Professional Tips For Taking Great Travel Videos
Do’s and Don’ts for Taking Great Travel Videos. A Professional Videographer Shares Important Tips
Whether a Grand Canyon hiking trip or surfing in Hawaii, a video camera is an ultimate partner in the tour. Here is a quick guide to travel video shooting tips essential to know when embarking on an adventurous trip.
Amazing travel videos by backpackers and travelers around the world are the result of proficiencies acquired through years of experience and knowledge. Just simply hitting the roads with a backpack and a video camera is not enough. To make outstanding videos it is necessary to be well-prepared with the basic aspects of travel video shooting- camera, equipment, light and sound to make beautiful video recount of your experience.
Travel Video Camera & Equipment Tips
- Pick video camera wisely!
Light-weight, weatherproof with all functional features for outdoor shooting is an ideal travel video camera. With varied camera options available to choose from, select the travel video camera that meets your requirements, such as shooting outdoors or making a movie or YouTube videos etc. Consider your travel destination, whether it is a trip to exotic beaches with surfing goals or desert adventure trekking, as you may need waterproof or dustproof cameras. Thus, instead of opting for a brand or latest – pick the one based on your skill level and travel video goal.
- Travel light with portable equipment
Another travel video shooting tip to abide is travel light with portable equipment and leave behind the heavy ones for the studios. You might have to walk long on unknown roads or climb mountains, so do not overboard. Keep only the essentials. The checklist should include foldable tripods, charged batteries, memory cards, microphones, headphones, and cords.
- Use manual focus
When it is difficult to shoot in an auto focus mode, manual controls come as rescue. For example, if a shoot is planned from a certain angle but the light behind the object or person in the shoot is preventing the right footage, a switch to manual exposure can help.
- Use tripod for steady shoots
If shooting a person’s interview, nature video, tripod brings stabilization and prevents shaky footage. It can also hold flash units and light reflectors. Carry a foldable, light, compact but sturdy tripod that holds your video camera.
- Keep a repair tool for corrupt videos
However precautious you are, there are times when humanly or technical errors lead to some sort of corruption in videos like header damage, frame damage, or sound section issue etc. In such a scenario, use a video repair tool such as Stellar Phoenix Video Repair (https://www.stellarinfo.com/disk-recovery/video-repair.php). It can repair multiple video file formats like 3G2, 3GP, F4V, MOV, MP4 and M4V.
Light Tips for Travel Video Shooting
- Position lights at right place
The right position of light is important to make seamless videos. Ensure the video subject is well-lit and the light is ideally in front of the subject, else the videos will look dark.
- Do not shoot in high light contrast
Avoid shooting with high light contrast like with sunlight and shadows, typically in the afternoons. It will result in dark or washed out images.
- Use the ‘Golden Hour’
Make optimum use of ‘Golden Hour,’ when sun is very close to the horizon, i:e., just after sunrise and before sunset. These hours of the day provide diffused light which is neither too bright nor dark, adding perfect texture and depth to your videos.
Sound Tips for Shooting Travel Video
- Ensure right audio levels
Imagine a tribal dance video without sound! Ensure right audio levels are set in the camera for loud and clear sound before you begin to shoot. Use external microphones or in-camera microphone if shooting at close range.
- Choose right music for travel videos
Whether your video is of a desert safari or a busy city street, right sound track can make videos more enticing. You can use either free online music or paid exclusive tracks or pick up some local music audios during your journey to give the authentic feel to your viewers.
- Watch out for unwanted noise
Check for extra noise during the shoot like that of passing train or strong blowing winds. As these may later affect the sound quality of the video. A simple handy purchase of a wind muff is an easy remedy to cut wind noise.
Conclusion
Travel video shoots open up lot of opportunities in terms of diverse locations, people and subjects but every time with a new set of challenges. So, never stop learning and experimenting with your video shoots during travel. Have a clear understanding of your travel destinations, plan accordingly and follow the above tips to create outstanding videos.
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About The Author: Prachi Sahu is a full-time Data Recovery Expert and a part-time writer who loves to roam around and explore new places across India. She also writes for news publications like Times of India and likes to take up some volunteer work like helping people online in her spare time.
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