Quality counts
When I turned my videography skills from journalism solely to birth and family, there was a big obstacle in my way. I didn’t have any personal equipment.
Now, in my defense… I did buy an great Nikon DSLR camera in 2012, when I was pregnant with my first baby. I have a couple lenses and over the years, I’ve whipped that camera out to take some great pictures for family and friends and even shoot a few weddings. It has video capability. I’m familiar with it. But can we go back a few lines to the key fact here… 2012!!! It’s over a decade old!
My Nikon D3200 and lenses
One of the huge perks to working in TV news in Indianapolis is being provided with quality equipment. Since the day I started as an MMJ (multi-media journalist) or one-man-band, both terms used to describe reporters who shoot, write, and edit their own stories, I’ve had great equipment at my disposal. Most typically, Sony JVC pro series cameras, GoPro cameras, wireless mics, all sorts of lighting, and great editing software on computers ready to handle it. It’s a huge blessing, because it allowed me to learn amazing gear for 15 years.
Here I am holding some of the gear I used for a water safety story in 2019.
The challenge with having all that gear provided to me, but for only the specific use of shooting news for my employer… is that meant I had to start from square one to get set up for births. The blessing… I could choose whatever I wanted for a specific purpose.
I am one of those people who go right down the rabbit hole when it comes to research on anything and finding a camera was no different...
My rabbit hole of research reminds me of the Disney short film Burrow.
Without explaining every twist and turn of that rabbit hole… I landed on the Sony a7S iii Alpha Mirrorless Camera. It’s incredible and what really hooked me is the camera’s capability in low light. There is really nothing out there that can compete with this dark knight! If you haven’t yet, watch Ana & Luca’s birth story. It was so dark in that room and you can see every little detail!
Holding the Sony a7S iii aka my baby.
I paired this beast with two lenses, a prime 35Mm FE 2,8 and an FE 24-105Mm zoom lens, both Sony.
The other quality issue to keep in mind, is audio. This camera and lenses can produce amazing, cinematic video… but the sound is going to be hallow without a microphone.
Rode VideoMic Pro+ On-Camera Shotgun Microphone
The last piece of this puzzle is reliability. That’s why I have back-up batteries, chargers, and memory cards with me at every birth, so I can quickly make a swap without missing any moment of your experience.
And those memory cards are high-capacity, allowing my killer camera to shoot at its best quality.
I want you to know about my arsenal of videography and photography equipment, so you know what I’m providing at your child’s birth. An artistic eye is just one piece of the puzzle. Putting it together with all of this equipment and experience (plus a good step stool. Yes, I bring it with me!), means I can provide you with something you’ll cherish for a lifetime and will beat the heck out of a propped-up cell phone.
I know for me… if I’m investing in something, quality counts. I invested in this equipment, so that your investment is worth it.
