want to be clear that I do not work for Canon or have any affiliation with their company. Their products have never failed me in the field while producing incredible results for me and that is the only reason I stick with them. 

 

 

Canon EOS R5 C Photography

 

 

For me and most photographers out there, still image quality is our number one concern. This is my bread and butter. It’s how I make a living. Compromising anything from the still side of things would be an immediate disqualification for me when choosing my next camera purchase. Thankfully, the engineers at Canon kept us in mind. Check out these features listed in Canon’s press release. 

 

“At its core is Canon’s 45-megapixel high resolution, high-speed full-frame CMOS sensor, paired with the equally impressive DIGIC X image processor that provides users an ISO range of 100-51200; expandable to 102400iv. Precise focus and lightning-fast speed are cornerstones of the EOS R5 C, featuring Dual Pixel CMOS AF II and high-speed continuous shooting of up to 12 frames-per-second (fps) in mechanical shutter mode and up to 20 fps in silent electronic shutter mode. This allows users to track and photograph split-second movements of even the most elusive subjects. With EOS iTR AF X and 1,053 Automatic AF zones, it is easier than ever to photograph people using Eye, Face and Head Detection AF, or intuitively track the whole body, face, or eye of cats, and dogs, or birds with Animal Detection AFv. For those with the need for speed, the camera also offers vehicle subject detection to track cars and motorcycles accurately, especially in race-type environments. Connectivity like 5GHz and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi®vi and Bluetooth®vii connectivity is also included for the transfer of still images.” CanonUSA

 

So what does that mean for us? Besides being able to blow up images large, we have been able to do that for years, this allows us to get those hard-to-get razor-sharp images of difficult subjects in less than ideal lighting conditions. With an ISO ranging up toward 51200, this means even halfway down the scale you can handhold this camera into the late evening. Being able to keep the shutter speed high is so crucial to getting sharp images.

 

 One of my biggest frustrations over the years has been autofocus tracking of fast-moving subjects. So many camera systems over the years have improved this feature but Eye, Face, and Head detection AF completely change the game for us wildlife photographers. Not having the eye of an animal in focus could mean the difference between winning Wildlife Photographer Of The Year and not even being recognized. 

 

( Limited Edition Fine Art Print – Primal Series – Black or White )

 

12 frames per second in mechanical shutter mode and 20 fps in silent mode means some serious fast shooting. Have you ever wondered how professional photographers get such incredible shots of fast-moving animals or cars? We don’t take one shot and call it a day. We plan out our composition and let the camera fly. After the magic moments are over we sort through, sometimes hundreds of images, to find the perfect moment.

 

( Limited Edition Fine Art Print – Wildlife Series – Stampede )

 

At the end of the day, photography-driven content creators need to have a camera they feel comfortable using. Something that is not overly complicated. One of my favorite features of the new Canon R5 C is the on and off switch toggles between photography and cinema mode offering two separate menus. This allows us familiar with the photography settings we have grown accustomed to over the years to stay the same while we learn the language of cinematography.

 

Canon EOS R5 C Cinema Mode

 

 

Admittedly this is a portion of the industry I am just entering into. In the past, my limitations around cinema have been held to recording small clips of animals in the wild or producing YouTube videos. What any of you need to do if you are in the same camp as me, is to start taking the video side of content creating seriously. Having capable video recording options in a camera is not a new concept. What is new is having all this elite-level performance in one machine. Canon certainly missed the ball when introducing the original R5. The camera had serious issues with cooling while performing high-resolution cinema tasks. By adding the in-body cooling fan, we can now shoot for unlimited durations in all video modes. 

 

“The Canon EOS R5 C camera can record non-stop, uninterrupted 8K/60Pii thanks to an active cooling system. 8K video delivers outstanding definition and realism with four times the resolution of 4K video, enabling unprecedented capabilities in video expression and highly flexible workflows, such as 4K cropping from 8K footage. 

The Canon EOS R5 C camera can record High Frame Rate (HFR) video up to 120P at 4K resolution in 4:2:2 10-bit without cropping the sensor, an ideal option when shooting scenes full of fast-paced action or when the camera is paired with a gimbal or drone. Canon’s renowned Dual Pixel CMOS AF is functional even in HFR shooting. Unlike some cameras where audio is not recorded during HFR shooting, the Canon EOS R5 C camera can record .WAV audio as a separate file from video, virtually eliminating the need for separate audio recording.” CanonUSA

 

So what does ALL of this mean for us? Have you ever seen a well-directed YouTube video where the artist is using slow motion, it’s crystal clear, and the audio is perfect? Chances are they didn’t shoot it on their phone or with your average still camera in video mode. They are using cinema-quality video and sound equipment. Just like in still mode the EOS R5 C has face detection AF features. Having the ability to lock on to subjects with tracking AF to helpfully tell the story brings your everyday photographer one step closer to the great National Geographic storytellers. 

 

Social Media Statistics Not To Be Ignored

 

 

Many of us cringe at the term “Social Media”. The term certainly has gained a weird negative connotation over the years let alone the term “Influencer”.

However, did you know that

Businessofapps.com

• YouTube generated $19.7 billion in revenue in 2020, a 30.4 percent increase year-on-year
• Over 2.3 billion people access YouTube once a month
• YouTube’s most subscribed channel is T-Series, however, Ryan’s World generated the most revenue in 2020
• YouTube Premium reached 30 million subscribers in 2020

Statusbrew.com

• More than half of the world’s population uses social media now.
• Around the world, there are 4.88 billion internet users now, which equates to almost 62% of the world’s population.
• Over the past 12 months, the number of active social media users increased by more than 400 million, an addition of 9.9% for the total number to reach 4.55 billion.
• More than two-thirds of the world’s population have access to mobile devices contributing to 5.29 billion unique mobile users.
• TikTok passed the 1 billion monthly active user mark at the end of September 2021. This makes the platform seventh on the list to join the exclusive billion-user club of social media platforms.
• The average daily usage of social media is 2 hours and 27 minutes.
• 6 out of every 10 people on the planet have a social network account.
• 85% of marketers rate short-form videos as the most effective type of social media content.
• Almost 45% of internet users research products on social media

So whether you want to call yourself an influencer or content creator there are a lot of opportunities to make a living by creating valuable entertaining content.

 

Blending Our Skills

 

Not all photographers want to shoot video and not all cinematographers want to shoot photos but all content creators in 2022 and beyond need to do both. Content creators take telling the full story to a different level. Imagine going out and shooting an incredible landscape scene while being able to add the video behind what it took to create this image. Subsequently, add this video to your youtube, post it on social media, and link it to your website where prospective viewers can purchase this image. Boom! You have now created the content diamond organizations like Brand Builders Groupstresses as important techniques to build your personal brand. We all have personal brands whether we know it or not. As a content creator, you certainly have a personal brand even if you work for a company. The beautiful thing about the new Canon EOS R5 C is we can now create all this incredible content out of one camera. Coming in at $4,499, while not cheap, quality cinema cameras can easily reach 5 figures without offering any still capabilities. We should be kind of glad they messed up the release of the Canon EOS R5 because it allowed them to use a lot of the same technology to keep the cost down. 

 

If you are interested in finding out more about the crazy, fascinating, and fun world of photography ( Now Content Creating ) check out the other informative articles or subscribe to our newsletter below.