It’s for the pros
The internet is full of “right place right time videos”, taken at a critical time when an inglorious fail occurs. The kind that make you ask yourself “How did he do that?” Like when some amazing wildlife event happens. So how do you best equip yourself for those once-in-a-lifetime moments?
It’s all in the preparation. Got a new camera? Don’t wait for experience to teach you how to use your machine. Read The Manual.
Secondly, be prepared. Fully-charged spare battery and charger/power supply, enough memory to store any potential shoots, lens-cleaning cloth, a tripod. Throw it in the car’s boot, even if you don’t think you’ll need it. Duct tape – you’ll discover how useful that is, lighting, filters and microphones, all assure you of a memorable video.
Tripods and lighting make the difference between viral and indifferent. Tripods keep your camera steadier than you’ll ever manage by hand and, the axiom of photography is that it’s all about lighting, lighting, lighting.
Good audio is the second-most important criteria – avoid audio bombs, people using inappropriate comments difficult to separate out from the sound channel in editing. Also be aware of background noise levels which could drown out critical sounds. Don’t frame your subject dead-centre – that’s amateur, so spend time to set up your shots, regardless of editing, compose your image to the edge of your frame.
Lastly, apply a preference for optical zooms – in fact; turn off your digital zoom feature – unless you’re shooting zombies. Then it’s ok.
These few simple rules will go a long way to insuring that you optimise your award-potential video, whenever, wherever you are.