How to Shoot Video before, during and after
your Vacation
Surprisingly, the majority of people who go on
vacation neglect to take their camcorder with
them. Even if they remember to, they pull it out
of the closet at the last second before leaving.
This is when you run into the problem of getting
to your destination
and realize that your battery is dead and there
is no source of AC power nearby.
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- a d v e r t i s e m e n t -
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Get the most out of your family vacation
by preparing your digital camcorder, having fun
with it while you are there, then using stashBox
to edit, share and publish your family get-away!
The following items are
essentials as well as suggestions for a properly
stacked camcorder bag for you to take with you on vacation:
- Two sets of fully charged batteries with a
charger
- Plenty of tape stock (cheaper and easier to
buy before your vacation)
- A lens cleaning cloth
- A pen for labeling your tapes
- Headphones or earpiece
- Owners manual (manual that came with your
camcorder)
- An extension cord
- A plastic bag in case of rain to fit over your
camera
- A tripod
- A white towel for a sun-shield when its in the
direct sunlight and
also can be used to test the white balance
Protecting Your Digital Video Camera We all know that keeping
your digital camcorder safe is something
everybody worries about. Because it represents a
significant investment on your part, the last
thing you need is for it to be lost or stolen
while you are vacationing.
Your camcorder bag for instance, should not be a
“theft magnet.” Sure, you want to get a nice bag
that holds all your accessories and is easy to
carry, but bringing cases emblazoned with the Canon, Sony or
Panasonic logo is taking a big
chance. What you should do is find a case that
obviously is not storing a camera and one that
has plenty of padding so that the camcorder
optics do not get damaged. Also, think about
purchasing a camcorder strap. It is more likely
you will drop it if it isn’t secured around your
neck.
Getting Through the
Airport Ever since September 11,
security has heightened in airports around the
country. Getting your digital camcorder through
security is harder than one thinks. As
previously discussed, it is very important that
your camcorder is properly functioning before
you leave the house. When you arrive at security
and the X-ray machines, if your device is not
properly working, it may be hard for security to
tell what it is. If it works properly, you can
prove to them that it is a camcorder.
When passing through the X-ray machines, it is very
unlikely that your digital videotape will get damaged.
Generally, the intensity is so low that camcorder tapes
are unaffected when passing through the X-ray field.
Shooting during your
Vacation You have purchased your camcorder, packed
everything up and now you arrived at your
destination and want to start shooting! Here are
some basic tips for how to shoot video on your
vacation including what angles to shoot from,
zooming and what to do in sunny conditions.
Wait Until You Get Back Home to Start Editing
The nice thing about having a digital camcorder is it’s easy to import your video to
our stashBox player in no time. When you are
filming, try to film longer sequences, knowing
you can edit out the boring parts later. Doing
this will ensure that you get the shot you want.
Enjoy your vacation while it lasts, don’t spend
it worrying about getting the perfect shot. More
is better in the long run.
Get Up Early to Enjoy the Surrounding
Environment Just imagine…your family is staying in a very
beautiful area in southern California. It would
definitely be worth it to try and get up early
to catch some of the scenery that surrounds you.
Every place has a unique personality, and a good
vacation video shows that personality. Getting
up to take only five or ten seconds of scenery
footage can really show the character of the
surroundings. In addition, this can help you
when you edit on stashBox by showing a few
seconds from each scene to set the location.
Include Yourself in the Video It seems that all too often, the person in
charge of shooting doesn’t make an appearance in
the video. If you are the mother or father, make
it a point to show each of your family members
how to use the camcorder so you can include
yourself in the video. Encourage them to use it
when they see something interesting or if they
just want to practice using it.
Taking Your Camcorder to the Beach
If your vacation destination includes going to
the beach, environmental concerns are very
important. Salt spray and sand can do major
damage. stashSpace recommends that while you
are on the beach or near the ocean, keep your
camcorder inside a tightly closed plastic bag
any time it is not in use. If you don’t have a
plastic bag, a towel will work just as well.
However, wrap it tightly and make sure that
there is no sand in the towel that will damage
the lenses.
Shooting From Your Hotel Room This is the time when you can get together with
your family and talk about the day’s events.
This can provide somewhat of a “video-log” so
when you get home, it will be easy for you to
organize and title your scenes accordingly. Here
are some ideas stashSpace has thought of:
- Taking video of the scenery from the balcony
- Interview/ask children how their day was and
what they did
- Tips from the older folks about what they did
- If you don’t have a tripod, an old
photographers trick is to screw your video
camcorder onto the top of the lampshade for an
impromptu shot. This works if the person doing
all the recording wants to get into the shot
Zoom to Show Both Location and Detail
For example, if you are at the zoo and want to
show an animal such as a monkey or a tropical
bird sitting up in a tree, you might want to get
a close-up of them as well as their immediate
surroundings. Start the scene zoomed in to show
only the animal. Then smoothly zoom back to show
the entire scene. If possible, remember to use a
tripod close by to help steady zoom shots.
Here are some tips to think about using the zoom
feature:
- For the best results, you should avoid zooming
during a shot as much as possible.
- Overuse of the zoom not only distorts the
viewer, it also creates light problems whether
you’re focusing the camera manually or using
auto focus.
- Consider repositioning the camera instead of
using the zoom lens to compose the shot
Setting the Focus Manually
If you are someplace where there are a lot of
people, such as the zoo or an amusement park,
try setting the focus manually. This will
usually have better results because the focus is
not changing constantly, with the main subject
going in and out of focus. Because you are on
vacation, you are usually shooting outside.
Remember to zoom all the way in when you are
setting the focus, and if you are outside
shooting objects more than 15 feet away, you can
usually leave the focus set at infinity most of
the time.
Film With the Sun Behind You, NOT Your
Subjects
When the sun is behind your subjects, it’s
called backlighting. You don’t want this to
happen. Backlighting will cause the faces in
your video appear to be in a shadow. If for some
reason you have to shoot in a backlight
situation, try to adjust your camcorder’s
exposure to show your subjects faces correctly.
When the sunlight is in FRONT of your subjects,
the picture is sure to capture the details of
their faces much better.
Taking Still Pictures of Still Subjects
You are walking along the beach and want to take
a picture of a palm tree or maybe a lighthouse
on the hill. Use your camcorder’s ability to
take a still picture of the tree or lighthouse.
When you get back home to edit your vacation
video, you can grab the picture from your video
or flashcard, and it will be steadier than if
you tried to capture video of the object instead
of a still.
Shooting A Landscape or Panning
If you are shooting a landscape or a large area,
it is okay to pan slowly across the field of
view. Avoid panning and zooming too quickly, and
too often. A few well- composed static shots of
the views are better than a continuous
wide-angle pan across the whole area. Also, move
around or shoot the subject from a different
side. If you are using a tripod that isn’t very
good, you may find it difficult to pan smoothly.
If you lubricate the tripod’s swivel head with
WD-40 or silicon spray, this will make it easier
for the tripod to move around and create a
better panoramic shot. Practice these main
points when panning:
- Pan only once per shot
- Begin panning slowly, then gradually speed up,
and slow down again before stopping
- Panning too quickly is a common mistake,
especially over a landscape
- Try to vary your point of view; don’t always
try to shoot from the same height and same
angle.
- Rather than panning across a scene, try moving
the camera with the subject
Think About Shooting in the Future
When you’re on vacation, it’s important to think
about what else you may want to shoot in the
future. You also want to plan ahead so you don’t
lose the chance to fully enjoy your trip by
thinking you have to shoot everything you see.
Some environments are good for rolling tape and
others you may just have to enjoy naturally with
your senses.
After Your
Vacation
You just arrived back home and you are excited
about editing and sharing your video footage. If
you are fairly new to the editing process,
stashSpace makes it easy for you to import,
edit, share and publish your video right from
your home! Although these are the major steps in
getting your video ready for editing and
sharing, our members site goes into more detail
on the “How-tos” of stashBox 3.0.
Archive Your Video for
Safekeeping
Keep footage of your vacations all in one place!
If you have video of vacations from past trips,
import them into stashBox 3.0 and create custom
movies of the different places you traveled with
the ease by archiving them in one place.
Ideas for
Creating Custom Movies from Vacations
- An overview of your vacation. What happened
and the sights visited in 10 or 15 minute
highlights
- Create a movie for each location visited
- Mix footage together from past trips to
collaborate if the vacation is a yearly trip.
This would be a good idea if you have taken your
children on these yearly trips and can watch
them change and grow through each video.
- Make a movie of the landmarks you have seen on
your trip
Snap Shot Albums
- Take digital stills from your video in
stashBox
3.0 and create a customized SnapShot album to
share with your family and friends
- Mix and match digital pictures with images
from your vacation video for your Snap Shot
album in stashBox.
- Upload a sample of local music you may have
purchased on your trip and mix it with your
video to create the memories of being in that
area during your vacation
- Upload music from your computer library and
add background music to your SnapShots album
- Create a slideshow of your stills and add
background music
Editing Your
Videos and Photos stashSpace provides easy navigation and
simple and easy to read directions on how to go
through the editing process. If you need step-by
step instructions, go to the member’s site after
you have logged in and go to stashBox Help. Here
you can learn how to create scenes, make DVD’s
and create custom packaging for your DVD’s.
Sharing Your Videos, Pictures & Music Securely
Online An exciting new feature of stashBox 3.0 is our
sharing option. This allows you to share your
videos online with only the people you want to,
not with the public eye. Even if the people you
share with do not have a stashSpace account,
they can sign up to view up to their first five
hours for free, even if they don’t have any of
their own videos on stashBox 3.0! This makes it
easy for friends & relatives across the globe to
watch your vacation to California and share the
experience with you!
Having the Right Requirements for Your Computer Before you import your video to your computer,
stashSpace wants to make you aware of the
necessities before you can edit on stashBox. In
our “stashBox Help” section, you will find more
detailed requirements including processor speed
and browser version.
The main system requirements include:
- A Broadband Internet Connection
- Install the stashBox 3.0 Advanced Toolset
control, which allows the process of editing and
sharing to happen.
- Windows Internet Explorer Version 6.0
- Windows Media Player 10 for best image quality
- Fire Wire or IEEE 1394 cable for transferring
video to your computer
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