Behind The Frame 08

This shot was a bit different because I actually planned the shoot, not the usual complete spontaneity. I didn’t plan the exact frame, but I knew the conditions would be perfect: low summer evening sun, a gentle breeze, and a beautiful (secret) location. Everything I needed for some stunning frames.

As always, I asked my fiancée to wear a skirt that would add an extra layer of movement, and that was it. We wandered around, experimenting with different angles and compositions, until we finally landed on this one.

As mentioned above, it was late afternoon. The sun was just about to set, and the final rays filtered beautifully through the trees. In this case, the sunlight came in at a 90-degree angle, creating long, contrasty shadows. The added texture from the light passing through the leaves was a lovely bonus.

For this frame, I deliberately kept the background darker than my main subject to add depth. This is a common technique, you want to ensure the viewer’s attention stays on the subject, not wandering to the background.

Again, I kept it pretty simple. I noticed the leading lines of the gravel road my fiancée was walking on. To enhance the composition, I moved forward until the two large trees on either side perfectly framed the shot, creating a natural frame within a frame. Still my favorite composition technique, so easy to add depth and some storytelling!

You can read more about different composition styles and how I use them in this article.

This shot required a bit more work in the edit than my others, mainly due to the high contrast and bright spots in the frame.

But first things first: my standard practice is to shoot in Apple Log for maximum dynamic range and greater flexibility when it comes to color grading. If you want a clear explanation of what Log is and how it works, check out this great article by Moment!

I started by applying my LUT and correcting the frame from there.

A key rule to remember: always do color correction first, then color grading. This means adjusting contrast, white balance, and overall brightness to achieve a neutral, realistic look before playing with colors and setting the mood you want. It’s an important step that many people often overlook!

After finishing the color correction, I added a touch of warmth to the highlights and cooler blue tones to the shadows. I kept it simple, maybe slightly boosted the saturation, but otherwise, I wanted the image to remain natural.

Now for the tricky part.

After completing the overall color grading, the bright sun spots around my subject, especially the tree on the left and a bright patch on the ground, were too distracting.

To fix this, I added masks over each spot and lowered their brightness. I did this for the tree on the left, the bright ground patch, and the leaves on the right. You can see my masks visualized in the image below. This step was crucial to guide the viewer’s attention directly to the main subject without any distractions.

If you want to get a better understanding about masking check out this article.

Voilà — done! Another simple edit, yet it still turned out beautifully in my opinion.

Most of the tracks and sound effects I use are from Musicbed. Their quality and variety are unmatched, and their AI search tool honestly saves me hours of scrolling through libraries.

If you want to try it out yourself, you can sign up below for a 14-day free trial. My personal playlist is live too, so you’ll be able to scroll through some of my favorite tracks!

Exact camera settings from the Blackmagic Camera app

Thanks so much for being here, I genuinely appreciate every single reader.
If you ever have questions or ideas for future issues, feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram!

Until next time,

Stefan

Minimal tools. Maximum creativity.