How To's

Hybrid Shooting Lessons From a Photography Background

Published June 10, 2025

Whether you’re a photographer, videographer, or “content creator” (a term I personally cringe at), the current expectation is that you can shoot both stills and video. When I began my photography career in 2008, deliverables were much simpler. Instagram hadn’t launched yet, and brands were just beginning to explore digital marketing. Now, the pace of change has been exponential – Instagram introduced stories, then video, and eventually Reels. Brands had to keep up or fall behind, and creators had to do the same.

We’re now past that initial digital boom, and if you want to make a living in this space, even peripherally, you need to flex and evolve. In this piece, I’ll focus on the main lessons I’ve learned in pre-production, gear selection, and on-set realities from shooting hybrid over the last five years. I’ll touch on post-production, though it deserves its own full treatment.


Pre-Production Planning

The pre-production burden will vary depending on your genre or industry. I work mostly in outdoor, travel, and landscape photography, often just showing up with a camera and a lens in hand. The freedom of traveling light beats dragging around too much gear, especially when hiking or moving through unstable environments. When you have to choose between having your tent in your backpack or that prime lens you might use once, you choose the tent.

Switching from weddings to outdoor work was my first foray into changes of gear, prep, and forced me to prioritize mobility and essentials. So, along those lines, when video enters the picture – especially in a hybrid setting – planning becomes more crucial. While AI and post-production tools can fix some (or many) things, relying on them means more editing time. For example, in still photography, a handheld 200mm shot at 1/1000s works fine. In video, using the 180º shutter rule (shutter speed ? 2x frame rate), you’d need to shoot that 24fps scene at 1/50s. That demands ND filters, aperture adjustments, and potentially better stabilization.

Cameras like cinema models might have built-in ND filters, but if you’re using mobile, mirrorless, or DSLRs, you’ll need to be confident with your filter setup. Even with the right exposure, you’ll still need to manage motion blur and stability – handheld techniques, gimbals, tripods, or resting your gear on stable surfaces.

With stills, you can shoot in burst mode and pick a winner. With video, you have to think in sequences—how one shot connects to the next. If your background is in photography, a helpful transition is to visualize your ideal still frame and then think about how to move and direct the subject into and out of it in video.

I storyboard using a 9-frame template that helps me align visuals with the story, product, or mood we want to convey. Photography builds reactive intuition through gear familiarity. Video, however, hinges on proactive planning. If that sounds like inexperience talking, it might be. But it seems there’s a ceiling to what run-and-gun video can accomplish that still photography doesn’t face as sharply.


Continuity Matters

Hybrid shooting requires heightened awareness of continuity, including light, color temperature, and even time of day. If your subject opens a wine bottle at 3 p.m., but the rest of the scene is shot at golden hour, viewers will notice the shift, even if subconsciously.

This might be a good time to add in my favorite clause of any creative advice, which is “unless that’s what you’re going for, or don’t care,” in which case, go for it. That’s always an option. But for most professional work, consistency is key.


Gear Advice: Start Simple, Stay Familiar

If you’re new to hybrid work, don’t feel pressured to invest heavily. Start with something versatile that supports both photo and video. I always recommend sticking with the brand you know – menu familiarity can be the difference between capturing a shot or missing it.

Entry-Level Recommendations:

These models are budget-friendly and compact, making them ideal for testing hybrid capabilities.

Personally, I’ve stuck with Canon throughout my career. I tried the Sony A7 series – it’s fantastic – but I preferred Canon’s feel and how it handles (certain) colors. When I took on a larger video project, I upgraded from my Canon 5D Mark IV by adding a Canon C70 with an adapter for EF lenses, plus a Deity Smic2 mic and Aputure lights.

Though the C70 shares some interface similarities with the 5D, video brings a lot more responsibility. I now monitor sound levels, shoot in C-Log for better grading, and rely heavily on histograms for exposure. If you don’t want to grade your footage, you can shoot in Rec.709 and save yourself the extra post-production work.


DSLR vs. Mirrorless

Each system comes with its own lens mounts and use cases. Mirrorless cameras offer real advantages – like focus accuracy and compactness – but I haven’t made the switch. That said, if you’re more serious and want to expand without diving into cinema gear, try these:

Today, most digital creators use gear in this range, especially if their work is primarily for mobile or YouTube platforms.


Cinematic Gear? Probably Not Yet

I can already hear cinema fans asking why I haven’t mentioned the RED KOMODO X, ARRI Alexa, Sony FX9, or Blackmagic URSA. If your clients or production levels need that gear, this article isn’t for you. In many of my workshops mentorships I always hit on this point: you likely haven’t outperformed your gear yet. There are high-end documentaries and campaigns being shot on my exact equipment, and cheaper/older – the thing holding me back is not my gear. That being said, it would also be a lie to say trying better gear hasn’t inspired me in a way that opened up lanes of imagination and possibility. I have most definitely wanted new gear, and getting it has caused me to shoot more, which is the real prescription for creative development.


What to Expect On Set (Even with a Phone)

Let’s say none of this gear talk matters and you’re shooting hybrid with just your phone. There are still key hybrid-specific challenges to consider:

1. Audio

Always ensure your audio is usable – even if it’s not studio-grade. If your subject turns away from your mic or if your lavalier is rustling against a shirt, you may miss valuable dialogue. If you’re not actively monitoring audio, at least be aware of present or potential background noise risks.

2. Motion

Ask yourself why the camera or the subject is moving. Random movement rarely adds value. Intentionality in motion – either to enhance narrative or visual interest – makes post-editing smoother and improves your grasp of the project as a whole.

3. Crop Formats

If your video is for YouTube and also Reels or Shorts, remember to frame your shots to work in both horizontal and vertical formats. I still struggle with this. You can shoot wider and crop in for vertical, but plan your headroom and subject placement accordingly.

4. Distractions

Anything you can eliminate in-camera will save hours in post. Stray objects, poor composition, or unwanted background elements add rendering and editing time later. Handle it in the moment if you can.

Conclusion: From Stills to Stories

As you wade into the waters of hybrid shooting, it might feel overwhelming looking at the pre-production, gear, and on-set differences. Some of that concern might be coming from the (wrong) assumption that you should be able to shoot video with the same level of muscle knowledge as you have for stills. If you have built up a business or even a hobby of photography for years, it might help you to look back at what your first days of shooting were like when it was just for fun, and then when you had a more serious project. Did you practice? Did you take notes on what to remember on the day of? Did you draw out little frames to try and replicate during your headshot session? I did all of those things for photography, and I’m doing all of those same things for videography now. Practice with your gear in low and no-stakes moments to familiarize yourself and then prepare as best you can, knowing that it will take time to build a rhythm of hybrid shooting, and even more time to match your taste with your output. There are no shortcuts – except, of course, for the infinite number of AI shortcuts.


Author: Ryan Longnecker

Ryan Longnecker is an outdoor travel and landscape photographer based in Long Beach, California. Over the last 16 years, Ryan has pursued creative careers from music to creative direction and has landed in photography, design, and social media strategy. His passion is to work alongside anyone who is bringing beauty and hope into the world, making it a little less cynical and more beautiful all the time.
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