How to shoot a good trek video

Sometimes, when pictures don’t depict the beauty of the mountains as you see it, you may have to resort to taking videos. Many trekkers shoot good trek videos, but almost always, they aren’t upload worthy. So, here are a few tips to make your videos look professional.

1. Ideally, a video capsule should not be more than 2 or 3 minutes long. If you’re focusing on one subject, cut it to a few seconds. The longer the clip, the more dull it will get. The idea is to leave the viewer wanting more.

2. Focus on a specific topic or a specific highlight in the trek and make that the central idea of your trek video. For instance, you could choose to make a video on the first rays of the sun illuminating  the snow-clad peaks, or you could make a video about a camp site, or about the view from a particular peak or a video showing different types of flowers on your trekking trail. Take a look at this fantastic video by Abhijit Gandhi. The video is simple, yet riveting.

3. Get in front of the camera and talk. You may feel uncomfortable at first, but it will make your video more interesting. Tell your audience  exactly what they will see in the video. Then tell them how you feel standing amidst everything they see. Be yourself. Talk like you’re talking to your best friend. Ask a team member to shoot, as you appear in the video, anchoring it. If you’re very uncomfortable in front of the camera, you can shoot the video with your voice running in the background. An audio narration is an essential part of the video and must not be ignored (If you have shot a video without a voice over, you can also add voice overs later).

4. Do not zoom in while the camera is recording. When shooting from afar, zoom in and focus on your subject before you push the record button.

5. Consider including short interviews of local people in your trek video. This will help you capture the culture of your surroundings. Adding these interviews in between also breaks monotony in the video and keeps viewers the hooked with the variety.

6. Even if you don’t have a point and shoot camera, you can take surprisingly good videos on mobile cameras. Avoid sudden and rapid panning of the camera as it causes motion blur. Hold for a minimum of five seconds without moving the camera. For shots with action, hold the shot for at least 10 seconds.

At Indiahikes, we encourage trekkers to share their trek experiences. If you have any video of your trek to share, write to Swathi Chatrapathy on swathi@indiahikes.com and we will feature it on the Indiahikes website.