As a photographer, I’ve always tried to capture that special moment in time when I take a still image. But there are times I envy the videographer that can actually make that one moment come alive on the screen. Motion adds excitement and energy to the moment.
I was pondering this as I finished up an assignment at the local zoo. One of the llamas couldn’t take his eyes off me when I had my camera raised to photograph him. And I noticed, as he continued eating and watching me, that his mouth seemed to be the only part of body that moved. The light bulb went on and I set up my shot. I rolled a few seconds of video and prepared to make my first cinemagraph with my SIGMA fp camera, a feature that has been enabled with the release of fp firmware version 2.00. (read the full list of Ver. 2.00 updates and upgrades here.)
The process is intuitive and only takes a few minutes in the cine menus of the camera. The process is as simple as picking the starting and ending point of your short video, then picking the still and moving areas within the frame. With the camera’s touchscreen, you use your finger to mask out the areas where you want movement. A quick preview to make sure it’s to your liking and its ready to save and export. From there I can I simply transfer the files to my iPad Pro via the USB-C cable and then add to the Apple Photos app and share my creation on social media.
And the response for my llama cinemagraph was fantastic, especially compared to the still photo of the llama that was posted on social media for the zoo. Motion not only added excitement and energy… it added humor.
My mind went to work on where I could take this creative concept next. The flashing warning lights at a train crossing was my next cinemagraph, and it was easy and fun to do.
I had been using my Sigma 45mm DG DN Contemporary lens for the train crossing lights, but then realized how much fun it was to shoot regular traffic lights with a very compressed look using my 60-600 DG OS HSM Sports lens.
The creative possibilities are endless with the wide variety of lenses available for the Sigma fp camera. For me, cinemagraphs are a lot of fun to create… and for my friends, a lot of fun, and maybe just a bit magical, to watch.
