Cheap Mount for Zoom H4n

I am shooting video with a Canon 550D and using the Zoom H4n for audio. The quality is great, but when working alone, this can be a painful set-up. I carry a backpack with my camera gear and another small case that holds my audio gear (Zoom, lav mic, XLR cable, tabletop tripod...). The problem is that when I want to be mobile and "run n gun" I cannot carry my tripod, camera, Zoom, mics, cords... I have found several blog posts that offer great solutions, but all are more than I can afford right now.

My favorite set-up and the one I plan to use is the one Juan Pons posted. Today I went on a mission to find a budget-friendly solution that will help me move faster this weekend while I shoot the Symphony in the Flint Hills. I bought the PlatinumPlus flexPod gripper by Sunpak at Best Buy for about $20. I had an idea that I could find a way to wrap it on my tripod nice and tight and mount my Zoom on it.

I went home and tried it and it was easy to wrap it and stabilize it so my Zoom wouldn't jerk around and pick up noise. I am posting two photos (although I erased my messy home from the background) to show you how I set it up. I tested it out, placing my 550D on the tripod and the Zoom mount on the tripod's leg. It was easy to pick up and carry my tripod to a new location. The only thing I had to break down was the mic and cords that run to the Zoom. This cuts my set-up and breakdown time in half and makes me real happy... and all for $20.

Philip Bloom on Social Media

Busy, Busy, Busy

School, work, family... what else can I possibly have time for? Volunteering to shoot the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Golf Tournament at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas... that's what. Yes, I am very busy, but last friday I drove up to Newton to spend a day on the golf course. I had a great time and a great conversation with Ralph Terry, a pitcher from Larned that played for the NY Yankees and won two games, including a complete game, four-hitter, in Game 7 of the 1962 World Series to win the championship. Did I mention he was named MVP of the series? He has a great sense of humor and is extraordinarily nice. By the way, he became a professional golfer after baseball and last friday his team won the golf tournament I shot. Anyway, I have a lot of footage to watch and edit into a short piece for the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Web site.

Today I met Craig Barton, the son of W. Frank Barton (as in the W. Frank Barton School of Business at WSU). I went to shoot a Signal Society spot for KPTS. Craig is a great guy and extremely down-to-earth. He had several autographed photos and magazine covers with famous golfers and U.S. presidents in his office, along with oil paintings of late-18th/early-19th century period scenes. He loves history and values the historical programming that KPTS offers. It was a great experience. I'm pretty sure that he is the wealthiest man I have ever shaken hands with.

Tomorrow I continue training. I am learning to direct the Sedgwick County Commission meetings for KPTS. I hope to direct this show and many others someday in the near future, so I am trying to learn as much as possible.

I also love spending time with my family. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, my daughters have gymnastics classes on the opposite end of town. This will be the first saturday that my boys do not have soccer games, however I have a final exam at 8am, then I will be operating one of the cameras at the WSU baseball game that afternoon. On the weekends we all (Amber and I, two boys, two girls and one dog) spend time together, so I keep pretty busy trying to juggle all of these responsibilities.