6 Reasons You Must Shoot Video Every Day

Published on December 4, 2013

Over the past month, I've been doing something. And I've come to this determination:

You should be shooting video every day. We all should be.

Here are 6 reasons why:

1. You become intimately familiar with your equipment

Has this ever happened to you? Occasionally I find myself reviewing a piece of equipment's manual before heading out to shoot.

I'm usually relearning something I've known before. The issue is that I've forgotten what I've previously known because I haven't used that particular gear in a while.

That doesn't happen with equipment I use every day.

In fact, I intimately know the camera I use for daily video. I know how it feels in my hands. My fingers find their way to the buttons and switches, and I don't even have to look.

I know where the controls are and how the camera operates. I know what the camera can and can't do visually.

Why? Because I use it every single day.

2. Practice makes perfect (or at least improvement)

When I'm shooting video every day, I'm hyper aware that the footage isn't always usable.

My attitude is that I'm practicing. I'm honing my skills.

The more we do something, the more we improve.

If you want to get better at shooting video, try doing it daily. My bet is that you'll see immediate improvements.

3. Daily video encourages you to experiment

When you know you're practicing, you give yourself more freedom to experiment.

Experimenting leads to discovery. And discovery leads to improvement.

You can experiment with all kinds of things:

• Camera angles
• Under- and over-exposure
• Framing
• Subjects
• Camera movements
• Shot duration

And there are plenty of other things to experiment with too.

Can you see how experimenting can lead to better video?

4. You begin to identify your video strengths and weaknesses

You might find that your handheld footage is too shaky, so you try new ways to stabilize yourself.

You might find that you're not happy with your framing, so you identify what you don't like and make an effort to improve it.

On the other hand, you might find that you love the low angle of having a camera on the ground. So you decide to do it more often.

5. Build a video habit

If you shoot video every day, it will become a habit. A habit can be your friend (or your enemy - a topic for a different article).

The power of building video into a habit is that it becomes something you can do without thinking.

Wouldn't it be great to build a habit out of capturing moments and telling stories with video?

6. The search inspires you

When you shoot video every day, you look for more subjects to shoot. You search for stories, people, objects, and actions.

You ask yourself "What's video-worthy?" And you see amazing possibilities everywhere.

You develop a video perspective that inspires you. You get new ideas.

Disclaimer:

Keep in mind that I'm not always talking about formal video. In other words, it might not be feasible to bring out a tripod, lights, sandbags, and c-stands for video every day (though if you're a pro, this might be the case for you).

You might be a video enthusiast (a large portion of my audience is).

No matter who you are, you can carry a small video camera with you and be ready to shoot anytime.

After all, they're small enough to fit in your pocket...

In fact, you likely have one in your pocket right now.

If so, have you shot video with it today? I hope so. And I hope you shoot video tomorrow too.

Are there more benefits from shooting video daily that I didn't include in this list? If so, let me know in the comments...

This article was last updated on October 6, 2020