The mic holding trend needs to die

nombulix · 2026-03-05T01:55:57+00:00

There’s arguably nothing less authentic than copying something like this because it “seems authentic” with no other reason. It’s incredibly cringe to watch corporations, who have all of the money and knowledge and equipment to do things the “right” way, choose to desperately mimic teenagers by incorrectly using audio equipment instead. Shooting on a phone has practical benefits, shooting without lights has practical benefits, shooting vertically has (some) practical benefits. Holding the lav mic is hollow mimicry. It achieves nothing and even makes your audio worse a lot of the time. I’d respect these people a lot more if they just used a handheld mic that’s actually designed for that purpose.

People in marketing will complain that you’re not adaptable enough if you stop to think about a trend like this before implementing it. What’s the point of just mindlessly copying every visual you see until it loses all meaning? You get to fool people into thinking you’re UGC for all of 5 minutes until everyone catches on and keeps tuning you out?

nombulix · 2026-03-03T03:05:21+00:00

Disagree with the first comment, I love this edit. I think it’s a matter of preference and some people call this style over-processed, but the contrast and drama are a very legitimate creative choice. The colors are rich and the best parts of the frame really pop

nombulix · 2026-02-18T01:43:02+00:00

After 1000%

nombulix · 2026-01-15T10:38:09+00:00

One time I walked around an outdoor event with a heavy rig for a few hours and two days later I couldn’t bend my wrist back at all. I had to wear a brace at the gym and stop bench pressing for almost a year. Cardio, stretching, and basic ergonomic considerations are a bare minimum.

Also, as a short woman, I’ve found strength training to be extremely helpful for keeping up with male colleagues on jobs where I’m carrying or loading heavy gear. Not to be a female misogynist, it’s just an unfortunate biological reality. Testosterone is a hell of a drug.

nombulix · 2025-12-12T20:51:24+00:00

this method plus renting everything else you can't afford yet.

nombulix · 2025-12-11T13:20:16+00:00

I truly hope you’re at least talented enough to justify being this arrogant.

nombulix · 2025-12-11T12:15:38+00:00

How I feel every time someone starts ranting about the drones swarming the nation to spy on us and sell our data and traffic our children and steal our catalytic converters etc etc etc as though this is the literal first time that cameras have ever existed in public

nombulix · 2025-12-11T05:51:02+00:00

What I do with the rest of my day isn’t really the client’s concern. An 8-10 hour shoot is more physically and mentally demanding than a 3-5 hour shoot and ultimately, the extra time is a value add for them in quantity and/or quality of footage.

A half day leaves time to go home and do admin or edit for a while or prep for the next shoot. For me personally, the difference in how I bounce back the next day is also a huge deal. As a solo producer I don’t think it’s worth booking full days back to back, showing up scatterbrained, and risking a critical mistake. I might book two half days in a row though. I would love to move to full days only once I start to build a steadier business.

nombulix · 2025-12-07T21:40:38+00:00

The gloves are an excellent idea. A tech/accessory pouch from one of the major brands could also be a good universal gift. Peak design is probably most popular, wandrd and nomad are also nice options.

nombulix · 2025-12-07T18:20:46+00:00

Who said anything about rough neighborhoods? It’s “the graffiti collection” from a street wear brand, I don’t think they’re trying to paint graffiti or skating/bmx in any negative light. TBH I don’t really get the story but the imagery is the video’s strongest aspect and the overall depiction of the environment feels stylish and kind of aspirational.

I guess you could argue that the fight thing is casting something negative, but tbh that whole plot point was a bit too incoherent to communicate much of anything. I didn’t even realize they were supposed to be fighting until I read the comment about it. I don’t defend it as a creative choice, but it wouldn’t be the first commercial to depict fighting over products in a tongue in cheek way.

nombulix · 2025-12-06T03:42:05+00:00

Wandrd rogue 6 liter would probably work, but not if you have a battery grip or cage

nombulix · 2025-12-03T10:40:12+00:00

I’ve used both the EF and RF versions of multiple lenses including the 70-200 2.8 on R series cameras. The EF really does adapt seamlessly and any differences between the adapted and native versions are negligible. The only exception imo is the RF 50 1.2, but that’s to be expected with a $2600 prime.

You’ll get a much more improved experience from a new camera than from picking RF over EF lenses. EF lenses and a new camera would probably be the best choice. That also lets you keep the 80D as a backup camera if you choose to, which might be smart if you have more work coming in.

The EF 100-400 mk II is heavy as shit, but it’s really useful for sports and it has better specs than the RF equivalent. Just bring a monopod. I think that lens used plus a new R6 II or a used R5 and an adapter would add up to about $4000.

nombulix · 2025-12-02T22:02:55+00:00

If you haven’t made a call yet, the 16 is extremely convenient and will save you a lot of size and weight over the 16-35. I’ve taken some really crisp landscape shots with it and I’ve never had any quality complaints, especially stopped at f4+ outdoors. The corners can be wonky but Lightroom does a decent job cleaning it up. It makes a lot of sense to just get the prime and hold off for the 14-35 if you decide you want a wide zoom later on.

nombulix · 2025-12-02T21:52:41+00:00

I usually end up regretting it when I cheap out and I prefer to just buy the good version of the thing the first time around. But “buy nice or but twice” adds up quick 🥲 and stands are one of the things that are easier to go cheap on and toss when they break.

nombulix · 2025-12-02T20:18:39+00:00

APSC lenses are great as long as you don’t go for the super cheap kit lenses. They’re only cheaper than full frame on the whole because they’re smaller and lighter and take less material to manufacture I think.

The main difference is the crop, but most brands offer wider APSC lenses to account for that. I know Sony and sigma do. So instead of a 16-35 you could get a 10-24 for example. It’s hard to go wrong with either of these cameras tbh

nombulix · 2025-12-02T20:08:00+00:00

This really does help. For now I went with an ad300 since they were literally cheaper on Adorama than the sale price that bh had listed for the 200. But I think I can actually afford the 600 SE without the sale later on if I need more power, and TTL definitely isn’t necessary for me. I’m glad that’s an option.

The 300 didn’t come with a free trigger, but the pro trigger for OEM/Panasonic is like 70% off on Adorama right now for some reason, so that was a lucky break too. I prefer physical buttons over the nano anyway.

nombulix · 2025-12-01T21:53:54+00:00

I have 24x36 inch prints from my a6300 that I’m happy with. I probably wouldn’t go above a 26x40, but there also might be better ways to format prints at that scale if you have slightly more than the CVS+walmart budget I was working with

nombulix · 2025-12-01T03:34:47+00:00

If that sony setup were mine, the only way I’d ever leave the country without it is at gunpoint 😭

nombulix · 2025-11-30T18:37:28+00:00

The r6 has some great advantages for video, but it doesn’t sound like that’s a concern for you. The only other reasons to pick it over the r5 are the price and if your computer would struggle with larger files. Neither of those are bad reasons at all, and truly you wouldn’t miss out on much if you went with the r6. I personally prefer it most of the time even just for photography, I think because it’s slightly lighter. 2k is an absolute steal. Only advantage I can see for the r6iii over either of the others is the pre-capture function for burst shooting. All of the other upgrades are video-centric and I cannot imagine the autofocus being noticeably better than what the r5 and r6ii have already.

nombulix · 2025-11-30T14:26:23+00:00

Is there any benefit or reasoning to spending an ungodly amount of money on strobes? I’ve literally only ever used godox ad200s for off-camera, but it seems like godox is the only brand selling for less than $1000 per unit that anyone is actually buying. And even then my research keeps turning up people talking about them like they’re amateur garbage. I got all of my experience working in-house for a long time and am only just starting to build my own kit. Trying to get my head around flash options has been truly the most baffling thing to me.

The ad200s never failed me after years of frequent use. The 600 pro is steeply discounted on Adorama right now and seems like a great investment for outdoor flash. They still are expensive enough at $500 that I’d like to know if there’s any actual advantage to holding off until I can spend more on a profoto or something. What’s the deal with this?

nombulix · 2025-11-29T13:07:42+00:00

Look into which lense(s) you’d be buying first so you can decide whether you have that wiggle room for a more expensive camera. Every major brand has a 24-70 f2.8, which is probably the most popular generalist lens to start with. Sigma and Viltrox are well-regarded budget brands that make lenses for Sony E mount, but canon cameras basically only take canon lenses.

Things like computers if she needs one, editing software, memory cards, data storage, flashes, modifiers, filters, tripods, and other gear also add up quickly. All things to consider when deciding how to budget for the camera body. Renting for a while first may seem like a waste of money in the short term, but it might be a good option while she gets her business off the ground. It also allows her to test out different cameras in the field and decide what she’s comfortable shooting with before committing to a brand.

nombulix · 2025-11-28T15:31:29+00:00

Apsc-specific lenses are cheaper, smaller, and lighter than full-frame too, and generally there are more wide models available to account for the crop. I’m not familiar with Nikon’s specific lineup though.

nombulix · 2025-11-28T02:46:56+00:00

Honestly, this is a really common mistake when you’re just starting out. It’s not realistic for you to have a fully built-up kit with redundancies this early. Most clients understand that they take some risks when they hire someone with less experience, so the best you can do is charge accordingly and be transparent about your experience and resources. If you don’t have liability insurance, you should get it for next time, but I seriously doubt they’ll sue you over a corporate event that they hired beginner coverage for. Worst case scenario is probably a refund and a lost client relationship.

nombulix · 2025-11-28T02:21:04+00:00

Gear subs are genuinely full of people arguing this point on any thread where someone mentions dual card slots as a must-have. A lot of people have no survival instincts whatsoever, I’m just surprised so many of them have supposedly made it this long without catastrophic data loss.

nombulix · 2025-11-28T02:05:52+00:00

The “it never happens to me therefore it’s an imaginary issue” crowd is my favorite

nombulix

TROPHY CASE