Photographer + Videographer... what do you think?

AC016

Senior Member
When i was watching a review done by The Camera Store, they mentioned that it is a good idea for a photographer to also get skilled in videography, especially since DSLRs are so good at capturing video these days - a 2 in 1 solution. The basis for this comment, was that why corner yourself into one segment of the market and let other people (videographers) eat part of your dinner? Why not train yourself to do both and in turn, bring more bacon home.

So, for those who make a living at photography, do you also sell yourself as a videographer? If not, why not?
 

Rob Bye

Senior Member
I'm branching out into sports videography. I started by using my DSLR to record video clips, but gave up on that. It takes a stills camera out of action, and it's a major pain to switch over all the camera settings. Now I carry a dedicated HD videocam JVC GY-HM150U to record the video. The JVC is really nice because it records in Quick Time format, making downloads to my Mac quick and easy.

15260909382_21fbcd525c_b.jpg
 

AC016

Senior Member
I was going to say, using only a DSLR would not be practical. You would certainly have to invest in a dedicated video cam. Nice rig.
 
So many people now think they are photographers since they have the newest, greatest P&S camera on the market AND everyone clicks "Like" on all their pictures on Facebook. Cousin Bob even let them shoot his wedding last month and WalMart did a great job of printing them out.

Yes learn to shoot video. Many of us already have a backup camera so maybe leave it set for video. IF you shoot weddings already maybe set it up on a static shot of the wedding and let it run. Include it as a bonus to the wedding photos. See how people react to it. If you get a good response to it then maybe add it as an option. Work your way into the business of being a Videographer.
 

AC016

Senior Member
So many people now think they are photographers since they have the newest, greatest P&S camera on the market AND everyone clicks "Like" on all their pictures on Facebook. Cousin Bob even let them shoot his wedding last month and WalMart did a great job of printing them out.

Yes learn to shoot video. Many of us already have a backup camera so maybe leave it set for video. IF you shoot weddings already maybe set it up on a static shot of the wedding and let it run. Include it as a bonus to the wedding photos. See how people react to it. If you get a good response to it then maybe add it as an option. Work your way into the business of being a Videographer.

Not sure what the first paragraph is all about, but i was directing my post to those who made a living (or made some money) at photography:

"So, for those who make a living at photography,... "

But yes, you could always use your back-up camera the way you mentioned ;)


 
Not sure what the first paragraph is all about, but i was directing my post to those who made a living (or made some money) at photography:

"So, for those who make a living at photography,... "

But yes, you could always use your back-up camera the way you mentioned ;)



The first part is WHY the pros need to do something more to set themselves apart from the many shooters out there now that think they are pros and are taking away business from the good shooters.

My son got married a few years ago and his now ex-wife picked the photographer. She was a terrible photographer. It was an outside wedding close to sundown. The photographer was shooting after the wedding while people were dancing and I noticed that her flash was shooting straight up with no bounce on it. (We were outside under the stars) I decided maybe she did not realize it was set that way so I went to her and asked. I was told that all pros shoot with bounce light. I just looked up and asked, "What are you bouncing it off of?" She just looked at me and walked off. None of the photos from that part of the wedding were even usable and were not included in the package.

This is why the pros need to find something other than the fact they are so much better at photography to sell themselves.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
So many people now think they are photographers since they have the newest, greatest P&S camera on the market AND everyone clicks "Like" on all their pictures on Facebook. Cousin Bob even let them shoot his wedding last month and WalMart did a great job of printing them out.

Yes learn to shoot video. Many of us already have a backup camera so maybe leave it set for video. IF you shoot weddings already maybe set it up on a static shot of the wedding and let it run. Include it as a bonus to the wedding photos. See how people react to it. If you get a good response to it then maybe add it as an option. Work your way into the business of being a Videographer.

Agreed. Everything starts with a highest standard of quality you HAVE to want to deliver, and video takes immense amount of mental preparation besides eons more editing time than stills. Otherwise you're just a monkey with a POS video camera/fancy GoPro. Few people ask me here and there if I also do video and I flatout tell them no because I know I won't be able to shoot a video with my idea of what a quality one should be.

On the whole FB likes, I had some random girl add me and try to strike up a conversation + ask for critique of her work. I did just that and she got super-defensive using the whole "I don't have all the fancy gear you do" and "my photos get soooo many likes in my circles." Well, I made back the money spent initially and got fancy gear from this craft's earnings. I don't need likes, I get dollars instead and that speaks for much more.

Another example is a guy I know whose work is extremely mediocre to a trained eye, and he focuses more on video, yet he listed weddings in his offered genres without having done a single one/having a single related album or folio on his site. I pray for anyone who hires him to do a full on wedding...

This is a service industry ultimately and all of our actions reflect on one another in the customers' eyes, so we should all do our jobs with that in mind. Promote the industry in the best possible light instead of possibly bombing it just to say you "can" do something you can't in order to attract another couple hundred bucks once.
 

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Said tongue in cheek so dont jump on me,the Nikon 1 boasts high ress stills from video,is it likley in the future a guy with the right camera can pull stills from his video to satisfy most clients.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Said tongue in cheek so dont jump on me,the Nikon 1 boasts high ress stills from video,is it likley in the future a guy with the right camera can pull stills from his video to satisfy most clients.

Sure, but he'd still have to be able to pull both products together properly.

Also, it may be my naive train of thought, but while Bob and Joe level of regular customers may make up the majority of the local clientele on average, you should always strive for that highest-end magazine cover level of work in hopes of maybe getting a gig like that one day, right? Aka the daily good enough should not be a warm pit to fall into and relax in just because it's good enough on day to day basis.
 

Rob Bye

Senior Member
For now, while I figure out what I'm doing with a video camera, I include video clips as as an added value feature with my event coverage still images. I have to admit, I don't love shooting video. I have to constantly remind myself to put down my DSLRs, and shoot some video with the HD cam. Maybe it'll become more natural at some point in time. Right now, I'm thinking of it as a defence against videographers offering stills coverage at the events I'm contracted to cover.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
For now, while I figure out what I'm doing with a video camera, I include video clips as as an added value feature with my event coverage still images. I have to admit, I don't love shooting video. I have to constantly remind myself to put down my DSLRs, and shoot some video with the HD cam. Maybe it'll become more natural at some point in time. Right now, I'm thinking of it as a defence against videographers offering stills coverage at the events I'm contracted to cover.

Why not just band together, explain to the client the benefit of having both done with utmost quality these days, and shear off more money?

If I ever meet a trusty up and coming video guy or gal, I'd rather take them under the wing to expand the services offered and not lose my head than try to do it ALL myself (especially when I'm not pro-video when it comes to events).

Videos no one will ever watch unless they're done extremely studio-esque or via Redbull Media, especially of some random little events that go forgotten quickly. Stills can be put up everywhere easily, printed, etc. Even with say weddings, I can see high quality prints hanging around the couple's house as well as a coffee table book, but after all their relatives see that video once, no one will ever revisit it. Too time consuming.
 
Well you seem to have missed the point here...a Nikon only does 20 min which is useless for weddings where the main parts ..service speeches etc run over that and you cannot stop.
Saw a guy at a recent wedding ...only videoed the moving bits and service ..when I was shooting my main photo session he sat in his car having a coffee....Strange until I realized that his "Video" was his moving video + my stills mixed on one disc.......still trying to find the ba@t@rd to send him a bill ...but a good idea.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Well you seem to have missed the point here...a Nikon only does 20 min which is useless for weddings where the main parts ..service speeches etc run over that and you cannot stop.
Saw a guy at a recent wedding ...only videoed the moving bits and service ..when I was shooting my main photo session he sat in his car having a coffee....Strange until I realized that his "Video" was his moving video + my stills mixed on one disc.......still trying to find the ba@t@rd to send him a bill ...but a good idea.

That's why for video, you need a video camera or 2 more monkeys with 2 more setups who can film in succession/tandem to overcome the time limit. Or Atomos products that remove that limit (somehow, aka did not read into it myself but heard from plenty sources).

Another rough factor I know, that a purely video production that goes like what both of us think it should would cost at LEAST double whatever the stills would. So if a PHOTO wedding weeking is 3k, + all and all kind of video would be 8-10k.

And now from what I DO know about weddings and such, NO one records those WHOLE speeches aside from perhaps the very main one. Everything else is indeed ~15-30 second clips stitched together into like a music video kinda deal. Same with music videos, event videos, everything but TV-like recorded live stream.

If our pro-ish photo setup is ~3-4000$ alone, what do you figure equivalent video rig would cost?
 
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