2 Free Stock Footage Clips Are Already Trimmed

I managed to grab these two clips while we had our Christmas tree up this season.  The hardest part of this shot was grouping a collection of generic ornaments in order to ensure all displaying rights are clear.  All of the ones here are hand made I believe.  I love the heart cinnamon ornament you see at the beginning, I've had it for a while and adds a great scent along with the pine.

A holiday post like this on December 27th isn't exactly that helpful initially though huh?  I could have sat on this a year until right before next year's Christmas season, but the beauty of stock footage is having footage that is out of season so you do not have to recreate it yourself.  That being said, I hope this comes in handy whenever you may need it.  Hope everyone is having a great holiday season, and a happy new year!!!

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

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These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700 and a Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens

1 Free Stock Footage Clip is Electrifying

I have finally released a clip that I had been hoping to get since I started this blog.  Lightning.  Am I happy with it?  Kind of.

This was shot at 240 frames per second during a pretty intense lightning storm.  What was nice is that the high speed camera was able to catch bolts that were originally too quick to see with the naked eye.  At that frame rate and shutter speed though, I was getting some severe "partial flash sync".   I've done what I can to correct that issue, by partially removing frames and also stacking concurrent ones and using some creative blending techniques to rebuilt the actual lighting condition.  It was a labor of love.  Many times when I run into a technical issue like this, I take the time to learn from my mistakes correct the initial error in post, and create a game-plan on how to not let something like this happen again.   As of right now though, I'm honestly not sure what I would do differently if another storm were to present itself.  I was happy enough with the end result to release it, considering I do not have any lighting clips up yet.  Hopefully in the future I can get you something better.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

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This video was shot using a Sony NEX-FS700 and the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens with a Metabones EF to NEX Speedboster Adapter

1 Free Stock Footage Clip Is Having a Flare Up

One thing that has been lacking in my library of completely free videos, is effect clips.  Most notably, fire and explosions.  This one here was my first try at getting something, and honestly, while I'm not entirely happy with the results, I am enough so to release it.

Like any first time, I've walked away with a laundry list of things I am going to do differently.  I don't know enough about pyrotechnics to really push myself, so I've initially erred on the side of caution.

First, the accelerant I used was in aerosol form, and was too powerful and fast to be recorded cleanly at the high speeds I could achieve.  This footage was taken from a 480fps capture and even so, there is quite a bit of motion blur from the speed in which this flame moved.  I also found out that the true color temperature of fire was much higher than what my camera was capable of (hence the slightly, overly orange flame).  It was shot at 2300k, (my camera's limit) but realistically (from what research I have been able to do) should have been closer to 1800k.  Lighting wasn't an issue at least.  This was recoded at an f6.3 with a shutter speed of 1/1000th (closest I could get to a 180 degree shutter with the 480fps).

All that stuff aside, I really hope this is useful to some of you.  I like the motion of the flame and most of it stays within frame, so you have an option of rotating and scaling the clip to fit your FX needs.  Hope this helps!!!

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700 and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

1 Free Stock Footage Clip Is Cloudy with a Chance of Awesome

One of my favorite things about autumn is the drastic weather patterns that hit us here in the Northeast US.  I was lucky enough to catch this front that moved in that offered a lot of contrast.  To me the different types of clouds present, layered, and varying in speed, make the whole clip something MORE that just a time lapse.  I've chosen to label this "Epic Clouds",  I hope you see why and I hope you can find a good use for it.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700 and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

1 Free Stock Footaqe Clip Is Very Deer to Me

I was out shooting the other morning while there was a nice fog over the area.  I initially had my lens pointed at a bush branch that was to my right, getting really nothing in particular (dew-like folliage shot).  This guy was a tiny bit curious and actually walked across the field to get a closer look.  I slowly panned my camera to meet him.  As you can see he is very cautious, but also curious.  I didn't have that long of a lens on me at the time, so I'd say he got about 15-20 feet away from me.  I think the bush helped mask me a bit.  He got spooked and  ran away when I tried to unlock the tilt on my tripod in an attempt to center him up a bit more and decrease the headroom.  All in all, a pretty nice morning.  Hopefully this clip will work well with my other deer footage too.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700

2 Free Stock Footage Clips for Your Morning Drive

I pass this area quite a bit when driving through the city, but never took the chance to stop. When  I had realized that I had recently uploaded my 200th video clip (YAY!!!!).  I wanted to celebrate that, as well as the growth in traffic, by posting more traffic.  I spend a nice morning hanging out on this overpass watching cars and school buses on their way in to work.  This footage was taken during the beginning of what is our morning rush hour.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

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These videos were shot using a Sony NEX-FS700

1 Free Stock Footage Clip Skips a Bit

This was another clip I grabbed during my quiet morning on the shores of Lake Ontario.  Because of the same condition, this might match up well with my previous clip "1 Free Stock Footage Clip Shore is Pretty" which was shot on the same day at the same time.  I had the camera very low and wide for this shot.  I tried as hard as I could to place the initial skip very close to the lens (It couldn't have been more than 2 feet away).  That mixed with the slow motion, makes the skipping stone appear very large compared to what you might normally expect in a shot like this.  The stone I threw was honestly about 2-2 1/2 inches round.  I like the minimalist quality that this clip has, as well as the disruption that is created in the water from the stone.  Hope you can find a use for it somewhere!

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700

1 Free Stock Footage Comes Again Another Day

I managed to make the best of a rainy morning the other day.  Thanks to a overhang off of my house, I was able to get the camera down to a patch of dry ground to catch this low profile shot.  Having the shallow depth of field helped isolate/highlight a strip of walkway.  To me, watching the droplets this slow, almost makes the rain enjoyable.  Perfectly paired with a morning cup of coffee.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

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These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700

3 Free Stock Footage Clips Are Good for the Gander

I found myself looking for something to shoot the other day before making my way into the office.  I decided to go down to a pond that I know has a variety of waterfowl that consistently visit.  While I am happy with how these turned out, due to the side of the water they decided to gather on, I was fighting the sun for a good portion of it.  There were other clips I had captured, but between the hard glare of the sun, the tiny size of the LCD screen in relation to the glare, and my more than brisk pace to capture something nice within the time frame I had given myself, I was kind of guessing on the focus sometimes. This, in my opinion, didn't make the footage as sharp as it needed to be.  I hope to get a larger/better monitor soon.   These 3 files though, passed my personal QC requirements.

As far as my winged subjects go, they really didn't care that I was there which was nice, but that just meant they would slowly drift away from me.  I feel a little bad, because I had to keep pretending to throw bread/seeds so the birds would come closer to me and stay at least a little bit interested.  Overall it was a peaceful fun morning, I just need to figure out how to drink coffee and shoot at the same time better and I'll be all set.

One wonderful benefit to going out and shooting random videos, is you get to learn quite a bit about your subjects.  Like my friend in the 2nd clip.  What I HAD though was just a goose, might actually be a "swan goose" (I'm in the process of trying to verify this since they are native to China and Russia mostly).  I didn't really know there were that many different types.  I also didn't know that I would be so interested in finding this stuff out.  I'll be a Ornithologist before you know it.

So here you are.  3 free clips that should cut somewhat well together if you need them for a project.  If I could do it differently, I would have varied my subject placement to alternate between left and right justified, but hey,  maybe I'll go get some more to solve that.

 You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700

1 Free Stock Footage Clip Shore is Pretty

This clip was actually a random tack on to a much larger outing I had.  It is a very macro, super slow motion look at the shoreline of Lake Ontario.  The lake was very calm that day, but the slow motion still captures the powerful movement water is capable of.  I think this is what I love most about shooting macro AND slow motion with the Sony FS700, I get to experience the amazing strength, range and movement of some of the smallest things.  I hope to get a much more capable (telephoto) lens some time soon, to do more of this with.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700

4 Free Stock Footage Clips Are Just My Type

I've been really lucky lately to have the opportunities to cross a lot of shots I've been meaning to get off of my list.  These next 4 (and probably more in the future) are the result of an excellent garage sale find.  With the lenses I have available to me, I was able to get some pretty nice somewhat closeup shots of this typewriter's typebars.  I had to get these with my Canon 24-105mm (non-macro).  The 24mm Sigma I have, that would allow macro focusing, was too wide when brought in close to the machine.  I'd definitely like to revisit this when I can get my hands on a longer macro lens.  The ribbon on the machine was also misaligned, so I wasn't able to get any visible type on paper.  I'm looking forward to tinkering with it to see if it is an easy fix. I had hoped to get some shots of the machine typing "The End" and "Once Upon a Time".  I'd also like to take the carriage off and get a POV shot from the paper's perspective, but I think I'll need a longer macro lens for that as well.  So as it stands ... 4 for you now ... more for you later.  I shot this both in regular and slow motion.  I love the energy the regular motion typing has, but the POWER behind the slow motion shots really blew me away.  It's like every keystroke was a KO punch.  I do acknowledge that I blew it with the audio for the real time shot.  The camera mic wasn't even close to being hooked up or near me when I started doing this.  I've been so used to no audio anyway when doing all of the slow mo work that I just completely overlooked it.

Once again I've included some different angles/options to hopefully help in editing.

 You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700

1 Stock Footage Clip is in the Clouds

One of my favorite things to shoot, is negative space.  I love highlighting movement by including emptiness.  It took me a while to find a day that had the clouds moving the way I needed them to in order to achieve a shot like this.  I've had an idea for this shot ever since I started this site.  Luckily, it only took 3 years!  This would be a great clip to use as a title card or opening shot for your projects.  Plenty of room to add text and play around.  Hope you can use it!

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700 and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

1 Free Stock Footage Clip Needs to Focus More

I've been hoping to post a few more abstract clips for people to use as backgrounds in their work.  The somewhat unique thing about this clip is that it is ACTUAL footage ... no After Effects here.  These are from 2 sets of outdoor string lights I bought on clearance from the hardware store bunched together.  The lights are supposed to mimic fireflies.  I put my camera lens a few inches away and set the focus to infinity.  The result is a beautiful, natural bokeh background. The color is true to what the light produced, but you are more than welcome to tint it in your NLE to match your project's asthetic.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700 and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

1 Free Stock Footage Clip Hits the Deck

Here is another clip I had been meaning to do for a while.  I've finally found the time to sit down and capture it.  Personally, the timing is perfect, considering I am completely geeking out over Marvel's new Guardians of the Galaxy movie (unpaid plug, but if you want to send me something Marvel, I won't turn it down!).  For those of you media professionals who are late to the game making a video review, feel free to utilize this in your project (It would make a great title card!).

This clip has also been made loopable.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens

2 Free Stock Footage Clips Are Presented Secondhand

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using a Sony NEX-FS700 and the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens with a Metabones EF to NEX Speedboster Adapter

2 Free Stock Footage Clips Have Met Their Match

This shot is one I've been wanting to do ever since I got the FS-700.  It is also one that was suggested to me by a "follower" on Facebook.

One of the things I love about working through these random shots is realizing where my current limitations are and developing strategies, plans and work-arounds to improve.  While I like both of these clips, I was pushing the boundaries of my Sigma 24mm Macro lens.  The matchbox was as close as I could get and still stay in it's minimum depth of field.  At this distance and focal length, the match head was not filling the frame as much as I had originally envisioned.  To me, this experience then means researching and eventually purchasing a longer macro lens for extreme close-ups (Please feel free to leave suggestions of what type YOU like in the comment section below).

The one benefit to restricting myself to this distance, was the amount of surface area I had on the match box to strike it and still keep the action in frame ... holy cow!  It was REALLY hard to strike that match, even within these wider than desired confines.  If you look closely, you'll be able to see the wood bending due to the force that I needed to apply to get the match to ignite.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using a Sony NEX-FS700 and the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens with a Metabones EF to NEX Speedboster Adapter

2 Free Stock Footage Clips are Feeling Sluggish

The idea for these next two shots came up when a user in a Facebook group I am a part of called "Share Footage" requested a stock shot of a slug.

I had in my head already an plan to do a time lapse of my garden at night, but I had been putting it off for some time.  I decided to put it off a little longer to scour my yard for slugs.  I see them every day... shouldn't be too hard to pop on out and get some good footage right?  Well they must have know I was coming.  After a few failed attempts, I ended up partially abandoning my search and instead set my camera up to do this night time lapse.  The first clip was shot close to midnight with just the lighting from my front porch.  The camera is shooting at 1 frame per second and there is a little bit of in camera gain applied to get a good exposure (The FS700 holds up pretty well huh?).  After about recording for 45 minutes I played back what I had gotten and what do you know?  A little tiny slug pops out from under the mulch and travels up part of a plant in the background.  I jumped up and readied my camera again ... I ran out to where the first shot was and searched the surrounding plants.  There he was, checking out his dinner situation.  I let the camera run for a while, but he quickly moved out of focus.  I re-positioned, but by that time he had settled in and was just hanging out, not doing too much.  So there you go, hopefully this is useful to you sometime down the road.  I had a great experience shooting it.  I feel like I will be back out there very soon.


You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using a Sony NEX-FS700

1 Stock Footage Clip is Taking a Day Trip

The "driving" force (pun intended) for this clip was a request by a YouTube visitor, asking if I had any driving time lapses that took place during the daytime.  I actually never really thought about doing one up until now, you don't really see too many of them out there... and I now know why.  They are HARD to get.

I initially had to wait for good weather conditions.  The next part was mounting my camera somewhere that would move naturally with the car and not shift or have the potential to shift while driving.  I ended up using a magic arm with a clamp to mount my T2i to my rear view mirror upside down.  I then flipped the image in post.  Those 2 testing points made up the first few failed attempts.

The dynamic range between the really bright sky and the detail in the road and cars was also an issue, especially when you try to drag your shutter for almost half a second in order to get some much desired motion blur.  This meant I had 2 ND filters stacked on the front of my camera (a ND 2.1 and a ND 1.8).  I had to cut a lot of light out to keep my iris wide open to reduce the "strobe" effect that presents itself when doing time lapses on a DSLR.  When you shoot with the iris closed even a little bit,  there is a slight chance you will get an inconsistency in exposure between two shots.

This was actually my 8th attempt at getting something I felt was useable.  Many times, the light couldn't be cut back enough or the cars (which are the main subjects) were too dark when I tried to expose the sky.  I am going to do a LOT more testing to see if I can get something I am REALLY proud of, but I do like this one and felt it might be useful to some of you.  Hope this helps in your projects!

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Lens