This is a rare personal post on my luxury travel website but I hope it will be helpful to anyone who shoots video on their holidays or for vloggers who are self-taught or just starting out and looking to improve.

Since shooting my first video in August 2011, I’ve launched 231 videos on YouTube … 232 if you count this one (with loads more on Facebook and Instagram, including live videos).  On YouTube, I’m just shy of 825,000 video views, people have watched over 1.7 million minutes on my channel, and my videos are in over 4,300 playlists by others on YouTube.  That’s not a lot by any vlogger’s standards but my travel channel is growing little by little and I’m glad for it!  Mostly because I have so much fun both shooting and editing them that it has become by favourite hobby alongside writing.

But … I’m self-taught and still learning how to master everything from my own equipment to the tools I use for editing video and music. I’ve made (and continue to make) tons of mistakes so I thought I’d share some of the best tips and lessons that I’ve learned as I start incorporating them more successfully into my own vlogs and video reviews.

Vlogging Tips I’ll Share:

• How to take one scene and give it a bit of energy by shooting each of the shots from different angles
• The importance of editing so that you only include moments of “action” and not the time leading  up to it or afterwards when nothing in going on
• Why music is so important and one of the biggest factors to improve your vlogs and videos

My Leica V-Lux VLOGGING KIT

Last year I upgraded from a DSLR to my Leica V-Lux and that has helped to make the biggest improvement in my videos.  I live in Malaysia and purchased it here in Kuala Lumpur from YL Camera and those guys are amazing.  I’ve been super happy with the service and prices at YL Camera so do check them out. This is what I have so far:

• RM 5,240, Leica V-Lux Camera with 4K video and 25 – 400mm zoom
• RM 430, RODE VIDEOMIC GO lightweight on-camera microphone
• Around RM250 with battery/charger, Viltrox L116T LED mounted light
• RM 400, MOMAX Pro bluetooth selfie stick (it’s leather and gold and perfect in 5-star hotel situations)
• RM 100’ish, SanDisk Extreme Pro memory card for shooting 4K
• RM 1,621, black on black Billingham Hadley One Bag that holds my laptop and all equipment + the cushioned leather shoulder pad (that thing saves me since I wear mostly strapless dresses)
• …and I currently use a MacBook Air but desperately need to upgrade to a MacBook Pro so I can edit 4K video better as mine really overheats and it takes ages to render files.

Click here to check out my Leica, RODE mic, and full vlogging equipment review!

 

XOXO Angela

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