Vacation Videos.(filming tips)

Shoot One that People Will Really Want To See!

Heavy rain was pounding down onto my vulnerable tent, and the dripping water from several leaks in the roof was soaking my sleeping bag. This was my first camping trip in years, and I couldn't have picked a worse time. Although l had (perhaps naively) expected that weather conditions would be at their best during summer in Sweden, the last three days' unrelenting downpour had proved me wrong, I felt there was little point in videotaping the beautiful lakes and the dark forests in these conditions. With a gray sky and with gray water, even the most beautiful scenery looks drab and dull.

Besides, I was almost out of battery power after I'd accidentally pressed the Record button when I last packed my camcorder away. Then, just as I had decided to give up and return home to dry my damp clothes, the sun broke through the clouds and transformed the landscape.

Within minutes, the morning sun had turned my tiny tent into a Swedish sauna and the gnarled old pine tree leaning out from the shore began to steam as the sun vaporized millions of tiny droplets. I reached for my resealable plastic box and extracted my camcorder. With only five minutes left on the battery indicator, I slowly panned across the serene lakeshore. At last, I was able to capture my first sunny footage of the picture-perfect Swedish landscape.

But, soon the battery icon signaled an imminent shutdown, and just as I spotted a large moose with its calf less than 100 feet away, my viewfinder turned black. Damn it, camcorder batteries always seem to give out at the wrong moment. Under normal circumstances, I would have exchanged my rechargeable camcorder battery well before the power indicator showed five minutes in the viewfinder. But, without a replacement, …