They say the best way to learn is by making mistakes. Well, if that’s true, then I learned a lot making this video. I was in two minds whether to even share it or not, but in the end, I was convinced to put it up, regardless. The video itself isn’t too bad, but I made some mistakes when shooting that I’m kind of embarrassed about. So here’s what happened…

You’ve probably noticed that a few of my videos in the past have used a “point of view” shot to get the perspective of the camera that I’m using when shooting. For this, I have been using a GoPro. A first generation GoPro. Well, unfortunately, it had started to have issues. The case disintegrated, and the battery doesn’t last very long anymore either, so I ended up buying a new one. I went for the Hero 5 Session because for mounting on the camera, it’s perfect. It’s less intrusive, and the video quality is fine- it’s much better than the original. Also, Amazon had a special on! (I got it from Amazon UK it’s also on Amazon US although I think the special deal I got it at is over)

So, with this mind, I wanted to try it out. I was also hoping to do some street photography with a slightly longer lens as an experiment (I usually shoot with a 35mm on a cropped sensor, so 50mm equivalent), so I opted to use my A6000 with 50mm lens for a roughly 80mm equivalent. This is where things didn’t exactly go according to plan. Because I hadn’t used it in ages, the last time I had, the A6000 was set up for video, and of course, I didn’t go through everything and set it back. Because it was really dark that day, I ended up with the ISO set too low and the shutter speed was too low (because I wasn’t paying attention), so a lot of the shots I ended up taking were too blurry to use.

On a side note, it’s kind of amazing how dark it gets here in winter. Even with a 1.8 lens, and even in the middle of the day, I still needed to push the ISO up to between 400 and 800.

It’s a foolish, amateur mistake to make. I was focussing more on trying out the GoPro, that I wasn’t paying enough attention to the shooting. I also find that when you use a different camera and you haven’t used something for a while, you kind of need a little while to get used to it again, and so, I didn’t give myself any “warm up” time. I know, stupid excuse. But anyway, I was pleased with the GoPro!

The Hero 5 session is an excellent little camera, and there is a great app for it. You can basically control the whole thing with your phone. It is certainly much better than the way from the old one that I was using, of pressing buttons, trying to read cryptic symbols, and hoping for the best! I know that wifi enabled GoPros have been around for a while now, but it’s new to me! Picture quality is pretty good too. I mean, it’s still a GoPro so there’s only so much it can do. Also, as I said, the light was terrible. You can shoot 4k, 2.7k or 1080p. I ended up shooting mostly in 2.7k as it lets you sue the stabiliser. I did capture some in 4k. It was my first experiment with it, so I’ll undoubtedly come up with a better way of working with it.

Unfortunately, the stills themselves weren’t great. I did get some nice shots, but this was only about half of what I had actually taken. Again, this was entirely my own fault. One thing is for sure, I won’t do it again. Well, not for a while anyway! Here are a few of my favourite shots from the video!

By the way, I’m really trying to grow my YouTube channel - I’m almost at 1500 subscribers, which isn’t a lot, but every little helps. So if you found this useful, please like the video as it helps it get found on YouTube and if you have the time, stop by and subscribe to my channel!.

Help Support the Blog

I’m now on Patreon. If you like what I do here and find the information useful, then you can help by supporting me on Patreon. As well as helping keep this blog going with even more useful news, tips, tutorials and more, members also get special Patreon only perks. Stop by and check it out.

If you like this post then you can see more of my work on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I also have a YouTube channel that you might like. You should also check out my other Photography Project: The Streets of Dublin. If you want to get regular updates, and notices of occasional special offers, and discounts from my store, then please sign up for the Newsletter.

You can also show support by buying something from my from my Digital Download Store where I have Lightroom Presets, and e-books available for download. If you're a Fuji X-Trans shooter and Lightroom user, check out my guide to post processing X-Trans files in Lightroom. I also have a guides for processing X-Trans files in Capture One and Iridient Developer. For Sony Alpha shooters I have a new guide with tips on how to get the best from processing your A6000 Images in Lightroom.