W. Cardone Productions Blog

One of the most important considerations is to not wear jet black or bright whites. There are times when wearing a bright white is unavoidable such as with a wedding dress. If such a color is pre-defined, then fine, we will work with what we have got. However, if choices exist you will lessen the technical challenges and results will be all that much better.

What happens when wearing jet black or bright white is that the NTSC standard called IRE can be exceeded. We simply lose some amount of detail in the image. It is not a lot and most people might not notice unless you had side-by-side comparisons to show them.

In this same line of thought, avoid Easter egg oranges and candy apple reds. In most cases we can still deliver excellent imaging even with these colors but it does push the envelope of what is technically challenging.

Avoid wearing any “loud” patterns like plaids, stripes, or checks. The smaller the detail with the prints, the more challenge presented. Herringbone weaves are especially to be avoided.

Avoid wearing eye shadow, especially dark or vibrant blue. Rouge is to be avoided as it stands out garishly on camera. Likewise, avoid deep red and glossy types of lipstick.

For clothing arrangements avoid picking contrasting colors such as very dark with very light colored clothing.

Don’t wear any “glittery” material like sequins, or anything that is very shiny and reflects light. These will draw attention to themselves and away from you and your message. To some extent eyeglasses are included in this consideration although at least they tend to maintain a consistent plane and when using studio lighting we can adjust for it.

Don’t wear anything distracting loud or distracting such as a sweater with a large turkey embroidered on it or a Mickey Mouse T-shirt.

In this day of technical marvels we tend to think that electronics are the answer to all of life’s problems. The dilemma we face is that state-of-the-art imaging technology today is still miles apart from the imaging capability of the human eye coupled with the processing power of the brain. Recognizing that this dichotomy exists is the first step in producing quality imaging, whether still photography or videography.

Consider first of all that the NTSC (National Television System Committee) television standard, developed in the early 1950s, defines limits for what is black and what is white. Consequently, we can produce superior imaging if we will just recognize and allow for these limitations. With a vector scope connected to the camcorder we can gain a slight advantage by readily identifying when these limits are exceeded. While we at W. Cardone Productions will use a vector scope for scheduled videography such as an interview where we are using studio lighting, a vector scope is inappropriate and unworkable for typical event videography such as a wedding. It always pays to be attentive to good imaging practices with regard to how you dress and appear for the camera.

In posts to follow we will explain some of these considerations.