Camera Guides
Written guides on framing, lenses, exposure, focus and studio setup. About one new article appears each month, each with clearly labelled example diagrams.
Browse our written guides on camera composition and studio production. Each article explains one topic in plain language, from focal length to monitor reading, and can be read on its own.
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· Equipment BasicsTripod, Lens, Monitor and Light Stand: What Each Does in a Small Studio
A practical walk through the four pieces of equipment most small studios start with, what each one is for, and how to set them up in a sensible order before you record.
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· Setup ChecklistsA Studio Setup Checklist to Work Through Before You Decide
Before you buy anything or book a recording day, walk through camera, light, sound and monitor in a fixed order. This checklist shows what to look at and what can wait.
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· CompositionFive Framing Mistakes in Portrait Setups and How to Fix Them
Most weak portrait and interview frames come from a handful of repeat habits. Magnus Berg walks through five common mistakes from our composition courses and shows a simple correction for each.
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· Camera GuidesWhat Camera Guides Cost and What Moves the Price
A plain look at what you pay for written camera guides on focal length, exposure, focus and monitors, and which choices make one guide cost more than another.
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· Customer CaseMarit's Kitchen Table Exposure Drill: One Case, Three Weeks of Practice
Marit had never set exposure by hand. This short case follows her through repeatable drills at home, and what changed in her footage once she stopped trusting auto mode.
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· Equipment BasicsTripods, Lenses and Light Stands: What to Check Before Summer Shoots
As the light lengthens, small studios and spare rooms get busy. Magnus walks through what a tripod, a lens, a monitor and a light stand each do, and what to check first.
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· Studio BasicsWhat "Ready to Roll" Actually Means Before You Press Record
A plain-words look at the phrase ready to roll, and the four things it covers in a small studio: camera, light, sound and monitor, checked in a fixed order.
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· CoursesShort Course or Full Programme: Choosing How to Learn Framing
Two ways to study framing, headroom and shot planning for portrait and interview setups: a short focused course or a longer structured programme. Here is how they compare and which one we recommend.
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· Behind the scenesHow We Write and Test a Camera Guide Before It Goes Online
A look at how a Camera Guide is drafted, drawn, tested at the studio table and revised, from the first outline to the labelled diagrams you read.
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· Practical ExercisesHow Often Should You Repeat a Practical Exercise Before Moving On?
The question we hear most about our exercises is how many repetitions are enough. Here is a plain answer for exposure drills, tripod practice and shot-planning worksheets, written for early spring.
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· Equipment BasicsEquipment Basics: what each piece does in a small studio
A plain look at how tripods, lenses, monitors and lighting stands each earn their place in a small studio, and what to check before you buy or borrow anything.
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· Studio SetupThe Tools Behind a Reliable Studio Setup Checklist
A look at the paper, markers and small instruments we use to build the pre-recording checklists, and why a good checklist depends more on its method than on its length.
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· How-to GuideHow to Frame a Portrait or Interview Shot, Step by Step
A practical walk through headroom, the rule of thirds and depth for a seated portrait or interview, with a short routine you can repeat before every recording in the darker months.
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· Camera GuidesA Checklist to Work Through Before You Choose a Camera Guide
Before you commit to reading or following any written camera guide, these checks help you judge whether it covers focal length, exposure, focus and monitor reading clearly enough to be useful.
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· Practical ExercisesFive Common Mistakes in Home Practice Drills, and How to Avoid Them
Repeating exposure drills, tripod movement and shot-planning worksheets at home only helps if the habits are sound. Here are the slips we see most often and simple ways to fix them.
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· Equipment BasicsWhat Basic Studio Equipment Costs and What Drives the Price
A plain look at what tripods, lenses, monitors and light stands cost in a small studio, and which details push the price up while adding little for learners.
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· Customer CaseOne Afternoon With a Checklist: Marit Gets Her Home Studio Ready
Henrik follows Marit, a hobby interviewer from Østfold, as she replaces a messy pre-recording routine with a short studio setup checklist for camera, light, sound and monitor.
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· CompositionPlanning Your Autumn Composition Practice: Framing Work for the Darker Months
As daylight shortens, indoor portrait and interview framing becomes the most useful thing to practise. A seasonal plan for headroom, depth and shot planning across the coming weeks.
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· Camera GuidesReading a Monitor: What Clipping Warnings Actually Tell You
Zebras, false colour and clipping indicators are easy to switch on and easy to misread. A plain-words explanation of what each warning shows, and what it leaves out.
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· Practical ExercisesDrills or Worksheets First: Choosing How to Start Practising at Home
Two ways to begin hands-on practice, short exposure and tripod drills versus shot-planning worksheets, compared side by side, with a clear recommendation on which to do first.
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· Equipment BasicsBehind the Scenes: How We Test Every Tripod, Lens and Stand
A look at how the Equipment Basics pages are actually made: which setups we build, what we measure, and how a plain explanation ends up on the page.
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· Studio ChecklistsWhat Should Be on a Studio Checklist Before You Press Record?
The question we hear most is simple: what actually belongs on a pre-recording checklist? Here is a short, honest answer covering camera, light, sound and monitor, in the order that saves time.
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· Course NewsWhat the Composition Courses Cover, and How We Run Them This Season
A plain account of how the Camera Composition Courses are built: framing, headroom, depth and shot planning for portrait and interview setups, and what you can expect to practise.
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