Camera Angles Matter

[iacas]

This set of videos pretty well summarizes why camera angles matter.

I'm amazed at how often students will submit a video that ends up in the "red zone" both vertically and horizontally. Where the clubhead is at A6, left arm depth, the way the knees work, alignment of hips, knees, shoulders, etc., and more all look very different from slightly different camera angles.

Be picky about your angles, or you can waste a lot of time trying to fix something that isn't even an issue, because it isn't what you're seeing.

[Cantankerish]

OMG, this is helpful.  I am a few days away from submitting another video in my swing thread.  This is exactly what I needed to see.  I have really been guessing at the correct angle.

Thank you.

 

[DaveP043]

15 minutes ago, Cantankerish said:

OMG, this is helpful.  I am a few days away from submitting another video in my swing thread.  This is exactly what I needed to see.  I have really been guessing at the correct angle.

Thank you.

This is why @iacas has provided guidance on filming your swing here:

https://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing

I don't know if the information regarding cameras is still current, but the sections on camera set-up almost certainly are.

[Tepi90]

Great stuff, have to start looking at this better. I've been trying to set the DTL view with alignment stick as @boogielicious adviced somewhere I think, just now realised I always stand little away from alignment stick. 🙈

[nevets88]

Where is the camera in the distorted view? Guessing either too much left or right, not related to how high it is. Too far left?

[Vinsk]

Great video Erik. One of the reasons I just don’t take well to online lessons. I simply can’t film properly. I already have a distorted perception and trying to get a proper angle is just too time consuming for me. One of the reasons I struggled in organic chemistry. 

[Cantankerish]

2 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

This is why @iacas has provided guidance on filming your swing here:

https://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing

I don't know if the information regarding cameras is still current, but the sections on camera set-up almost certainly are.

He did.  I read it before filming.  This information is better.

 

[Tepi90]

 

[barnum1]

This is very interesting, thanks!

Just a thought: doesn't optimal camera position depend on what you are looking at?
Any position will be a compromise (in the videos above I understand that behind the hands at address is the best compromise)?

If I for example want to look at swing path at impact, wouldn't the best camera position be behind the ball?
And if I am looking at where the club is "pointing" at the top of the backswing, the best position would be right behind the hands at the top of the backswing?

 

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, barnum1 said:

This is very interesting, thanks!

Just a thought: doesn't optimal camera position depend on what you are looking at?
Any position will be a compromise (in the videos above I understand that behind the hands at address is the best compromise)?

If I for example want to look at swing path at impact, wouldn't the best camera position be behind the ball?
And if I am looking at where the club is "pointing" at the top of the backswing, the best position would be right behind the hands at the top of the backswing?

 

You want it close to the toe line because you can better see the path into the ball. If it’s on the ball, you can’t see where the head is at A6 and determine if the path is inside out or not. 

[iacas]

5 hours ago, barnum1 said:

Just a thought: doesn't optimal camera position depend on what you are looking at?

Yes, but since you often don't know what you're going to want to look at specifically, it's better, generally speaking, to stick with one camera angle for consistency, and know how certain things look from that angle.

You can teach yourself to see what a path looks like or a shaft at A4 looks like from the central camera angle without having to move the camera around for every shot or swing.

4 hours ago, boogielicious said:

You want it close to the toe line because you can better see the path into the ball. If it’s on the ball, you can’t see where the head is at A6 and determine if the path is inside out or not. 

He means specifically at the ball, which is when you'd want the camera on the target line.

[jamo]

Had a similar thought when I saw a few recent Swing Visions going around. 

 

[barnum1]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Yes, but since you often don't know what you're going to want to look at specifically, it's better, generally speaking, to stick with one camera angle for consistency, and know how certain things look from that angle.

You can teach yourself to see what a path looks like or a shaft at A4 looks like from the central camera angle without having to move the camera around for every shot or swing.

He means specifically at the ball, which is when you'd want the camera on the target line.

Yep, that 's what I mean - behind the hands at address is the best compromise when you don't know what you're going to want to look at specifically.

But I didn't know that the best position to see swing path is at A6. After that it's too late maybe?

If we were talking Trackman or similar, will it be positioned behind the ball? 

[iacas]

3 hours ago, barnum1 said:

But I didn't know that the best position to see swing path is at A6. After that it's too late maybe?

If we were talking Trackman or similar, will it be positioned behind the ball? 

Trackman (and video, if you only care about the path at the ball) is best behind the ball directly, yes.

A6 is a good position because it's in the middle and you have to do some things not generally seen to make the path go left when it's inside the hands at A6, for example. And I don't know if I've ever seen anyone with an outward path but the clubhead more than a tiny bit outside the hands at A6.