How To Shoot Cooking Videos with an IPHONE

Are you curious to know how to record cooking videos with an iPhone? I have  been creating content for the past 2 years on social media and I’ve done it using my phone.

Nowadays, you don’t need to own a fancy camera to start shooting videos. The phones we own are powerful enough to give us quality footage.

I started making videos on my iPhone X in 2020. I’ve now upgraded to a newer model, but I still use my iPhone X for recording. It has become my filming camera.

Today, I’m sharing how I shoot my cooking videos for Youtube using an iPhone. In the end, I’ll share a link to the video that I recorded using these tips. 

Gear

Before you start filming, you need to invest in a few items. This post is beginners friendly, so I  won’t be suggesting that many items.I won’t mention a phone.

Firstly, I have a ring light. You can adjust the brightness and the mood. The ring light also comes with a tripod. You can adjust the height of the tripod. In addition, I recommend getting a smaller tripod. Small tripods are more versatile. When I’m shooting my videos, I use the smaller tripod to change the angle while filming. If you prefer filming at night, I recommend getting good lighting. 

Secondly, I recommend getting an external hard drive. It’s very important to have one because using your phone to record videos takes up lots of storage space. Whenever possible, it’s a great idea to export all that footage into an external hard drive. After editing, delete some of the footage from your phone.

Thirdly, it’s good to invest in a good microphone. Microphones are great for voice overs but also when you’re recording yourself speaking. There are clip on microphones (you can clip them onto your shirt if you’re talking to the camera, some are wireless and others can directly plug into your phone. I personally only use a microphone for my intros because I mostly play music in my videos. It all depends on your filming/editing style.

Furthermore, I use backdrops or photography backgrounds for filming. If you don’t like using your kitchen countertop as a background, getting a two sided backdrop is a good idea. I have a red wood and a marble backdrop. Both are 2 sided. It gave me the freedom to test out different backgrounds, until I found what I liked. But it’s totally up to you if you want to invest in a backdrop or not. There are photography backdrops for all budgets.

Prep before shooting the video

Your area

Before I start recording, I try to gather all my ingredients first. Make sure that I have everything that I need before I start recording.

Then, I set up the backdrop making sure it’s laying flat.

Next, I set up the ring light and the tripod. I adjust the lighting and the height.

Your phone

When you get ready to film, you can choose to film in HD or 4k. There are 2 ways of selecting the quality:

• While in the camera, you can change the quality by pressing on the HD at the top right corner to go to 4K. You can also film at 30 frames per second or 60 fps.

• The other way to access the 4k feature is by going into your settings, then camera, then selecting 4K.

I always film at 1080p and 30 frames per second because 4K takes up lots of storage space in my phone. But it is up to you whether to film in HD or 4K.

Lastly, remember to rotate your phone horizontally before starting the filming process. 

Another tip that I have is to put your phone on airplane mode when recording because phone calls can disrupt the filming.  

Then I proceed to place the phone on the tripod. Once the phone is placed on the tripod, adjust the temperature to see what works best. You may need to zoom in or zoom out until you get the perfect shot.

In the video below, you can see a step by step on how I shoot my cooking videos with my iPhone.

Filming

Always verify that the camera is recording before you start working on a step. Try to switch up the camera angles, switch between the two tripods…it gives variety.

Do as many takes as you need. It’s better to have choices when editing. 

Filming over the head shots requires more gear. However a beginner can use the smaller tripod.

You can:

• Prop the tripod over a tall item. It could be a box, a microwave, a bar stool. Anything you can use to prop the tripod on
• Hang the tripod inside one of your kitchen cabinets, then try record right below it

A bigger tripod can be an option too, but I don’t recommend it because if you look at the frame, you’ll see the legs of the tripod. For you not to see the legs, you have to zoom a lot.

So I prefer the smaller one for that.

Tips

The more videos you record the better you get at recording videos. It takes a lot of practice. During the filming process:

• Be organized
• Try to clean as you go, or else you’ll have a lot of mess to clean up in the end
• Remember  to film b-roll 
• Take pictures for your thumbnail and social media

Not to discourage you, but filming cooking videos involves a lot of work. Usually, after you finish recording, you most likely have a lot of mess or dishes in the kitchen.

Also, the time aspect is important. A recipe that normally takes me about 2 hours takes me 4 hours on filming day. That’s without the editing, working on thumbnails and doing all the things required for uploading a video on YouTube. So just make sure that it’s something that you really love before you spend lots of money on gear and accessories. Check out this recipe I made using these steps. A similar recipe is already on the blog!

If you want to learn how to shoot cooking videos with your iPhone, you have to practice. Practice makes perfect!

If you enjoyed this read, let me know! Also subscribe to my channel for more recipes! Until next time!