Author: Gail Mooney

I am a new media specialist producing video and still photography for print, web and broadcast.
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Gladwell, Godin, Cuban and “Free”

Recently there has been a lot of buzz about Chris Anderson’s new book “Free”. Malcolm Gladwell’s review of “Free” makes the point that even free comes at a cost. http://tiny.cc/L8zF2


Most photographers can certainly attest to that. And marketing guru Seth Godin makes the point that the paradigm is changing and that all the whining in the world won’t bring back “the old days”. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ Mark Cuban chimes in as well to provide more perspective and perhaps the most balanced of the lot. http://is.gd/1lsVB. While no one has a crystal ball and can predict the future, this new paradigm of “free” has already changed the lives of photographers and all content creators.

It has been stated numerous times by others that “content” must be unique and such that it is not found anywhere else. The drop in what stock images are being licensed for can attest to that. In addition because of technology a photographer can no longer just be a technician.

But aside from those observations I think that photographers need to position themselves as being more than just the content producer. Unless of course what you do is so unique or great that a buyer can go nowhere else. Certainly one way is to partner with others or position yourself further up the ladder or both. What I have learned so far about social media marketing is that really anyone can position themselves to whomever and however they want – with little or no cost. It’s free right? Well to a certain extent. But it is or can be a demand on one’s time and could be a waste of time if not done strategically.

Technology is and always has been a double edge sword – just like a bad economy. If one chooses to look in the rear view mirror and lament the past – they’ll drive by all the opportunities.

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Woodstock and The First Man on the Moon

What does Woodstock and the first man on the moon have in common? They both are celebrating their 40th anniversary this month. Amazing not only that it has been 40 years but that those totally different events happened in the same summer.

I remember both vividly. I watched the moon landing being televised on my 18th birthday. And I was part of the crowd at Woodstock.

At the time – to me – Woodstock didn’t seem like a historical event but the moon landing did. A few months ago I visited NASA and the control room where the best and the brightest facilitated that historic event. Houston_NASA_2202 It was humbling. But what really hit home was how basic the room was in terms of technology. Rotary dial phones and just a handful of buttons on the consoles. I instantly remembered a moment on TV when they showed NASA technicians feverishly using their slide rules. My daughter doesn’t even know what a slide rule is.

It’s amazing how far we’ve come in 40 years. I suppose to some 40 years may seem like a long time – but to me it sure went fast. Most likely I won’t be around in another 40 years and I can’t help but wonder what changes technology will bring to our lives.
But underneath the technology is the human spirit and the drive of pursuit. Let’s hope that we humans use technology wisely.

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Mobile Video Explosion

Apple’s new iPhone 3Gs has had a huge impact on YouTube since it’s debut this month. In fact video uploads are up 400% each day since the new iPhone came on the market. But aside from the impact of the iPhone, YouTube uploads have increased 1700% over the last six months.

Those statistics are not only phenomenal, but could be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to uploading and sharing videos. No doubt there will be a deluge of some really bad videos that will be bounced around.  But just think how this technology can effectively  convey your message or your company’s message – if presented in a creative, and strategic way. When a web video is done well – it can circle the globe exponentially and virally in a matter of hours. Never before has it been as easy to share video.

The downside of course to any new technology or gadgets is that people jump on the bandwagon without first defining what it is they want to do with it – and why. Just like with the rise in popularity of social media marketing, a business needs to determine how and when to embrace these new tools and do so in a way that’s consistent with their brand or message.

Some thoughts on how you can utilize web videos in your business:
1. How to’s or instructional videos
2. Behind the scenes showing how you or your staff work
3. Client testimonials
4. Relaying your company’s message

And remember just because every one is doing it – doesn’t mean it’s right for you. You need to answer that question for yourself.  But if you do embrace video in your marketing efforts – if done right, it can create awareness around the world and it’s never been easier.

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Travel and Video

When I started out as a still photographer over 30 years ago, I knew I wanted to travel. And that’s exactly what I did, I traveled the world on assignment for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Islands, Smithsonian and many more. I shot over 18 stories for National Geographic Traveler alone.

Over those years, I found myself doing a lot of observing as well as interacting and listening to people from cultures around the globe. I was fascinated by their stories. I documented my observations through my images and when it all came together perfectly my visuals told their story.

Many times I would feel the need to add audio or movement to fully capture the spirit of a place. When digital video came along and now HD it was a dream come true. Technology making all that possible for an independent shooter.

Travel and the medium of video are a perfect match. Adding the sounds of a destination or a recorded conversation adds another dimension to a story. Much of what I remember from past trips I’ve taken are the sounds of the environment. The prayer chants from a mosque in Giza at dawn – the bells of a sleigh in the snow in Banff- a yell from a street vendor in NYC – children laughing in a school yard in Blarney, Ireland. All ideal elements for a video format.

As well as adding the dimension of sound, shooting video allows you to add movement. Photographs are moments in time – video is time in motion. When you shoot travel, you want to immerse yourself in the place you’re in to get a full sense it. Whether it’s dance or a bustling market or a ferris wheel, video captures the energy of a place. I got fabulous footage from shooting from a ferris wheel. It acted like a giant jib when I shot from the ride as the wheel came around.

As far as shooting travel, adding video to my skills has opened up new ways of seeing many places I had been to dozens of times before. And with smaller and more discreet cameras, I can be less obtrusive. Video and travel – a perfect match.

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The Class of 2009

I have been a bit remiss in blogging this week due to the fact that I have been busy attending my daughter’s graduation from Northwestern University and the week long events and activities that coincided with this momentous occasion. I will take a moment to be a bragging mom.

My daughter Erin has always been a high achiever and on Friday, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northwestern University. Quite an achievement from such a prestigious, academically rigorous university. The event itself was memorable, due to a gutsy call to have it outside even though the weather forecast was ominous and there had been sudden downpours throughout the day. But Chicagoans are gutsy people and they made the call to have the event outdoors.

The ceremony was scheduled to run from 6PM to 8PM. It was abbreviated and condensed in the hopes of getting through everything before a pending storm that was headed our way. Wynton Marsalis was the keynote, who not only spoke but played his horn. What a passionate send off – better than any words could ever accomplish.

But aside from the ominous weather, what I will remember the most were the words of one speaker who noted that this was the most talented class based on scores and grants and awards in the university’s history. But he also noted that it was also the class with the least placements (jobs) since 1932.

I suppose that most would look at that as bad news. But I started thinking about that and how that entire generation has basically been brought up to think that “everyone is a winner”. A generation brought up in an era where everything was pretty easy and always rising – getting a job, getting a better job, real estate prices rising, the stock market going up etc. And all of a sudden – a reality check.

For most of us, graduating college in and of itself was a reality check – an introduction to the real world. But for these graduates – it’s a reality check on a grand scale. Maybe only 1 out of 5 have a job – if that. No doubt some will go to grad school and hope for better times. Some will go home and live with their parents. And some will be resourceful and tough it out finding some kind of employment until a “real” job comes along. They will be forced to “think outside the box”. They will need to try harder and be more proactive.

But on the other hand, this generation will be more resilient and become stronger. They won’t take things for granted. They’ll recognize opportunities and make the most of them.  They’ll network more and at a time when social media is making it more possible. They’ll create new opportunities because the old ones are gone. And in the process they’ll truly change the paradigm of how business is done. Almost like the generation that graduated in 1932 – during the Great Depression.  That generation turned out to be one of our greatest generations.

It will be quite interesting to see how a group of super achievers will not only mold their destiny but change all of ours in the process.

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Marketing Yourself with Video

Video can be a great way to market yourself and your business online. It has become easier and easier to upload or embed video to your website http://tiny.cc/Ymuj8 and your blog. In additon, video host sites like You Tube or Vimeo allow you to upload and share your videos and let you create your own TV channel. http://www.vimeo.com/kellymooney/videos You get the value of people sharing your video virally and referring others to it. You can also create a link back to your website or blog.

With that said, you want your video to call attention to your business and be consistent with your brand. It needs to be entertaining or informative and relevant to your target audience for it to be noticed and shared. The quality has to be decent enough to get your point across and if your business is a creative one like photography or video production, good quality is a must.

Your video can be about yourself, how you work and can show you in action. Photographer Chase Jarvis has a nice promotional video on his site. http://tiny.cc/NacGq And depending on your target audience – it can be instructional. The video should be short – less than 5 minutes and engaging. You want to make people remember you and come back to your website or blog.

With all the new tools like the latest iphone and the Flip, creating videos for blogs and emails has never been easier.

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Utilizing the Tools – Convergence of Video and Photography

Every once in awhile I see a blog or a video that really strikes a chord. Today I saw a video that caught my attention for all the right reasons. It was a video that was produced by a photographer Alexx Henry demonstrating how he used technology in a new way to create a One Sheet, commonly referred to as a movie poster.

He had an idea to make the typically static movie poster, come to life with motion. His ultimate goal was to shoot the movie poster and have it appear like a still photograph in his customary style – but with the surprise of coming alive with motion. He chose as his tool the amazing HD video camera, THE RED. But first he needed to do some testing and to sell the idea to his client. For that he used the hybrid camera, the Canon 5D Mark II. He also needed to use hot lights. Because he was shooting motion, he couldn’t use flash. He chose to use HMI lights to get the same look and feel of the lighting style he brings to his still photographs.

Watch the video – it will give you more insight into his project. I loved his last statement. “A great photographer once told me that if you deliver exactly what a client expects, you aren’t doing your job”. He not only delivered the “surprise” he was looking for, but then some.

http://bit.ly/IFsje

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Online or Web Video

Many of my clients who do business on the internet recognize the power of online video as a marketing tool. Online video can promote their brand by connecting with their customers. It also can give some insight into their company’s personality by providing extra information. And if done well, your online video will be shared virally on social media sites, potentially building a following.

I’ve done testimonial web videos for clients where their customers tell their story. I’ve been hired by publishers to shoot video interviews with authors to talk about themselves and their book – in a sense, like a video book jacket. I’ve shot “how to’s” for companies to show how to use their products. I’ve produced many web videos for the travel/resort markets which is the ultimate way to promote a destination because you can work in the sights and sounds of a place.

I have also created web videos for educational institutions to recruit students who respond much better to the internet than print brochures that are mailed. I’ve created videos for non profits to create awareness and aid in their fund raising . And I have produced and shot numerous online videos for editorial markets. Online video stories are becoming more and more popular with magazine publishers.

What’s most important in creating online videos is that they must be authenticate and entertaining. Those ingredients will not only attract  viewers but will cause a viewer to share the video and spread the word. Be sincere and be engaging. Keep them short. Make sure your video can be embedded and emailed so that it can be shared on different social media sites. Web videos can be inserted on websites, blogs, electronic newsletters and can be the most affordable and effective way of getting your message out. But remember – this is your brand so be consistent. Approach it with the same quality as you would in other promotions. Give it a personality without the hard sell.

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Embracing Technology and Why

There’s a lot of talk these days about technology. Should I get a video camera or a hybrid camera? Should I twitter? Should I connect on Linkedin and Facebook? Should I upload videos to YouTube? Perhaps the question most people overlook is asking themselves why? And if they do ask themselves why – what kind of answers do they give themselves?

There is no one answer for everyone. But the worst way to try to answer those questions is to say because everyone else is. However, here are some possible answers to the question why?

Should I buy a video camera or the best video camera like the RED? Ask yourself if you want to target clients who are using more and more video. How are they using video – online? Broadcast? If the answer is online then perhaps the RED camera is a more expensive option than needed for something that will be output for online purposes. If your answer is broadcast then understand that those needs are high end and may require a high end camera. But don’t stop there. Ask yourself if you want to just be a shooter or do you want to play a bigger role in the production. Ask yourself if you are willing to devote the time necessary to learn these new skills of how to shoot motion. Ask yourself what are the markets that you want to work in. If you are leaning towards videojournalism, then perhaps the RED is not the camera for you. You may be better off with something more discreet.

Should I get a Facebook profile? Should I twitter? Should I use Linkedin? I’m a firm believer in utilizing all these platforms but only after you have come to an understanding of how and why. Each one of these platforms has the potential to either create awareness and strengthen your brand or do harm to your brand if you haven’t come to terms with who are you trying to target and why? Furthermore, you need to know that Facebook and Twitter are ways to give insight into your personality as opposed to Linkedin which is more of a professional networking platform. You should also realize that social media is all about sharing. So if your motives are to sell and promote in a direct way – it will be self defeating. Sharing builds trust. Sometimes that takes time. You need to be consistent and you need to be sincere. You need to be authentic. When you share and are sincere and are coming from a “right place”, good things will ultimately come from that.

Lastly, embrace technology because it enables you to go after opportunities. It levels the playing field. No longer do you need Hollywood budgets and big crews to tell a story in motion. No longer do you need the “gate keepers” to write the rules of who gets published and who doesn’t. Anything is possible because technology empowers all of us to fulfill our dreams. But you need to define your dream first. Only you can do that for yourself.

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Story Telling

Now that I am producing both still imagery and video, I am trying to find the right word or title that I can call myself. I’m not just a photographer anymore, yet I really hate the word videographer. I’ve come up with a couple of words like “hybrid” and “visionographer” but still can’t quite find that right word.

And then I realized who I am. I’m a storyteller. I tell the story through visuals and sound and motion. Storyteller – a simple name for a person who has played that role since human beings began telling their story by painting on cave walls.

I love the story – beyond anything else – beyond the toys and the tools. It’s in my blood – it’s what has always motivated me and inspired. It’s why I became a photographer. It’s why I needed to learn video. Both were essential in telling my stories.

I must say that almost every magazine story I ever shot, what I loved most was connecting with people and listening to their stories. Perhaps I should have been a writer but I was more comfortable with my visual ideas and always felt a loss for the right words to express them.

When I think of all the movies that I’ve seen, the ones that really stay with me, have one thing in common – they tell a good story. A film can have all the special effects in the world but if it doesn’t have a good tale – it’s nothing beyond the packaging and fizz.

So the next time someone asks me what I do – I know what I will say – I’m a storyteller.