I asked my good friend, Martin Coble, who is a videographer and owner of Southern Lights Productions, if he would share his favorite tips for getting great video footage of your vacation. Here’s what he had to say, which is also good advice for getting the best photos:
- Hold your camera correctly, especially when taking video shots. Orient the camera in the same direction as your TV or computer screen, with the long side horizontal.
2. When taking pictures of people consider the position of the sun. Don’t have your subjects facing into the light which causes squinting, but neither should you shoot footage or take the picture with the light directly behind your subjects which leaves their faces in shadow.
3. Use a tripod for night shooting or brace the camera on a firm surface.
4. Try getting group shots with the group casually posed, some sitting some standing or involved in an activity.
5. Don’t limit yourself with just a few shots or a couple of minutes of footage. The more you take, the greater the odds one of them will be the perfect shot or video you want. You can always delete the footage or photos you don’t like later and be sure to save your video or photos. Download them or print them out. Don’t keep them in the device you took them in. Phones and cameras are easily lost or damaged.
My two cents is to make sure you have everything you need, such as a watertight camera bag, extra batteries, cables, tripod, and SIM card. You may even want to pack a selfie stick. You can get them for less than $10 but be aware that some places have recently banned them so watch for warning signs.
Do you have a great photo or video tip to share? If so, reply in the comment box at the end of this post.
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Terrance Zepke studied Journalism at the University of Tennessee and later received a Master's Degree in Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina. She has studied Parapsychology at the renowned Rhine Research Center. She began her career as a freelance writer and photographer, ... 
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