No doubt there will be many camcorders and cameras under the Christmas tree this coming Sunday. And therefore, equally no doubt, many thousands of “feet” of footage will be shot and photos will abound a-plenty. So maybe a short primer on how to get the best from the new toy might be in order?

In most areas, these tips will be more suited to video, but a lot of ‘still’ stuff does apply.

1. Light

Without light, there is no image so make sure there is an abundance of it especially on the subject being shot. And don’t shoot into the light! Make sure it is at your back or over your shoulder(s). In bad light, the footage may well end up very grainy so check to see if you have a low light setting, or find the “Scene Modes” option for one that will assist. In still shots, upping the ISO setting can help.

For New Year's Eve especially, many camcorders and cameras have a 'Fireworks' setting.

2. Audio

Don’t forget the audio. If someone is speaking make sure all background noise is OFF or at worst, minimised. The importance of audio cannot be over stated! For an example, turn on the news tonight at 7pm on ABC1, turn off the sound and then tell those around you what is happening in the world!

3. Zoom and Pan

Keep zooming and panning to a bare minimum. If you want to show something close up, first take a long shot (an “establishment shot”), stop the camera and then move closer before recording again. The same applies to panning. Short scenes are far better than long drawn out ones (which zooming and panning can cause). Watch your favourite movies or TV shows and see just how long individual scenes are – usually less than 5 seconds and zooms and pans are rarely, if ever used!

And never, never, NEVER use digital zoom!

4. Special Effects

Avoid them at all costs! Keep all footage pristine and instead use your computer software to edit a COPY of the footage to add any special effects, titles, slo-mo, speed up, colour changes etc.

5. Check your footage

Not everything goes to plan so don’t simply accept that the scene or footage you want is “in the can”. Check it back on the LCD screen to make sure you got what you really wanted. Re-shoot if necessary.

6. Invest in a tripod or other mount.

Nothing is worse than shaky footage (except perhaps for bad audio), so if you have a tripod or other mount, use it. When? Whenever you have it with you.

7. Make sure the lens is clean

Avoid fingerprints or anything else getting on the lens. And keep the LCD clean too. Get hold of some specialist lens cleaning fluid and tissue from a camera shop. Dust is a camera/camcorder’s biggest enemy closely followed by water.

8. Shooting angles and tell a story

A good video is made by telling a story, and showing it in a way that the viewer would not normally expect; this is what makes it interesting. Experiment; think about the scene before you shoot. Make sure you “frame up” so that all objects/people etc you want in the frame ARE in the frame!

9. Get a set of headphones and an external mic

Not all camcorders support a headphone socket or an external mic. If yours does, then certainly use the headphones whenever you can to pick up any sound you don’t want such as a fridge starting up, a dog barking in the distance, aircraft going over or even a ticking clock! Sometimes these can be used to great effect, but more often than not they are a distraction. An external mic is great to minimise background sound when someone is speaking.

10. READ THE MANUAL

You’ll be surprised at a) what tricks your camcorder– even a basic– is capable of and b) how much you’ll learn. If you only get a crummy PDF version on disc, first complain by emailing the manufacturer and then, if they don’t send you a proper one, print off the PDF in a paperback size and keep it in your camera bag. Or for the techie person, put it on your iPad/Touchpad whatever so that it is always there when you need it.

11. Have fun!

Making movies and taking photos is supposed to be fun so by all means, enjoy doing it. There is never the perfect video or photo and there is never a finished video, but we can always make them better by learning and experimenting. Just enjoy the process.

By David Hague

David is the owner and publisher of AusCam Online. He has a background in media dating back to 1979 when he first got involved with photojournalism in motorsport, and went from there into technology via a 5 year stint with Tandy Computers. Following that, he ran a software distribution company on the Gold Coast and was one of the first to recognise the potential of Microsoft Windows.

Moving back to WA, David wrote scripts for Computer Television for video training for the just released Windows and Office 95 among others, and was then lured to Sydney to create web sites for the newly commercial Internet in 1995, building hundreds of sites under contract to OzEmail including Coates Hire, Hertz Queensland, John Williamson, the NSW Board of Studies and many, many more.

He went back into full time journalism as the Managing Editor for Channel 7's 'Gadget Guy', Peter Blasina's publications VideoCamera and Pixelmag, before starting Australasian Camcorder magazine when these publications were shelved. He lives at Sydney's Avalon Beaches nearly on the ocean front with dog Budweiser and in his spare time is a nut for motor sport, road safety, fishing, science fiction - especially Dr Who - and technology.

David can be contacted via david@auscamonline.com