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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Need advice on gathering audio and shooting simultaneously
Russell Rinn, Photographer
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Georgetown | Tx | USA | Posted: 1:07 AM on 12.15.08 |
->> Maybe I'm late to the show here, but I'm trying to get a handle on some of the multimedia stuff. I've assembled some soundslides presentations but not with 'onsite' audio.
So I'm curious how you balance shooting stills and recording audio at the same time. An example would be recoding a coach during a timeout or in the locker room and shooting the huddle/action at the same time. Do you have the audio equipment just hanging off you? I'm not really able to visualize anything other than juggling equipment, etc. and picking up all the annoying ambient that goes with that. |
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Ted S. Warren, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 1:53 AM on 12.15.08 |
->> Russell:
Here's a few things that work well for me. I've had to do a lot of this.
Most mini shotgun mics have a thread that will fit on a tripod. Get a little tabletop bogen tripod and mount your mic on it. If you have a wireless set-up, then velcro the transmitter somewhere on the tripod. If you don't, velcro your recorder to the tripod.
You now have a portable and hands-free set-up. Hit record, check your levels, and then position the mic where you want to, close to your subject, and then roam around and take photos.
If you are moving, you can fold up the legs of the tripod, and put them in one of your Think Tank (thanks for being a SS sponsor) waist bag pockets (with the drawstring tightened) so the mic is pointing forward. Now you are roughly recording whichever direction you turn your body, and your hands are free to shoot and you can direct the focus of the mic with your body. You'll still pick up camera noise, but less of it, and you'll get used to not shooting when something good is being said.
Also if there is anyway you can put a lavaliere mic on your subject, do that. If you don't have a wireless set-up, still put a mic on them and then then hit record, use the "hold" or other switch on your recorder to keep it from turning off, tape the mic cord so it won't come off, and stick the recorder in a pocket of your subject. Before I had wireless gear, I recorded an entire day of a border patrol officer on horseback this way.
I even once advised a friend that he could clip a mic to a rugby player and tape the recorder to the guy's back, between the shoulder blades. Not sure if he took it that far, but the sound would have been outstanding.
Do whatever you can to get the mic close to your subject and away from your camera, and free up your hands to take great photos.
Hope this helps,
Ted / AP Seattle
It is also helpful to start a stopwatch when you start your recorder. When a good quote or nat sound occurs, jot down the time on your notebook, and it will make it easier to find that nugget when you are wading through 45 min. or more of audio. |
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Russell Rinn, Photographer
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Georgetown | Tx | USA | Posted: 2:23 AM on 12.15.08 |
->> Thanks Ted and Corey!
Those are some good ideas. I might be able to use a wireless mic on the coach, and the hotshoe mic mount is a great idea as well. |
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James Lee, Photographer
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Vincent | OH | USA | Posted: 11:07 AM on 12.15.08 |
->> +1 on the mini-tripod. I use a tiny little bogen with a ball head to put my Olympus LS-10 just about anywhere near the ambient. For better interview sound, I'd highly recommend the Giant Squid lavs. The 5ft. Giant Squid with the recorder in a clip on pouch gives you a nice little "wireless lav" package.
The closer the mic to the subject the better and get the mic as far away from camera/photog noise as possible.
Also, think of using the recorder for sound like you would a camera to get "detail shots." I generally try to shoot first and once I've got some shots in the bag, look for sound that might contribute. |
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Jonathan Castner, Photographer, Assistant
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Longmont | CO | USA | Posted: 11:37 AM on 12.15.08 |
->> First I'd say that you need a way to constantly monitor your audio. That means having headphones on during recording. A good wireless unit is a life saver. I have two and that is even better. You can't put a mic on a stand in a crowed room and not have it either bumped or have your subject move out of the focus of the mic at some time. Your locker room/huddle situation would be awful with putting a mic on a stand. If you are doing a piece on the coach then you should put a lav and wireless on him. That way you can get audio constantly and monitor it on your person with your headphones.
Ambient sound is much the same way - what ambient do you need? Ambient from your perspective or the subjects? Here you want stereo and I find that sound from my perspective both works well and is the most manageable. I do not put microphones on my cameras as they make them unwieldy. I mount my stereo ambient mic onto the waist pouch that my recorder is in so that it always faces "forward". When I'm shooting I keep the ambient recorder going pretty much full time and I use the remote for my recorder to pause recording or to mark important sections. I'd rather have more audio than I need than to be juggling equipment and miss something excellent. |
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