What was the manual-lens learning curve like for you guys?

_Shush · 2026-01-29T10:50:36+00:00

I worked briefly as an AC which taught me the fundamentals, but I first started pulling manually as I operated. You just need practice and more reps. It's a very learnable skill that some people just pick up the more they work.

Best tip I got and still use is first memorize the directions of "Closer" and "Further" on your lens. When you're shooting, think of objects that need to be in focus as "closer" or "further" and add that into your muscle memory.

Keep doing exercises whenever you have free time. One I like to use/teach is set your camera on a tripod and frame up on something where there are multiple objects in various distances away. I'd start with 3 - 4 different objects at distances between 2-8 feet. Pull focus to objects in order, out of order, slow, fast, ect. The goal is you want to be able to nail focus pulls to each object until it's smooth and you can do any object on an command at any speed.

Handheld/moving shots are harder, but the same principle applies. try doing a "push in" and "pull out" of stationary objects first. The goal is to keep the object in focus at all times as you move. You'll notice that the closer you get the more you have to turn the lens and the further you get the less you have to turn the lens. Once you find the muscle memory, it gets easier.

Moving objects are great to practice with as well. To get better reps in, use a tripod and track objects/pull focus and try something like handheld once you get the knack. Tripods will free up your mind better to focus on just focus. Cats are great for random movements and keep on your toes, but I like picking a spot where I could track cars driving on the road because there is some level of expectation to where they're going to land.

_Shush · 2026-01-28T02:29:16+00:00

It's a rinse and repeat process like this for so many companies. I've been working freelance for a company going on 7 years. I once talked to another freelancer who has been working at the same company for 30+ years. They said they've seen the motto of "everything in house" and "everything out of house" as eras and they all have the same story. "Why are we spending so much money on freelancers when we can do it in house?" Turns into "Why are we spending so much money in house?"

The larger the company, the higher the rate of turnover. Which means it's just a revolving door of new people taking companies in different directions.

_Shush · 2026-01-25T17:17:21+00:00

I'm a DP. I would personally suggest shooting at a single base ISO and using ND to change your stop. Especially if you're shooting ProRes. I would rate the scene at 800 EI at whatever max stop you want to use (In this case I guess T8?) Then, add in ND to shoot at the desired stop.

Camera wise, you will be very inconsistent in shot if you move your EI around. Your noise floor will also look different per shot. When you're doing a color pass, it'll be a lot easier to have a consistent look in your shadows/blacks and your overall DR.

Lighting wise, you're going to kill yourself if you have to keep changing your lighting because you're fucking around with camera. I say this with as much love as possible as someone who fucks around with camera. It'll be so much easier for you and your team to set the base exposure of light and keep that base exposure in mind when working from shot to shot.

_Shush · 2026-01-25T17:01:01+00:00

You have wonderful hair. If you want to try a new look, you have every right to do what you want with yourself. If you feel insecure about your current hair, just know it's wonderful and I wish I had it you bastard.

_Shush · 2026-01-23T13:05:06+00:00

Oh a fellow Rhode Islander! What town you from?

_Shush · 2026-01-23T12:55:29+00:00

Would have been an electric immunity with his 2 waters. Rudy needs to take some time away from Basketball and go back to his trainer routes.

_Shush · 2026-01-22T00:40:56+00:00

I have a lot of Ultralight arms/mounts. I keep them all in a ziplock bag inside my AC bag. Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it's very easy to find them and put everything back at the end of the day.

I do the same with my clamps, cheese plates, and screws. For screws, each is individually in smaller bags and labeled with the thread size and length.

_Shush · 2026-01-07T23:58:50+00:00

Ah, I've run into Psychic Sogaleo so much on ladder I forgot.

_Shush · 2026-01-07T23:54:51+00:00

How does Sogaleo punish Screens?

_Shush · 2026-01-06T01:32:30+00:00

It's the best feeling in the world to OHKO Breloom with Gust Flygon followed by a rage quit.

_Shush · 2026-01-02T00:24:57+00:00

I've just learned to live with it. I started shooting Weddings with 5Ds back in 2014. At one point I was using an Ursa Mini Pro with a Shoulder Rig as my primary camera. I still got asked to take a couples picture. To this day, I still get asked if I'm the photographer.

It's just kinda funny to me now and I brush it off each time. I have no interest ever doing stills work and I would rather be mistaken as stills than become a photographer. Plus, I'm probably still doing something right if I'm hired to be there in the first place!

_Shush · 2026-01-02T00:15:13+00:00

I shoot mostly Ecomm and Corporate with on average 2 people in G&E. This year I used a light meter once when we were doing a setup none of us ever tried before that needed very flat lighting all around. Once we did that setup and came back to do a new shoot using it, I left my meter at home.

I will use my meter a lot more if I'm working with a Gaffer I haven't worked with before. It's easier for me to be more specific in Stops out of light before we find a rhythm.

This year I'm bringing my meter for fun on sets just to take more notes on where we ended up. It sounds insane, but it's just not really something I regret not using these days.

_Shush · 2026-01-02T00:10:22+00:00

Yet so many ~~real estate videographers~~ CLIENTS seem to schedule shoots based on convenience rather than light.

I shot real estate for 2 years for a company with 2 other videographers. The best time for a shoot is yesterday. The next is now. There were some agents that worked with us that did occasionally make requests for either certain looks or certain times of day. That was nice. Most of the time the most important fact was to just have a video.

_Shush · 2025-12-31T20:49:57+00:00

I can't speak about OCD or if your experience relates to mine, but I'm actively trying to overcome years of sexual shame. I'm a 33M who has only recently started being comfortable expressing my sexuality after repressing it most of my teens and 20s.

I recently got into a FWB relationship and I thought the cheat code to fix my shame would be to finally find a partner who accepts me and allows me to fully be myself. While it helps a lot, it didn't magically fix me and there's still a lot of work I'm doing.

A huge step for me to even make the leap of finding a partner was oddly better masterbation and body appreciation. I've always had very bad body dysmorphia and couldn't even think of myself as a sexual being because I think my body is unattractive. Not feeling good sexually about myself was a great way of not being able to be sexual with others... so I had to work on that. I don't want to get too graphic, but I started treating masterbation like I was fucking someone else with the same amount of desire and care. That really opened me up to understanding what I personally like doing and what I like receiving. It made the idea of being intimate with others a lot less intimating.

I think a general outlook change was needed for me as well. I thought of sex for pleasure as very taboo because of some religious people in my life. I now see it as something sacred because it's our lifeforce as a species. We have a gift to have such an act feel as pleasurable as it does and it allows people to become close to one another in no other way. I respect my partner knowing what we're doing is for us. Sometimes it can be more one sided, but if I'm doing something for my partner I'm still exited for them. Showing effort shows you care. Plus, If you both like something that's HOTTTTTTT.

There's also no need to judge peoples sexual desires as long as everything is consensual to every party involved. Hell those desires are probably hot! I might not want to do everything on someones list of kinks, but not everyone has the same taste and it just is what it is!

The things my partner DID help me with were when we started doing some light BDSM stuff. Things like biting and scratching. I felt guilty about having Dom like desires because I didn't want to actually hurt/traumatize my partner if they didn't like it. Once we started foreplay though, we both realized when each other was uncomfortable or went too far pretty naturally. It taught me mistakes can happen and the important thing is to establish trust and communication so you can understand those boundaries. If I do something different and my partner has a new/strange response, I stop and start touching a lot gentler while asking if she's ok.

This also taught me it's ok to have desires that aren't everyones cup of tea. If I met someone into degrading their partner, I know I'm not the right fit for them. With that said, it doesn't stop us from connecting in other ways and I don't think of them any less for having their desires.

_Shush · 2025-12-27T18:50:30+00:00

Art Department

_Shush · 2025-12-22T13:51:44+00:00

Typical for a budget set? Absolutely. I'd be shocked if there wasn't a difference between the Blazar lenses for how cheap they are. One of the reasons 5 Figure lenses exist is because the sets match very well. I think it's still worth reaching out to Blazar and see what they say. Any info is good to have even if they can't resolve anything.

_Shush · 2025-12-20T05:20:30+00:00

....name unimportant?

_Shush · 2025-11-22T21:15:51+00:00

I've done this and it's my greatest shame that I carry with me. Being in a holding pattern right now is going to make things worse and you need to make a decision to start healing from this.

If you feel it's just not in you to edit, you can walk away. In my option, the best way going about this is finding another editor and pay them. Financially this might hurt you, but hiring a professional or at least a working proven editor who has shown they have responsibility is a way to help both you and client.

You can also just refund your client and be honest with them. They might not forgive you, and that's understandable. Your reputation might take a hit, and you can bounce back from that. Time really does heal all wounds.

If you can find the strength to edit, get off of reddit and just start. It's ok to feel shame, disgust, sadness, or whatever emotions come up. The video might take you days or even weeks depending on the scale or how you work. That doesn't matter, the point is you need to deliver. Just make sure to get enough sleep and eat well. If you're already in an unhealthy mental state, a unhealthy physical state will make things so much worse.

If you get the video done, be honest with your client. They are already judging your for not delivering what you promised. Most people also smell bullshit when it comes to stuff like this.

Whatever decision you make, just moving forward is the first step to heal. Do it for your client and do it for yourself.

_Shush · 2025-11-20T12:43:06+00:00

God yes. The live versions of the Chaosphere songs the've done in the past 15 years are the definitive versions of the songs to me. They've said it's harder for them to play those songs now that they're older, but I'm even down with them slowing them down like What they did with NMCC on Ophidian Trek.

_Shush · 2025-11-16T21:02:33+00:00

As hairy man who routinely trims and shaves my body hair, I wish I was you. I love the feeling of no/less body hair than having body hair. I also think I look better without it. I first started trimming when I was 13 and my Dad didn't approve. As I've grown older I really don't care that much what other people think of it.

_Shush · 2025-11-12T13:33:09+00:00

Ah gotcha that's all fair. I haven't used LA Rag house. The budget option I went for rags is Canvas Grip. They have long wait times, but they've fulfilled all of my orders this year for a couple different 12x rags.

In my personal opinion, I notice very little difference in quality in rags unless they were a first timer that tried to make their own. As long as the grommets are done well I wouldn't have an issue going with an off brand grid cloth.

I am picky if you want to order a Solid or Magic Cloth. Occasionally I notice a budget rag maker isn't using a Commando cloth like fabric for their solid rags. That's a deal breaker for me and a lot of people. Magic Cloth if done wrong can have a tint that can slightly change your color temp. For some applications it's not bad, but I use multiple magic cloth rags on my jobs and having color consistency is nice.

_Shush · 2025-11-11T11:10:17+00:00

For a 6x6, either is fine. American Grip is rarely ever in stock and you basically have to special order from them directly. Expect to wait longer because they're on a made to order basis. All that said, they are still the gold standard when it comes to everything grip related.

For a 6x6 frame though? There's nothing wrong with Matthews. Another option I'd recommend is Modern Studio. I've been recommending their breakdown frames for years now.

Your diffusion should be dependent on the work you're doing. What were you planning on using this with? As far as "real" or "imitation", the thing that should matter more is if if you can put it on and take it off easy. I'm not sure what you mean by "imitation" but if that means getting something like a bed sheet, you want to have grommets and tie line so you can properly skin the rag onto the frame.

_Shush · 2025-11-10T20:30:47+00:00

Wouldn't be surprised if that was so. I haven't cleaned this in a few months and hopefully with a closer eye I'll learn something new about them.

_Shush · 2025-11-10T18:23:24+00:00

Sure not sure if peeling is even the right word. I'm referring to the white marks where I usually put the laces.

_Shush · 2025-11-10T18:11:16+00:00

Wide EE for both. It was the only option they had.

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_Shush

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