There is nothing more fulfilling than watching one of your own hunts on video long after the hunt is over. There are a thousand opportunities to do a bad job capturing your hunt, but with a few time-tested and proven methods, you can capture and edit your hunt like a pro.
The bad news is, you will need to have a high definition video camera. The good news is, they are super cheap these days. The reason why you must have HD shooting capabilities is that most modern TVs and websites require it.
Next, you will need a tripod, period. With the advancement of video production, people are used to seeing certain standards in videos, even if they are an amateur made production. A tripod is an absolute must-have for various reasons, including steady shots. Nobody likes to see shaky video. Just ask everyone who has ever watched a so called Bigfoot video.
A tripod will also enable you to perform simple tasks such as panning and tilting to give your video some movement and it will also allow you to smoothly follow your subject.
The best reason to have a tripod when hunting is to have a rock solid scene when you shoot your gun. No person can handhold a camera steady, but there is no possible way a human being can hold a camera steady during the sound and repercussion of a rifle shot. No way. A tripod will let you lock down the camera so that your hands are not touching it, and as long as it is pre-focused on your target animal, you will get a rock-solid shot of the action.
Many people are now using DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras for their video and still-shooting needs. Many high quality TV shows on big cable channels are actually using DSLR cameras for all their production needs and you can too.
Another trick to get even higher quality outdoor video is to use a polarized lens, which not only fights glare but tones down the brightness of UV light to give you a nice blended picture with more vibrant colors.
Try to shoot everything and leave no detail out of your shots. When you want to edit later, you will be surprised how quickly showing someone doing mundane things can really make a video have great continuity. Remember, video is a visual medium and if you shoot ordinary things, it helps tell a story just like life does, which is full of mundane things.
Finally, always avoid over narrating into the camera unless it is absolutely needed. You will regret it later. Again, video is a visual medium so don’t pollute it by narrating what the view is already saying on the screen.
