Great Escape Publishing

Posted April 24th, 2014 by Tom Reissmann & filed under Travel Photography, Travel Videography.

When Lori asked me for my thoughts on this videography and photography debate, I’m sure she thought I’d say video is the hands-down winner. It is, after all, how I make a very nice living traveling the world. But you might be surprised to hear that I don’t think it’s that simple. Taking photos, honestly, seems a bit easier to me. You don’t have to lug around a tripod all the time (like you do to make a decent video). Nor do you have to worry about sound quality. You can point your camera lens at an object, click the shutter, and you’re done. In video, however, your focus is on the action… and you have to hold the shot a lot longer leaving a lot more room for error (a gust of wind, a tantrum child, a stray golf ball). Maybe you’ll get the action you want or maybe you won’t. You sometimes don’t know if it’s effective until you get back to your computer. I choose video because I like to watch videos. I like action. I like noise. I like capturing it all because it makes me feel alive and part of the experience (the same reason video buyers are clamouring to get good videos for their websites). And, because videos require a tripod (and often a microphone)… and so few people know how to create good ones… we’re in a much better position to make money from them than we are with our photos. And that’s nice, too. There’s less competition. And while I’ve never asked a professional photographer what he makes on a single shoot, I’m inclined to think the potential for earning money with videos is greater than with photos. So which is right for you? Honestly, once you get the hang of taking videos, I think you’ll find it’s really not much harder than taking photos. All the same photography skills you already know about composition and good subjects, apply to video, too. So essentially you’re just learning to get more money out of your camera, because now you’re taking photos and creating videos. And, if you share your videos with other people on Facebook and YouTube, you’ll realize people love watching videos because they bring photos to life. Ultimately, the question should not be: should I choose photography or videography? The question should be: why don’t I do both? By adding video to your repertoire, a whole new world can open up for you. Share on Facebook