Ron Dawson and I have worked on a variety of projects for the past three years.   My favorite remains the Joe Photo spoof from three years ago,  because it was funny and it taught me the meaning of the word “viral”.   It was never meant to be a publicity stunt, just fun.  The following year the concept grew more and from that point on Ron was my hero! 

All of us reach a point at times where technology, social media and marketing push us into what appears to be complacency.  We freeze because we don’t know which path to take.   We want to stay cutting edge, but we’re not confident enough to know which decision is going to take us to the latest and greatest.  

I love working with people I can always learn from and that’s what I see in Ron over and over again.  He’s stayed cutting edge with technology, social media and marketing.  Follow his blog for a little while and you’ll see what I mean – it’s his enthusiasm, integrity, understanding of social media and in short, the fact that he’s simply a good guy who so often has me saying, “When I grow up I want to be Ron Dawson!”

It’s been over a year since Vincent Laforet amazed filmmakers, videographers, and photographers alike with the premiere of his short film “Reverie,” shot entirely with a pre-release Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It heralded the release of not just a new and amazing camera, but a whole new industry. Since then, Canon has also released the 7D, which for under $1900,  offers 1080p HD video at 24 frames per second (fps), 30 fps, and 720p at 50 fps and 60 fsp (allowing filmmakers to do “true” slow motion).

Then, at midnight EST, October 20, Vincent premiered another video that will herald yet another game-changing camera. The video was Nocturne, and the camera is Canon’s EOS 1D Mark IV. The video was shot at night with NO additional lighting (other than the street lights of Los Angeles). Shot primarily at ISO 6400 with absolutely no grain, this camera is mind-blowing.

So, what does that mean for you pro photogs out there? I suspect that for many of you, it will mean nothing. You’ll continue to offer photography and just photography. And frankly, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that in and of itself. Except that it could be dangerous. To survive any significant length of time, businesses-all businesses-must evolve. They must continue to push the envelope, grow, and expand their repertoire.

If the leaders in your industry are any indication of what’s going on, you should at least consider adding some sort of video to your line up. Names like Chase Jarvis, Vicent Laforet, Charles Maring, Zack Arias, Bruce Dorn, Robert Evans, and I could go on and on if I took the time. Scott Bourne and Alex Lindsey are starting a whole video podcast on the topic. This is a short list of high profile photogs, leaders in the industry, who are all adopting video significantly.

Vincent and Charles even changed the name of their studio to include the word “Visuals” instead of photography. Chase makes a point to include director and/or filmmaker when referring to his career. As their example causes the evolution of the industry to trickle down, at some point, you will be faced with the real decision: do I offer some sort of video service, or do I chance losing business to my competitors who can offer everything my clients need under one roof.

I can tell you for a fact that those in my industry are already seriously looking at this. Even my company has added photography to our line-up (well, we actually started a teen portrait business, but video will be a huge part of the offering). National studios like Bella are offering both photography and video now. Portrait studios like the one we started will be offering cool music videos for teens or personal documentaries for families. And commercial houses like Chase’s will naturally offer both photos and video production. You can no longer ignore the wave.

An Intriguing Discussion
Below is part 3 of a 5-part web series on which I was a guest with two other of the top wedding filmmakers in the industry, Patrick Moreau of StillMotion and Kevin Shahinian of Pacific Pictures. In this particular episode we discuss wedding filmmakers vs. wedding photographers and how the perception among brides about the value and worth of video is changing. One of the primary reasons it’s changing is due to wedding filmmakers using cameras like the 5D (both of these guys primarily use 5Ds now for all their productions. All the weddings we shoot now will be shot with the 5D as well). It’s an interesting insight into how my industry looks at our two media.

 

How will YOU evolve?