if you have never shot a video on a camcorder, shooting your first video can be a little intimidating. Many first-time camcorder users make mistakes that make their video, for the most part, unwatchable. Here are some basic camcorder shooting tips that can help you shoot fantastic videos every time you take out your camcorder, according to Lifewire.
Watch the zoom
In general, when you shoot a video, you want to limit the amount of time you zoom in and out.
Many new camcorder users will zoom in and out constantly with their camcorder. Video shot in this manner usually ends up making viewers nauseous with the constant movement. Using the zoom on your camcorder is a good idea but try to only use the feature when you need it. A good slow, steady zoom into a subject is much nicer to watch than a quick zoom in to a subject.
Most camcorders have both optical and digital zoom. The digital zoom on your camcorder only enlarges the individual pixels in your video rather than getting closer to your subject. Most videos shot with a digital zoom look distorted often to the point that the viewer has no idea what they’re even looking at.
If you have a digital zoom on your camcorder, you may want to use it as little as possible. It can be a good idea to even disable your digital zoom so you don’t accidentally use it while recording. This is a simple camcorder tip that drastically increases the quality of your video.
Bring a tripod
Chances are you have seen video recorded by someone who did not have a tripod. Handheld video usually looks great for the first few minutes; then as the person recording the video gets tired, the video starts to look worse. You naturally move up and down slightly when you breathe. If you are holding a camcorder, then that motion is exaggerated on video and can make it look like you were jumping up and down while holding your camcorder.
Along those same lines, if you are shooting a video handheld, then you want to make sure the image stabilisation on your camcorder in enabled. Image stabilisation will help even out the movements your camcorder makes and minimise shaking in your finished video.
Skip the special effects
Most camcorders come with some effects built in. While things like wipes and fades can be great things to add to your finished video, it is better to add them in a video editing program instead of to your raw video. You are stuck with the effects you do to your video when you shoot it forever. For instance, if you shoot your child’s birthday party in black and white, then you’ll never have the option to watch it in colour. If you add the black and white in a video editing program, you can simply take the effect off if you decide you’d like it in colour after all.
Turn on the lights
Camcorders typically have a difficult time recording video in darker areas. Camcorders will typically make video shot in dim areas look as though it was shot in complete darkness. If you have the ability to turn on more lights where you are, do it. The brighter the area you are recording, the better. White balancing your camcorder can also help your camcorder record in different lighting conditions.
White balancing should be done whenever you change lighting conditions or rooms with your camcorder.
Get a microphone
Most built-in camcorder microphones are pretty crappy when it comes to recording audio. If you have a place to plug one into your camcorder, consider purchasing a small lavaliere microphone. A lavaliere microphone is a small microphone that will clip onto your subjects clothing and can make your audio sound much better. Lavaliere microphones can be purchased rather inexpensively and are well worth the investment for the quality they can give your video.
Shoot extra videos
In most camcorders, it will take a few seconds for your camcorder to start recording after you press the record button.
For that reason, give yourself a second or two after you start recording to have a subject start talking or an event to begin. Likewise, give yourself a few seconds after an event ends before you stop recording. It is much better to have too much video and edit out the pieces that you don’t want than have too little at the end of the day.
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Tips for beach photography
if you choose to take your camera to the beach, you just have to be careful around the sand and water. Prevention will help you shoot photos that will turn out great, while ensuring your camera doesn’t start malfunctioning from sand and water damage.
Even though shooting photos at the beach can be challenging and potentially dangerous to your camera’s health, you don’t want to let potential setbacks keep you from shooting some photos that will create great memories of the summer spent near the water.
According to Lifewire, these tips can help you with your beach photography goals.
- Pay attention to the horizon when shooting beach photos. The line where the water meets the sky or where the sand meets the water will provide a clean horizontal line as a background in many of your photos; so you don’t want a slanted horizon. Some cameras can place superimposed lines on the LCD, helping you line up the horizon. Otherwise, just pay close attention to the horizon as you shoot. Try to place the horizon in the upper or lower portion of the frame, following the “rule of thirds.”
- Check your exposure. Beach photos often involve shooting with a strong backlight. Make sure you set the exposure for the photo for the subject and not for the background, or you’ll end up with a subject that is underexposed.
- Turn away from the water. Some beach activities don’t involve the water; so don’t forget to shoot things away from the water. Perhaps, there are some interesting birds along the rocks near the beach. Or maybe there are colourful beach umbrellas along the sand that will make an interesting photograph, with or without water in the frame.
- Use the right shutter speed. Plenty of activities occur at the beach, and, for most of them, the subject will be moving somewhat quickly. Be sure to shoot at a fast shutter speed for these, which shouldn’t be a problem in the bright sunlight that occurs during most days at the beach.
- Watch for shadows. Bright sunlight can create harsh shadows on some subjects. Consider setting your camera to force the flash to fire, which will create a “fill flash” for removing those harsh shadows.
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