Basic Training: Shooting on the Go
Ever try to set up a tripod in a crowd of people? Or what about on the side of a mountain? If you have, you know how frustrating it can be. Trying to get the tripod level or finding a place to put it can stir the urge to throw it off the cliff instead. But what other options do you have?
Most of us have seen hand held camera work that makes us sick to our stomachs. The camera bounces, jiggles, can barely find focus, and leaves you running for anti-nausea medication. If you don't know what we're talking about, just go rent the Blair Witch Project. The movie's handheld technique earned it style points, but left many people green in the face. Handheld video doesn't have to look like that, if you know what you are getting yourself into before you shoot.
Body positioning, control, and awareness are the keys to handheld video. If you can manage that, the rest is easy. The problem is most of us are too impatient and too used to our own perspectives to take the time to really see the images we capture when shooting handheld. While patience is something you have to discover within yourself, tried and true methods can improve all your video ende…
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