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I was sitting in my sons preschool graduation this year and I looked around the room at all the parents beaming at their kids. Nearly all of them had their cell phones out taking video of the cute kids singing (and my kid trying to hold it together–he’s not a fan of people looking at him). And I noticed they were all doing the same thing. And they were doing it wrong.

I’m certainly no expert when it comes to video, but I’ve done my fair share and thought I’d pass along a few things that will make your videos better. Whether you’re trying to get your videos on somewhere like TubeV Sex or you’re just innocently filming the kids, we can all learn from a few of these tips.

First. Tuck your elbows in. I tell people to do this with their photos as well, but it also applies to video. I don’t know about you, but my arms can only be steady for about 20 seconds. Then my triceps start to burn and in comes shaking arms. Which also means a shaky video. Stabilize your arms against your body so you can hold the camera still.

Or stabilize your arms on your knees or a chair or a wall. Anything that will keep your arms and hands steady while you’re filming.

Second. This is the one I see people doing all.the.time. Don’t shoot video with your camera vertical. Start by thinking with the end in mind. When you replay a video on your phone, it looks okay when it’s shot vertical, but when you replay the video on your computer screen or TV, vertical videos don’t look good. They’re small and awkward and don’t fill the screen like a video is intended to do. When shooting video, turn your phone horizontal and film the video that way.

Warning: Once you start a video, you can’t turn your camera or the video will be shot sideways. You have to start the video with the camera already horizontal.

Here’s an example of a video shot with the camera vertical:

And here’s how it would look if you turn the camera horizontal:

These videos are a good indication of what my life will be like for the next 15 years. So. Much. Wrestling.

Once you get videos into a format people can watch them (i.e. on a disc, the computer, or hooked up to a TV screen via Apple TV, etc.) the videos will look SO much better if they’re filmed while the phone is horizontal (so it fits the screen you’re viewing it on correctly).

Another thing to note is just like photos, videos depend on good LIGHT. If you don’t have good light, the quality of the video will be diminished. So whenever possible, shoot your videos with good natural light. If you don’t have a lot of light, your videos will look more grainy.

And while we’re on the topic, I’ve had several people ask me what I do with all the videos I take. Each time I pull my camera out to take some photos of my kids, I usually try to do a little video as well. But I generally only video about 1-2 minutes at a time (sometimes even shorter). Longer videos tend to get boring. I organize all my photos and videos in iPhoto and have a smart album set up so it pulls all my videos into one place.

Every few years for each kids birthday, I try to make a slideshow with photos and videos of them.

Then each year, I pull together the videos of the whole family from that year and just string them all together using iMovie. I don’t add music so you can hear the sound from the video. The videos just stream together one after the other. Depending on the project, the videos may be in order by date, or put in random order. Doesn’t really matter as long as they’re assembled in a way people can view them. My kids LOVE to sit down and watch these. And they often force their friends to sit down and watch them too. Some of my kids would sit for hours and watch videos of themselves. Hours.

Some of the iMovie videos I make I include video clips and pictures mixed together and add music to those (usually vacation video and photos).

Here’s a small sample of what the videos grouped together looks like. Notice the first video is shot vertical (before I knew better) and the rest are horizontal. Gives you a good feel for what a difference it makes. Stick with this at least until the Micky Mouse in Walmart part. Kills me every time I watch it!

Next time you pull out your camera to take some video, remember to keep your arms steady, and turn your camera horizontal. Then get those photos and videos organized so you can quickly put them together and have fun watching them over the years.

I’m going to share a few more awesome tips while shooting video on your phone that will be going out to my e-mail subscribers (I like to give my VIP e-mail friends some exclusive content). There’s one tip in there that a lot of people probably don’t know (and trust me, you want to know it).

If you want the tips, be sure to get on the e-mail list by entering your name and e-mail below. Make sure you confirm your e-mail address and shortly after you’ll get the free “Ten photo tips to improve your phone photography” eBook. Then keep your eye out for the “Video tips” e-mail coming from me soon!

This post was originally posted at Or So She Says where I contribute once a month.

Several years ago I found myself driving downtown to drop my older brother off at the Road Home homeless shelter where he was currently “living”.  He was going through a pretty rough patch of life (understatement).  He stayed at the homeless shelter on and off for several years.

During one of his better periods of life (definitely relative–he wasn’t at the homeless shelter or in jail) I was talking to him about his experiences being homeless and relying on strangers to survive.  His experiences taught me a lot about what life is really about and made me hyper-aware of how I treat other people, especially strangers.

There seems to be a certain stigma (judgement) placed on the homeless, the poor, the un-educated.  The idea that maybe they “deserve what they get” and their choices put them where they are.  That perhaps they are “less than” and maybe not worthy of some of the things life has to offer.  Although sometimes it is certainly true their choices may have contributed to where they are, I think it’s important to remember how close we ALL are to being homeless, or poor, or in need of help from others.

I think sometimes we over-complicate what life is all about.  If we were to boil life down to one main purpose, it would be to learn to love.  To learn to love like God loves.  Without reservation, without conditions, without judgement.  To learn to love.  To really love.  And to treat each other accordingly.  That’s it.

My brother said one of the worst parts of being homeless, of begging for money and food on the streets, wasn’t the hunger or the withdrawal from drugs, or the fear of being beaten up or arrested.  The worst part was how people treated him.  Some with disgust, some with judgment, but even worse, some acted like he didn’t even exist.  They ignored him like he wasn’t even there.

One of my favorite books of all time is “Tattoos on the Heart” by Gregory Boyle.  In it he says “Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it.”  I think we can substitute the word “poor” with any other word as well.  The poor, the homeless, the mentally ill, the addicts, our neighbor, our friend….

To stand in awe at what other people have to carry rather than stand in judgement.  If there’s one thing I know, it’s that we ALL carry something.  That we all have struggles.  Some more visible than others.  What would the world be like if we recognized one simple truth?  That life is hard for EVERYone and if we stood in awe at what each other person has to carry, and learned to love like God, the world would change.  Life would change.

We belong to each other.  And God expects us to take care of each other.  He answers prayers with other people.  He relies on us to get each other back to him.  We’re all on the same team here.  And he put us all here together for a reason.  No one person is any more important than another.  God loves equally and unconditionally and he wants us ALL back.  Glennon Melton said “I am confident because I believe that I am a child of God.  I am humble because I believe that everyone else is too.”

To be clear, when I say God expects us to take care of each other, that doesn’t necessarily mean just giving money to the homeless or poor.  Or handing out material possessions to each other. although that is part of it.  I think it’s far beyond that.  God simply expects us to love.  To take each others hands, to walk side-by-side, and to show each other the way.  And to take someone else’s hand when we we’re the ones that need to accept the help.

One of my favorite stories in “Tattoos on the Heart” is about a boy named Pedro (a gang member) who had a dream Gregory Boyle (the author) was in.  Boyle says “And in this dream, Pedro and I are in this large, empty room, just the two of us.  There are no lights, no illuminated exit signs, no light creeping in from under the doors.  There are no windows.  There is no light.  He seems to know that I am there with him.  A sense, really, though we do not speak.  Suddenly, in this dark silence, I retrieve a flashlight from my pocket and push on it.  I find the light switch in the room, on the wall, and I shine this narrow beam of light on the switch.  I don’t speak.  I just hold the beam steady, unwavering.  Pedro says that even though no words are exchanged, he knows he is the only one who can turn this light switch on.  He thanks me for happening to have a flashlight.  He makes his way to the switch, following the beam with, I suppose, some trepidation.  He arrives at the switch, takes a deep breath, and flips it on.  The room is flooded with light….

And with a voice of astonishing discovery, he says ‘And the light….is better….than the darkness…..As if he did not previously know this to be the case.”

Boyle goes on to say “Possessing flashlights and occasionally knowing where to aim them has to be enough for us.  Fortunately, none of us can save anybody.  But we all find ourselves in this dark, windowless room, fumbling for grace and flashlights.  You aim the light this time, and I’ll do it the next.

The slow work of God.

And you hope, and you wait, for the light–this astonishing light.”

Our job isn’t to save each other.  Our job is to love each other.  And to shine the flashlight for those who need it.  And be willing to follow the flashlight when others hold it up for us.   We’re each responsible for turning on our own light switch.  But NONE of us can do it alone.  We need each other.  We need other’s flashlights.  We belong to each other.  And every single human on this earth regardless of who they are or the choices they have made is entitled to love.  Love from God.  And love from us.

The truth is, I blog but I don’t read a lot of blogs.  I read a LOT of books, but not many blogs.  Not sure why.  I guess I just haven’t found many that draw me in.  But there are a few I really appreciate.  And I’m always grateful when people share great sites with me, so I’m sharing some of my favorite blogs I follow (the ones I check somewhat consistently).

**Storyline Blog by Donald Miller.  I pretty much love anything Donald Miller does.

**Momastery by Glennon Doyle Melton.  She speaks so much truth and I agree with almost everything she writes about.  And if you haven’t read her book Carry On, Warrior  you must.  It’s one of my favorite books I’ve ever read.

**Under the Sycamore by Ashley Ann Campbell.  She is a great photographer and shares lots of photography tips.  But she’s also an incredible mom and I love the way she raises her family.

**71toes by Shawni Pothier.  I can’t really explain why I like this one.  When I first found it I spent an hour just going through old posts and reading everything I could.  I was immediately drawn to her and her family.  She’s a great photographer, but she really just writes about her life.

**Becky Higgins blog by Becky Higgins.  If you haven’t heard of the Project Life App yet, you should definitely check that out.  It’s scrapbooking without having to scrapbook.  A perfect way to get your photos into albums without the fuss.  Plus Becky’s blog is full of helpful tips, tricks, and inspiration.

**Jen Hatmaker Blog.  Oh my word Jen Hatmaker makes me laugh out loud all.the.time.  So dang funny.  I’ve read a few of her books and have plans to read the rest.  Her writing is most definitely worth my time.

What are you some of YOUR favorite blogs?  Do you have any you check some-what regularly?  I’d love a few new ones to follow so share them in the comments!

For some amazing TED talks to watch, check this out.  And here’s 4 videos that are sure to inspire.

To stick around and be a part of this blog community (it’s a great community), check out this post to stay-in-touch and get 10 photo tips that will immediately improve your phone photography!

Summer is blowing by SO fast.  We’ve been having the perfect amount of fun and maybe not quite enough sleep.  I’ve been super busy with something big I have coming up which has required some really early mornings for me (I’ll share more about that a little later this month).  I used to be a morning person.  Then I had kids.  And getting up before 8am feels like a crime.  One of the books on my “to read” list is The Miracle Morning.  I hope that can get me motivated to start my days a little earlier and get to bed at a decent hour.

In church this past Sunday, a friend of mine shared something that really got me thinking.  About God. And about trusting God.  It sounds so weird, but sometimes I have a hard time turning my life over to God even though I know he’ll do a better job.  I worry where He’ll take me.  That it won’t be somewhere I was planning to go.  I used to really stress about whether or not I was making the RIGHT decisions, but then I read a book by Donald Miller and it changed my whole perspective on the decision making process.

This little story, or poem, or whatever you want to call it, is helping me to trust God a little more (baby steps here people–I’m working on progress) and do my best to follow His guidance.  I thought I’d share it with all of you:

A Tandem Ride With God

I used to think of God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there, sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn’t really know Him.

But later on, when I met Jesus, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Jesus was in the back helping me pedal. I didn’t know just when it was He suggested we change, but life has not been the same since I took the back-seat to Jesus, my Lord. He makes life exciting. When I had control, I thought I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places and at break-through speeds; it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it often looked like madness, He said, “Pedal!” I was worried and anxious and asked, “Where are you taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared”, He’d lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey, our journey, my Lord’s and mine. And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away; they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to the people we met, and I found in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it, but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, jump to clear high rocks, fly to short and scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus.

And when I’m sure I just can’t do any more, He just smiles and says… “Pedal.”

(Author unknown)

My advice to myself–be okay to take the back seat.  Trust.  And just keep pedaling.