Video for Profit

     One of the fastest growing segments open to the photographic professional is the creation of original video products from digital or film photos.  While there are numerous programs available to the average person for creating his own photo-disc, it hasn’t attracted the users that one would imagine.  There are probably a good many reasons for this including, a steep learning curve, spare time to do it, and lack of high speed computer processors to handle the rendering.  Whatever the reason, it presents the professional photographer with a great revenue generating opportunity.

     Wedding photographers were at the forefront of this market and have made great use of the sophisticated video editing tools that are available enabling them to create some really fine crafted and professional looking videos.  The companies that write video editing software were not blind to the fact that weddings and family celebrations are by far the most popular subjects for the Videographer.  A great many of your popular video editing software vendors now offer various plugins such as New Blu FX, Boris Graffiti, and of course Adobe After Effects.  The great thing about the new age video editing programs is that they offer techniques for seamlessly blending both still images and moving video into a smooth coherent presentation that looks almost like it was created in Hollywood.  By using pan and movement function you can create the illusion of movement in a still photo, a technique made popular by director Ken Burns in his original PBS production called “The Civil War” some years ago.  As a matter of fact this type of effect is still sometimes referred to as the “Ken Burns Effect”.
     Another growing field is the scanning or photo-transferring of original film images into a digital format where they can be

enhanced or repaired before they are made into a video presentation.  As I discussed in a previous post the ability to restore and repair vintage photographs is a lucrative and essential part of any professional photographers business plan, but this is a skill that takes time to master and should not be offered until you have mastered the art.  Most customers really only wish to have a DVD or Blu-ray disc made for personal viewing and possibly sending a copy to a distant relative or friend, so it doesn’t hurt to offer packages suitable for mailing to your customers thereby saving them the
task of looking for a video mailer.

     The final market where photographers-videographers  can generate income with their video productions is Youtube.  I am sure we are all familiar with the phrase “they put the video of their cat coughing up a hairball on Youtube and made a fortune.”  Well that may be but before you start filming your puppy devouring one of your socks you should be aware that making money by uploading a video to Youtube is not as easy as it sounds.  In the early days of Youtube it was realatively easy to become a “Youtube Partner” and monetize (allowing Youtube to run commercial ads on your video upload) your video channel, as a matter of fact if you utilized Blogspot you automatically qualified.  Needless to say this has changed, now only about 3 in 1000 applicants are accepted to be a Youtube Partner and the process is neither short or simple.  That being said if you do get accepted and have a talent for making videos there is the potential for making very good money from producing videos that the vast internet public will willing view.  A great example would be the EvanTubeHd channel which is hosted by seven year old Evan who reviews toys for other children and makes 1.3 million dollars a year doing it.  So maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to video your Yorkie performing personal hygiene on his rear end, you might make a million from it!                  

Can photography pay?

     Over the years people have asked me numerous questions about what it takes to be a financially successful photographer, and I have found that the best answer I can give them is “I don’t know, I’ll let you know when I become a success.”  Of course I mean this in a joking manner, but there is a thread of truth to it.  You see with the advent of the digital image processor the marketing of photographs got turned upside down and inside out.  Before the digital camera came along professional photography was only practiced by a few dedicated individuals that were willing to
suffer long hours in a dark processing lab, exposure to caustic chemicals, and hauling around a truckload of equipment that cost as much as a middle class home.
     Not so today, even our phones are now capable of capturing a comparatively good image, not to mention the prolific assortment of really fine SLR  and sports cameras available to photographers.  Everyone takes pictures and videos of everything today.  As a matter of fact I really believe that if famous film and plate photographers such as  Alexander Gardner, Ansel Adams, or Yousuf Karsh were to come back today they would probably look for another career field.  The advantage of having a device that can just keep capturing images one after another in rapid succession with the only limitation being the size of your memory card is mind blowing.  Photo enthusiasts can capture  thousand of images of a subject without incurring so much as the cost of pack of chewing gum!  So how is one to make money from an occupation where the number of competitors might number in the hundreds of millions?  Well as you might have guessed that’s the point of this post.
     Strangely enough the key to success still lies in what made photographers like Gardner, Adams, and Karsh practiced.  First of all they didn’t just go out into the world and start taking pictures of every subject that struck their fancy.  They specialized in something that peaked their interest, for Adams it was nature, Karsh loved the infinite expression contained in the human face, and Gardner sought to destroy the deluded notion that there was something romantic or chivalrous about a bloody battlefield.
     So the first element of success I recommend is to pick a subject that peaks your interest and become immersed in it.  If you read my first post you will remember me talking about what my dear old Granddad had to say about things,  Well here’s another one of his gems, “you can make a million dollars selling pencils on the street corner, if you make sure you are selling the best damn pencil money can buy, and you work your butt off every day.”  In other words a half hearted try will end up in failure before you can even get started.
     The second element is learn your market, for example if you choose flowers as you field of endeavor you might think of getting a booth at a local flower show and exhibit your work to the people who have a real interest in your subject.  Doing this will give opportunity to hear both criticism and praise for your work, but a word to the wise develop a tough skin as people can be cruel.  Another good way to get your work noticed is to contribute to local newspapers and TV stations, they are always looking for “stringers” to provide free work.  In other words start small but not slow, the more ways that you offer yourself to the world the quicker the world will respond.
     The last element is quality of work, all modern photographers use a photo paint program to adust their work, learning to use one of these programs is essential, and I really mean learning to use it, just hitting the auto correction button will not get it in today’s competitive market.  Well good luck, next time we’ll go over some of the software and hardware that can help your work to achieve an individual look.
 

A wonderful life!

      I suppose that you may have guessed by the title of this post that I have made the most of my sixty-six years here on this little planet of ours.  I have been what many might call a “Jack of all Trades” and what some of my detractors might call a master of none.  I have changed careers almost as often as people change their choice of cell phone.  I have built commercial buildings and private homes, owned my own home improvement business, sold cars, owned my own motorcycle business,

and when my body began to show the signs of wear and tear I switched to author, photographer and videographer.  I have sold over five thousand photo products, twenty-five thousand books, and three thousand DVDs in National Park Service Book Stores.  I have had better than average success in nearly all of my endeavors by maintaining a simple philosophy that my good old granddad imparted to me in my youth.  One day when I was feeling particularly anxious about my future I asked him for advise and he looked me straight in the eye and said, “don’t talk foolishness boy, go ahead and try whatever you think will work, besides what’s the worst the world can do to you if you fail and end up on your butt, hell they can’t eat you!”  He went on to say (by this time he was wound up) “that no one ever really succeeded by clinging to what they had, it’s the person who learns to let go that finishes near the top.”
     Well I took my grandfathers advice, (at least for the most part, wives and children do not appreciate a total devil may care attitude in their bread winner) and made the most of my meager talents.  Now that my demise is nearly staring me in the face I have decided to have a little fun and perhaps share what little knowledge I have gleaned from my experiences with anyone fool enough to listen.  By the way on the subject of dying, I think that like the aging poet when asked what he wanted engraved on his tombstone said, just put “I just knew something like this was going to happen.”  In any case back to the original subject, my posts will cover, history, creating good photos, making video products, riding motorcycles, favorite travel spots, otherworldly matters, and how to become a great lover!  The last one I threw in just for fun, after all, if I was a great lover would I have time to write a stupid Blog.
   

 By the way, the main title “The real fun is in the curves” in case you hadn’t guessed by now doesn’t just pertain to roadways, motorcycles or young women in bikinis, it's my incredible sly use of a metaphor to describe  how one should take on life.  After all driving down a perfectly straight road might be safe and sure, but it tends to put one to sleep.  It’s only when that hairpin curve pops up out of nowhere that you really begin to pay attention and thereby live life to the fullest, unless of course you were asleep when you got to the hairpin curve in which case you probably aren’t reading this post.  So sit back and try to enjoy my humble effort to entertain you, who knows you might even end up  as illiterate as I are.