Creating Content: What do I need?

Hello friends! I hope that you’re all well. It’s looking up here in the UK with vaccine numbers increasing and the occasional blue sky. 😊

Today I wanted to share some more insights on being a content creator for those that want to get started. I recently shared a blog post about the software and apps that I use to help me create content online. After publishing that post, I got so many questions about the hardware side of things.

I guess I hadn’t thought of it until someone pointed it out, just because I believe that you don’t need any fancy equipment to start creating. We’ve all got some smartphone these days, and that is enough!

Maybe that’s it; that’s the blog. 😂

With that said, I’ll break down the things that I do use in addition to my iPhone and how I use it. Hopefully, it will help you get started!

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Equipment that I use for content

iPhone

Currently, I’ve got the iPhone XS Max that I got back in 2018. Despite its design being quite slippy (a phone case usually helps with grip for me and my tiny hands), I love this phone. Apart from that, the camera for photos and videos is fantastic. It is more than enough for what I use it for, mostly just uploading pictures/videos on social media. I’ve recorded a few videos on YouTube with only my iPhone as well.

I know it can get quite overwhelming watching these fantastic quality YouTube videos where creators have full production-quality cameras. Still, it doesn’t need to be like that when you get started or at all, to be honest. There are plenty of creators out there that use iPhones!

This video for example was filmed solely on my iPhone – video and audio.

Camera

With that said, back in 2017, I was obsessed with looking for cameras. I bought my first camera, the Sony A5000, which I used for most of my photos and videos at the time. I don’t use mine anymore, and now my brother has it for his content! Matt also got himself the Canon GX Powershot camera (link is to the latest model) back then, which we still have, and I occasionally break it out to use it again.

Recent examples include my home gym set-up video on YouTube and my collaborative blog post about my phone case.

When we’re out and about traveling (remember those days 😬), we don’t use it as much just because it is just another thing to carry. Again, our iPhones have been OK for everything.

It is a fantastic camera for those that have the budget to buy it. Highly recommend!

Webcam

Although my Webcam isn’t strictly for content creation, most of my conversations and online features all use my trusty Logitech C920 webcam, with everything being online. It’s not the best quality (I’m sure other webcams beat this), but it’s still overall a great piece of kit for those creators wanting to do a bit more streaming or for recording conversations like Inspiring Figures, for example.

For example, I’ve recorded my AWS learning videos on YouTube using Zoom and my Webcam.

Tripod

I’ve had this tripod since 2016 😂 It’s from Amazon Basics. I have an attachment to hold my iPhone but can also remove that if I want to use my camera. It’s perfect for getting angles for videos or pictures that you need to take on a timer for Instagram (90% of how I take photos these days, the other 10% is Matt fulfilling his role as Instagram husband)

Blue Snowball Mic

I started taking my project on podcasting and hosting Inspiring Figures seriously in 2020. So, I bought myself a Blue Snowball Mic. It’s a relatively cheap mic compared to others you can get on the market, but the quality is a massive jump from just using my iPhone/headphones/AirPods mic.

Ring light or any light source…

I’ve moved my desk around a lot in my apartment. 😆

Some times it can get quite dark depending on how I’ve set it up. My trusty ring light is always there for me, though, no matter what! It helps shine a light on my face and make me look less hidden away in a dark corner of my apartment. 😂 Highly recommend getting one if you are on video a lot and need extra assistance with lighting.

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Are you a content creator? Have you got anything that you would you add to this list? 😊 Let me know!