Capturing the Memories of Your Summer Camp Experience
One of the best parts of having a great summer is being able to have a record of the good times to share later with family and friends. Pictures, videos, and scrapbooks can help preserve memories and create a lasting product. With the popularity of social media applications like Instagram, Snapchat, and Youtube, sharing videos and pictures have never been easier. Even if you can capture momentary events using mobile apps, you may want to capture a more substantial record using a video or digital camera.
Creating an overall summer camp experience video has never been easier given all the technology readily available to kids and teens. The media that captures your entire summer can be a combination of live action and stills. Your summer camp video is similar to a video time capsule. It will contain snippets of your entire summer. You should start by creating an outline of what events you want to make sure you capture. If your summer camp has many larger scale events, like trips, games, and sporting events, then choose your most favorites and cover that one. You can opt to cover the entire summer with a mixture of video and photos and edit once you have returned home.
SnapChat, Candid Photos, and Instagram
While things are happening at camp during the summer, there are candid shots of friends and activities that you want to remember later. Candid shots are a great use for SnapChat, they aren’t posed, and that captured the fun at the moment. The only problem with SnapChat is that it’s momentary. If you want to keep your photos and videos for later use, then choose the proper applications before starting.
Quickly taken photos or videos are usually the most memorable. Everyone covered in mud after tug of war, an entire team drenched in water after tipping their canoe, or the entire team piled up for a victory shot, events like these are usually captured in a quick candid and posted online through social media or shared with family and friends on a smart device. Given the popularity of mobile devices, taking pictures and capturing video at camp has never been easier. The key to adding a great and watchable video to Instagram is making the video short and specific.
Instagram videos usually start with action and speaking and are not only quick but also engaging. If you opt for a quick video upload, then make sure you are capturing something that will be compelling even in a short snippet. Another tactic would be to add several short snippets over the course of the entire summer camp as a “camp diary.”
If the camp you or your child attends rules that mobile devices are banned, then you can always grab the reliable digital camera and still capture those wonderful memories. Day trips and excursion are other great opportunities to take candid shots. If you are dealing with an electronics ban, then you can still collect stills of your summer adventures to be later added to an album, blog or web page.
Regardless of the method, make sure you follow some basics of videography. Don’t explain the area but rather show it to your family. Let them see the trees and the mountains if that’s the scenery instead of telling the story, show it. View your video project as a collection of moments and try to capture as many of them as possible. The video diary can be a greatest hits reel for you and all your summer friends.
GoPro and Capturing an Event, and YouTube
Athletes and adventurous campers will be excited to take some opportunities in their spare time at camp to capture the action. Camps that aren’t sports exclusive still offer exhilarating action. Canoeing, rafting, and other water sports won’t be done justice by a simple verbal recounting of the event. Being able to capture these types of activities require video capturing and photography using stabilizing digital camera units. These devices attach to headgear, boats, and other gear so that the viewer feels a part of the action. These video cameras also make for great recaps for athletic campers hoping to catch a glimpse of their play style. Videos are a great addition to your summer time capsule because they help relive how you felt at the moment.
Adventure oriented high-action videos need not be prescheduled; they work well in this capacity. They capture the emotions of the event in a way that photos cannot. There are many videos uploaded to YouTube by campers that have used their cameras as a means to capture their summer experience. Professional athletes are using the cameras to capture their camp experiences as well. Football players on NFL teams have used cameras affixed to their helmets to capture training camps and sometimes just for the fun of it.
Compiling your Memories
Summer camp is meant for us memorialize our experiences and adventures. Begin your project by choosing a platform in which to display your memories. It’s not necessary to choose only one. Scrapbooks are sentimental favorites and depending on the age of the camper can prove to be a wonderful craft project for your child. Scrapbooking can seem like a hobby of yesteryear, these types of keepsakes and childhood memories preserve the moment. Regardless of how you choose to display your summer collage of memories and friends, the important part is ensuring that you capture your camp adventures.
