I will be the first person to admit that I had zero background in this (which you can tell from my initial videos starting out!), but I have worked to continually improve in this area, to the point where I get people asking me if I have an entire camera crew with me when it is just me.
I started out with a wand stabilizer that my friend recommended and a camera that my husband gifted me as a “go get ’em!” gift to hone my skills. As I have scaled my business, I have been selective in only investing in equipment that I know will improve my content. I would love to help you discern which items are necessary for what you are trying to accomplish.
I am sharing this information to empower you to use what you have, or maybe make a small investment, and to make it work!
(Below, are a list of the products that I currently use. This page does contain affiliate links (see the disclaimer for more), but I only recommend products that I currently use, enjoy and find easy to use.)
What I Currently Use & Recommend
These are the four items I use and recommend when it comes to documenting farm to fork activities:
- Smart Phone
- Wand for your Phone
- Camera
- Stand up Phone Holder (This is only for setups at home)
Smart Phone
I use and recommend the iPhone because I have always had good results with the video quality. However, the competition between smart phones is very high right now, which includes picture and video quality, so use whatever you have.
I am currently using the iPhone 12 Max Pro, which has incredible video quality and lighting. The picture quality is good (and even rivals the “fancy” camera at times), but does not compare to the video quality. There is also a new feature that allows you to take a picture in the middle of a video (although the lighting is not as good), which is really great if you are taking a video and also want to take a picture! And, there is the photo editing feature right in the picture app that is so easy, practical and can really make a picture POP.
You do not need to overthink this. Phones are easy and accessible, and you can pull out your phone and take a picture or video whenever you need to. Also, the iPhone has proven to be better at taking action pictures, where people or products are moving. With a “fancy” camera, they do not do well when things are in motion, so keep that in mind if you are going to be getting footage of people working and things moving around.
Wand for your Phone
No matter how great your phone and it’s vibration is advertised, a wand for your phone is absolutely necessary for good video quality while you are moving the camera/walking around. (Note: this is not a selfie-stick, it is a phone stabilizer!) Even though the newer phones are advertised as being able to stabilize on their own, they are not as good as a wand, especially if you plan on filming while walking (which you should do to show off what you guys are doing at your operation!).
A wand is necessary so that the viewer of your video does not need to get carsick while watching your video! The wand helps avoid all of the bumps and movement as you walk. Or, even when you don’t walk and just want to move the camera, it helps to limit the vibration of the movement of your hand. You can use the wand to move side to side, up and down, 360°, whatever it may be. A lot of wands also have apps now that you can access on your phone while using it and it helps make the movements easier for you to do. You can also do a quick adjustment to change the video from horizontal to lateral view. I really can’t stress enough how great a wand is!
The wand that you purchase should be based on the phone that you have because they are all different sizes and weights. For the iPhone 12 Max Pro, I use this wand: DJI Osmo 3-Axis Smartphone Handheld Stabilizer. They are all the same concept, it just comes down to a quick Amazon search and you will see which one fits which phone. I also recommend reading the reviews for newer phones to see if the wands actually support the fit of the newer phones.
Camera
I started out with a real “fancy” camera, along with my phone, and even though the newer phones have awesome cameras, the still shots on a real camera still turn out better for me. (The movement pictures are always better taken on the phone.) The lighting is still better with the fancier cameras, especially when there is fog and other abnormal weather conditions. The lighting and weather conditions are something to consider because you want to have the best quality pictures for posting on your website and social media channels.
The camera I use can no longer be ordered, but the Nikon COOLPIX B500 is a similar one. However, I want to stress that this is optional because, again, phone cameras are so good these days and the photo editors on the phones as well. You would only want to invest in a more expensive camera if you plan on doing a lot of still shots, including both those taken outside and those in the kitchen.
Stand Up Phone Holder
If you ever wondered how people take pictures and videos of themselves or their food without hands involved, they probably have some form of stand up phone or camera holder.
The stand up phone holder allows you to do set ups so that you don’t have to hold the phone to take a video of you talking, or so that you can take a video of your hands chopping produce without one hand having to hold the phone! This has been a really helpful tool to have when it comes to making easy prep videos, both on and off camera. It also helps during video calls if you need to demonstrate anything with your hands, you can just place your phone on the stand and take your meeting that way!