I have said many times before that i LOVE video. The mix of sound, movement, angles, effects etc is such a powerful storytelling medium. To say that i’ve had an interest in DSLR video for a few years now might be a bit of an understatement. I love the cameras, accessories, rigs etc and own a couple of very underused tools.
Every now and then i shoot some footage, but since my video skills is below that of a hobbyist, i never really get to do anything with the footage. To be honest, most of the footage i’ve shot gets dumped into the trash can before even landing in any form of editing software. (If you have ever played around with video, you will know that the editing part is really the hard work.
When Christine and i got invited to photograph a wedding at the wonderful Zeavola Resort in Thailand, i could not let the opportunity to try my hand at an island wedding video slip past me!
Equipped with some great equipment from Nikon and Sunshine Co (more details below) we headed to Thailand to shoot the wedding of Taryn and Ed… And with that, ladies and gentlemen, this is my first ever publicly shown video! I shot everything with one camera, one lens and one rig (except for the little time lapse at the end). I did however do absolutely no editing. This was done by Jonathan Piercy from JDP Videography & Photography.
I did learn a lot:
- Shooting a live event like a wedding is tough.
- If you have no backup camera, you need to get every shot.
- Thailand is very hot.
- Carrying lots of equipment is not smart – i was sweating so much it looked like i took i dive in the resort swimming pool (we almost did).
- Being the video guy and Christine’s assistant at the same time was not a well thought through plan.
- The right equipment makes your life much easier!
- I shared some more technical lessons in another blog post on KIKI
What equipment did i use?
Nikon D600 Camera
I used the Nikon D600 as it is the lightest, most compact full frame DSLR on offer. We knew we were going to travel with equipment, so did not want to pack any extra kilograms. I enjoyed the camera, but should probably not have used a new camera on my first video shoot – i had to learn slightly different controls VERY fast 🙂
The whole shoot was done on the wonderfully versatile 24-70mm Nikor lens.
Swedish Chameleon DSLR Rig
The one piece of equipment that made the entire shoot possible (this is no exaggeration) was the Swedish Chameleon rig provided by Sunshine Co. I used the S3 Medium configuration. This allowed me to have the camera mounted and in position without having to use my hands at all. This was much more important than i imagined it to be.
While shooting the video, i was also carrying Christine’s camera bag and a lens bag with me the whole time. Because we were shooting on a beach resort, we had no opportunity to put equipment down as everything would get filled with sand. I could not use a tripod, or monopod or any other DSLR rig that i know of as i would have to put the rig down or need an extra pair of hands to switch Christine’s lenses or carry the bags as we ran from the groom’s room to the bride as she was getting ready to walk down the aisle.
As you can see in the photo, i had my hands full during the wedding, but with the Swedish Chameleon rig, i managed to still get some good, stable, in focus shots that allowed us to create a video that is not half bad (even if i say so myself 😉 )
Time-lapse Tools
For the sunset time-lapse, i used an FLM Tripod (one super compact, light and sophisticated tripod!). I was able to carry this with me the entire time during our travels as it was so extremely compact and light.
To get the shots and to control the camera, i used an amazing little gadget called the TriggerTrap. I used the TriggerTrap to connect the camera to my iPhone and set up the intervals, exposure time and other settings. Then the camera and sunset did the rest! If you like gadgets and cameras, have a closer look at the TriggerTrap – way too many cool options to talk about here!
A big thank you to the great team at Sunshine Co for suppling the equipment and making the recommendations to use the rigs i did. Without it, there would have been no video to show!
Do you think the video is alright? Should i start shooting a bit more or rather stick to carrying the bags?
Wow, I really do not know how you managed! Being an assistant, carrying the gear in the heat and then also recording a wedding video?! I love the video and especially the editing without sound. I like your angles and all the detail, it almost feels as if I’m at the event myself. You captured great atmosphere.
Thanks so much Danita! Your comments are too kind. Was quite the challenge, but was a great learning experience – getting thrown into the deep end and forced to swim i guess
I love that video! Very beautiful and lovely moments captured!
amazing job for a first timer iaan! had a good giggle at your commentary too;) “Thailand is very hot.”
Iaan, dis stunning! Juss julle twee is darem maar propvol talent 😉
Dankie Celeste! Wardeer die groot kompliment 😉
Cool video but its way too shaky, next time use a tripod to get steady shot and / or a dolly… I got dizzy 🙁
Thanks Richard. I understand the need for stabilisation. Unfortunately, under the circumstances i do not think that there would have been any other, more appropriate rig to use. Would have been great to have 2 cameras, a slider, monopod and a steady cam on hand (maybe even a nice Drone for scenery)… One can dream 🙂
But still, for your first attempt its great… continues practicing… I’m still doing so 🙂