Getting Started in … Camera Flying with Mark Kirschenbaum

Features
Sunday, August 10, 2025

Above: Photo by Mark Kirschenbaum/Hypoxic.

A Parachutist Series

If you’re getting close to that 200-jump mark, odds are that you’ve given some thought to mounting a camera on your helmet and starting to video or photograph your jumps. And if you have a few hundred jumps, you’ve probably experimented with video equipment already. But what goes in to flying a camera? How do video flyers set themselves up for success in the sky? And which skills are important to develop in order to get that perfect shot? Expert camera flyer Mark Kirschenbaum, founder of Hypoxic, is here to answer these questions and more.

What made you first want to start flying a camera?
I saw camera flying as a way to merge my technical background with my love of skydiving. Camera helmets reminded me of the inventions Data made in The Goonies, and I wanted in!

If I recently got my A license and one day want to fly camera, what should I be working on or thinking about?
To safely fly a camera, you need to be proficient in the discipline you’re filming and maintain heightened spatial awareness. Focus on refining your approach techniques, especially your braking once at the formation. Practicing burble hops can build confidence flying in or near the burble.

Make a habit of noting where people are during the jump, especially when things get a bit chaotic. You don’t need to constantly look around, but make mental notes when someone corks out or drops low. As a camera flyer, those are the people who can injure you. It takes practice to develop this kind of third sense.

Mark Kirschenbuam. Photo by Mike McGowan.

What mistakes do people make early on?
Not learning how to pack correctly
Becoming a meticulous packer is key, especially paying attention to slider placement. Adding a camera adds mass, and the farther that mass is from your neck’s atlas, the greater the trauma during a hard opening.

Not understanding hazards or visualizing emergency procedures
 “You don’t know what you don’t know.” It’s critical to have a seasoned camera flyer, or even a rigger, inspect your setup. Entanglements aren’t just caused by your main canopy. Your dive loops, slider-collapse lines and, most dangerously, your reserve can all get caught. You can find a list of common entanglements at gethypoxic.com, but always reach out to your mentors.

Poor body position during deployments
This is your reminder to look at the horizon and stay square in the harness. Do not grab the risers during openings except for collision avoidance. Do not watch your openings. Looking up places your neck at its limit. Any opening shock gets translated into whiplash and that force has nowhere to go.

Everything you add in this sport tries to kill you
Only add one component at a time. Be confident in the operation, use and emergency procedures of your current setup before adding something else. Ringsights, still cameras, camera jackets, RDS [removable deployment systems] and other gear can kill you if you don’t take time to progress.

Maintain your gear and look out for others
You must maintain your gear to prevent hard openings. Your BOC [bottom-of-container pilot-chute pouch] should be tight with no fabric or bridle showing. This is your life. Inspect everyone’s gear. You’ll often see me doing circles around the loading area. That’s what I’m doing—casually checking people’s gear.

What was the hardest lesson you had to learn as you progressed in camera flying?
Watching from outside the formation gives me a unique perspective. If I stay quiet, a skydiver might never realize a mistake happened or how dangerous an action truly was. Learning how to debrief without making someone defensive has been one of the toughest challenges. I’m still figuring out how to do it well, and I don’t think I’ll ever be perfect. In the end, I just don’t want to see people get hurt.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Everything you do on the ground is free.

Before making the first jump with new camera gear, wear the setup on the ground. Get used to how it operates while you’re wearing it, not just holding it. Learn the camera’s sounds, the position of the controls and how it reacts to common mistakes. Start with the mockup practice: the climbout, exit, framing and how close you need to be. It’s all free on the ground.

Mentally visualize everything. I mean everything. From gear checks and emergency procedures to when you’ll turn on the camera, to the climbout, to your exit body position, to the flow of the skydive, where the light will be, the breakoff and deployment. Do it before your jump and again on the ride to altitude. During the ride to altitude, also take a moment to check your camera’s settings, battery and memory state. Jump run is not the time to realize you forgot a card. A set routine will enable you to consistently capture the shot.

Work with local camera flyers on emergency procedures. For instance, what happens if your toggles, dive loops, reserve bridle or slider-collapse line wrap around your camera? Think these through, as your typical “cut away and fire your reserve” may kill you in these situations. Additionally, determine your procedure if your camera fails. In short, never let the camera distract you from safety.

What resources exist for jumpers looking to learn about camera equipment or skills?
I’ve curated a set of resources on my site, gethypoxic.com, under “Camera Safety.” USPA also offers a paid “Camera Flying Recommendations” course in their library.

What’s the biggest difference between shooting photos or video on the ground versus in the air?
On the ground, you get instant feedback from your camera’s viewfinder and can adjust quickly. In the air, you have to instinctively know how your camera will respond to lighting, movement and framing. Flying your body needs to be second nature, so you can focus on the camera’s behavior and get the shot.

What are your favorite photos to take?
I love any photo that captures a real, genuine smile. You can’t fake that. I do love capturing my wife as she is so bright in all her mannerisms (see below).