Tag: Photography

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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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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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Passion and Hard Work

What is the secret to success? Look no further than the title of this blog – passion and hard work.

I guess I’m just lucky because I’ve always been passionate – sometimes overly so. I love to talk about my passions and I love to share my passions with others. For me I love story telling through images and video. I love travel and exploring other cultures. And I love to combine those passions in my craft.

In addition, I’ve never been afraid of hard work. I have always given my all – and then some. There has never been a correlation between how hard I work with how much I’m getting paid. I always give it my all. I take pride in my work. I strive to be the best I can be.

It’s funny because up until yesterday I had taken those two character traits for granted – is there any other way to live? Then I heard Gary Vaynerchuk @garyvee talk about his passions and how with a lot of hard work and honesty he grew his business through social media outlets. Ultimately social media outlets are the new day “word of mouth”. And word of mouth has always been the best way to build a business. But you must be transparent – you must be sincere.

So with all the talk of using twitter and facebook and linkedin etc. these days to grow your business – what’s most important are the basics – your fundamental beliefs – because ultimately they will shine through all the bull. You can’t fake passion – you just gotta love what you do. All of a sudden all those old fashioned character traits are back in style.

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Competing With Free

A lot of old sayings come to mind. “You get what you pay for” or
“The less one pays, the more they expect” are just two that come to mind.

Yesterday I read in the trades that a new stock photo agency had sprung up and the content was free. I’m guessing the business model has their hopes on making revenue from online paid ads. But it was interesting to note that the owner said his company’s biggest problem was getting free content. Gee, I wonder why.

If anyone thinks that giving away content or services in hopes of getting paid gigs down the line – well then I have a bridge to sell you. That dangling carrot is as old as the hills.

Now I’ve done a lot of pro bono work in my life and will continue to do so – and it has always brought returns – many times monetary ones. But I have never given something away for nothing because someone tells me that they will pay me in the future.

Think about it – why should they pay someone who places no value on what they create. Lou Jones had a great reply when asked by a potential client to work for free on a job with the promise that he would be hired for future paying jobs. He responded by saying that he would do the paying job first and then in the future would consider offering some free services.
I thought that was a brilliant reply.

Bottom line – if you give it away – you are saying your work has no value.

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The End of the Decisive Moment?

With the advent of the hybrid cameras from both Nikon and Canon, the future of photography will no doubt be rewritten.

Sports photography will change dramatically. Will these cameras be banned from future Olympic venues for fear that still photographers will be shooting video? Networks like NBC pay big money for ALL broadcast (video) rights. So what happens when a still photographer is shooting video under the guise or disguise of a camera that looks like a still camera?

My guess is that in the future, the TV guys shooting with high end digital video cameras will ultimately produce still images as a by-product. Why depend on photographers capturing the “decisive moment” when a buyer can scroll through the video files and pick that perfect frame?

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Trigger Finger

One tip I give to still photographers who segway into video is “don’t shoot like a still photographer”. By that I mean don’t fall into the trap of turning off the camera too soon – let it run. Still photgraphers shoot moments in time – video shooters shoot time in motion.

I had a still photographic assignment a few years back to shoot a story on the LL Bean’s workshops. LL Bean gives skeet shooting lessons and fly fishing lessons etc. I set out to cover a group who would be learning the basic techniques of how to shoot skeet targets with a shotgun. I got to the location early and had some time to kill – no pun intended. The instructor asked me if I wanted to give it a try. Now I’m a person who had never even seen a gun up close, let alone shot one – so I declined. But after about 10 minutes of gentle coaxing, I said yes.

The instructor gave me safety tips on handling a firearm and then I was ready to try my hand at shooting the clay targets. He pulled – I aimed – and shot the target dead on. We both laughed and he said – beginners luck. He told me to give it another try. He pulled – I aimed and I shot it dead on again. After the third try with the same results – he looked at me and said that he thought I had been kidding him when I told him that I had never picked up a gun before. Then it occurred to me that I’ve been aiming and shooting “targets” my entire career as a still photographer. It had become a natural instinct.

So when I teach still photographers how NOT to shoot video like a still photographer, my biggest challenge is to help them overcome this learned instinct of shooting “moments”. It’s a tough instinct to break but stop yourself and let the camera roll on.

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Creating Memories

I’ve just returned from a shoot in Mackinac Island, Michigan. For those of you not familiar with the island – it’s like a step back in time with no cars and very limited cell phone service.

The purpose of my trip was two fold – to attend a conference of a trade association I belong to, The Society of American Travel Writers and to shoot video of the island and the magnificent Grand Hotel.

The Grand Hotel is a historic landmark living up to its name. It’s family owned and operated and I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the owners, Danny Musser. He said something in the interview that really resonated with me. He said that they weren’t in the business of selling lodging and meals but of creating memories. And that they do – every little detail is a cinematic experience.

I thought about that philosophy – creating memories – and realized that this is essentially my goal as well when I shoot stills or video. My intent is to capture the essence of one’s experience, whether it be a travel experience or a documentation of a personal event.

So I need to remind myself that behind the technology is the visual message. Behind the beautiful shots and the attention to detail is the “message” or the “memory” captured. I’d like to think that what I capture today will ultimately be archived and “create memories”.

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Vertical TV Sets

Have you ever seen a vertical TV? I haven’t but I wonder with the hybrid cameras that look like still cameras but also shoot video will we all be turning our TV’s on end?

The point is that just because the camera shoots video, doesn’t mean the operator will be thinking like a video shooter. As one who still shoots in both mediums – still photography and video – I have to turn a switch in my head when I switch gears.

Shooting still images are “moments in time”. Shooting video is “time in motion”. You must think more in sequences when shooting video – each one having a beginning, middle and end. In addition, these independent “clips” need to be edited together to create a story. When I get into a shot – I need to think about how I will get out of that shot – or what will come next in the story line.

You also need to shoot a lot more when shooting video. You need to “shoot and move” – covering different angles and different focal lengths within those angles. You need a variety of wide, medium and long shots – AND closeups. One quickly understands why when they go to edit their piece. In fact editing your material will make you a better shooter.

So when you pick up your new camera that also shoots video – make sure you flip that switch in your head and think differently for a different medium. Otherwise you’ll be turning your 52″ inch TV set on end.

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Video is Catching

I just returned from giving a seminar to the ASMP chapter in Seattle entitled “Multimedia and Video – New Opportunities for the Still Photographer” http://tiny.cc/rAqxv . Paula Lerner and I take a tag team approach, Paula speaking about multimedia and I speak about video.

I was surprised to hear from quite a few attendees that they have gotten into video and see it as a growth area in their business. Others have been seriously thinking about buying equipment and getting more training because they hear from some of their clients that they have the need for video and multimedia. This is a perfect way for a photographer to expand into another medium and that is to collaborate with an existing client who to date has hired you for still photography, but has also been contemplating new media.

While I’m not advocating on the job training, I do recommend that after you’ve trained and made samples, that the first people you should market to are existing “still” clients. You may not think they have the need because they’ve never demonstrated it, but they probably realize that a medium with sound and movement will bring value to their company.

I was also happy to see quite a few students at the seminar. These are emerging photographers who see the potential in video and want to know more about it.

Every month, I see more sites that host video and more companies using it. I think it’s safe to say that video isn’t just a trend but another way to visually communicate.

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More on NAB

Just returned from the NAB show in Las Vegas. NAB is the National Association of Broadcasters and every year they put on a show where 100,000 plus attendees come together to share information, exhibit new products and network. Quite simply it is one of the biggest shows of its kind – it’s also an overwhelming experience.

The trade show in and of itself is 5 buildings of everything from cameras, to software to satellite dish equipped hummers for network news teams to embed themselves in war zones. While an amazing display of toys and tools, if you don’t have a plan or a mission with what you want to check out – you’ll be lost.

But the draw for me is that it is the gathering of some of the biggest and brightest minds in the communications business. There’s a host of training sessions and niche sessions for engineers, animators, DP’s, editors etc. And then there are the Super Sessions which I like to attend. These sessions are basically discussions and interviews with some of the movers and the shakers in the biz. One session had a back and forth dialog with the CEO of Adobe and the CTO (chief technology officer) of Disney about a new partnership venture. Another session was with Indie filmmakers, another with the DP of the TV show 24 and another session was with Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point”. It’s an interactive experience with the panelists, the moderators and the audience and a clear example of the benefits of sharing and disseminating knowledge.

And then there’s the random conversations that I found myself having with Hollywood producers and heads of major manufacturing companies when sharing a table in the cafeteria.

But at the end of the day, what resonated most and surfaced amongst all the packaging and fizz was that everyone was fixed on ideas, content and the story. Essentially beyond the trends and the hype – all agree that storytelling is still key and paramount to the success of any content created.

It’s easy to get sidetracked and distracted by all the toys and lose focus on the message. As a “means to an end” type of person I try to keep in mind what it is I am trying to communicate and pick the tool that does that best.