Are you trying to record breathtaking videos of the places and sights that you come across while you’re traveling?
As you may have noticed that can be tricky, and between conditions that aren’t ideal and other challenges – you may be struggling.
The good news is that a few easy tips could make a world of difference and help you to start to record the type of breathtaking videos you’re after:
Keep the camera steady and stable throughout the recording
Have you ever wondered how professionals manage to come up with videos that look incredibly smooth while yours ends up looking shaky and uneven?
It is simply because they are able to keep the camera steadier, through a mix of experience and equipment.
As a starting point you should try to keep your camera stable when you hold it by gripping it with both hands (one on either end) and keeping your elbows close to your body for additional support.
On top of that investing in equipment such as a portable tripod (for stationary shots) or gimbal will definitely be a good idea.
Try to make it a point to record during the golden hour
If you really want to record breathtaking videos, you need to be recording during the golden hour.
It is basically the hour (or so) that is right after dawn as well as right before sunset, and during that time the lighting conditions are ideal and verge on spectacular in some cases.
Simply put if you record videos during that time they’re much more likely to take your breath away and look absolutely stunning.
Not only will there be just the right amount of light, but the sky will look amazing as well.
Record at a higher frame rate (preferably 60 – at least)
The one setting on your video camera that can dramatically improve the quality of your travel videos is the frame rate.
Most modern cameras will let you increase the frame rate to 60 at least, and you should definitely do that so that your video looks fluid and smooth.
Recording at 60 frames per second or higher will also provide you with the opportunity to use slow motion effects when you edit your video later.
Essentially you can use a video editor to slow down the video to 30 frames per second and end up with a high quality slow motion effect.
Create and find motion
A big part of the reason why travel videos stand out so much is because of the motion they contain.
If you’re going to be shooting a static landscape, you may as well take a photo.
Instead you should find shots that have motion in them, and capture that in your video.
If there isn’t any motion (as is the case with landscapes or buildings) you can create it by panning the camera or using a time-lapse.
The motion in your videos can make them look exciting and dynamic, and you should definitely try to incorporate it in some way.
Overall these tips should help you to record far more breathtaking videos.
As you can see none of them are particularly hard, and it should be easy for you to try them out the next time you’re recording a video while you travel.
In some cases a bit of editing will help you to apply the finishing touches and bring out the perfection in your videos, but in others you may not need it.
