Picking Up a Video Camera: Facing the Learning Curve

Lots of journalists are picking up small digital video cameras for the first time. Some approach it eagerly, some with trepidation. No doubt, the technology of video can be overwhelming.

If you’re confident in your abilities in at least one area of journalism, you know that it can be tough to become a newbie in another area. It’s hard to ask for help, to find the time to dabble, to try your best yet still not be the best in the room.

The important thing is to give it a try. Depending on your career path, learning video may be a skill that helps you stay employed.

Start with the basics and see where you go from there. You might like it. And, as award-winning producer Regina McCombs sees it, you might be good at it IF you can look past the technology and the tools, past the newness and trepidation and remember what’s most important: the story.

McCombs will join the faculty at Poynter in August. She’s a familiar face around the halls of Poynter and in training venues around the world. Here, she shares a few tips on getting started with video.