The Native Floridian – Wayne Roth Photography

You don’t need expensive gear to make decent Web video and photos. All you need is the right equipment and some basic skills.
I’ve put down my thoughts on equipment in this video. Below is some more help with equipment and links to some great videos and articles online to help you with the skills.

Examples by the author
- Video Blog shot on a $200 camera: http://techtrek.blip.tv/file/399826/
- Photos using a $200 camera: http://www.plocktau.com/photos/index.html

Tools: They key to tools is knowing what features are important, and what are just sales tools. Sales tools are things like “48x digital zoom,” or “video software included.” below is what I’m always after:

Video: External Mic and Headphone ports. Good lens. Card based recording. Usable on Mac or PC with well established low-end or free standard editing software (not the kind that comes with the camera).
I use: Canon HF/FS Series, or Xacti.

Video Software: Major brand, usually not by a company that makes cameras.
I use: Final Cut Express or iMovie (free). For PCs I’ve heard Sony Vegas and MovieMaker (free).

Photo/Field Video: Pocket-sized to encourage carrying everywhere, which facilitates getting great media. Great lens and objective reviews from places like Steve’s Digicams.
I use: Canon PowerShot SD cameras. For off the power grid field work, The canon “A” series that use AA batteries that can be charged by solar and bought at stores.

Photo software: Free. Has level control, straighten, brightness. Catalogs and organizes. Exports in full quality for use in Photoshop should it be needed later.
I use: iPhoto on Mac. Picassa on the PC is excellent. Graphics Converter is cross platform and will do text on graphics etc.

Audo Recorders: External mic port. Good battery life. SD card saving so you can swap out cards from any manufacturer. High quality record settings, in Mac or PC readable format without using included software to convert.
I use: Olympus.

Voice Software: Makes MP3s, has filters, graphic editing, wide user base. I use: Audacity (Mac or PC)

Microphones: Trusted brands but not too expensive.
I use: Wired Lapel. Ars Technica. Shotgun Arts Technica. Handheld. Sure57.

Computers: Fast card, big drive, full of RAM, wide screen. I use: 24″ iMac or A MacBook Pro . PCs can work too, but I know Macs. If you get a PC, consult someone who uses one for video and consider keeping it off the Internet and local networks so it doesn’t have to run virus software or another background process.

External Drives: For backing up and storage of finished projects. LeCie or Other World Computing.

More Video and Photo techniques and tutorials online:

Composition
- Top Ten Tips for Photography from Kodak (they should know!). Good for video composition too. http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=38/13915/39/317/10032&pq-locale=en_US
- Article on composition for video and photography: http://www.videomaker.com/article/7596/
- Video on Composition for photography: http://lifehacker.com/337117/the-rules-of-photography-composition
- Video on Rule of Thirds: http://movies.atomiclearning.com/movie/k12/1026/play/

Sound
- Video about Proximity Effect of Microphones and the different types you can use. Excellent production value: http://vimeo.com/1080128

Light
- Video on basic, budget lighting. Funny, by Bre Petis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilHaSwPkLx4
- Video on more advanced lighting for video: “key back fill” baby!: http://www.digitaljuice.com/djtv/segment_detail.asp?sid=73&searchid=29509

Story
- Right…story…what it’s all about. Advice from This American Life’s Ira Glass on the basic building blocks of storytelling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7KQ4vkiNUk

The video was made using a contraption I made while in grad. school at NYU ITP (documented here: http://www.instructables.com/id/2FerCam-Video-Interview-Rig-Captures-Both-Subject/)

Duration : 0:7:54

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