abbywinters.com technical shoot standards are defined in detail in the training page, Technical assessment areas. This FAQ page is only a summary.
The relevant technical areas, and the minimum standards for shoots are as follows;
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Lighting
- Models are clearly illuminated, emphasising their form and texture. Naturalistic in style. Practical lights are present in scenes.
- Never high-contrast; no hard shadows
- For excellence: Use the high-key lighting style; mix multiple sources
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Exposure
- The available dynamic range is fully used. Secondary effects of exposure controls are managed to the benefit of the abbywinters.com paradigm.
- Over-exposed background elements are acceptable, so long as models are correctly exposed.
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White Balance
- Crisp white whites and true colours, regardless of the colour temperature of the light source
- Full-spectrum light sources are required to be used
- Auto-WB function may never be used on shoots.
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Close-Ups
- Close and technically proficient, matching other technical standards listed here.
- For excellence: Extremely close, using a Canon 500D CU adapter (or equivilent), or a macro lens
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Focus
- The areas the customer wants to see, are in focus. Typically f8 for the entire shoot.
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Practical DoF
- The depth of field allows customers to see what they want to see, at the same time in the same image
- F8 should be considered a minimum
- For excellence: f11 for the entire shoot
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Framing and composition
- Crop in-camera when shooting, and arranging elements in the frame pleasingly. Show all of the model in full-body shots.
- For stills, prefer to never be wider than 70mm lens length (for a 35mm frame), 50mm as the absolute widest for “day-to-day” images. Occasional full wide (eg, 24mm) is acceptable.
- For video, tend not to “chase the action” (set a frame, and let the model move within it).
- For video, always zoomed fully out wide – never zoom in
- For video, use “steady shot” always enable function in camera
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Audio (video only)
- Clearly recorded audio with a dedicated highly-directional mic that’s monitored during recording.
- Minimal background sound, and no kids screaming, pet sounds, AC hum, TV sounds, music, or similar.
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Grooming
- Models appear neat, clean, healthy and wholesome. Exceptions may be granted on a shoot-by-shoot basis by the WhatsApp Collective.
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Must-Have shots
- Essential shots our customers demand are captured to a high technical standard, in every shoot.
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Additionals (Backstage; AW Ed; Dressing Room).
- Shoot brief followed, well-captured
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Clothing selection
- On-paradigm clothes selected.
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Setting selection
- Enhances abbywinters.com paradigm and exposes new aspects of model.