Have you been developing your photography habits this year? The pun was intended. If not, then with the increase in ways to take your photos, you could use the camera on your smartphone. And it is now film quality. Independent film “Tangerine” was made on an iPhone 5s. So I’m not putting down your phone’s ability to take pictures, oh no! But when it comes to making action videos we can almost do it all now without a bag full of camera accessories. And here are two ways to get your footage as death defying as you can get!
Drones
15 Tips for Cinematic Drone Video
Drones have been doing the rounds for a while. If you haven’t heard of it, but heard of the Muse album of the same name, it’s an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which is navigated by GPS. It is a military term originally. But now, the term will apply to any flying vehicle that has the ability to be controlled remotely. While if you are looking to use it for surveillance, I won’t recommend it. But if you’re looking to take some awesome pictures with it, here are some of the positives and negatives.
Positives
- A limitless ability to capture the pictures or views that you need.
- The speed of the machines are nice and fast, so it will get to where you need.
- Some drones already have cameras attached. So it can save you on cost.
- Drones are varied in terms of cost. So you can purchase one that is within your budget.
- They are easy to keep track of irrespective of the time of day.
- They are completely fun to fly!
Getting Started in Aerial Cinematography Photography with a DJI Phantom by Brent Foster
Negatives
- The battery life is limited depending on your type of drone.
- Accidents can happen! Make sure you are completely in control. One slip out in the open air can cause much damage to others (not to mention your drone).
- It depends on where you film your action, but you may need to acquire a permit. This will incur additional costs.
Aerial Photography with Phantom 3 Drone. Set Up & Flight / Zapography Episode 1
Action Cameras
9 best action cameras 2016 for extreme photos and epic video
Another very popular item now. The benefits it has for the extreme sport enthusiast and the amateur filmmaker are many.
Positives
- The size – they are small and so easy to transport. It fits into a portable case without any issue
- Storage – plenty of memory on standard SD cards for a day’s shoot. If you are heading for a day out and need to stock up, you can try some of the newer SD cards that hold up to 400GB of data
- They are built for activities that are on the rough side. It’s very useful for extreme sports such as surfing.
- A lot of cameras are equipped with automatic settings. It takes less time to get the shot set up as a result.
- The camera has wide angles. So you can guarantee a massive scope to get the images.
Learn The Basics Of Action Sports Photography
Negatives
- The battery life is limited. So getting the footage can be time-consuming if you’re waiting for a natural occurrence.
- They are a fixed lens. As a result, you cannot zoom in or zoom out. One picture setup is all you are able to do.
- They do tend to lock up on occasion.
A Day at work with an extreme sports photographer – Life in Focus – E08 Scott Markewitz
