Do pro photographers need video in their marketing?

We all know just how powerful video marketing is, but say a pro photographer (we know that there are a lot on here who fall in this category) don't want to have a vlog. What other seems of video marketing can we provide our fanbase?

I was thinking backstage, behind the scenes, behind the lens sort of stuff. I am talking first person POV stuff like mounting your action cam onto the hotshoe of your camera and record video clips here and there of you shooting an event, etc. This gives your audience an interesting live feel of what it was like for you to be in that event at the photographer but also they get to see clips of your shots and also get to see the action live in video form.

I know clients love to see stuff like that because it gives somewhat of a feel of the experience during a shoot, whatever.

For example Jared Polin does this all the time but he also runs a vlog. The whole purpose of this thread is for pros who don't want to have a vlog.

Post your thoughts.

I have shot events where I have mounted a gopro sessions on to my hot shoe. Afterwards I edited a short 3 minute clip to music. The client loved it. I showed it to my next client just so they could see what I do during the day and they requested it as part of the package. It added extra complexity to my work flow, editing time in Adobe Premiere and took my attention away from stills shooting. If you had an extra person you could probably pull it off. Like they say 'be careful what you are good at'.

RE: > The whole purpose of this thread is for pros who don't want to have a vlog. <I

If pro photographers have decided there are better ways to spend their money and time than creating videos, they should skip the videos and do the other things.

That said, there are two kinds (at least) of videos.

Jared Polin can be found on Youtube by searching for his name, or Fro Knows Photo. And Jason Lanier can be found on Youtube by searching his name.

We can put them in category one - education meets personality.

And viewers can figure out what they are selling.

Lanier is selling courses. Not sure about Fro.

Neither is selling video portraits.

Second category is Pictures that move.

I don't have any suggestions for members of DPReview to visit.

In the past I've created videos where viewers would gain useful knowledge (most often, knowledge about Canadian law), not just see people in a moving portrait.

In 2018, we'll be doing what I'm calling, for now, moving headshots and comps.

BAK

This question, like a lot of photography questions, is just too broad. It starts from the assumption that there is this one thing called 'professional photographer'. But the difference between various types of photographers and their clients is so vast that you really can't make generalizations about them as a group. A photojournalist and her clients are much different than a corporate headshot photographer and his and both are a universe away from what people like Jared Polin are doing. A marketing idea that works for one may or may not work for another.

Still you can answer your basic question, 'do pro photographers need video' with an almost certain no simply by looking around at any specialty and finding people at the top of the field who don't do it. Could it be effective? Sure -- maybe.

We should be very clear on the distinction between people who are pro photographers in the sense that they make money creating images for clients or publications, and people like Jared Polin, who as far as I can tell, make a living by giving advice to amateur photographers. If you want to be internet famous and make content for other photographers, that's a much different business than professional photography. It's doubtful to me that Mr. Polin has ever attracted an photography client with videos like "How to get Straight Lines in you Photos", "Tips For How To Setup Your Digital Camera On A Tripod", or a real world test of some new sigma lens. In fact, I suspect these would be a major turn off for most sophisticated clients.

If you are considering this, I think you should think about your end goal — do you want to be a photographer or do you want to be a media producer making content for the photo industry. If the former, try to find some people who are actually making a living shooting and see if and how they are using video and report back.

RE >> If the former, try to find some people who are actually making a living shooting and see if and how they are using video and report back. <<

I have not found good examples of the same photographer who shoots stills and video for the same client at the same time (seconds or minutes apart) EXCEPT news photographers do this all the time.

First, still for Twitter and Facebook

Second, motion for Twitter and Facebook

Third, stills for the publication or station web site

Fourth, motion for the web site

Or some shuffle of this order.

Back to Fro... he actually gets genuine assignments. I remember him talking about photographing events. No idea how much of this kind of work he does. Probably not much.

Jason Lanier is mostly a hired speaker now. Apparently Sony and Rotalight are not significant sources of money, but photo shows are. Probably a mix of show organizer money and Sony and Rotalight booth money.

I shot this at Profusion, in Toronto, last fall, just after he spoke from one of the stages.




Jason Lanier, speaking to fans. and the generally interested. Profusion, Toronto, Nov 2017

Back to what the OP was talking about: Still photographers using video in their marketing.

I'm speaking from the viewpoint of a retail (consumer) photographer--my main product is the wall portrait. I'm learning more and more that retail marketing of any kind has just turned into a video-centric business. That's just the fact.

Moreover, marketing to women and young people is as much marketing yourself as a person as it is marketing your work. We ridicule Millennials for taking endless selfies and pictures of their latest meal...but they want to see the selfies and breakfasts of the people they do business with as well.

I shot my first marketing video about six months after the 5DII came out. It was pretty simple--and not great--of me talking about why portraits are important to me and why I think they should be important to other people.

I do a lot better at that now, and I think that doing "About Me" as a video is important today for retail photographers.

I think having a very few very select "behind the scenes" videos--thirty seconds or so of video--are also useful, particularly for those doing weddings and high school seniors. In those cases, "the experience" is almost as much part of the sale as the portraits themselves.

The third type of video for retail photographers is the video "satisfied client" video--shot at the same time the photographer delivers the product and while everyone is still in the "oooh" and "aaaah" mode.

However, for sure--get another photographer to do it. It's kind of like being your own doctor or attorney. They especially need professional audio work, vocal and background, and that's an entire craft art in itself.

Again, none of these clips should ever be more than 30 seconds or so, and they should be replaced every few months.

--
RDKirk
'TANSTAAFL: The only unbreakable rule in photography.'

RE >> Back to what the OP was talking about: Still photographers using video in their marketing. <<

There is, of course, and argument on your side about answering the question.

Your examples make a lot of sense.

I've explained in the past that I am mostly in the PR business, and most of the photography I do is connected to our PR clients.

We're in the process of a major revamp of our main site (www.thelegalateam.com) and the new version will contain some videos we will produce to help our clients tell their stories, plus a video or two explaining why those videos are valuable, and how we produce them.

Concurrently (in the near future) we'll make a point of creating one or more videos showing how we use still photography to advance the interests of our PR clients. Part of the use of this upcoming video will be to get clients to agree to pay us for still photos.

So, in answer to the OP's original question, the photo side of our business thinks video is a good marketing tool for our business, but we have not got around to it yet.

BAK