Gail Mooney

January 14, 2010January 14, 2010

The Future and Video

Video seems to be the hot topic these days amongst still photographers. Their clients are coming to them and asking them if they shoot video and many are starting to incorporate video into their still photography businesses to be able to fill their clients’ needs.

We all spend more and more time getting our information and communicating electronically. When you analyze that, you quickly realize that there has been a shift in the way that we as a culture communicate, and that has changed our industry – still photography. Not because a still photograph is obsolete or has lost it’s impact, but because the traditional outlets for still photography are slowly disappearing – print newspapers and magazines.

We can debate which medium – still photography or video – delivers a visual message better – but it would be a pointless debate. Truth is, a viewer is meant to linger on still images, while motion mediums are meant to hit us with the added dimensions of movement and sound. Neither medium is better than the other and neither medium is going away. At least not as far as I can see.

The real debate shouldn’t be which medium is better, because there isn’t a one size fits all answer. Some things are visually communicated better in stills and some things are better in motion. The real question we should all be asking ourselves from a business point of view is – What are our clients asking for? And – Are we in a position to fill our clients’ needs?

I see a future where I shoot still images and video. Some jobs will call for still photography and some will call for video depending on the message or the story that our clients want us to tell. I want to position my business to be able to solve my clients’ needs with whatever medium does that best.

January 11, 2010January 11, 2010

Talking Techy – New Video Gadgets

As far back as I can remember, ever since being the only woman in my graduating class at Brooks Institute, I’ve been in a male dominated business. Along with that comes a lot of tech talk and I’d like to think that I can hold my own “talking techy”.

Lots of new gadgets and tools have been announced in the last couple of weeks. The much-anticipated Scarlet camera has been formally announced for spring – early summer 2010. Check out the 3K Scarlet prototype along with some other new gadgets from the RED folks, and you too will be amazed. And the proposed price – less than $3000 for a 3K video camera that shoots RAW.

Another interesting camera to debut is the Panasonic full HD 3D camcorder camera. Pretty cool, but I wondered how one will look at their 3D footage? Panasonic thought of that as well, and introduced 5 new 3D HD TV sets.

Check out MacVideo’s blog on CES 2010 predictions for digital cameras – smaller, video, interchangeable lenses and wifi enabled are all new features to watch for this year.

And Skype enabled HD televisions are coming so Skype users will now be able to make HD video (phone) calls as long as they have an HD web cam and plenty of bandwidth.

I played around with the popular hybrid cameras, the Canon 7D and Canon 5DMarkII over the holidays. I absolutely love the visuals that these cameras create but they felt clumsy to me, being the street shooter that I am, because I couldn’t look through the viewfinder to focus while shooting. I had to use the LCD monitor on the back of the camera to focus, which was tough outdoors and it also made the camera hard to stabilize because it wasn’t braced up against my eye. I do realize that there are 3rd party viewfinders available that attach to the back of the camera which help with focusing in bright sunlight but also helps with camera stabilization.

Lastly, I wanted to check out a company I heard about called Animoto.com. They provide a subscription based service where one can upload still images, video clips and text and a video is automatically created from your assets (or theirs) in a matter of minutes. They also have an interesting selection of licensed music to choose from, which you can use in your videos. I literally spent less than an hour of my time to register, upload my video clips, choose a piece of music and create a short 30-second video.

2010 has just begun and I’m already overwhelmed by all the new toys and gadgets.

January 7, 2010

The Power of Social Media

My last blog entry, I wrote about the DO’s and DON’T’s of Social Media. The next day I put some of some of those tips to work.

I am embarking on a personal project, Opening Our Eyes. The idea behind the project is to make a documentary that features people who are making a difference around the world – people who have followed their dreams, passions and ambitions and started their own personal projects that help make the world a better place. Ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things.

In looking for these people or subjects of the documentary, I wanted to utilize the power of social media and my connections and friends, to not only find “leads” but also to make the entire project an interactive experience from the start. So, two days ago I launched a simple website and blog and gave the idea a name, “Opening Our Eyes – Global Stories About the Power of One”.

My daughter Erin is teaming up with me on this project. She lives in Chicago – I live in NJ – but with social media we can bridge that divide as well as get the involvement of all our separate “friends”. Using a company called SquareSpace and their amazing publishing software, I was able to set up a simple blog and website and get it online in less than a day. It site will grow as we both continue to add content and relevant links and information, but by getting the idea “out there” and providing a way for feedback and dialog to take place – we are building our own community at the same time.

After the site was created, I created a fan page on Facebook with information about the project and links to the website. I also registered the blog with Network Blogs and inserted a “follow this blog” button on the fan page. And then I tweeted about project on Twitter, which automatically shows up, on my own personal FB . I also sent out about 50 emails to people I know.

The response has been overwhelming. Within a day I have received over 50 ideas about people and their projects. We’ve had well over 300 hits on the site and almost 40 fans on Facebook. Now that might not seem like a lot to some people – but to us it was an amazing response in such a short time.

As the project takes shape fueled by the interest and eagerness of our participants we are building a community and opening others’ eyes to the “power of one”.

January 4, 2010

Some DOs and DON’Ts of Social Media

This past weekend I put together a presentation on Social Media Tips for the group, Professional Women Photographers, this coming Wednesday, Jan. 6th in New York City.
Here are a couple of tips that I will talk about.

• Be consistent and strategic with your “brand” – Create a plan. Who are you? What do you have to say?
• Listen first – then engage in the conversation.
• Build your community – Who will you follow? Who do you want to attract?
• Be authentic and share – provide value – relevant and useful content.
• Don’t sell.
• Use links – provide news.
• Create and sort groups of Facebook “friends” – separate personal and business “friends”
• Set up a Facebook Fan Page for your business – complete the profile, including photo.
• Take part in discussions or answers on Linkedin.
• Set up an editorial calendar for blog – this will give you a structure.
• Comment on other blogs – become an expert.
• Use tools like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, SocialOomph, SocialToo, Ping.fm, involver – to organize and automate tweets.
• Don’t create tweets with more than 120 characters – leave room for retweets
• Use www.search.twitter.com for topics and people
• Set up “alerts” with Google alert or tweetbeep – to see where your name is being mentioned
• Use @(name) in tweet for someone who is not a follower
• Set up a daily routine – will help with time management

Please add to the list. Interact and share.

January 1, 2010

Change or Frustration?

Seth Godin writes today about what he picks as the two most important trends facing us in the decade ahead – change and frustration.

He points out that “the infrastructure of massive connection is now real”. The first Internet generation has grown up and is eager to change everything. Baby boomers, like myself need to come to terms with reality. He says, “boomers” are getting older, our dreams are fading and that we’re starting to realize that were are not going to live forever. He warns that our frustration will be acted out in public. And then he reminds us that we all get to pick one of these two alternatives – but “being frustrated about change doesn’t count as doing both”.

I’m a baby boomer and my choice is to embrace change – but then again that has always been my “outlook” of choice. Maybe because I work hard at not letting my dreams fade away. Sometimes old dreams have changed into new ones – but I always have at least one dream on my horizon. Sure, sometimes I get frustrated when things get in the way of my dreams, but that frustration usually awakens an even more determined spirit inside of me.

Isn’t that what us baby boomers have been doing all of our lives? – turning our frustrations into effecting change? Just look at the last 40 years of boomers bringing about change – some good – some not so good. But we certainly can’t be accused of being an apathetic generation – choosing to stay static and follow the status quo.

I don’t equate being open to change, with age. I’ve met some pretty rigid people who are 30 years younger than I am. I think it comes down to choice of outlook and just knowing that most of us have the power to make that choice. For me, on this New Year’s Day, I choose embrace change – create change. I feel energized about the year ahead. Does that mean that I’m not acting my age? I think it just means that I’m being myself.

December 31, 2009December 31, 2009

Closing out 2009

I walk every morning and regardless of the weather I go outside even for a few minutes, to get my bearings in nature. Today’s there’s a soft snow falling and as I stepped outside I saw a herd of 8 deer passing quietly through the woods.

Most days I take this time to think about the upcoming day but this morning I started to think about the past year.

Like most people I talk to, I can’t say this year has been the greatest financially, but I managed and I’m grateful for all the opportunities I had. And rather than stress too much about the down time, I channeled my energy into creating new work and a new website. The redesign of the website consumed more time than anticipated but things like that usually do. And to some extent it continues to be a work in progress.

The Delta Blues Exhibit — The Delta Blues Project

2009 was very rewarding for me in terms of my personal projects. My Delta Blues Project, which opened in 2008 at the Fullerton Museum, in California, was shown locally. Finally my friends and neighbors, who have heard me talk about my work over the years, could now come and see it on exhibition. Freedom’s Ride, a documentary about two diverse group of high school students who traveled from New Jersey to Alabama, retracing the Civil Rights movement, aired on various PBS stations and continues to be shown at educational venues.

I started writing – for myself and on commission. I have discovered that I love to write. I never would have expected that because I’ve always struggled with words and usually defaulted to communicating visually. But it’s the things that I struggle with that seem to give me the most rewards.

Locally in my town of 5000 people. I have become part of a small grass roots group called TAG. We are a non-partisan group that seeks transparency and accountability in our local government. My husband and I trained a small army of volunteers on how to operate a video camera so that they can shoot town meetings. Since May, our town meetings have been televised on our local public access station, MendhamTV. What a difference that has made as far as how the citizens of my town have become more involved in their community. I’m really proud of being a part of that.

It’s been a year of change and growth. Now on to 2010. Tomorrow is the start of a new year and along with that new hopes and dreams. But it’s really just another day – a day we can shape any way we want to.

December 29, 2009

Mistakes People Make When Starting a Video Production Business

They focus too much on the “tools” and not the “technique”. These days video equipment is relatively cheap. Therefore the entry-level bar has been lowered for video production. Learn your skill set and be unique – have your own vision or point of view that separates you from the rest.
They skimp on the audio, tripod and lighting. The camera is just one piece of equipment you need. You also need independent external microphones to be able to capture good audio as well as a good tripod with a fluid head. If you’re going to be shooting indoors or doing interviews – you’ll need some lighting equipment. You can either go the route of hot lights or LED panels which are portable and cool but costly.
They forget about the editing and output. Shooting is one thing – editing it and getting it “out” is another. Learning to edit will make you a better shooter. You quickly realize in the editing room what you SHOULD have shot in the field.
They don’t diversify. This is important when first starting out. It will pay the bills and will help you get better at what you do. And it may also help you in find your niche.
They forget about marketing. Lots of people have equipment and even more people have great ideas but if they don’t promote their business, they’ll spend their days waiting for the phone to ring.
They don’t realize that business is about people – not just the tech. Work on your people skills and your business will flourish.
They don’t network. Networking of course is critical for getting new business. It’s also beneficial to network with other people in the video production business. Video production is all about collaboration, so it’s essential that you get to know shooters, sound mixers and editors. Join listserv groups and go to meet-ups in your area.
They under-estimate what a job will cost in both time and resources. There are many facets to video production – the shoot, audio, editing, music, graphics, motion graphics, scripts, voiceovers and delivery. If you won’t be facilitating all those facets – then you need to determine how much it will cost and present that in your estimate.
They don’t draw up a production schedule. This is essential to keeping a job on target. Make sure that each step of the project has a delivery date specified and signed off on.
They don’t realize that they are under insured. Many people coming from a still photography background don’t realize that their current insurance policy does not necessarily cover video production.

December 27, 2009

The Power of Nostalgia

I’m not one to “look back” much, but I watched a story today on the news magazine show Sunday Morning about nostalgia that got me thinking about the past. Apparently, according to the “experts” who were interviewed on the show, being nostalgic

kids rochester — Gang of friends. I'm on top step.

and looking back into our past isn’t such a bad thing for us to do.

But being nostalgic wasn’t always looked at as being “good” for us. In fact in the 17th and 18th centuries, nostalgia was considered a medical disease and as recent as the 20th century, it was classified as a psychiatric disorder.

Nowadays, many psychologists think it’s healthy for us to look back at our past and recognize that we have overcome hardships and setbacks in our lives and in doing so we gain the inner strength we need to move forward. With time comes perspective and with that comes a certain resolve.

Advertisers have capitalized on the power of nostalgia for years. They pitch and promote new products by connecting them to people’s fond memories of the past or how they perceive the past to have been. Pepperidge Farm commercials were intended to provoke memories of home baked goodies from our childhood and associate them with their products. Or as the fictional character Don Draper from Mad Men said when referring to the power of nostalgia “ It takes us to a place where we ache to go again – it’s delicate but profound”.

So as we close out another year and in fact the first decade of the new century, take a few moments to think about the past. I think most of us will realize that all the obstacles that seemed insurmountable at the time, ended up being necessary for all the other things to happen in our lives. Just like George Bailey in the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” found out when he had been given a glimpse into how things would have been different had he never been born – he really did have a wonderful life. He just needed to look back and take notice.

December 21, 2009

Striving for Perfection

Perfection is over rated. In fact many times in our quest for perfection, we actually stop ourselves from our pursuits – both professionally and personally. How many times have you talked yourself out of something because things weren’t perfect? Like “It’s too cold today to take a walk” or “I didn’t get around to dusting the piano so I won’t have company over.”

Nothing’s ever perfect or like Hollywood leads us to believe. And if you buy into that – you’ll end up never quite feeling like things lived up to your expectations and being miserable in the process.

This past weekend for me certainly didn’t work out the way I had planned it to be. My daughter’s scheduled 5PM flight out of Chicago on Friday night – normally a 2-hour flight – arrived at Newark at 1AM! The two parties we had planned to go to on Saturday were both postponed because of a big snowstorm.

Marble House, Newport, RI — Not my Christmas tree.

And normally we would have already picked out our Christmas tree and trimmed it by this weekend but we just didn’t get to it.

Because of the snow – we didn’t make the 40 minute drive to the party we had planned to go to but went to a neighbor’s for an impromptu dinner instead. And the tree we picked out was one that hadn’t been chosen by others earlier in the month. But it did have character and we trimmed it the same as we do every year with popcorn and cranberries and ornaments that we have collected from our travels all over the world.

And on Sunday after we shoveled out, we made the 40-minute journey to the party that had been postponed from the day before. There were about half as many people there that had been invited and along with that the food that they were supposed to bring. But even though the ham was still in Connecticut and the salad was in Staten Island we didn’t really care.

Oddly enough even though none of the original expectations of the weekend were met – it was the most perfect weekend I can remember. Today the sun is shining on a beautiful pristine blanket of fresh snow – a great day to take some time and go out for a walk.

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