Taking a look back at the videos I recorded in the past, I often second-guessed why I even bothered to record it in the first place. I noticed a repeating pattern, in most of my videos. I felt that the videos often had no purpose - they didn't tell a story, or they were too dark or shaking. Something important was missing: composition.

Let me give you an example: I once recorded a video of an indoor concert. But, when I watched it the day after, it was just like staring at a black screen with some silhouettes moving around in the background .

I was left with one big question: why did I wan to record that? What was the purpose, or the idea, I had at the moment I did it? I had no idea. I ended up deleting the video - it was of no use, given I couldn't see anything in the video at all.

I did not think much about composition at the time

Of course it all depends on whether you care about composition or not - but for me it mattered. For some people, a dark, or perhaps, unclear, video with some silhouettes moving around might be just fine.

I felt the video served no purpose; I didn't even bother to try and learn some of the camera settings or, how I could use the  lightning available to make the video more clear. Let me assure you - if I were to re-do the video, I would now be able to get both a better image and improved lighting in the video.

It made me think about what I can do to capture better video. Clips that I can look back at and think "wow, I remember that moment, it was epic" - a clip where I put some thought in, as to why I wanted to record that moment or place in particular.

I set out on a personal quest to become better at video

I determined it was time for a change in regards of video; how to up the quality of my video clips.

I started by doing basic research about video and composition, as I had no experience with the terms, formats, equipment and editing techniques. Next I took a look at my comprehensive list of video equipment: a smartphone and a digital camera.

1. Sony Xperia XZ1

OK, it's something, I thought - this is what I had. So let's get started. I first took a look at the video capabilities of my smartphone, a Sony Xperia XZ1, which to my surprise, turned out to be rather good with 4K video capabilities, slow-motion and electronic stabilization.

I did some tests with my smartphone in handheld-mode with stabilization enabled and found that it performed excellent. I also learned to take manual control of the settings and tune them to produce a better result in low-light conditions. I was amazed by what my smartphone could do, just from a bit of tinkering with the settings.

2. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40

Next up is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40, a digital camera which has been my go-to choice for family events and quick point-and-shot images. I can also shot video in 1080p resolution, but not 4K.

The camera has recorded some amazing memories for me, but it's retirement has come - it simply can't out compete the modern smartphone. The camera lacks features like image stabilization and slow-motion.

How to organize your media

Over the course of some weeks, I started getting better at recording and editing videos. I felt it was working out, I was moving in the right direction.

However, I also happened to find myself going through a mental struggle at the time - I was still trying to identify who I was. I noticed that, the more I saw myself on video and pictures, the more confident I became in myself and my identity.

I happened to read an article, one late night, about documenting your life and how to organize your media - it was like it spoke directly to me; this is is what I had to do, I figured.

I tend to have some long-fetched thoughts sometimes, and the the idea of documenting your life was appealing to me.

So, I expanded on my original task, of becoming better at video, and decided to take it a step further; to use it to document my life.

Google Photos

I started organizing all my photos using Google Photos and made sure to transfer them once in a while; deleting those I didn't need.

I picked Google because they allow you to store unlimited photos online - and videos too. It can even backup automatically from your smartphone (android OS that is). So every once in a while, I take the time to go through all the images I took, asking myself whether this one is worth keeping or not.

De-cluttering your media helps to keep it organized and nice

As I developed a habbit of organizing my media, I felt that started to have control over my photos and videos. It was time to take the next big step in this quest of mine.

Upgrading on video equipment

I decided to invest in some new equipment - a decision I made based on a lot of factors, both practical as well as economical.

I decided to invest in a GoPro Hero 7 Black because I felt this camera would be best suited for me. In fact, the first trip I brought it on was when I went to Æbelø. I had never thought about recording my trips like this before; usually my trips go undocumented, but I had pledged to change that.

The GoPro on the 3-Way camera mount.

I experimented a lot with the camera and used a combination of the GoPro and my smartphone to get the results that I was aiming for. I used the knowledge that I had built up during the months before the trip and applied it in the field. It doesn't have to be the perfect shot every time, that would be too harsh to put on my shoulders, but the results were good - I was satisfied. At least to my standards, they were good, which is the important factor here.

Various GoPro accessories, including spare batteries.

Did I achieve what I set out to do?

Yes, I did.

Since I undertook the tremendous task of becoming better at video, I have become more confident in my skills and capabilities, and even more so, it has also helped me develop on a personal level. But this is a process which will take several months, if not years, to slowly adapt and get used to. You just don't become an astrophysicist over night, and the same applies for this path I have decided to venture down upon.

Trying to build a new habit in life will take some more time. I feel that, if you are committed to it, you can defiantly make a significant change in your life, it just has to mean a lot to you. It doesn't matter if other people don't understand you - they don't have to.