Shoot (edit and upload video) from the hip.
I am fortunate enough to have recently returned from an assignment to photograph the Northern Lights in Finland, much to my editor’s chagrin.
The trip was sponsored by Nokia, who gave me an N8 to put through its paces. The phone is very good and has some cool features – like an FM transmitter that allows you to stream your music to a car radio, a microSD slot to expand the already large 16 gig capacity up to 32 gigs, free GPS maps and more. But what impressed me most was the camera. The N8 has seen a lot of hype around its class-leading 12 megapixel camera. It is extremely impressive and produces great quality still images.
What I loved most about the phone though was the HD video recorder. Its quality recording is complemented by editing software (standard on the phone) that allowed me to shoot, edit (with transitions), title and add music to a series of clips shot on excursions and day trips in Lapland. I was then able to upload the clips to the web simply by logging onto YouTube and clicking ‘upload’, all from the the device in my hand. It was easy to do and the Nokia N8 was fun to use, you can tell by the grin on my face in the video clips. Both videos were sent from the tundra, 250 km inside The Arctic Circle. These, coupled with excellent sightings and images of the Aurora Borealis, however, did nothing to improve my standing with The Editor.
