Getting There Is Half the Fun! Capture Your Vacation Scenic Drive with In-Car Video

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You’ve found the perfect vacation spot and will enjoy some of its beauty while driving to the destination. Why not preserve the expanding landscape view naturally as it reveals itself when you crest the next hill or round the next curve?

With the media storage costs of digital video rapidly decreasing even as high-definition quality increases, you can now add video content captured while driving to create a unique personalized memory of your vacation.

Just install an in-car camcorder mount, set your camcorder angle, and press record. Your camcorder records the scenery as you drive. You can add personal narration or simply enjoy music while you drive as the landscape’s view is recorded from your driver’s perspective.

Using simple video editing software, you can later edit out sections that you don’t want or mix-n-match still images, music, or narration along with the video to preserve your vacation drive. Or you could create a fun time-lapse video effect of your trip so that the drive appears to happen at hyperspeed. And what could be simpler than to share your experience with family and friends by uploading to Google’s YouTube?

Here are some additional Tips and Tricks for In-Car Video Capture:

Make sure your windshield is clean!

Set-up camera angle, perspective, and lens before you start driving and just let it record; you can always edit out / edit down content later.

Pick a good time of day for your shot; sunlight or headlight glare can be annoying in the footage as well as hard on your camcorder sensor.

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Experiment with your camcorder’s autofocus and stabilization features; some camcorders work better with these features enabled while others may perform worse.

Experiment with different lenses (wide-angle, telephoto) as well as with different lens filters. Depending on time-of-day and lighting, you can get some amazing effects in your shots.

Set-up creative camera angles for different shots: front-seat / out the windshield, front-seat / side-window, rear-seat / driver-in-shot, etc.

Try out your video editing software’s time-lapse, slow-motion, and fast-motion functions for some fun shots of your drive.

Mix in still shots, narration, and other content with your in-car video, especially for outings or vacation drives. Video is just another medium to highlight your experiences.

Capture the atmosphere of coming upon a little town or a great landscape view when topping a hill. This is why it’s important to keep your record on as you never know when a great scene is going to appear.

Enjoy your drive! This means not having to look for a place to pull over to set-up a still shot, not being distracted by your camcorder (which would be dangerous while driving), and not worrying about missing some great view (as it’s being captured).

You will find several options for mounting a camcorder inside your car, including mounts that allow the use of your tripod, some that use suction cups, and some that mount to your headrest. Choose one that is easy to use and that securely holds your camcorder. And remember to relax and enjoy your vacation drive; you can review the memory later!