Useful Shooting Techniques

Capture all the good times of your domestic or overseas trips!

The necessary things to bring on a trip depends on your traveling purpose and the destination. For overseas trips in particular, you have to think about what to bring in accordance to the local conditions. Here are some suggestions for your consideration.

Think about how many hours of shooting you will usually perform in a day. Be sure to prepare enough recording medium especially for long overseas trips.
If you are recording in SD cards, get ready the sufficient number of cards, including some for backup.

Prepare a battery pack that is ready for three times the expected recording time in a day. For example, if you plan to record for 2 hours a day, prepare a battery pack that is ready for 6 hours (actual recording time).
For a day trip, you can prepare a battery with low capacity but for a long trip, do prepare a few batteries with high capacities.

The JVC AC adapter supports voltages from 110 V to 240 V, and hence can be used anywhere in the world.
Bring along the adapter if you are traveling for a long time. Charge the battery pack while sleeping so that you can record with full battery power the next day.

The shape of the power plug varies according to countries. Be sure to check the shape of the power plug beforehand, and bring the appropriate power plug adapter.

Recording cannot be performed when an AC adapter is connected to the camcorder for battery charging.
You can bring an additional battery charger to charge battery packs if you plan to use the camcorder for recording at night. You can also charge multiple battery packs by using both the battery charger and this camcorder at the same time.

A tripod is an essential item to take stable images. Select an appropriate tripod in accordance to your purpose and style of traveling, such as a compact one to be used on a table or one that is at least 1 m tall.

It may be a little abrupt to start your travel video at the destination suddenly. Record also the preparations prior to departure if it is a family trip, or the time when everyone is gathered at the meeting place if you are traveling with your friends. For overseas trips, taking a shot of the signs and displays at the airport of the flight you are taking may be useful for future reference.

Tourists spots with beautiful scenery or historical sites are places that you would certainly want to record. To capture the magnificence of a scene which cannot be fitted into a single frame, try the panning technique. Refer to “Shooting Tips” found in the “Beginner’s Guide” on this website on how to use panning effectively. In addition, you may also like to take a shot of the signs or monuments that can often be found at the tourist spots.

When taking a video, it is rather dull to shoot only the scenery or historical sites. Talk about your feelings while recording the breath-taking scenery of an attraction so that it will be an interesting scene to view later.