Every now and again I realize that tools do make a difference.
It’s not a good idea to go out there and buy top end tools when you are dibbling and dabbling. Recently a few marketing managers criticize my camera work and got me thinking about improvement. I will never have stable hands, but I can stabilize my video with a single purchase.
This gimbal ran me about 195$ (Canadian) tax in. Today I used it for my first video shoot and it was a game changer. All of a sudden a bunch of stuff I’d tried to do free hand was actually starting to look nice in the camera.
I also got a new iPhone so I’m using a new camera, but this is about the stabilization and camerawork, not overall video quality.
I do like what I see in the iPhone 16 Pro Max so far.
I’ve bought bad gimbals before, this gimbal is worth every dollar
I did the YouTube research thing and across the board the DJI OSMO Mobile 6 was mentioned.
When I got to Reddit, some people mentioned other contenders. However, in every post, people liked the OSMO Mobile 6. Even when giving another brand props, they made sure to let the folk know DJI did its thing.
So I took the plunge and got the gimbal.
Today when I used it, I felt like I went from using a broken pencil to one with the finest, sharpest point I’d ever had. While it took time to fumble around and figure out how to use the gimbal, my camera work has never been so stable. I’m now able to just do more because I’m better equipped for my job.
While some people think purchases like this make me a “rich man”, it’s literally a tax writeoff for my business.
Do you invest in your business?
The content threshold for quality has increased and you need to get good, thank God tech makes it easy
Now let’s be real, it’s 2024 and I spent 200$ to turn my pocket camera computer machine into a filming tool for professionals.
If you do end up in video work these days, we’re moving past the era where at home authenticity looks cheap. At home, people are authentically buying gear that costs less and less to make amazing looking stuff. You don’t even need to spend any money on editing software anymore, though for 11$ a month Capcut will have you competing with Adobe.
When I got into the content game, the indie scene was tolerant of low quality work.
Now anyone with passion is making things that look stellar.
I had a few quick wins when I started filming for work but lately my footage was shaky and weak. Maybe I was tired and caffeinated while shooting, but I couldn’t get straight shots. This made my work less competitive.
This isn’t just a hobby for me, these are videos people are paying for that I need to deliver on.
It’s also something I’ve been doing for a year now, it’s clearly not a passing phase.
When you know that you are going to do this kind of work, take the money and invest
The better you get, from gear to talent, the more you can charge.
At first your portfolio won’t exist. You may make amateur looking content. Your tools may just be whatever you have.
To be clear the best starting gear is whatever you have.
I spent a couple of thousand on stuff before I got into podcasting. In reality I could have just started with some amateur stuff. Like everyone using their phone as a mic.
I didn’t know that you can just get away with mid stuff as long as you improve over time. Now I’m at the point in my videographer career where if I’m going to take it seriously, I need to get better. If that means buying gear, then so be it, let’s get it. I’ve made way more than 200$ this year selling videos, in truth I should have done this 6 months ago.
It’s exciting to see what I can do now and I look forward to learning how to get slick with it.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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