How to film your rides when you're broke and also accidentally got lots of dirt inside your only good camera

The title says it all.

Back when I first started filming my rides, I had a trusty, cheap Canon that got the job done to say the least. It was honestly a great camera, and I got some nice shots on it before upgrading to my DSLR.

When I eventually got dirt in the cheap camera, and it stopped opening up, I needed a different option. At the time, I couldn't afford a new video camera. With that in mind, a Solo Shot or Pixio were out of the question. The DSLR is also not great at filming. Like, at all. 

I've always been a visual learner. I get a lot out of filming my rides and watching the videos. Additionally, running a blog (and a vlog) means that I need media otherwise you would all shy away from my big blocks of text. When cameras were no longer available, my next best option was a cellphone which inherently does not capture as good of an image as a camera. Over the past few years, I've learned some tips not only to improve the video quality but also to get the most out of your rides.

1. Use slow motion

This is definitely my number one, without fail tip. The file size will be much larger, but it is much easier to analyze your riding when it's automatically slowed down. I forgot to use slomo a couple weeks ago, and it was a lot more tedious to try and see what I was doing. Additionally, you'll get more clear screenshots.

With slomo

Without slomo, same time of day

2. Be creative with where you mount

I've had to rely on fences, tables, barrels, a gate, and even a dressage letter to keep my phone stable while filming. If there's a will, there's a way. You might find it worthwhile to invest in a Gorillapod if there's nothing to physically set your phone on. There's a lot of different size options and several knockoffs as well.

3. Pick your mounting location based on lighting

I typically ride after work right before sunset. By halfway through my ride, even though I can still see just fine, it's often too dark for my phone to pick up anything. Either that or the image quality is grainy. I make sure to place my phone between myself and whatever light source is available (i.e. the sun). But, on the days where I don't do this, I do capture some pretty cool sunsets.

4. Adjust how you use your arena space.

Look, a phone is stationary. Without the addition of a supplementary program, it can't turn and zoom in automatically. You're going to have to adjust accordingly. Maybe it means riding more circles at one end of the arena or cutting the ring at a certain point. It's up to you to figure out. Just remember that you don't gain anything by having a bunch of three second shots of you trotting a hundred feet away from the lens.

For this ride, I moved a barrel towards the center line and
gave this exercise multiple angles to make the most of the video.

5. Try the Moment app

This one is mostly applicable if you need to retrieve media for blogging/vlogging/social media purposes. It's a video and photo app that gives you the perks of a digital camera through a plethora of manual settings. I had great success with Moment a couple of years ago. The app auto stabilized video and maintains the color/filter presets even when I close the app. It's super convenient for giving phone media that little umph. The app also has a case and lens that you can also purchase, but I found the app alone to be just fine. They're also, uhhh, not cheap, and I'd honestly just recommend getting a SoloShot if you've got that kind of cash laying around.

Short list, but I thought these might help someone. I've been using all of these for the past several years, and especially now that I rarely have anyone around the film my rides, it's good to know how to fend for myself. If you have any additional input, feel free to leave a comment! I'm always looking for ways to make this all a bit easier.