Sunday, May 10, 2020

Accessories used

Many a times people have asked me about the equipment that I use while covering an event. 
My idea of capturing an event is to present it in the most natural form. Which means, shoot when the subjects are not looking at the camera, or in other words candid pictures. You may have to wait for "that moment" to click the right and lively frame. Look at the two pictures below and you can judge for yourself. 

picture clicked at "that moment"

posed picture clicked by the "photographer" 

And if it is a picture where all are looking at the camera, then make it a lively picture:


For an outdoor event, I use two cameras. One for still photographs and one for videos. To make it hands free I use shoulder straps. These can be used as a single strap (for one camera) or double strap. 


Your camera is safe tethered to the end of the belt.



Reminds me of an incident when I was covering the Oktoberfest a few years ago at Pune Race course. I was using these shoulder straps with two cameras hanging on both sides. A guy walked up to me and said "you are the most dangerous guy in this party" I asked him why, to which he replied "there is no saying which camera you will pick up and start shooting"

For capturing videos I use my mobile phone (iphone 6s plus) I have been using this for the last six years and I find that the image stabiliser is very effective. To hold the mobile, I use a mobile holder. This can be screwed onto one of the shoulder straps. The mobile holder has three cold shoe mounts  and some 2 and 3/4 threads by which one can attach lights, if required. 


While using the mobile for shooting, do not zoom in. The minute you zoom in, you are compromising on the quality. 
The sound recording quality of this mobile is not very good so I use an external mic. Care should be taken that a TRRS adaptor is used which is compatible with the iphone socket.  


I have used a Boya mic. The advantage of this mic is that you don't need batteries for it to function.
It is advisable to use a "dead cat" (wind jammer) on the mic as it cancels external wind disturbance. 


After capturing the event, I mix the video clips and still pictures to string them up to make a short video. The software used for this is imovies and it comes free with a Mac or iphone. If you are using Windows, then Movie Maker is good enough and it comes free with Windows.   
As far as possible keep the video short as the attention span of the viewer will not be more than seven to ten minutes. 
Additionally, I use a reusable cable tie on the holder to strap on my mobile charger. This comes in handy to charge the mobile without interrupting the shooting.



The final assembly will look something like this :



Coming to the camera, you will be surprised to know that I usually use a point and shoot camera. They give equally good results. It is not necessary to use a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. This three minute film was captured by a point and shoot (Canon SX60 HS) and that too without a tripod (hand held) 

Photography is nothing but playing with the light. While clicking, I prefer the back light. It makes the subject stand out with perfect outline. 


Another tip, always, always use a lens hood. It makes a lot of difference in the final result. If the camera doesn't  come with one, buy it separately.  I bought an additional lens hood for my Canon SX 60HS 




The barn door effect is always a plus point while shooting. 

21 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

You are really into this. I do like shooting candids. Every July (but not this one) I take photos at a local Celtic event. I prefer shooting at night when the lighting is more interesting.

gigi-hawaii said...

Interesting perspective on photography.

Liz A. said...

That's quite the iPhone setup. I never knew why microphones were fuzzy. That makes so much sense.

Jenn Jilks said...

Wow. This is interesting.

Augustine Xavier said...

Thanks Joe for sharing such intricate details on using the accessories and the tips on point and shoot camera. All the while I was always thinking about the hi-tech camera equipment. But you have always amazed us with your style of both candid photography as well as candid video shooting too. Best is when you give a 10-15 mins compilation of the whole event mixing both the still photos and the videos with amazing background music which really makes it interesting to watch the whole event in just a shot span of time. You may show us how you do it and may also coach for the same, but the fact is it's not the camera but the man behind the camera and for me that is gifted. Thanks for sharing the tips. Kudos on your work.

Haddock said...

Thanks for the comment Augustine. One always gains knowledge by sharing with others. As for candid pictures, I want everyone to see things as they are happening. And the best way to do it is to capture things when the subject is not aware of it.

Asep Rohimat said...

nice post

George Joseph said...

Thank you very much for your valuable inputs on the use of camera and making of videos

Jeanie said...

This is quite an interesting set up. I'm really intrigued. Even though I worked for a television station for years, doing the video was never part of what I did. So I find this particularly interesting!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Joe..for sharing very good information. I will try to use it in my camera shoot..
Have a nice and be safe. - Neelkamal Ghosh

Bijoux said...

Wow! That is some fancy equipment.

Anonymous said...

Very nice info, Joe. You are clicking backlit photos with mobile phone. It is really amazing, I will try with my son's iPhone, it is quite difficult to take backlit photos ,even with good camera. I had gone through the comments, they don’t know what is Indian jugad, that too from a Tatas fta. - Addal K R

Milind Bodas said...

Interesting!

Anonymous said...

Lots of good hints Joe. Thanks for sharing - Nandini Ramachandran

Pradeep Nair said...

O I don't like the posed pics. The candid ones are so real and natural.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting and valuable inputs for a camera buff Joe. No wonder we look forward to your final products. - Vimala Madon

PipeTobacco said...

Very cool setup!!!!

PipeTobacco

Anonymous said...

Very nice information - Ajay Achrekar

Smartechindia said...

I think your blog is very fantastic.

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