Shooting captivating video portraits – trends and tips

Fashions are constantly changing, and fashion and portrait photography are changing too. Instagram, a long-time favourite platform for photographers, has shifted much of its focus to video, particularly Instagram Reels, with the result that static image posts no longer have the reach they once had. Video portraits are a growing trend, helping content creators to go where the audiences are on social media platforms, as well as learn new skills and showcase them to potential clients.

Portrait, commercial and fashion photographer Jaroslav Monchak is one pro using his Canon camera to create mini movies, injecting the element of motion to help bring his subjects to life. Here, we offer insights into how Jaroslav makes a video portrait, with technical comments from Canon Europe Product Marketing Manager John Maurice.

In many ways, the aim of video portraits is the same as that of stills – to capture the subjects' character and personality, to convey their story, and in a commercial shoot to showcase the client's product as well. When shooting a still portrait, you'll often ask your subject to move, turn and pose in different ways around a concept or story; in a video portrait, the movements and transitions themselves become part of the story, recording an additional dimension of the subject. Jaroslav's Reels typically run for just a few seconds but sometimes longer, with carefully-chosen music added to complement the atmosphere.

Much as when you're shooting stills, you control the style of each scene or sequence you film. Lighting, the way you direct your model, the make-up and the clothing are ultimately all up to you, albeit with professional collaborators such as make-up artists to bounce ideas off.

"I really like shooting videos in atmospheric locations with natural light, usually large windows," Jaroslav says, although he sometimes brings in a large softbox when needed to control the lighting.

When it comes to adding creative touches that work particularly well in video, such as making hair and clothing move, Jaroslav highly recommends using a fan. "It also adds a nice smoke effect for portraits," he says.

John notes that your camera's ability to shoot smooth slow-motion brings further creative options to explore. "Canon cameras offer 4K resolution at variable frame rates such as 60p, and in some cases 120p, allowing videographers to create slow-motion sequences," he says. "Portraiture is all about fleeting moments, so having the ability to slow down these scenes is hugely advantageous, plus mixing up real-time footage with slow-motion can vary the pace of a film, adding further interest."

"The movements of the model are very important in video portraits," Jaroslav adds. A model who is able to move gracefully can add an aesthetic quality to the footage. "If you can, I recommend using models who have experience of dancing, especially ballroom dancing," he says. "It makes it possible to get beautiful smooth movements on video."

Before hitting the record button, think about what you are trying to achieve. What is the story you are trying to tell? How do you want the video to look? Once you have a concept to guide you, the shoot itself will be a collaborative effort between you and the model.

"I don't use storyboards for video portraits," Jaroslav explains, "but simply take inspiration from images or movies, and improvise on location."

In order to improvise, it's important to have the right kit to quickly adapt, so he usually shoots with two favourite lenses: the versatile Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM and the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM. With the zoom lens you can go from a wide-angle composition showing more of the scene to a much tighter framing to isolate the subject. The wide maximum aperture of the 50mm lens lets in lots of light, making it easy to shoot in a variety of lighting conditions, while its light weight makes it comfortable to handle. Both of these lenses also enable you to create a very shallow depth of field, blurring the background and creating attractive bokeh from any artificial lighting.

Because movement is key in a video portrait and he wants to be free to move as well, Jaroslav usually does not use a tripod, or even a gimbal. "I just turn on image stabilisation in the camera," he says, trusting that the EOS R5's advanced In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS), working in tandem with its Movie Digital IS system and optical IS in stabilised lenses, will give him the steadiest footage possible even though he is shooting handheld.

John adds that the EOS R5's autofocus is a major advantage for video. "Autofocus is one of the most important features for videographers, enabling them to lock on to subjects and track them accurately without losing their focus point," he says. "Canon's Dual Pixel AF technology is ideal for video because every pixel in the sensor functions as both an image point and a focus point at the same time, so there's no compromise to focus performance or image quality in your footage. Canon's R&D team tested this system in all the lighting conditions videographers could face – low light, high contrast – and this is why it performs so well.

Jaroslav tries to get the look he wants in-camera and keep his edits minimal. When he's after a particular look, he reveals, he uses the camera's standard Picture Styles.

"If you take care of good light, correct white balance and exposure when shooting, the EOS R5 produces very good colours and you don't need to edit them in colour editors at all," he says. He often uses just iMovie to assemble his final footage.

That said, however, finessing your footage in post-production can elevate the final video portrait, with editing and colour grading ensuring a narrative flow and a consistent look. John points out that many Canon cameras can deliver 4K resolutions, or even shoot in 8K in the case of the EOS R5 and EOS R5 C, which means that if you're not completely happy with the look of a sequence, you can change the framing in the edit. "This increased pixel count offers videographers benefits such as being able to adjust the composition and framing of the scene by zooming in or cropping, and the increased resolution means that quality isn't compromised."

This ease of cropping is particularly helpful if you prefer to shoot in landscape and crop your videos into a vertical aspect ratio in editing. If you choose to do this, use guidelines while you're filming to ensure perfect framing every time.

Don't forget the audio too – adding the right music track to your video portrait can help enhance the mood you are trying to convey, helping viewers to engage with it.

Platforms that focus on video content include Instagram and TikTok, as well as YouTube's Shorts platform, which is geared towards shorter, vertical-style videos. You can of course post video elsewhere, such as on Facebook, LinkedIn, Vimeo or your own website.

For Jaroslav, the impact of including video on his social media has been huge, especially when it comes to Instagram Reels, where his videos regularly receive thousands of views.

One option that will help you share your footage more quickly is Canon's Camera Connect app. It is free of charge and can transform a videographer's workflow.

"The app enables connection from a Canon camera to a smart device such as a phone or tablet via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or even tethered if you wish, which is a good option for videographers as it can act as a second monitor," John explains. "Once connected, videographers can control their cameras remotely to a high degree, not only starting and stopping recording, but also adjusting settings such as aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

"Footage can then be transferred to the smart device to upload to social media channels, which will appeal to videographers recording live events, where it's important to share the footage quickly."

However you go about making your video portraits, they present an exciting opportunity to try out new techniques, and to engage with new audiences in a fun and creative way.

Audio track for Video 1: Martin Landh / Viken / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

Audio track for Video 2: Ooyy / Thunderbird / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

Audio track for Video 3: Zorro / Marinate (Instrumental Version) / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com