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Shooting the Four Seasons

Whether pounding rain beats on the rooftops, or blazing heat wilts the daisies, there are many opportunities for interesting video in every season of the year. Because it's snowing outside or the thermostat hits 100-degrees the camera doesn't need to go in the closet until better weather arrives. Here's a look at the good and the bad of various times of year, and a few tips to take advantage of and work around the glorious seasons.

Spring Forward

Problem: People in the shade with a bright background are too dark.
The challenge of recording good video during a brightly-lit spring day can be surprisingly tough. The sunny hillside behind the subject can ruin a shade-tree picnic video because the camera wants to expose on the dominant bright background.

Solution: Illuminate your subject at least as well or better than the background. Or change your subject's position (or your own) so the hill and the subject have the same level of illumination. If you can't move your subject into the sunlight, use a large reflector or strong outdoor-filtered lights to match the level of the sunny background. Your camera's "backlight" button may help compensate for the bright background but be careful, this may overexpose the background. Try raising your camera higher than your subject and shooting down, this will help diminish the background.

Problem: Spring showers rain on my parade, my camcorder and me.
April showers might bring May flowers, but those showers can also bring fried circuit boards, wet record heads and possibly a dead camera should you be caught in a sudden downpour. Water and electronics are mortal enemies. However, if you must shoot in the rain, there are ways to do it.

Solution: No camera rain cover? No worries. At the first sight of rain, insert the camera into a large plastic bag with the opening at the bottom. Cut a hole near the top for the lens, poke it through and tie the plastic down with rubber bands. Using a clear, loose- fitting bag allows you to see the LCD screen and reach all of the camera buttons. (See the Gear For All Seasons sidebar for more gear packing tips.) Also, seek cover from the rain under an awning, tree or even the raised hatch of a minivan or SUV. I've used variations on this method in several hurricanes with great results. However, at the first sign of lightning, head indoors immediately. Lightning is awesome to capture on tape, but there are some tips to doing it right, see the sidebar for …