My path to becoming an internet influencer is fraught with danger; the inherent pitfalls of having to learn something new. My progress to-date has brought me to the threshold of creating content for a YouTube channel, which I can load with influential messages to enlighten others, even though they have no clue that they need to be enlightened by me.

My ambition requires more than a haphazard approach to content creation. I do want some quality to my work sufficient to make my mother proud. Therefore I’ve decided to do more than simply record a video selfie to post directly to my channel.

I aspire to having a few bells and whistles in my productions such as intro and outro  music, title cards, end credits and supers. To achieve all of this I’ve downloaded the open source Olive editing software as described in my last message.

My original thought was to buy a video camera to assure a high quality for my productions. My second thought was grounded in my sense of thriftiness. I have a cell phone and a Nikon camera, both of which have the prerequisite audio/visual capabilities. The prudent course of action, then, is to make use of what I already own. This is in keeping with my choice of open source editing software. Free is best.

This brings me to another “fraught with danger” moment, however; the need to test drive my camera options to determine which one provides the better quality of imagery and sound. My producer’s sensibilities mean I plan to be on camera for my presentations and since I don’t have the arm strength to hold either camera at arm’s length, I must acquire a tripod to hold a camera steady. Two tripods, actually, since I have yet to decide which camera to use. So much for thrift.

Through this entire process I have navigated the web to fulfill my aspirations. It serves me well once again as I submit my query to discover the best tripods for my consideration. Of course the internet thinks that by “best” I mean quality. My alt definition, which I live by, is cheap.

I won’t defame the manufacturer by naming the tripod chosen for my cell phone. The box it arrived in self-describes the product as being no more than a selfie stick with a three-legged, attachable base. As such it is sufficient for my needs and comes at an acceptable price.

For my Nikon camera, however, I am smitten with the thought that I have other applications for which a good quality tripod would come in handy. I buy a Victive NT72, which is more substantial than a selfie stick. It also tilts my decision making prowess towards using the Nikon to record my videos since it uses the more expensive tripod. Being human, I am susceptible to our species’ inclination towards thinking that a higher cost equates with higher quality. I ignore the fact that I am evaluating the tripod and not the camera. The cell phone on a selfie stick still has a slim chance of being chosen. What’s needed next is a comparative test drive.

Next week’s message: Lights, Camera(s), Action!