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Day 1: Learn Where Your Camera Journey Can Take You

Updated: Nov 26, 2025


Before I ever held a camera in my hands… I lived in the world of video creation.


And if you’re an absolute beginner, this is where you should start too.


Not with settings.

Not with gear.

Not with shutter speed, ISO, lenses, or lighting…


But with culture.

With possibilities.

With the creators who’ve already walked the path you want to walk.



Because before you learn how to make videos, you need to understand why you want to make them, and what’s actually possible once you start.


This is the foundation that will keep you going long after the technical stuff gets confusing.


The YouTube University Phase (We all go through it)


Before I bought my first camera, I watched countless hours of Tony & Chelsea Northrup, and I mean countless.


They weren’t just teaching photography and video settings.


They were teaching how to think like a creator.


Then came the rabbit holes…

  • Peter McKinnon showing what’s possible with storytelling and energy

  • Fro Knows Photo breaking things down with personality

  • Think Media teaching gear and YouTube strategy

  • Brady Shearer explaining how to build something meaningful

  • Gary Vaynerchuk talking about attention, consistency, and creative mindset

  • D-Rock showing what it means to be the person behind the camera, serving a bigger mission


I began to see patterns.


I began reverse engineering what my favorite creators were doing.


I started paying attention to their editing choices, their pacing, their lighting, and their angles, even though I had zero clue how to do any of it myself.


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I absorbed the culture first.


The technique came later.


Why this is the BEST first step for beginners


When you’re just starting out, cameras can feel overwhelming.


Manual mode looks like a spaceship dashboard.


Every setting seems like the wrong one.


And buying gear feels like gambling. A very expensive one.


Immersion solves that.


Because once you understand the mindset of video creators, everything technical becomes easier.


Here’s why:


1. You learn the language before speaking it.


Terms like “b-roll,” “dynamic range,” and “log footage” won’t scare you later — because you’ve heard creators use them a hundred times already.


2. You understand WHY creators make certain choices.


You begin noticing:

  • pacing

  • story structure

  • music decisions

  • framing

  • color

  • edits


You start to see the art, not just the tools.


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3. You find which style resonates with YOU.


Do you want to create:

  • cinematic videos?

  • vlogs?

  • sports hype reels?

  • event coverage?

  • documentaries?

  • slow-paced emotional videos?

  • fast TikTok edits?

  • tutorial-based content?


You won’t know until you watch creators who make what you feel drawn to.


4. You get inspired enough to push through the hard stages.


When your first videos look bad (and they will), you’ll keep going, because you already saw where the road leads.


Reverse Engineering: Your Most Important Skill


If you can learn to spot what creators are doing, you can learn to DO what creators are doing.


Before I owned a camera, I would watch videos like an analyst:

  • Why did they cut right there?

  • Why did they shoot from that angle?

  • How did they get the background blurry?

  • Why did the music hit at that moment?

  • How did they use lighting to set the mood?


Beginners think this is advanced.It’s not.

It’s awareness.

And awareness turns into skill, faster than any camera manual can teach.


Find Your Place in the Video World


This is the most important part of Day 1:


Figure out the world you want to create in — and the role you want to play in it.


Maybe you want to be:

  • the hype video creator

  • the family memories creator

  • the storyteller

  • the YouTuber

  • the sports documentarian

  • the event filmmaker

  • the travel videographer

  • the local community creator

  • or the person who captures the moments nobody else can


The video world is massive.There is room for you, but you have to choose a direction early.


Even if you change it later.


Immersion helps you make that choice.


Here’s your homework for Day 1


Pick 3–5 creators who inspire you and binge their content for one week.

Not to copy them…but to discover your own creative DNA.


Pay attention to:

  • what makes you say “wow”

  • what emotions hit you

  • what styles feel natural

  • what you’d love to make if you had the skills


This clarity will shape every step of your journey — especially when we enter the technical lessons next.


Let the creators you admire open your eyes to what’s possible.


Your job today is simple: Live inside the world of creation.Study the culture. And start imagining the creator you’re about to become.


Further Resources & Creator Links


Creators Who Shaped My Learning Journey


Additional Relevant Creative Resources


Mindset & Creativity Resources


Foundational Learning Platforms


Beginner-Friendly Gear & Technical Sources


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