This Guy is What You Get When You Combine a Ninja with a Cameraman

Want to see what you get when you combine a ninja with a cameraman? Just look at Florian Hatwagner, a Vienna, Austria-based camera operator who goes by the name “gimbalninja” online.

“I’m an Austria based cameraman that specializes in operating a camera whilst running, jumping and leaping over obstacles,” he says.

To prepare for his craft, Hatwagner does serious physical training:

A video posted by @gimbalninja on Jan 27, 2015 at 11:09am PST

He also runs around holding a 8kg (~17.6lb) kettlebell in his hand in the place of the heavy gimbal and camera he shoots with:

A video posted by @gimbalninja on Nov 19, 2014 at 12:35pm PST

The training pays off. Hatwagner has been attracting a great deal of attention online for these behind-the-scenes clips showing how he shoots extremely difficult shots that involve stunts like leaping headfirst through car windows and running across the tops of monkey bars.

A video posted by @gimbalninja on Dec 9, 2015 at 2:24pm PST

Here’s a longer video with behind-the-scenes views of a freerunning shoot Hatwagner did for Nikon last year using a DEFY G2 gimbal and a Nikon D750 DSLR (it includes one of the clips above):

You can follow along with the gimbalninja’s work on his website, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.