On the plane on my way to California, I couldn’t keep out of my mind the idea of doing some cool 360 video for the first time.

I thought I had it all figure out. I was going to do one cool 360 video walking down Hollywood Boulevard and, since I’m an over achiever, I was going to do a pretty cool little planet video there too, because how hard can it be right? WRONG.

The following tips might seem obvious but are important things to consider before you start your 360 journey:

1. Check your batteries:
   1. This sounds extremely silly, but these little cameras consume a lot of battery. Try to charge them fully before you head out. Using the wall charger is way better than charging it with the USB cable and your computer. The wall charger also lets you see how much battery you have, which is extremely helpful. As good practice, bring with you an extra battery just in case yours dies in the middle of the thing (been there) .

2. Too many memory cards is not a thing
   1. You would be surprise (or not) to find out how much space the 360 files can take in your SD card. So, if you’re planning to shoot for a few hours, get yourself at least two 64G memory cards. You’ll be safe and not sorry, like me.

3. Don’t think that you know it all
   1. Let’s face we all can get a little cocky with technology. Like, “why would I read the annoying manual?...” well you should. There are little things that are different from camera to camera. Like how to turn it on, how to stop recording, how to take pictures and what does each light color mean. It’s better to know these things ahead of time. I’d advise you do a test run in your house before you go to the event so you have at least one shooting experience under your belt  and you’re more comfortable with the equipment.

4. Youtube is your best friend

That’s my final and over all advice. There are videos of everything outthere! It doesn’t matter how basic or complicated your question is, for sure there’s video that answers it, and made people who know what they are doing. A few things that you want to check out on Youtube: How to pair your camera with your phone, how not do 360 video (So you learn that walking and holding the camera is weird…) and cool editing things you want to try (So you film them the right way)

Here are some links of one of my favorites that I found helpful as a 360 newbie.

How NOT to shoot in 360º

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWYKrePZwkM&disable_polymer=true

Top 10 beginner tips for 360 video making with Nikon Keymission 360 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV5xXNimVYo&t=450s

How to create 4K UHD Rotating Tiny Planet Video with Nikon Keymission 360 / Gear 360 / Ricoh Theta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rskZw_9t9bw&t=733s

Nikon Key mission 360 App - FIXED WORKING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9JhNDoOIQs