Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of the great outdoors and elevate your livestreaming game.
While setting up a livestream is can be a fairly easy task, it takes the right approach and some key insights to create an unforgettable live selling experience that showcases stunning visuals and captivating content. In this article, we’ll cover the essentials for planning the perfect outdoor livestreaming event, from overcoming production challenges to capturing breathtaking shots.
Remember, it’s better to stream on time with poor lighting than to stream live too late, waiting for good lighting.
Tips for Stunning Outdoor Shots
To dazzle your viewers during your live sales, delve deeper into harnessing natural elements to your benefit, creating a visually captivating experience.
1. Maximize Natural Lighting
Choose locations with a combination of direct and indirect sunlight to create a balanced and visually appealing effect. Direct sunlight spotlights your subjects, while indirect sunlight fills in shadows for a more polished look. But you also have to be careful about too much direct sunlight, or too little indirect sunlight ruining your outdoor event livestream.
2. Shoot During the Magic Hour
The magic hour—just after sunrise or before sundown—offers soft, diffused light that provides a dramatic backdrop without harsh shadows. This is the ideal time to capture stunning outdoor footage since the diffused sunlight will give you better-looking livestreams.
3. Cloudy Days Are Actually Good for Shoots
Light cloud coverage diffuses sunlight, preventing harsh shadows and creating a more balanced and visually pleasing effect. Choose days with steady, light cloud coverage without adverse weather to ensure a successful shoot.
4. Use Open Shade
Identify locations with plenty of open shade to avoid direct sunlight that can distort subjects’ features and create odd shadows while shooting video. Open shade helps to maintain a consistent, professional look for your videos.
5. Wear Sunglasses ONLY When Necessary
Eye contact is crucial for establishing a connection with your audience. Eye contact establishes a more personal connection with the people watching your stream live.
But if you cannot find open shade, and the light is too harsh, do wear sunglasses. If you’re squinting throughout your outdoor event livestream, you won’t be able to concentrate on what you have to say and do to engage your audience. And besides, harsh sunlight also means your audience will probably not be able to see your face.
6. Indoor Set for Ideal Outdoor Shots
If ideal outdoor locations aren’t possible, use indoor sets and decor that shout spring or summer time. Apply similar techniques and tips, adjusting lighting and other factors to achieve the best shot possible.
Overcoming Outdoor Production Challenges
Sound Management
It’s a given that there will be uncontrollable and unpredictable noise when you’re outdoors. Use windscreens on microphones to prevent unwanted sounds and wind noise from interfering with your outdoor event streaming. You can choose from a variety of suitable windscreens based on conditions and budget.
Weather Unpredictability
You can plan only so far with weather reports. Nature isn’t the most accommodating of crew members. So your best bet for shooting video outdoors is to prepare a backup location (or locations) for unpredictable weather. Also, keep an eye on forecasts to reschedule shoots if needed.
Swift movement is essential for outdoor video filming, particularly in adverse weather conditions. To prevent fatigue and guarantee seamless production, bring only necessary equipment when heading to remote locations.
Lighting Control
Not all days will give you the perfect lighting. You don’t want to shoot when the sun is high since it can create unnecessary and distracting shadows. Overcast days often provide ideal lighting, but if sunlight is unavoidable, use flags, reflectors, diffusion, or a location in the shade to manage it. Artificial lighting may be necessary for outdoor setups.
Utilize neutral density filters. These filters support proper exposure on extremely sunny days by decreasing the light entering the camera lens. They preserve accurate exposure, avoid overexposure, and enhance the overall video quality.
Maximize Your Outdoor Live Selling Potential
Summer offers a terrific opportunity to elevate your outdoor livestreaming events with stunning visuals, shoppable videos and captivating content. With the right live selling platform to assist you, you can make your livestream even more accessible and fun for yourself and your shoppers.
Once you master production challenges, such as sound management, weather unpredictability, and lighting control, you can ensure a successful live selling experience for all your selling channels.
When shooting video outdoors, remember to:
- Pack light
- Maximize natural lighting
- Avoid direct, bright, midday sunlight
- Shoot during the magic hour
- Embrace cloudy days
- Utilize open shade for breathtaking shots
- Use neutral density filters, and
- Have extra crew and sandbags for safety
By incorporating these tips and techniques while shooting video, you’ll be well-equipped to create unforgettable and engaging outdoor livestreaming events that leave a lasting impression on your audience.
