Benjamin Villataspaisarn, also known as Benjamin Filmmaker (@benjamin_filmmaker), has been known for capturing videos on a variety of subjects, from cars to travel, weddings and portraits. The range in his works showcase an uncanny ability to turn everyday objects into precious moments through the lens.

For his Creative Portrait project, he chose to film a dreamy-style video that is set at a theme park. "What I want to present through this project is an unforgettable feeling of joy and enchantment that can't be replicated anywhere. For this reason, I wanted the visuals to feature soft colours and slow-paced movement." We had a chat with Benjamin to find out how he was able to capture the pleasant and emotional atmosphere for his project.

Playing to the crowd: Excitement and sentimentality

Benjamin's reason for choosing a theme park as the backdrop was because of their association with the upbeat style of storytelling. "When choosing locations, it is important that they must answer the what, when and why of the story. This helps the audience understand the mood and tones you want to express. For this project, I took a lot of inspiration from scenes of merry-go-rounds, roller coasters and Ferris wheels. Theme parks innately evoke feelings of excitement - as well as nostalgia that tugs at our hearts, for those of us who are adults," he said.

While there were no props involved in the making of the video, the model was dressed in a lightly-coloured outfit as they are essential to the theme. "Costumes are just as important as location in accentuating the model's emotion. In this case, I chose pink and yellow clothes to complement the model's radiant and bubbly expression. I also picked out a hat that had a floral design to complete the look," he said.

With the Alpha 7 IV, Benjamin was able to fashion the right colour schemes needed to create the affectionate atmosphere. "Soft Japanese-style visuals were what I was going for to bring out the right emotions for my story. This was where the Creative Look: IN setting came in as it helped me to achieve a gentle design without being too overwhelming. By pairing it with neutral-density (ND) filters and with the right shutter speed settings, I was able to make each second a cinematic experience. Another function which was crucial to my project was the Zebra pattern which I set to IRE 45 to ensure that the skin tones were clear enough without being subjected to exposure issues," he said.

Capturing precious emotions

Throughout his video-making career, Benjamin has used various shooting techniques to express different moods. For this particular work, he chose to use slow-motion to convey tenderness and an airy aesthetic. "My camera has a slow and quick (S&Q) function that enables me to record slow-motion videos without the need for editing. What's great is that, thanks to the 10-bit 4:2:2 resolution, important details like shadows and facial features are preserved," he said.

This was paired with the AutoFocus (AF) Eye Tracking which kept the model in full view. "When capturing those unforgettable moments, it is important to ensure that your audience can see the main element of the story, be it a person or object. Luckily for me, I had no such issues in framing the model's movements clearly, even if I was focused on something else," said Benjamin.

When it comes to capturing beautiful moments on camera, Benjamin believes that photographers should make the best of their camera's features to create the best output. "Anyone can capture a subject on photo or video. But, the real reward comes in portraying them in a way that makes audiences feel a sense of delight, sadness, humour, or sincerity. So, don't be afraid to experiment and get a feel for the settings. When you find the right one that fits your storytelling, you'll be sure to get audiences talking about your work," he said.