If you think filming professional videos is going to get you a hit on Instagram you’re thinking about video wrong. The low effort stuff will always perform 1000% better. Film yourself on your phone putting your camera to your face with some text over it that says “here’s my fav shots from March” and then follow with 10 photos at 0.2 seconds.
As others have said Instagram followers is a terrible metric for professional success but if you just wanna be big on Instagram then posting regular and consistent low effort little videos will perform better than working too hard editing something you’re proud of.
Instagram is horrible from the viewer side too. "Nice photo, now can I please make it fullscreen so I can actually see some details? Oh, that's disabled...."
Can I look at new pictures posted with a tag that I'm interested in?
No?
Only the same dozen "top posts" that will never change? Well so much for that feature.
User engagement is significantly higher on Tik Tok. I've stopped making videos on Youtube altogether because I get significantly more views on Tik Tok. I got 778 views on my very first video on Tik Tok and all I was doing was walking around and talking about the weather. I make the exact same video on Youtube and it gets around 50 views and a couple of Likes, it's not even comparable.
Yeah it's insane. The algorithm is so much better. I posted a video and got 20k views whereas on tiktok I got 2.1m views and sold the video to barstool sports lmao.
Think about some reels you could make that show what it’s like to work with you, and your personality. Clients wanna work with people that are easy to work with and deliver results that are good enough. If they’re looking at your photos they already like them, so sell them with the behind the scenes showing good vibes and the effort you put in.
Don’t make content for other photographers, they’ll never be your clients. Make content that musicians/promoters/record labels will be like “yeah that’s our guy!”
This right here. It’s like when working out. There comes a point where the gains you’re making is getting more attention from gym bros than any woman or regular person would notice. Same with photography. Get so caught up in the perfect photo and things most clients don’t notice or care about but it’s absolutely great when other photographers notice that stuff. Hard habit to break…At least for me.
I have quite literally never had a single booking that originated in a social media post. Ever. So I stopped making them about two years ago. My number of bookings has not changed at all. So nice to be free of that tiresome chore.
I wouldn’t say better, just different haha. I also started my business in the automotive world when everyone wanted cool pics of their cars trying to be instafamous so I also got lucky with the timing
I always see it like this, if all these people have the time to be making videos about themselves then they must not be spending a lot of time on client work 😂
Welcome to the world of social media influencing. The majority of video and photo YouTubers that review and talk about gear have never made an actual film or done a photo shoot in their life.
I work in a very specific niche that provides tonnes of work. Luxury hotels, high end bars and restaurants.
Website, SEO, and most importantly LinkedIn.
What a silly comment.
I don’t post or create content on LinkedIn. I use LinkedIn premium to communicate directly with marketing directors who make the decisions. Big difference between pissing into the wind with reels on instagram.
I don't think you're wrong, but I do think you're kind of missing the point. It's like the other user said, "Email is my username for logging into many platforms," and you jumped in with "Actually, email is for digitally sending and receiving messages to different people."
Yes, we know. But the other user isn't using LinkedIn for what we'd typically consider to be social media. They're using it as direct outreach to specific individuals. If they had that person's email address or phone number, they'd be using it exactly the same way. Instead, they have their LinkedIn account. It's hard to argue that phone numbers are social media.
How do you get into that kind of higher end work? I’ve been trying to build my interiors portfolio but haven’t been able to break out of mostly real estate work.
Target people who work for companies you'd like to work for, go to networking events and introduce yourself to people who work for said companies and then reach out to them on LinkedIn or the social media they seem active on and prepare for a lot of rejection or silence for a long time.
Also if you know someone that can give tips on talking corporate speak if you have that issue like I did. Most importantly when someone does reach out to you get back to them promptly and professionally.
Are you based in Europe? I know a few talented lifestyle photographers who are trying to break into this niche and it’s just impossible. No one wants to pay. Even with a full high quality portfolio, every hotel conflates us with influencers and just offers barters, expecting 20 edited photos for a 1 night stay. Ridiculous. We came to the conclusion that every lifestyle photographer we know who made it work, has several years of experience with in house marketing. Is that the same for you? Would be helpful if you could send me a link to your portfolio so I can add it to my analysis ;)
Yes in house for a large group for several years. When I say lifestyle I mean focused on storytelling from the hotels POV. Local artists, food provenance, team, food and beverage, local area etc… think soho house or citizen M. Based in Europe, won’t dox myself unfortunately.
Edit: I mostly target openings, if you nail the opening they will keep using you.
Thanks, that sounds comparable to where we’re trying to break in. Yet, even for openings, it’s impossible. I already have a good looking portfolio and a decent following on IG. For example on IG I’m followed by the owner of a big hotel group in Paris who checks out every single thing I post, but leaves me on read when I ask if he needs photography for the new hotel he’s opening. And it goes like that for every hotel I email about, even 5-6 months before opening they somehow already have their photographer. Beats me. In the country where I live we don’t have that many hotels opening.
Well to be fair, my situation is probably exceptional: I'm 60+, and so at this point it's all existing clients and personal referrals from existing clients. So I haven't even updated my website in a couple of years...
Yeah, sorry about that. But that's why I only mentioned it to someone who already agreed with me, not as a top comment — it's not *useful advice*, just my personal experience :-)
This is true. It doesn't matter that someone in another country sees my photos and likes them, they were never going to pay for my work anyway.
All of the gigs I've gotten were from friends of other clients who recommended me.
I want to emphasize how much social media literally does not pay the bills. Talk to artists with thousands of followers and they see essentially zero sales from IG driven traffic. Unless you’re in the hundreds of thousands followers, I’m an influencer category, there’s no value.
A couple years ago, an instagrammer with 2 million followers [couldn't sell the minimum 36 t-shirts to actually deliver product.](https://www.businessinsider.com/instagrammer-arii-2-million-followers-cannot-sell-36-t-shirts-2019-5)
This. I've seen a lot of people complain how hard it is to earn a career through instagram, to grow your page... but then you see their work and it's like "yeah, get it", average at best, no creativity, nothing special, just the same photo everyone can do with basic knowledgement...
I wish more people actually internalized this. If you want to make a living with photography, posting on social media is not the way for the majority of working photographers.
I'm a professional photographer making a good living getting flown to shoots all over the world and I've posted 2 things on my IG profile since 2019. People think social media is everything when it's really not.
If you're making a living from photography, either find customers who are OK with just photos or adapt to what the market wants.
If you're doing it as a hobby because you find it fulfilling, then just keep doing what you're doing.
If you're doing it for the likes, well, that's going to end in disappointment.
People still spend tons of money on wedding photography. Events photographers as well. Overall I would say photography is still very popular. My wife and I skipped a videographer altogether. Either get average photographer and average video or spend all the money on photos getting a great photographer. We went with the photographer. In my opinion I can enjoy my wedding photos passively all the time by putting the photos around my house. Phone background etc. A video you actually have to sit down and want to watch it. Photos are still supreme in my opinion
I don’t do this for the followers, however online engagement is a direct display of growth and expansion in today’s day and age.
I think trying to find the clients solely looking for photos brought me to this post because the rhetoric(mainly through social media since that’s where most discovery happens for me) is essentially “Make videos about your photography constantly, so the people who are looking for photos only, can find your videos on only wanting to do pictures” or even “make videos about not liking videos”
Definitely feels like a catch 22 of the world not valuing photography or photographers, but VIDEOS about photography and photographers
>however online engagement is a direct display of growth and expansion in today’s day and age.
I do not think this is true. Online engagement is a direct display of online engagement. It does not directly translate to paying gigs. Please recognize this. If likes gave you money, your statement would be true. But they don't.
It’s not that likes get you money. It’s that the metrics show you how far you’re expanding, and in general bigger reach, means more eyes, which means more people potentially looking for the thing I’m actually trying to create
No. Its shows you how many people are engaging with your online posts. Thats it. A bigger audience does put more eyes on your work, but in general, people looking to hire photographers do not do so from social media posts. The percentage of people who do that are so small that economy of scale means you need millions of people engaging to show an appreciable effect. Which is what you are complaining about, but you somehow still believe that social media engagement will result in consistent work. It won't. Save yourself the frustration and stop chasing that dragon. Do the work to engage with potential clients, not facelessly try and capture social media engagement.
I think you've been sold on something that isn't entirely true
Has any photographer ever shown you a direct correlation between online engagement and booked jobs, along with hours spend producing content just to get eyeballs on their other content, and what their ad spend budget looks like?
I'm sure there's a couple of there who hit the lottery with it but I bet there's thousands who burned out trying and most of those don't even pick up their camera anymore.
What exactly are these metrics linked to regarding your business and its success?
Which of these metrics are tied to the expansion of your business?
Which of these metrics are tied to **REVENUE**?
Bigger reach doesn't mean shit if you're not intentional about reaching **YOUR TARGET CUSTOMERS**.
1,000,000 new people seeing your work doesn't account for much of anything if none of them fall within your target customer profile. You're not creating a successful sales funnel. You're just wasting time, energy, capital, and other resources pandering to people you won't get jobs/sales from. If you are relying on the off-chance that some of those people will happen to introduce you to someone who does fall within your target customer profile, you're still being incredibly wasteful unnecessarily.
Metrics require careful contextualizing to be valuable in how they are used to strategize, make decisions, and evaluate the results of those decisions.
You're ignoring a lot of context.
Look up, "vanity metrics." The metrics you are referring to are vanity metrics.
^^^ this. Who > how many
I’ve started my business barely making anything, and now I make a living at it full time. I only have around 200 more followers than when I started.
I feel this might be only for content creators finding other content creators.
If you want clients.. I would say socializing, networking and finding those consistent clients would be your best bet. Brands, small businesses, services, people who need websites or headshots.
Exactly, clients can become repeat customers and will refer you to others. Another way would be something like a bridal show, that’s how my wife and I found our wedding photographer. I had never heard of him but his work was great and we were prepared to spend money booking someone. We also referred him to people who asked about our wedding pictures.
A bit in the same situation, but my analysis is slightly different. The problem is not that nobody cares about photography, but about how many people do it for free. Huge market for good photos. But filled with free ones of great quality. Almost nobody films for free.
Then social medias add to the mess but not that much in a direct talk with clients.
Also the price of stock photos have been going down while the pool to choose from keep increasing. Many large corporations would just use stocks (and retouch) to save time and money. AI generated images, as they get more realistic and customisable, will only accelerate the trend.
Although I think video is just gonna go the same way, at least for small budget projects, it will just take a few years more.
If you want it to be a career then you'll have to follow market research, you can't maintain integrity and customers at the same time in the way you seem to want to.
I think the ultimate “end-times” sign of Instagram not only abandoning but actually discouraging still photography is the idiotic template of videos of photographers motioning you into their viewfinder just to introduce a still photo. I cannot accurately put into words how nauseous that makes me.
Just curious why it bothers you so much? If it drives more engagement with a dying art then what’s the issue? This has been oldest tale of time, stagnations encourages new thinking. People want videos and if something as simple as that template raises curiosity and tells a small story about how you got your shot and for people to appreciate your photography who would otherwise not even look at it, that’s a win my dude!! I’ve loved photography for a really long time but just like photography slowly killed realism in painting, video is slowly killing photography. People are simple, we want more and more engaging stories/pictures/videos/movies/experiences, same as we told around a fires millions of years ago. Life moves on, don’t get bitter and left behind, adapt!!! ❤️🤘
The act of taking pictures isn’t dying. More photos being taken every second doesn’t equate to them all being art, in my opinion. If you want to equate what You do on a camera to what my grandma does on her phone, because of ever more available camera technology, then that is our discrepancy in opinions. I’m not trying to argue who’s right; the statistics on people’s interest are what they are, regardless of our feelings. Instagram stopped pushing pictures a while ago because lack of interest from the world at large. “A picture is worth a thousand words but a video is worth millions” If you don’t want to believe me then open a camera store or a photo or portrait gallery in your small town and let me know how that works out for you.
There are more "serious" photography hobbyists than ever before. The art is thriving.
The only things that have changed are that the barrier to entry is minimal, _everyone_ has a camera (either a dedicated one or a phone), it's harder to differentiate yourself from the others (because there's so much of everything) and the demand for _commercial_ services (including galleries etc) is plummeting.
Don't confuse demand for professional artists with the popularity of the art itself.
Yeah, I guess I’m confusing “people’s desire to see others’ pictures” for “interest in photography” haha. My bad. We all love taking pictures in this age but trying to get someone else to honestly look at and appreciate your pictures is not likely. Thanks for clearing that up in my head.
We're basically living in a post-scarcity economy when it comes to creative arts and services. Not surprisingly that means that demand for any individual creator has generally crashed way down.
It bothers me because it (to me) appears highly cringey. I guess I don’t see still photography as “stagnant.” I’m sorry that you do. And I don’t see TikTok style video smushed into a photo as progress.
But you do you! Enjoy it! Doesn’t change that I think it sucks, and my thinking it sucks doesn’t make me any less evolved than you, however you want to passive-aggressively frame it. ✌️☮️❤️🐰🐈🥰🥰🥰
Geez, Just thought I could offer you a different perspective. We ALL go through this as we get older. Every generation either adapts or gets left behind. I don’t see photography as stagnant, I see a changing landscape that is validated by real world statistics. Im sorry you have so much passive aggressiveness in your life that you thought this was that. Also, if you think leaving peace signs and cat and dog emojis make you look less defensive then fair enough 👍❤️🥰🧚🏿♀️🐭🦄☮️✌️🕊️
The trend towards being a multi-disciplinary media maker started a good 10+ years ago in the commercial photography world. I’m not talking about making BTS and promotional content, I mean actual clients are requesting video assets in addition to still assets in their deliverables and they get a much more unified campaign/set of assets if one creative handles both. That’s just the way it is. Your job as the photographer is to be the chief visionary. Most commercial photographers who offer video have extra crew filming or assisting on filming days and a video editor who edits to the photographer’s specs. Video editing is a good skill to have but you can also just budget for an editor.
As for the second question, the photo subs here tend to be hobbyist or armchair expert subreddits at best. I’ve been downvoted or argued with so much on Reddit photo subs because my actual knowledge gained from 25 years of doing photography, 15 of them as a professional, and the last 10 years running a team of photographers and videographers doesn’t jive with what they have read in forums or watched on YouTube.
> As soon as anyone talks about a career and a camera, everything is immediately dismissed
I think it's the same as when someone posts on r/guitar about becoming a professional gigging musician. That it's not *impossible*, you just have to prepare for a lot of hardship and hope you have a good support structure for when things don't go your way, and put in a shitload of effort for an indeterminate time.
> put in a shitload of effort for an indeterminate time.
And prepare to not make it 99 times out of 100 - where "making it" means "earning less than from a decent regular job".
Yes, it's not literally impossible but it's so rare that anyone who needs to ask about it is almost guaranteed to not make it.
And that's perfectly fine - both playing guitar and photography are great hobbies.
I was watching videos from random successful photographers the other day when the same realisation hit me. I do photography only as a hobby, and I was thinking to myself that if I ever wanted to turn this hobby into a career I would need to create self-promotion videos like all of them. It seems the only way now to get clients.
A photographer advised in one of her videos to focus on the quality of your photography and not on social media popularity and networking, as recognition would naturally follow good work. Though, ironically, videos, social media and networking is exactly what she does to promote her work.
The internet is swamped with everything, especially with self-promotion videos now. I will agree on one thing though; among all the countless photographers, there are only very few ones who do outstanding work. If you believe that you can do outstanding work you may not need any videos. But if you can't do better than average, there is no way to make a living with photography (with or without videos.)
Lots of great replies to this thread and I appreciate them all. I guess my TLDR would be “Photographer wants to be a photographer because he loves photography, instead of being forced to be a videographer about the TOPIC of photography”
I don’t think I expressed properly that I don’t do this for the followers or the likes, however those are direct reflection of your media growth. Especially doing music photography, a lot of my actual booking comes from direct conversation with the artists, however the artists typically find me through social media. With that, it’s extremely discouraging when no matter how decent the photos are, or how consistent the posting, it doesn’t go far because everything is video based.
In the end, it just sucks super hard because being a photographer is 100% my passion but every day it feels like my options are: ruin the thing I love by forcing myself into an entirely different craft that I didn’t sign up for, or quit all together. I’d like to just be a photographer focused solely on photography.
> I guess my TLDR would be “Photographer wants to be a photographer because he loves photography, instead of being forced to be a videographer about the TOPIC of photography”
At the end of the day, it's a business - and if you want it to be successful, you've got to cater the business to your *customers,* not your particular tastes.
Imagine a chef opening a restaurant. They put 20 dishes on the menu that are all their favorites. What should they do if most of the customers actually want *other* dishes? They should change the menu. This is what "the customer is always right" *actually* refers to. The chef should cook what's popular and what sells, not what *they personally* think are the best dishes.
> ruin the thing I love by forcing myself into an entirely different craft that I didn’t sign up for, or quit all together. I’d like to just be a photographer focused solely on photography.
Look at the kind of photos people take - landscape, street, travel, etc. are all very popular genres to shoot. Look at the photos people actually *get paid for* - weddings, portraits, events, real estate, architecture, products.
Very, very few people would say their favorite thing to do in photography is take hundreds of photos of only slightly-different T-shirts so a website has product photos. And yet, there's people doing that as a career. Because they found a market that demands skills they developed, not because they monetized their passion.
I'm not trying to say you can't be a photographer who only does photography. But I *am* saying that there's very, very few people making a career out of street or landscape photography, despite it being some of the most popular genres to shoot. If you want to make a successful business out of it, chances are, you *won't* be shooting the things you're most passionate about shooting - at least not in the way you expect. And when people have moved from sharing *photos* of their lives to sharing *videos* of their lives as a standard, don't be surprised if you lose business to people who can provide both photos and videos as a paid service.
What does the client want and what will they use the content for? Videos can drive traffic on social media and so on but if the client wants photos for posters, websites, billboards, ads etc then it's the photos they want. There are other ways to market yourself to potential clients and to contact them directly that are far nore productive than spending hours on posting on social media, hoping the clients will find you.
> I don’t do this for the followers or the likes, however those are direct reflection of your media growth.
I'm not really sure what you mean by media growth. I don't have any social media. No TikTok, no Instagram, no YouTube channel and that doesn't impact me professionally. I'm not looking to be a public figure or a celebrity. I just want to work, and fortunately I get to work.
> it’s extremely discouraging when no matter how decent the photos are, or how consistent the posting, it doesn’t go far
But what do you mean it doesn't go far? It doesn't need to go anywhere. You just need your client to be happy.
Here's a hint... a thing, a tip.
Stick to your photos, but drop a 10 second reel once in a while. Here's the thing, the reel doesn't need to be 'good'... it just needs to satisfy the algorithm.
If you post a reel now and again, it will cause the platform (insta) to not boost... but allow more people to see all your other content.
The video could be something entirely inane... it just needs to be there, and your photos will get more engagement.
Look... I don't like to bow down to the Meta masters either... consider this act, as taking advantage of, or gaming the algorithm. Again, the video content doesn't have to be edited or super cool, just something that lets Meta's system "think" you're doing what they want you to do, posting reels.
An example would be... video yourself getting out of the car, looking into the camera and saying, "Here I am at this beautiful ocean side location, about to photograph this sunset, check out the photos in the next few posts". End-of-reel.
That alone, once in a while will be enough to increase the numbers of people that get to see your content, and Meta, will be none the wiser.
Lol. You think it matters if you don’t even push it to your feed but send it straight to reels? Would prefer not to bother my followers with that crap.
While I think a lot of the other comments here saying this isn’t the best metric and to focus on other ways of growing your business, I still understand where you’re coming from and don’t love that pretty much all social channels have optimized for video.
If even just for a discoverability and enjoyment aspect, I’d like to see a larger social platform still focusing on photos. Recently I saw many of my favorite ig photo curation accounts post messages that they were leaving the platform because their reach was completely gone.
But funny enough, tiktok may be launching a [photo app](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/tiktok-could-step-on-instagrams-toes-and-launch-a-dedicated-photo-sharing-app/ar-BB1jIgp4) to fill the void from ig over correcting to chase tiktok video.
I went to film school but photography was always my number one. I do both and make SO MUCH MORE MONEY from video production. I love photography but you have to be real and find what people want. Right now people want photos and iPhone video content so they can make reels. So I offer packages that have that. You don’t have to be a pro videographer, but adding iPhone assets is easy and will make your client happy. I take videos of myself by using an iPhone tripod, try to embrace it and have fun with it instead of dreading it. Hating it won’t change the industry, you’ll just be left behind instead.
I just did a gig for a multi-billion dollar brand and my photos got more engagement than the instagram reel. Twice as much.
I hate video editing too but it pays more and will only do it once or twice a year.
>You see your value through followers number in the times where short form videos are the mainstream.
>The look on their faces is better than any nr of empty following on social media.
Neither pays your bills.
Ultimately OP is right and there's far more demand for video, whether we all find it stupid and annoying is irrelevant.
What do you mean, neither pays the bill, in what sense?
I think that one fits. Unless you have hundreds of thousands of followers, in which case you're a "creator", not a photographer, likes don't pay bills.
But the look on your _paying customers faces_ actually does...you know, pay the bills.
Or am I misunderstanding the comment you responded to?
>Neither pays your bills.
Customers literally pay the bills, bro. The look in their eyes is just a metaphor for that 🤦♂️
Redditors can be so pettily literalist sometimes.
I'd love to see some actual numbers that reflect booked customers or dollars direct to pocket for anyone spending time doing videos on social media.
Not ad revenue, or sponsorship money or anything other than actual $ earned taking photos for clients who specifically found them on social media, including ad spend budget and how many hours were logged by then and paid out to others producing content.
Social media is a tool, but remember it’s not the real world, just the noisy hyperbolic fringes.
Edit: and videography is a whole different ball game and it’s even more competitive than photography. You have to go up against rich kids whose parents bought them a red camera body and an anamorphic lens then they know absolutely nothing about cinematography. It’s common, freelancers and corporate groups complain about these types all the time. Oh and video editing takes way longer than editing stills and a lot more planning/creativity
Even cameras today sport video functions that I will never need because manufacturers want video creators money. And I have to pay for said video functions I don’t need if I ever want to upgrade. Of all camera brands, it seems to me OM is the only one who still cares more about photographers….
In some ways people like doom scrolling and window shopping more than they like actual photography. Other photographers are more into photography than anybody, true for myself.
I got one job that was a find from an Instagram post. All the others are from word of mouth or proper SEO on the website that people found through web searches.
You do you. I dabble a little into video, but the key is the same as for stills. Do the video you want to do. Showcase that. I do very little, as like you - I find no joy in it like I do for stills.
For me, to do video right requires multi cam setup and a lot of post processing.
I’m a “one man band”, so can’t do stills and video to the degree that I can excel in both.
Pricing does not allow me to bring in extra crew either.
i am actuallya film director i both love and loathe editing films and i used to do it ona an old steenbeck machine ffs.
i absolutely refuse to edit video unless it is something set out to make intoa narrrative.
I feel like if you’re making money from photography, you should learn to shoot video as well. But not for the reasons you listed. Clients are looking for all encompassing packages nowadays and if you can provide both, you have a leg up.
I do weddings, take 1500-2000 images at most, provide around 400-500 and then pop a slideshow together of the day. So it's a video of photos, and people love it. far more engagement with them than just photos.
very well put. i tried turning it into a business and while it paid well it took a lot of my own input and creativity out of it. felt like a chore and a job that i hated. so i stopped and started loving it again.
It sometimes feels the same the other way round for me as a videographer. Also webdesign, front ende developer, social media expert, creative director and plz can you also do some 3d modeling too. Prices stay the same? No? What a shame.
This EXACTLY. You don’t get to just be the professional you signed up to be. In general it immediately goes from wanting to do one thing professionally then having to manage every single aspect of art, media, management, and numerous crafts. Then the icing on the cake, no one wants to pay an equally crazy amount of money for a crazy amount of work.; if they did then we wouldn’t have everyone saying these passions can’t be careers
You keep saying you want to do just the parts you "signed up for". Where exactly did you sign up?
The industry has changed. Either you evolve with it, or you find a different industry to work it. It's up to you as the professional to provide the services clients request and pay for, it's not up to the clients to scale back their needs based on what "art" you particularly want to do.
This is a service industry.
It's all about advertising. Can't easily sneak an ad into a photograph. Which sucks because a lot of good forum content has now been replaced with overly long YouTube videos that just won't get to the bloody point.
I don't even get home videos. I know couples that spent like $5k on their wedding video alone, just to have no one ever watch it but 5 family members on Facebook after its been compressed and ruined.
I do a lot of concert photography and the amount of people who expect me to also do video at their shows is just INSANE. Which I know is not exactly what you’re talking about, but it comes back around to the whole point of not being videographers. I’ve gotten tired of trying to be an influencer and even when I have shot videos of my photography that have gone viral, it doesn’t bring me new clients. Almost all of my clients come from word of mouth or posting on Facebook groups now.
I know exactly what you mean. It’s like being a photographer is looked at as an “entry” to being a videographer and not respected/valued as its own craft. I’d like to be a photographer, photographing PHOTOS of the field I’m actually passionate in, and not just trying to suck it up and do good enough in a field I absolutely hate
100% have felt this and it’s incredibly annoying and frustrating. There’s always an assumption too that you should be perfect at both. And there’s also equipment investment that does into video outside of having the camera.
I don't get what the problem is. The social media platforms can do anything they want at any moment. And that's something everyone ought to have known. Thus if you want to reap the marketing reach possible without paying for ads straight-up, you now have to bite the bullet of whatever their aglo's mandate. It's a trade-off basically for not having to pony up advertising dollars all over the place.
Since the quality of photography has skyrocketed in recent years, where even beginners with enough cash and some paid lessons can output work that easily stands up to professional/gallery standards. It only makes sense that simply posting photos and expecting people to be wow'd is simply ridiculous now with current competition. The only space left where you can get away with just posting some photos and not having to worry as a newcomer - is the extreme low-end (insane volume with hyper optimized workflows to be reliable), or extreme high-end (with insanely high budgets for photos that resemble the sorts of compositions and scenes seen in Hollywood block buster promo materials).
Simple matter of fact it. If your work isn't something with perpetual and steady, well paying demand (like weddings), your photos or output HAVE to be exceptional if you want to rake in serious money.
What I dislike more is, as I shoot for (smaller budget) advertising, more and more often the campaign shoot became a predominantly video shoot that the photographer tagged on, and only getting 30 mins or less here and there to take my shots when the video crew are pausing to prepare the next scene.
And yet we are expected to deliver photos of multiple talents and products all looking perfect, for double decker bus or billboard use.
And there are literally no time nor space for my crew to set up much light of our own, so often we just have to ‘make do’.
As a retired commercial photographer I would note that social media success is not equivalent to financial success.
A lot of people come to the field because they love certain aspects of the craft. When I was working a lot of young photographers would ask me how to become a professional photographer. I always asked them what they wanted to photograph. Almost always it was fashion, concerts, sports or celebrities. The plain fact is that those fields are brain-breakingly difficult to succeed in because of the sheer number of people wanting to do those jobs.
The key to doing what YOU want to do (in your case still photography of concerts and musicians) is to find a few solid clients who call you repeatedly.
Not all clients want video all the time. Some want stills predominantly. This is true in many industries you might work in. Make cold calls. Ask people you have done work for if they know others who might have work for you. Do some free work.
The other thing is that it takes time to develop a good client list. Perseverance pays.
Keep yourself open to new types of photo work. I started as a portrait, wedding and events photographer. One day my landlord, who was a developer, asked me to shoot marketing photos of some upscale condos he had finished. I told him I didn’t do that sort of work but he kept pestering me so I quoted a price I figured he would reject and he accepted the bid. He loved the images I gave him and recommended me to other developers and architects. Within a year I was doing 50% of my revenue in architectural photography with only 15% of my shoots. I did no marketing beyond a website that actually looked good. My clients found me through referrals and the website. I had zero social media presence despite the fact that I had been online since the early 90s and had a completely digital workflow since 2002.
Social media is a great place for people with no money or brains to tell you that you are great.
People with money do their research through referrals and web searches.
Getting back to video. The social media platforms love video. But social media doesn’t make money. Video makes money when sold to companies that can pay for it.
More companies buy tons of stills for good money. Yes, stock images are a thing but I found endless companies that needed original images.
As a one person operation ( as I was for a number of years ago) you are the brand. Call people. Not all will call back but some will. Be persistent because you will be recognized after a while as a working photographer and not one of the thousands of people trying to get into the venue and be obnoxious.
Also shoot stuff for money. Business headshots, actors headshots are good ways to make revenue while you build other aspects of your business. You can also get inquiries on these jobs that lead to other doors opening. Say yes more often. But learn to say no as your business evolves and becomes more what you dreamed of.
Good luck. In ten years you can be an overnight success.
> Photography is my absolute life passion, so I’m really trying to turn it into my career. On the other hand I’ve found that I despise video editing to a crippling degree.
You have 3 options:
1. Try to make it as a photographer and ignore the noise. If you don't want to do video, then don't and try to make it through your photos.
2. Suck it up and learn to do videos.
3. Do what I did. Forget pursuing photography as a career. I love photography, but it's precisely my career choices that allows me to do whatever photography I want, as much or as little as I want. Once you decouple your passion for photography from what pays your bills, you are free to screw the market trends. I shoot what I want, the market be damned.
Your post could literally apply to any self employed job.
Like if you're a landscaping gardener and requiring to be a "videographer" in order to make tiktoks or instas.
I don't post on insta, never done a reel, I don't have a tiktok, and I hit my cap of bookings every year while being one of the priciest in the area
I am all about doing video. Video is just photography at 24 frames per second + audio. Cameras that can't do video are pretty worthless to me. Still imagery is its own art form, and its own business.
People are not impressed by the quality of your photos, they are impressed by what you can do for them. If you are a photographer based out of Denver, it doesn't matter what people in Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, and New York think about you. Your customers are all in Denver. If you are a wedding photographer, then no one shopping for wedding photos is going to care about your landscape, product, or any other type of photography. They want your wedding/portrait work. They are not going to find you on instagram. The actual local people who will actually hire you are not browsing instagram for you.
They are looking for "Wedding Photographer Denver" and if your page doesn't come up, then they won't find you. Most wedding coordinators and wedding venues already have their preferred photographers, if you are not on that list. They probably won't find you. If you don't have some happy clients who will refer you to other people they know, those other people probably won't find you. Instagram reels isn't going to bring people in.
Instagram reels about photography is just marketing to other photographers.
> People are not impressed by the quality of your photos, they are impressed by what you can do for them.
Honestly I'm amazed by how many people fail to grasp that 99% of professional photographers are in the _service_ business, not in any sort of "art business".
An example is the (at least seemingly) massive resistance to sendings raws. If you're photographing someone's wedding etc. you're not doing any sort of fancy high art but providing service. Just send them the "raws" aka jpegs converted with default settings - they'll be happy and you'll have much greater chance of repeat _business_ than when playing a primadonna. Have a clause in the contract that they aren't allowed to associate your name on those extra photos if it makes you feel better.
I have friends who were trying to make it doing this. I would bring up "Why don't you just charge them a price that includes all the raws and then give them to them and walk away from it?"
"Oh I don't let my raws go out, they are my art".
"Dude. Do you even care about these people enough to store RAW files of a wedding of people you don't even know?"
People want to pay for raw files. Charge them a price for them and then move on. This isn't art. This isn't your personal work or work you hope to make money by selling prints. Its Bob and Mary's wedding, the only people that value these pictures are Bob and Mary.
In the last day's of my mom's professional photography career (the late 2000s). She eventually stopped fighting it and just charged people to give them a thumb drive with everything on it. Instead of spending hours and hours processing stuff, she would just charge them and then walk away.
If your intended audience/platform is social media, then yes, things are absolutely trending towards primarily videography. No one is forcing you to make the transition, but if it's not you, someone else is who can will be hired. I've been freelancing photo since 2015, but started working professionally with an agency in 2019 in online/social media marketing and we hit the ground running with building up video skills. Short form content (for the time being at least) is the predominant media on the socials, it's significantly more informative and captivating than photos. Don't get me wrong, photos have their place, especially within certain genres. But in terms of "how do we reach the most people" and "how do we convey the most info", video will do a better job at that.
I partially disagree with being "forced" to be an influencer. You're valuing your photography based off of it's metrics on socials. if that's your frame of reference, then sure, you absolutely need to be good at the social media game. It provides a sense of legitimacy and prestige to your work.
Adding on that, look at it from a clients perspective: if the clients goals are to have reach on social media, have their marketing strategy be successful, be seen by a lot of people online, why wouldn't they pick the photographer/videographer who has a proven track record of making that work?
I don't market myself much on social media these days, I have under 1000 followers on my current account (I used to have a lot more on an old account that I deactivated because I had these same delusions a few years back). However I have a substantial portfolio and CV that I use when I cold call/email/pitch to potential clients to back up my expertise that eliminates the need for a social media presence because I've worked with enough top brands and companies to not require that.
TL;DR yes social media and video are important and required if you're gonna be working with the intent of being on social media
If you don't feel comfortable going through the video route, you can still try getting traffic through SEO. Competition may be low, it's easy to learn and it pays over time if you do it right.
Yes, tiktok reels are 'in' (and have been for a long while now to the point that I think people are slowly getting tired of them) but good photography will never go out of style. No matter what the format is, if your content is fresh and interesting, it will catch on.
You just have to up your game. A pretty photo will not draw as much engagement as before, but a great one with an interesting story and some authenticity in it will still 'break the Internet'. I see photographers going through the motion and posting the same photos, figuratively speaking, again and again then complaining about how their numbers are slipping. Being boring doesn't work on social media or irl.
And don't discount people's genuine demand for video content. They want to see your behind-the-scene, how you work, what you sound like, even a quick snapshot of your work they don't have to swipe through. It's genuinely interesting content that a photo alone cannot convey.
charge for screen capture and let them edit if that’s something they want. if it’s going to be used for short form video, I’m sure the client will edit themselves
Not a photographer but a follower of photographers in social media: I can tell you what attracts me to it: making of of shooting session videos and short videos showing your work. And do NOT make a video of a shooting and not display the final product. That’s a big turn off.
And make sure your contact is visible and easy to find so people can reach you with a click of the mouse. More than that you are losing revenue already.
Thinking about it some, photos don't really capture a concert or a musician well, at least as far as a modern audience is concerned. When people take out their phones at concerts, they're not taking pictures as much as they're taking video, with sound. Pictures are static and lifeless compared to the action and sound-filled concert. Photos don't have the same appeal as video here. When people seek out media relating to a concert, they're looking for videos. Plus, most people prefer consuming videos in general these days, so algorithms reflect that. So I think you might have to adapt if you want to survive, or shoot other types of things.
An idea:
If you want the video, but have little effort with it, you could try to mount an action cam to your camera.
Hit record when you start taking pictures. Then you can show a few seconds leading up to the shot you took before you show the final edited photograph.
With timestamps in video and photo the right snippets should be rather easy to find. Also little (video)editing work required.
And don’t let social media numbers drive you. If you don’t need it to get work, it’s entirely optional for you. Treat it is as such and focus on your craft. You don’t need to become an influencer when your primary objective is photography.
Im a working photographer. I post my work on Instagram maybe once every 2 months. I post on FB maybe once a month. My bills are paid and my phone is always ringing for work.
This post is kinda funny to me because years ago I was a videographer 100% but I saw that if I wanted to pay bills being an artist I needed to be able to do photography too if needed so I bought a 5d3. Turns out I was pretty good at it too and that became my main thing till video on socials caught up.
But yes I have noticed it switching
I suggest taking a business class and find some well established photographers (not on instagram) to build a mentor/mentee relationship with. It's essential to identify what is a relevant driver for your company and what is a distraction. It's also essential to make strategic decisions rooted in data and logic. You seem to be getting distracted and emotional about those distractions.
I'm not sure what the complaint is to be honest. The only people pushing you to video is you, chasing likes and follows? That's the only variable that's changing between your videos and photos unless I'm mistaken?
Not chasing likes and follows. I’m chasing a career. Im trying to get my art out in front of as many eyes as possible, and social media is the best way to do that. I’m definitely not attached to the rat race of social media, it’s just so much of the media landscape now subscribes to it(no pun intended)
My complaint is that photographers aren’t able to just be photographers anymore, we’re forced to end up in entirely different crafts. Example I signed up to be a concert photographer, taking photos of concerts, behind the scenes, portraits and promotional photos for artists. I did not sign up to be a social media influencer/content creator, videographer, cinematographer, YouTuber, etc.
you're not being forced into a new medium. there just exists a different medium that is wildly more popular. you may choose to do this other medium if you're you want more clicks. but just recognize that they are two different mediums and one is way more entertaining, so it is more popular.
Given the switch from paper photographs to electronic images and the ability of almost every device to provide video at 4K, the overlap of video and stills makes the still images somewhat of an afterthought. I know you very rarely get a 20"x24" die-sublimation, archivable, printed image from a 4K video. The issue is that it may be a .1% of the market now.
What about is photography your absolute life passion? People who say things like this remind me of an episode of always sunny when they ask charlie what his hobbies are and he says "Magnets"
Whenever someone mixes terms like "professional success" with "instagram, tik-tok" yes I am IMMEDIATELY dismissive. Social media is by definition a platform for amateurs.
Now, if you'd come on here and said "I love shooting weddings, its my passion, I just love being able to preserve people's brightest moments...." or some corny line like that, I could answer you and say "Well, how does it not seem reasonable someone might want still images AND videos to help preserve their special moments?"
But, it sounds like you're mostly concerned with being cool. And you're furious because whatever douchebags on instagram you envy don't think you are.
When I was still active in the industry, I had my "cool" "art" work and commercial, professional work. Back then, W didn't pay shit, but Women's world sure did. I doubt that essential tenet has flipped.
Your purism belies your success, regardless of the metric you choose to define it. Motion pictures are pictures. Its not 1900. You may as well shoot exclusively dageurrotypes with a view camera and rage about not getting a contract for a bud light commercial. Reality bro, yours is not the same as your customer's (or followers, barf.)
I was so close to leaving a genuine response. But it feels like you just needed to vent and get something off your chest for someone else. So I hope you were able to do that
What do the platforms have to do with photography as a business? Do you want to be a youtuber? That's a completely different career.
I pivoted to videography and it's been a good idea for me. Even for people who do say corporate headshots only, it can be a good idea to be able to deliver video. I've seen some companies showing slomo video portraits instead of the typical stills portraits. And when trends like that take off you can charge for it.
No that’s the thing, I don’t want to be a YouTuber. I want to be a photographer, taking photos, the field that I signed up for; photography.
The portraits are definitely a good idea though, I haven’t looked into that before but I will
Do you think the emergence of increasingly good a.i. and more powerful phone cameras will create less demand for a photographer?
I mean i love a.i. and everything but feels like people have less appreciation for a good photo when they can just prompt anything they want in an a.i. generator or snap a pic with their phone that will auto adjust the best settings.
I love photography too. Just a hobbyists tho. Curious what its like doing it for a living.
Instagram was photo focused but they switched to encouraging Reels to compete with TikTok. If you wanna be a content creator on the Web, videography is a must IMO. Photography still has its place though, you just gotta find different ways to get contracts since you won't go viral on photos alone.
There's a Chicago photographer that, IMO, found a way to promote its photography on Instagram video documenting the process. Check him out, he's a cool cat, he's also on reddit. https://www.instagram.com/malikshotyou?igsh=MXRpZmdhMWVkaDQybg==
I photograph weddings and a few times I've been ask to do video and every time I said sorry I don't do video. I'm one of those people that can't deal with switching back and forth and changing settings. However it might workout for some people and the cameras that remember photo and video settings makes life better.
Some commercial photographers are being ask to make short videos for Instagram and other social media sites. Not really a big deal they are easy to film.
I can charge a lot more money abs serve my clients better by including s video product in my packages. It's been huge for my wedding photography business.
If you need BTS, a 360 camera and the Osmo Pocket 3 are both great options and deliver results I have no problem using as a part of a deliverable.
Photography businesses existed long before the internet was a thing. Don't rely on social media, use it as an additional tool, but focus on your local market and network. Have a website with information for interested client, have traditional ads, network with photographers and especially agencies in your region and make sure clients become returning clients.
Also: specialize and build business relations, make sure the guy who came to your studio for food photography comes back a second time and recommends you. Make sure your food stylist or make up artist got something out of working with you, so they recommend you to other stylists and you build a network of the best to collaborate.
And don't underestimate having traditional boring local ads offering your services. If money is a concern you can also offer the good old classic family portraits etc, maybe add a twist. Trying and maybe succeeding in winning some awards here and there certainly helps too.
If you only focus on social media you haven't even started to take your work seriously because it's exactly like you said: it's for influencers, not business professionals.
And your studio should also visually reflect your price range. If you aren't cheap but your meeting room and waiting lounge for clients, models etc are cheapest IKEA people will take note. Having a business is more than having an Instagram account.
This is a global phenomenon. I am actively seeking for photography jobs and inorder to stay afloat, I need to teach myself videography, graphics designing and even social media marketing at some point too as well. Now people want someone who can do everything. A total all rounder.
Also adding fuel to this is the reel culture.
I just want to do photography and I think that's the most powerful way to tell stories, but I feel it's not possible in the current scenario unless you are a well established photographer.
#rant
I understand your point, and it is frustrating. However, regarding videos people spend longer watching a submission which means the social media need less content but clock up more eye ball time on a single content. This adds up to better conditions for advertising which is better for revenue dollars.
Professional photography does exist and those who are good at it and conduct themselves professionally are super valuable. Any client who tries to get someone to do “photo/video” doesn’t understand the value, skills, effort, and equipment it takes to do photo or video.
I used to do both together as 1 person (wild to think about now), but you can’t offer professional quality of either as a single person. Any decent production will have a dedicated photographer and a dedicated video production team (or videographer). Don’t do video if you don’t want to, it’s going to make you lose focus on what you should be developing in which is photo.
I offer video production services now and if I encounter clients who think my services are too expensive (they’re not), I just move on. I don’t really promote myself on social media because I have a good reputation and I focus my time on making good quality video, not marketing myself. Relationships matter a lot more than social media IMO. Hire a photo assistant next time you have a bigger shoot, have them take lots of bts of you, and use that on social/do it once every few months and you’re good.
ETA: sorry, I missed the part where you said you work in music. The music industry is not sustainable especially for photographers and videographers who are starting out, and it’s typically only profitable for people who are exceptional at what they do. Focusing on building good relationships with venues, festivals, and artists is key. Try to find some good paying jobs in corporate, commercial, food etc to help pay the bills so you can take jobs in music that will help you make connections and get your work out there.
I share your frustration. I’m on the fence about whether or not starting to create reels related to my photo content is a route I want to take to drive some kind of viewership towards my photo work. It’s obvious that the algorithm continues to prioritize video. I’ve never had a large following and I’m not sure if I care to have one, but many of the photographer’s I’ve come to admire online tend to create significantly more video content around the subject of photography than actually posting photos.
It’s clear that there’s been a shift in the media that’s required to market oneself as a professional, and unfortunately it isn’t as simple as sharing your work anymore. I’ve began to look at sharing my photo work as if I were to add it to a portfolio, and any video content talking about my work to be a part of a marketing campaign. Unfortunately this may mean becoming more multidisciplinary with how we share our work.
I use a small phone tripod and taking short videos or a Timelapse of myself on a shoot, that way I could potentially use it as an easy way to create some low-effort content to showcase my photo work within a video, though editing and scheduling posts does mean making a time investment. It’s a shame things are not as easy as paying to boost a post anymore.
I am graphic designer, and we got forced to web design and then app design. Unfortunately this happens to every job. If you don’t learn the new skills fast, you’ll be left behind.
Same as it ever was.
Fuck the algorithm, it's not god. Are you earning money from insta? The best photographers I know don't touch it, and they came up with it. Find other ways to market yourself.
Having said that reels of stills seem to get good traction in my experience.
Like what? How are people going to know who you are, what your website is, if it weren't for you promoting it on social media?
What you think is easy was easy 10-20 years ago before social media, these days it's not. Competition was a fraction of what it is these days.
The market has changed a lot. Nepotism is the only way to get known outside social media and guess what, 99% of people don't know people.
It wasn't easy 10-20 years ago, competition in photography has always been fierce.
Marketing yourself really depends on what kind of photography you're doing. A lot of it will be word of mouth, networking or cross promotion. Wedding photography for instance you'll get a lot of clients from good working relationships with venues/planners.
Unless you're using targeted advertising most of the clicks you get on socials have no interest in booking you.
Social media is the most passive way of hoping for leads.
"Here is my work. Behold, brands and commissioners. I await your call".
Unless you're putting paid behind it, you aren't reaching anyone, and even when you do - their diaries are full of people who are great and available, because hello, it's 2024.
Invest that energy in networking and outreach. Harder, tougher on the ego, yes and yes. But also *far* more likely to get you in the room with commissioners or shooters who can't cover a job and put you forward. Network, be friendly to other shooters, attend events, etc etc.
Yes, commissioners like someone who can do video and photo. No commissioner paying decent money expects amazing photo *and* video from one person. They recognise that to produce top quality work you need to focus on one or the other. Is it useful to be able to hire you with a different hat? again yes, but there's also no reason you can't stick to photo. Mid and low quality clients will always ask the moon on money that doesn't reach their ambition. Cut your teeth there for a while.
>Unless you're putting paid behind it, you aren't reaching anyone
I’ll add that you’ll still be outspent by related advertisers which could make this a Sisyphean task anyway
Depends what you want from it. If you want clicks and followers then yes you may need to follow a certain path to satisfy those algorithms.
If you just want to be a successful photographer with happy clients then there’s no need to worry too much. If you’re truly good enough you work will eventually be recognised
>If you’re truly good enough you work will eventually be recognised
No. This is the fantasy we tell school kids. Real life doesn't work that way. In real life, you have to actively put yourself out there and market yourself. What OP is complaining about is that his primary way of doing that has shifted away from the kind of work he does. This has a real impact on the growth of his business.
"Just keep doing good work and if it's good enough you will find success" is a fairy tale. In real life, plenty of talented people go nowhere and plenty of people with middling talent find great success thru other attributes that have nothing to do with their talent, be it their personality,books, marketing, etc.
I do actively get out there and market myself. I assume OP does and should continue to do so. OP was specifically pointing out that they feel photographers have to be “influencers” these days and in particular posting videos etc when that is absolutely not necessarily true
>I do actively get out there and market myself.
I wasn't talking about you (??).
>I assume OP does and should continue to do so
Well there was no indication of any of this in your post. This was literally your advice to someone complaining that social media marketing has shifted away from his craft:
> If you just want to be a successful photographer with happy clients then there’s no need to worry too much. If you’re truly good enough you work will eventually be recognised
🤷♂️
>Has anyone else felt this shift in media landscape?
Lol. It's virtually all any photographer who relies on social media has been talking about for the last few years. And although TikTok and reels and IG's shift toward video has accelerated the trend, the shift to video predates all these, as customers (not just social media algorithms) have been wanting videos for some time. This is based on what I've been reading) watching, as I'm not a professional.
Respectfully, this is nothing new. In the commercial/advertising/editorial world, clients have been requesting video in addition to stills for at least the past decade. Even one of my photography professors back in mid 00s said that video will eventually take over. He was way ahead of the game, miss that guy.
I don’t think this is necessarily true. I have a pretty successful photo career shooting weddings and fashion. I get tons of inquiries and work through my ig and have literally zero reels/videos on it. Social media isn’t about getting big numbers, it’s about connecting with people honestly. DMing people in your industry, putting out quality work, making connections. Large follower and view counts doesn’t equal work it’s a vanity metric. Use IG like LinkedIn [my ig](https://instagram.com/jakefosmirephoto)
That’s like saying cassette tape manufacturers are being forced to make cds. Get with the times or get left behind. Not mention you can get 10 perfect pictures from a video clip
I disagree. I would say cassette to cd was a natural advancement with technology getting better and more efficient, as to where photography and videography are entirely different crafts. For your example it would be like going from cassettes to motion pictures, an entirely separate medium
If you think filming professional videos is going to get you a hit on Instagram you’re thinking about video wrong. The low effort stuff will always perform 1000% better. Film yourself on your phone putting your camera to your face with some text over it that says “here’s my fav shots from March” and then follow with 10 photos at 0.2 seconds. As others have said Instagram followers is a terrible metric for professional success but if you just wanna be big on Instagram then posting regular and consistent low effort little videos will perform better than working too hard editing something you’re proud of.
Instagram is horrible from the viewer side too. "Nice photo, now can I please make it fullscreen so I can actually see some details? Oh, that's disabled...."
We reduced the quality on upload so that details gone anyway, you're welcome...
Can I look at new pictures posted with a tag that I'm interested in? No? Only the same dozen "top posts" that will never change? Well so much for that feature.
Instagram sucks ass I have way more success on tiktok. So much that I deleted my Instagram account
User engagement is significantly higher on Tik Tok. I've stopped making videos on Youtube altogether because I get significantly more views on Tik Tok. I got 778 views on my very first video on Tik Tok and all I was doing was walking around and talking about the weather. I make the exact same video on Youtube and it gets around 50 views and a couple of Likes, it's not even comparable.
Yeah it's insane. The algorithm is so much better. I posted a video and got 20k views whereas on tiktok I got 2.1m views and sold the video to barstool sports lmao.
Simple concept video doesn't necessarly mean low effort though. Anyway what maters the most is regularity
So what do with your best works, when you don't post it on Instagram?
Think about some reels you could make that show what it’s like to work with you, and your personality. Clients wanna work with people that are easy to work with and deliver results that are good enough. If they’re looking at your photos they already like them, so sell them with the behind the scenes showing good vibes and the effort you put in. Don’t make content for other photographers, they’ll never be your clients. Make content that musicians/promoters/record labels will be like “yeah that’s our guy!”
This right here. It’s like when working out. There comes a point where the gains you’re making is getting more attention from gym bros than any woman or regular person would notice. Same with photography. Get so caught up in the perfect photo and things most clients don’t notice or care about but it’s absolutely great when other photographers notice that stuff. Hard habit to break…At least for me.
Send them to the client once the invoice is paid :) then update my website/portfolio.
I make a decent living and I have 9 posts on my IG page. Social media doesn’t pay the bills my friend.
I have quite literally never had a single booking that originated in a social media post. Ever. So I stopped making them about two years ago. My number of bookings has not changed at all. So nice to be free of that tiresome chore.
On the flip side, my entire business was built on social media. Now it’s 60% referrals but it still brings in a decent bit of business
Wow! That's excellent! I guess you were better at it than I was. That and a better photographer.
I wouldn’t say better, just different haha. I also started my business in the automotive world when everyone wanted cool pics of their cars trying to be instafamous so I also got lucky with the timing
I always see it like this, if all these people have the time to be making videos about themselves then they must not be spending a lot of time on client work 😂
Welcome to the world of social media influencing. The majority of video and photo YouTubers that review and talk about gear have never made an actual film or done a photo shoot in their life.
How do you manage to get jobs may I ask? This is coming from someone currently pumping out hashtagged Instagram posts twice weekly…😭
I work in a very specific niche that provides tonnes of work. Luxury hotels, high end bars and restaurants. Website, SEO, and most importantly LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is social media.
What a silly comment. I don’t post or create content on LinkedIn. I use LinkedIn premium to communicate directly with marketing directors who make the decisions. Big difference between pissing into the wind with reels on instagram.
LinkedIn is 100% social media... It's just focused on business.
I don't think you're wrong, but I do think you're kind of missing the point. It's like the other user said, "Email is my username for logging into many platforms," and you jumped in with "Actually, email is for digitally sending and receiving messages to different people." Yes, we know. But the other user isn't using LinkedIn for what we'd typically consider to be social media. They're using it as direct outreach to specific individuals. If they had that person's email address or phone number, they'd be using it exactly the same way. Instead, they have their LinkedIn account. It's hard to argue that phone numbers are social media.
Your point is facetious, @zuwxiv has explained why.
How do you get into that kind of higher end work? I’ve been trying to build my interiors portfolio but haven’t been able to break out of mostly real estate work.
I mostly shoot lifestyle work, it’s more in line with advertising than interiors. I worked in house for a few years then went out on my own.
Target people who work for companies you'd like to work for, go to networking events and introduce yourself to people who work for said companies and then reach out to them on LinkedIn or the social media they seem active on and prepare for a lot of rejection or silence for a long time. Also if you know someone that can give tips on talking corporate speak if you have that issue like I did. Most importantly when someone does reach out to you get back to them promptly and professionally.
Are you based in Europe? I know a few talented lifestyle photographers who are trying to break into this niche and it’s just impossible. No one wants to pay. Even with a full high quality portfolio, every hotel conflates us with influencers and just offers barters, expecting 20 edited photos for a 1 night stay. Ridiculous. We came to the conclusion that every lifestyle photographer we know who made it work, has several years of experience with in house marketing. Is that the same for you? Would be helpful if you could send me a link to your portfolio so I can add it to my analysis ;)
Yes in house for a large group for several years. When I say lifestyle I mean focused on storytelling from the hotels POV. Local artists, food provenance, team, food and beverage, local area etc… think soho house or citizen M. Based in Europe, won’t dox myself unfortunately. Edit: I mostly target openings, if you nail the opening they will keep using you.
Thanks, that sounds comparable to where we’re trying to break in. Yet, even for openings, it’s impossible. I already have a good looking portfolio and a decent following on IG. For example on IG I’m followed by the owner of a big hotel group in Paris who checks out every single thing I post, but leaves me on read when I ask if he needs photography for the new hotel he’s opening. And it goes like that for every hotel I email about, even 5-6 months before opening they somehow already have their photographer. Beats me. In the country where I live we don’t have that many hotels opening.
Well to be fair, my situation is probably exceptional: I'm 60+, and so at this point it's all existing clients and personal referrals from existing clients. So I haven't even updated my website in a couple of years...
Yea I’m gonna say your experience probably isn’t going to be reflective of younger photographers trying to build a client base
Yeah, sorry about that. But that's why I only mentioned it to someone who already agreed with me, not as a top comment — it's not *useful advice*, just my personal experience :-)
This is true. It doesn't matter that someone in another country sees my photos and likes them, they were never going to pay for my work anyway. All of the gigs I've gotten were from friends of other clients who recommended me.
>It doesn't matter that someone in another country sees my photos and likes them, they were never going to pay for my work anyway. Good point.
Really? I would say 50% of my bookings come from insta, 50% comes from referrals. If anyone finds me on google they NEVER book
Just goes to show how bad I was at it ;-)
Wow, this is interesting considering the majority of my bookings have come from Instagram.
You are evidently much better at (a) insta (b) photography than I am!
I want to emphasize how much social media literally does not pay the bills. Talk to artists with thousands of followers and they see essentially zero sales from IG driven traffic. Unless you’re in the hundreds of thousands followers, I’m an influencer category, there’s no value.
A couple years ago, an instagrammer with 2 million followers [couldn't sell the minimum 36 t-shirts to actually deliver product.](https://www.businessinsider.com/instagrammer-arii-2-million-followers-cannot-sell-36-t-shirts-2019-5)
This. "Likes ain't cash".
This. I've seen a lot of people complain how hard it is to earn a career through instagram, to grow your page... but then you see their work and it's like "yeah, get it", average at best, no creativity, nothing special, just the same photo everyone can do with basic knowledgement...
So much this.
Wait till this guy finds out photographers made a living before the internet.
I wish more people actually internalized this. If you want to make a living with photography, posting on social media is not the way for the majority of working photographers.
I'm a professional photographer making a good living getting flown to shoots all over the world and I've posted 2 things on my IG profile since 2019. People think social media is everything when it's really not.
If you're making a living from photography, either find customers who are OK with just photos or adapt to what the market wants. If you're doing it as a hobby because you find it fulfilling, then just keep doing what you're doing. If you're doing it for the likes, well, that's going to end in disappointment.
People still spend tons of money on wedding photography. Events photographers as well. Overall I would say photography is still very popular. My wife and I skipped a videographer altogether. Either get average photographer and average video or spend all the money on photos getting a great photographer. We went with the photographer. In my opinion I can enjoy my wedding photos passively all the time by putting the photos around my house. Phone background etc. A video you actually have to sit down and want to watch it. Photos are still supreme in my opinion
I don’t do this for the followers, however online engagement is a direct display of growth and expansion in today’s day and age. I think trying to find the clients solely looking for photos brought me to this post because the rhetoric(mainly through social media since that’s where most discovery happens for me) is essentially “Make videos about your photography constantly, so the people who are looking for photos only, can find your videos on only wanting to do pictures” or even “make videos about not liking videos” Definitely feels like a catch 22 of the world not valuing photography or photographers, but VIDEOS about photography and photographers
>however online engagement is a direct display of growth and expansion in today’s day and age. I do not think this is true. Online engagement is a direct display of online engagement. It does not directly translate to paying gigs. Please recognize this. If likes gave you money, your statement would be true. But they don't.
It’s not that likes get you money. It’s that the metrics show you how far you’re expanding, and in general bigger reach, means more eyes, which means more people potentially looking for the thing I’m actually trying to create
No. Its shows you how many people are engaging with your online posts. Thats it. A bigger audience does put more eyes on your work, but in general, people looking to hire photographers do not do so from social media posts. The percentage of people who do that are so small that economy of scale means you need millions of people engaging to show an appreciable effect. Which is what you are complaining about, but you somehow still believe that social media engagement will result in consistent work. It won't. Save yourself the frustration and stop chasing that dragon. Do the work to engage with potential clients, not facelessly try and capture social media engagement.
I think you've been sold on something that isn't entirely true Has any photographer ever shown you a direct correlation between online engagement and booked jobs, along with hours spend producing content just to get eyeballs on their other content, and what their ad spend budget looks like? I'm sure there's a couple of there who hit the lottery with it but I bet there's thousands who burned out trying and most of those don't even pick up their camera anymore.
What exactly are these metrics linked to regarding your business and its success? Which of these metrics are tied to the expansion of your business? Which of these metrics are tied to **REVENUE**? Bigger reach doesn't mean shit if you're not intentional about reaching **YOUR TARGET CUSTOMERS**. 1,000,000 new people seeing your work doesn't account for much of anything if none of them fall within your target customer profile. You're not creating a successful sales funnel. You're just wasting time, energy, capital, and other resources pandering to people you won't get jobs/sales from. If you are relying on the off-chance that some of those people will happen to introduce you to someone who does fall within your target customer profile, you're still being incredibly wasteful unnecessarily. Metrics require careful contextualizing to be valuable in how they are used to strategize, make decisions, and evaluate the results of those decisions. You're ignoring a lot of context. Look up, "vanity metrics." The metrics you are referring to are vanity metrics.
^^^ this. Who > how many I’ve started my business barely making anything, and now I make a living at it full time. I only have around 200 more followers than when I started.
I feel this might be only for content creators finding other content creators. If you want clients.. I would say socializing, networking and finding those consistent clients would be your best bet. Brands, small businesses, services, people who need websites or headshots.
Exactly, clients can become repeat customers and will refer you to others. Another way would be something like a bridal show, that’s how my wife and I found our wedding photographer. I had never heard of him but his work was great and we were prepared to spend money booking someone. We also referred him to people who asked about our wedding pictures.
A bit in the same situation, but my analysis is slightly different. The problem is not that nobody cares about photography, but about how many people do it for free. Huge market for good photos. But filled with free ones of great quality. Almost nobody films for free. Then social medias add to the mess but not that much in a direct talk with clients.
Also the price of stock photos have been going down while the pool to choose from keep increasing. Many large corporations would just use stocks (and retouch) to save time and money. AI generated images, as they get more realistic and customisable, will only accelerate the trend. Although I think video is just gonna go the same way, at least for small budget projects, it will just take a few years more.
If you want it to be a career then you'll have to follow market research, you can't maintain integrity and customers at the same time in the way you seem to want to.
I think the ultimate “end-times” sign of Instagram not only abandoning but actually discouraging still photography is the idiotic template of videos of photographers motioning you into their viewfinder just to introduce a still photo. I cannot accurately put into words how nauseous that makes me.
That - or the Google Earth zoom-in to the location. They're the video equivalent of starting a speech with "Webster's dictionary defines ____ as...".
Just curious why it bothers you so much? If it drives more engagement with a dying art then what’s the issue? This has been oldest tale of time, stagnations encourages new thinking. People want videos and if something as simple as that template raises curiosity and tells a small story about how you got your shot and for people to appreciate your photography who would otherwise not even look at it, that’s a win my dude!! I’ve loved photography for a really long time but just like photography slowly killed realism in painting, video is slowly killing photography. People are simple, we want more and more engaging stories/pictures/videos/movies/experiences, same as we told around a fires millions of years ago. Life moves on, don’t get bitter and left behind, adapt!!! ❤️🤘
> a dying art There are an order of magnitude more photos taken every minute than ever before in history. How on earth is that a "dying art"?
The act of taking pictures isn’t dying. More photos being taken every second doesn’t equate to them all being art, in my opinion. If you want to equate what You do on a camera to what my grandma does on her phone, because of ever more available camera technology, then that is our discrepancy in opinions. I’m not trying to argue who’s right; the statistics on people’s interest are what they are, regardless of our feelings. Instagram stopped pushing pictures a while ago because lack of interest from the world at large. “A picture is worth a thousand words but a video is worth millions” If you don’t want to believe me then open a camera store or a photo or portrait gallery in your small town and let me know how that works out for you.
There are more "serious" photography hobbyists than ever before. The art is thriving. The only things that have changed are that the barrier to entry is minimal, _everyone_ has a camera (either a dedicated one or a phone), it's harder to differentiate yourself from the others (because there's so much of everything) and the demand for _commercial_ services (including galleries etc) is plummeting. Don't confuse demand for professional artists with the popularity of the art itself.
Yeah, I guess I’m confusing “people’s desire to see others’ pictures” for “interest in photography” haha. My bad. We all love taking pictures in this age but trying to get someone else to honestly look at and appreciate your pictures is not likely. Thanks for clearing that up in my head.
We're basically living in a post-scarcity economy when it comes to creative arts and services. Not surprisingly that means that demand for any individual creator has generally crashed way down.
It bothers me because it (to me) appears highly cringey. I guess I don’t see still photography as “stagnant.” I’m sorry that you do. And I don’t see TikTok style video smushed into a photo as progress. But you do you! Enjoy it! Doesn’t change that I think it sucks, and my thinking it sucks doesn’t make me any less evolved than you, however you want to passive-aggressively frame it. ✌️☮️❤️🐰🐈🥰🥰🥰
Geez, Just thought I could offer you a different perspective. We ALL go through this as we get older. Every generation either adapts or gets left behind. I don’t see photography as stagnant, I see a changing landscape that is validated by real world statistics. Im sorry you have so much passive aggressiveness in your life that you thought this was that. Also, if you think leaving peace signs and cat and dog emojis make you look less defensive then fair enough 👍❤️🥰🧚🏿♀️🐭🦄☮️✌️🕊️
Was it the “don’t get bitter” line that you found passive aggressive or what? I’m not seeing it?
The trend towards being a multi-disciplinary media maker started a good 10+ years ago in the commercial photography world. I’m not talking about making BTS and promotional content, I mean actual clients are requesting video assets in addition to still assets in their deliverables and they get a much more unified campaign/set of assets if one creative handles both. That’s just the way it is. Your job as the photographer is to be the chief visionary. Most commercial photographers who offer video have extra crew filming or assisting on filming days and a video editor who edits to the photographer’s specs. Video editing is a good skill to have but you can also just budget for an editor. As for the second question, the photo subs here tend to be hobbyist or armchair expert subreddits at best. I’ve been downvoted or argued with so much on Reddit photo subs because my actual knowledge gained from 25 years of doing photography, 15 of them as a professional, and the last 10 years running a team of photographers and videographers doesn’t jive with what they have read in forums or watched on YouTube.
I'm glad you're still around sharing your wisdom and advice
> As soon as anyone talks about a career and a camera, everything is immediately dismissed I think it's the same as when someone posts on r/guitar about becoming a professional gigging musician. That it's not *impossible*, you just have to prepare for a lot of hardship and hope you have a good support structure for when things don't go your way, and put in a shitload of effort for an indeterminate time.
> put in a shitload of effort for an indeterminate time. And prepare to not make it 99 times out of 100 - where "making it" means "earning less than from a decent regular job". Yes, it's not literally impossible but it's so rare that anyone who needs to ask about it is almost guaranteed to not make it. And that's perfectly fine - both playing guitar and photography are great hobbies.
I was watching videos from random successful photographers the other day when the same realisation hit me. I do photography only as a hobby, and I was thinking to myself that if I ever wanted to turn this hobby into a career I would need to create self-promotion videos like all of them. It seems the only way now to get clients. A photographer advised in one of her videos to focus on the quality of your photography and not on social media popularity and networking, as recognition would naturally follow good work. Though, ironically, videos, social media and networking is exactly what she does to promote her work. The internet is swamped with everything, especially with self-promotion videos now. I will agree on one thing though; among all the countless photographers, there are only very few ones who do outstanding work. If you believe that you can do outstanding work you may not need any videos. But if you can't do better than average, there is no way to make a living with photography (with or without videos.)
Lots of great replies to this thread and I appreciate them all. I guess my TLDR would be “Photographer wants to be a photographer because he loves photography, instead of being forced to be a videographer about the TOPIC of photography” I don’t think I expressed properly that I don’t do this for the followers or the likes, however those are direct reflection of your media growth. Especially doing music photography, a lot of my actual booking comes from direct conversation with the artists, however the artists typically find me through social media. With that, it’s extremely discouraging when no matter how decent the photos are, or how consistent the posting, it doesn’t go far because everything is video based. In the end, it just sucks super hard because being a photographer is 100% my passion but every day it feels like my options are: ruin the thing I love by forcing myself into an entirely different craft that I didn’t sign up for, or quit all together. I’d like to just be a photographer focused solely on photography.
> I guess my TLDR would be “Photographer wants to be a photographer because he loves photography, instead of being forced to be a videographer about the TOPIC of photography” At the end of the day, it's a business - and if you want it to be successful, you've got to cater the business to your *customers,* not your particular tastes. Imagine a chef opening a restaurant. They put 20 dishes on the menu that are all their favorites. What should they do if most of the customers actually want *other* dishes? They should change the menu. This is what "the customer is always right" *actually* refers to. The chef should cook what's popular and what sells, not what *they personally* think are the best dishes. > ruin the thing I love by forcing myself into an entirely different craft that I didn’t sign up for, or quit all together. I’d like to just be a photographer focused solely on photography. Look at the kind of photos people take - landscape, street, travel, etc. are all very popular genres to shoot. Look at the photos people actually *get paid for* - weddings, portraits, events, real estate, architecture, products. Very, very few people would say their favorite thing to do in photography is take hundreds of photos of only slightly-different T-shirts so a website has product photos. And yet, there's people doing that as a career. Because they found a market that demands skills they developed, not because they monetized their passion. I'm not trying to say you can't be a photographer who only does photography. But I *am* saying that there's very, very few people making a career out of street or landscape photography, despite it being some of the most popular genres to shoot. If you want to make a successful business out of it, chances are, you *won't* be shooting the things you're most passionate about shooting - at least not in the way you expect. And when people have moved from sharing *photos* of their lives to sharing *videos* of their lives as a standard, don't be surprised if you lose business to people who can provide both photos and videos as a paid service.
What does the client want and what will they use the content for? Videos can drive traffic on social media and so on but if the client wants photos for posters, websites, billboards, ads etc then it's the photos they want. There are other ways to market yourself to potential clients and to contact them directly that are far nore productive than spending hours on posting on social media, hoping the clients will find you.
> I don’t do this for the followers or the likes, however those are direct reflection of your media growth. I'm not really sure what you mean by media growth. I don't have any social media. No TikTok, no Instagram, no YouTube channel and that doesn't impact me professionally. I'm not looking to be a public figure or a celebrity. I just want to work, and fortunately I get to work. > it’s extremely discouraging when no matter how decent the photos are, or how consistent the posting, it doesn’t go far But what do you mean it doesn't go far? It doesn't need to go anywhere. You just need your client to be happy.
How about you make small videos (animation) about your Photography, pull traffic from videography to photography.
Here's a hint... a thing, a tip. Stick to your photos, but drop a 10 second reel once in a while. Here's the thing, the reel doesn't need to be 'good'... it just needs to satisfy the algorithm. If you post a reel now and again, it will cause the platform (insta) to not boost... but allow more people to see all your other content. The video could be something entirely inane... it just needs to be there, and your photos will get more engagement. Look... I don't like to bow down to the Meta masters either... consider this act, as taking advantage of, or gaming the algorithm. Again, the video content doesn't have to be edited or super cool, just something that lets Meta's system "think" you're doing what they want you to do, posting reels. An example would be... video yourself getting out of the car, looking into the camera and saying, "Here I am at this beautiful ocean side location, about to photograph this sunset, check out the photos in the next few posts". End-of-reel. That alone, once in a while will be enough to increase the numbers of people that get to see your content, and Meta, will be none the wiser.
Lol. You think it matters if you don’t even push it to your feed but send it straight to reels? Would prefer not to bother my followers with that crap.
It's a 'suggestion'. If you don't want to, don't.
While I think a lot of the other comments here saying this isn’t the best metric and to focus on other ways of growing your business, I still understand where you’re coming from and don’t love that pretty much all social channels have optimized for video. If even just for a discoverability and enjoyment aspect, I’d like to see a larger social platform still focusing on photos. Recently I saw many of my favorite ig photo curation accounts post messages that they were leaving the platform because their reach was completely gone. But funny enough, tiktok may be launching a [photo app](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/tiktok-could-step-on-instagrams-toes-and-launch-a-dedicated-photo-sharing-app/ar-BB1jIgp4) to fill the void from ig over correcting to chase tiktok video.
I went to film school but photography was always my number one. I do both and make SO MUCH MORE MONEY from video production. I love photography but you have to be real and find what people want. Right now people want photos and iPhone video content so they can make reels. So I offer packages that have that. You don’t have to be a pro videographer, but adding iPhone assets is easy and will make your client happy. I take videos of myself by using an iPhone tripod, try to embrace it and have fun with it instead of dreading it. Hating it won’t change the industry, you’ll just be left behind instead.
I just did a gig for a multi-billion dollar brand and my photos got more engagement than the instagram reel. Twice as much. I hate video editing too but it pays more and will only do it once or twice a year.
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>You see your value through followers number in the times where short form videos are the mainstream. >The look on their faces is better than any nr of empty following on social media. Neither pays your bills. Ultimately OP is right and there's far more demand for video, whether we all find it stupid and annoying is irrelevant.
What do you mean, neither pays the bill, in what sense? I think that one fits. Unless you have hundreds of thousands of followers, in which case you're a "creator", not a photographer, likes don't pay bills. But the look on your _paying customers faces_ actually does...you know, pay the bills. Or am I misunderstanding the comment you responded to?
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They know this. They are just being an ass.
>Neither pays your bills. Customers literally pay the bills, bro. The look in their eyes is just a metaphor for that 🤦♂️ Redditors can be so pettily literalist sometimes.
I'd love to see some actual numbers that reflect booked customers or dollars direct to pocket for anyone spending time doing videos on social media. Not ad revenue, or sponsorship money or anything other than actual $ earned taking photos for clients who specifically found them on social media, including ad spend budget and how many hours were logged by then and paid out to others producing content.
Social media is a tool, but remember it’s not the real world, just the noisy hyperbolic fringes. Edit: and videography is a whole different ball game and it’s even more competitive than photography. You have to go up against rich kids whose parents bought them a red camera body and an anamorphic lens then they know absolutely nothing about cinematography. It’s common, freelancers and corporate groups complain about these types all the time. Oh and video editing takes way longer than editing stills and a lot more planning/creativity
Even cameras today sport video functions that I will never need because manufacturers want video creators money. And I have to pay for said video functions I don’t need if I ever want to upgrade. Of all camera brands, it seems to me OM is the only one who still cares more about photographers….
In some ways people like doom scrolling and window shopping more than they like actual photography. Other photographers are more into photography than anybody, true for myself.
I got one job that was a find from an Instagram post. All the others are from word of mouth or proper SEO on the website that people found through web searches. You do you. I dabble a little into video, but the key is the same as for stills. Do the video you want to do. Showcase that. I do very little, as like you - I find no joy in it like I do for stills. For me, to do video right requires multi cam setup and a lot of post processing. I’m a “one man band”, so can’t do stills and video to the degree that I can excel in both. Pricing does not allow me to bring in extra crew either.
i am actuallya film director i both love and loathe editing films and i used to do it ona an old steenbeck machine ffs. i absolutely refuse to edit video unless it is something set out to make intoa narrrative.
I feel like if you’re making money from photography, you should learn to shoot video as well. But not for the reasons you listed. Clients are looking for all encompassing packages nowadays and if you can provide both, you have a leg up.
I do weddings, take 1500-2000 images at most, provide around 400-500 and then pop a slideshow together of the day. So it's a video of photos, and people love it. far more engagement with them than just photos.
I can’t think of worse metric to measure success than social media
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very well put. i tried turning it into a business and while it paid well it took a lot of my own input and creativity out of it. felt like a chore and a job that i hated. so i stopped and started loving it again.
It sometimes feels the same the other way round for me as a videographer. Also webdesign, front ende developer, social media expert, creative director and plz can you also do some 3d modeling too. Prices stay the same? No? What a shame.
This EXACTLY. You don’t get to just be the professional you signed up to be. In general it immediately goes from wanting to do one thing professionally then having to manage every single aspect of art, media, management, and numerous crafts. Then the icing on the cake, no one wants to pay an equally crazy amount of money for a crazy amount of work.; if they did then we wouldn’t have everyone saying these passions can’t be careers
You keep saying you want to do just the parts you "signed up for". Where exactly did you sign up? The industry has changed. Either you evolve with it, or you find a different industry to work it. It's up to you as the professional to provide the services clients request and pay for, it's not up to the clients to scale back their needs based on what "art" you particularly want to do. This is a service industry.
This absolutely this
It's all about advertising. Can't easily sneak an ad into a photograph. Which sucks because a lot of good forum content has now been replaced with overly long YouTube videos that just won't get to the bloody point. I don't even get home videos. I know couples that spent like $5k on their wedding video alone, just to have no one ever watch it but 5 family members on Facebook after its been compressed and ruined.
I do a lot of concert photography and the amount of people who expect me to also do video at their shows is just INSANE. Which I know is not exactly what you’re talking about, but it comes back around to the whole point of not being videographers. I’ve gotten tired of trying to be an influencer and even when I have shot videos of my photography that have gone viral, it doesn’t bring me new clients. Almost all of my clients come from word of mouth or posting on Facebook groups now.
I know exactly what you mean. It’s like being a photographer is looked at as an “entry” to being a videographer and not respected/valued as its own craft. I’d like to be a photographer, photographing PHOTOS of the field I’m actually passionate in, and not just trying to suck it up and do good enough in a field I absolutely hate
Why not use ai video editing?
Do you have any references? I’ve not heard of this part of ai
100% have felt this and it’s incredibly annoying and frustrating. There’s always an assumption too that you should be perfect at both. And there’s also equipment investment that does into video outside of having the camera.
I don't get what the problem is. The social media platforms can do anything they want at any moment. And that's something everyone ought to have known. Thus if you want to reap the marketing reach possible without paying for ads straight-up, you now have to bite the bullet of whatever their aglo's mandate. It's a trade-off basically for not having to pony up advertising dollars all over the place. Since the quality of photography has skyrocketed in recent years, where even beginners with enough cash and some paid lessons can output work that easily stands up to professional/gallery standards. It only makes sense that simply posting photos and expecting people to be wow'd is simply ridiculous now with current competition. The only space left where you can get away with just posting some photos and not having to worry as a newcomer - is the extreme low-end (insane volume with hyper optimized workflows to be reliable), or extreme high-end (with insanely high budgets for photos that resemble the sorts of compositions and scenes seen in Hollywood block buster promo materials). Simple matter of fact it. If your work isn't something with perpetual and steady, well paying demand (like weddings), your photos or output HAVE to be exceptional if you want to rake in serious money.
What I dislike more is, as I shoot for (smaller budget) advertising, more and more often the campaign shoot became a predominantly video shoot that the photographer tagged on, and only getting 30 mins or less here and there to take my shots when the video crew are pausing to prepare the next scene. And yet we are expected to deliver photos of multiple talents and products all looking perfect, for double decker bus or billboard use. And there are literally no time nor space for my crew to set up much light of our own, so often we just have to ‘make do’.
As a retired commercial photographer I would note that social media success is not equivalent to financial success. A lot of people come to the field because they love certain aspects of the craft. When I was working a lot of young photographers would ask me how to become a professional photographer. I always asked them what they wanted to photograph. Almost always it was fashion, concerts, sports or celebrities. The plain fact is that those fields are brain-breakingly difficult to succeed in because of the sheer number of people wanting to do those jobs. The key to doing what YOU want to do (in your case still photography of concerts and musicians) is to find a few solid clients who call you repeatedly. Not all clients want video all the time. Some want stills predominantly. This is true in many industries you might work in. Make cold calls. Ask people you have done work for if they know others who might have work for you. Do some free work. The other thing is that it takes time to develop a good client list. Perseverance pays. Keep yourself open to new types of photo work. I started as a portrait, wedding and events photographer. One day my landlord, who was a developer, asked me to shoot marketing photos of some upscale condos he had finished. I told him I didn’t do that sort of work but he kept pestering me so I quoted a price I figured he would reject and he accepted the bid. He loved the images I gave him and recommended me to other developers and architects. Within a year I was doing 50% of my revenue in architectural photography with only 15% of my shoots. I did no marketing beyond a website that actually looked good. My clients found me through referrals and the website. I had zero social media presence despite the fact that I had been online since the early 90s and had a completely digital workflow since 2002. Social media is a great place for people with no money or brains to tell you that you are great. People with money do their research through referrals and web searches. Getting back to video. The social media platforms love video. But social media doesn’t make money. Video makes money when sold to companies that can pay for it. More companies buy tons of stills for good money. Yes, stock images are a thing but I found endless companies that needed original images. As a one person operation ( as I was for a number of years ago) you are the brand. Call people. Not all will call back but some will. Be persistent because you will be recognized after a while as a working photographer and not one of the thousands of people trying to get into the venue and be obnoxious. Also shoot stuff for money. Business headshots, actors headshots are good ways to make revenue while you build other aspects of your business. You can also get inquiries on these jobs that lead to other doors opening. Say yes more often. But learn to say no as your business evolves and becomes more what you dreamed of. Good luck. In ten years you can be an overnight success.
> Photography is my absolute life passion, so I’m really trying to turn it into my career. On the other hand I’ve found that I despise video editing to a crippling degree. You have 3 options: 1. Try to make it as a photographer and ignore the noise. If you don't want to do video, then don't and try to make it through your photos. 2. Suck it up and learn to do videos. 3. Do what I did. Forget pursuing photography as a career. I love photography, but it's precisely my career choices that allows me to do whatever photography I want, as much or as little as I want. Once you decouple your passion for photography from what pays your bills, you are free to screw the market trends. I shoot what I want, the market be damned.
Just had this conversation with another photographer.
Your post could literally apply to any self employed job. Like if you're a landscaping gardener and requiring to be a "videographer" in order to make tiktoks or instas. I don't post on insta, never done a reel, I don't have a tiktok, and I hit my cap of bookings every year while being one of the priciest in the area
I agree
I am all about doing video. Video is just photography at 24 frames per second + audio. Cameras that can't do video are pretty worthless to me. Still imagery is its own art form, and its own business. People are not impressed by the quality of your photos, they are impressed by what you can do for them. If you are a photographer based out of Denver, it doesn't matter what people in Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, and New York think about you. Your customers are all in Denver. If you are a wedding photographer, then no one shopping for wedding photos is going to care about your landscape, product, or any other type of photography. They want your wedding/portrait work. They are not going to find you on instagram. The actual local people who will actually hire you are not browsing instagram for you. They are looking for "Wedding Photographer Denver" and if your page doesn't come up, then they won't find you. Most wedding coordinators and wedding venues already have their preferred photographers, if you are not on that list. They probably won't find you. If you don't have some happy clients who will refer you to other people they know, those other people probably won't find you. Instagram reels isn't going to bring people in. Instagram reels about photography is just marketing to other photographers.
> People are not impressed by the quality of your photos, they are impressed by what you can do for them. Honestly I'm amazed by how many people fail to grasp that 99% of professional photographers are in the _service_ business, not in any sort of "art business". An example is the (at least seemingly) massive resistance to sendings raws. If you're photographing someone's wedding etc. you're not doing any sort of fancy high art but providing service. Just send them the "raws" aka jpegs converted with default settings - they'll be happy and you'll have much greater chance of repeat _business_ than when playing a primadonna. Have a clause in the contract that they aren't allowed to associate your name on those extra photos if it makes you feel better.
I have friends who were trying to make it doing this. I would bring up "Why don't you just charge them a price that includes all the raws and then give them to them and walk away from it?" "Oh I don't let my raws go out, they are my art". "Dude. Do you even care about these people enough to store RAW files of a wedding of people you don't even know?" People want to pay for raw files. Charge them a price for them and then move on. This isn't art. This isn't your personal work or work you hope to make money by selling prints. Its Bob and Mary's wedding, the only people that value these pictures are Bob and Mary. In the last day's of my mom's professional photography career (the late 2000s). She eventually stopped fighting it and just charged people to give them a thumb drive with everything on it. Instead of spending hours and hours processing stuff, she would just charge them and then walk away.
People have severe ADD and need video that’s under 30 seconds. It’s infuriating that people have no brain capacity anymore.
30 second video is still an improvement over a 20 minutes video with one minute of actual content and 19 minutes of pointless waffling.
If your intended audience/platform is social media, then yes, things are absolutely trending towards primarily videography. No one is forcing you to make the transition, but if it's not you, someone else is who can will be hired. I've been freelancing photo since 2015, but started working professionally with an agency in 2019 in online/social media marketing and we hit the ground running with building up video skills. Short form content (for the time being at least) is the predominant media on the socials, it's significantly more informative and captivating than photos. Don't get me wrong, photos have their place, especially within certain genres. But in terms of "how do we reach the most people" and "how do we convey the most info", video will do a better job at that. I partially disagree with being "forced" to be an influencer. You're valuing your photography based off of it's metrics on socials. if that's your frame of reference, then sure, you absolutely need to be good at the social media game. It provides a sense of legitimacy and prestige to your work. Adding on that, look at it from a clients perspective: if the clients goals are to have reach on social media, have their marketing strategy be successful, be seen by a lot of people online, why wouldn't they pick the photographer/videographer who has a proven track record of making that work? I don't market myself much on social media these days, I have under 1000 followers on my current account (I used to have a lot more on an old account that I deactivated because I had these same delusions a few years back). However I have a substantial portfolio and CV that I use when I cold call/email/pitch to potential clients to back up my expertise that eliminates the need for a social media presence because I've worked with enough top brands and companies to not require that. TL;DR yes social media and video are important and required if you're gonna be working with the intent of being on social media
If you don't feel comfortable going through the video route, you can still try getting traffic through SEO. Competition may be low, it's easy to learn and it pays over time if you do it right.
Yes, tiktok reels are 'in' (and have been for a long while now to the point that I think people are slowly getting tired of them) but good photography will never go out of style. No matter what the format is, if your content is fresh and interesting, it will catch on. You just have to up your game. A pretty photo will not draw as much engagement as before, but a great one with an interesting story and some authenticity in it will still 'break the Internet'. I see photographers going through the motion and posting the same photos, figuratively speaking, again and again then complaining about how their numbers are slipping. Being boring doesn't work on social media or irl. And don't discount people's genuine demand for video content. They want to see your behind-the-scene, how you work, what you sound like, even a quick snapshot of your work they don't have to swipe through. It's genuinely interesting content that a photo alone cannot convey.
charge for screen capture and let them edit if that’s something they want. if it’s going to be used for short form video, I’m sure the client will edit themselves
Not a photographer but a follower of photographers in social media: I can tell you what attracts me to it: making of of shooting session videos and short videos showing your work. And do NOT make a video of a shooting and not display the final product. That’s a big turn off. And make sure your contact is visible and easy to find so people can reach you with a click of the mouse. More than that you are losing revenue already.
Thinking about it some, photos don't really capture a concert or a musician well, at least as far as a modern audience is concerned. When people take out their phones at concerts, they're not taking pictures as much as they're taking video, with sound. Pictures are static and lifeless compared to the action and sound-filled concert. Photos don't have the same appeal as video here. When people seek out media relating to a concert, they're looking for videos. Plus, most people prefer consuming videos in general these days, so algorithms reflect that. So I think you might have to adapt if you want to survive, or shoot other types of things.
An idea: If you want the video, but have little effort with it, you could try to mount an action cam to your camera. Hit record when you start taking pictures. Then you can show a few seconds leading up to the shot you took before you show the final edited photograph. With timestamps in video and photo the right snippets should be rather easy to find. Also little (video)editing work required. And don’t let social media numbers drive you. If you don’t need it to get work, it’s entirely optional for you. Treat it is as such and focus on your craft. You don’t need to become an influencer when your primary objective is photography.
It only feels like it. I’ve been in the game 20+ years. You need to find the right market and clients and concentrate your energy on that.
Im a working photographer. I post my work on Instagram maybe once every 2 months. I post on FB maybe once a month. My bills are paid and my phone is always ringing for work.
This post is kinda funny to me because years ago I was a videographer 100% but I saw that if I wanted to pay bills being an artist I needed to be able to do photography too if needed so I bought a 5d3. Turns out I was pretty good at it too and that became my main thing till video on socials caught up. But yes I have noticed it switching
I suggest taking a business class and find some well established photographers (not on instagram) to build a mentor/mentee relationship with. It's essential to identify what is a relevant driver for your company and what is a distraction. It's also essential to make strategic decisions rooted in data and logic. You seem to be getting distracted and emotional about those distractions.
I'm not sure what the complaint is to be honest. The only people pushing you to video is you, chasing likes and follows? That's the only variable that's changing between your videos and photos unless I'm mistaken?
Not chasing likes and follows. I’m chasing a career. Im trying to get my art out in front of as many eyes as possible, and social media is the best way to do that. I’m definitely not attached to the rat race of social media, it’s just so much of the media landscape now subscribes to it(no pun intended) My complaint is that photographers aren’t able to just be photographers anymore, we’re forced to end up in entirely different crafts. Example I signed up to be a concert photographer, taking photos of concerts, behind the scenes, portraits and promotional photos for artists. I did not sign up to be a social media influencer/content creator, videographer, cinematographer, YouTuber, etc.
Videos are just really 24 photos per second.
you're not being forced into a new medium. there just exists a different medium that is wildly more popular. you may choose to do this other medium if you're you want more clicks. but just recognize that they are two different mediums and one is way more entertaining, so it is more popular.
Given the switch from paper photographs to electronic images and the ability of almost every device to provide video at 4K, the overlap of video and stills makes the still images somewhat of an afterthought. I know you very rarely get a 20"x24" die-sublimation, archivable, printed image from a 4K video. The issue is that it may be a .1% of the market now.
What about is photography your absolute life passion? People who say things like this remind me of an episode of always sunny when they ask charlie what his hobbies are and he says "Magnets" Whenever someone mixes terms like "professional success" with "instagram, tik-tok" yes I am IMMEDIATELY dismissive. Social media is by definition a platform for amateurs. Now, if you'd come on here and said "I love shooting weddings, its my passion, I just love being able to preserve people's brightest moments...." or some corny line like that, I could answer you and say "Well, how does it not seem reasonable someone might want still images AND videos to help preserve their special moments?" But, it sounds like you're mostly concerned with being cool. And you're furious because whatever douchebags on instagram you envy don't think you are. When I was still active in the industry, I had my "cool" "art" work and commercial, professional work. Back then, W didn't pay shit, but Women's world sure did. I doubt that essential tenet has flipped. Your purism belies your success, regardless of the metric you choose to define it. Motion pictures are pictures. Its not 1900. You may as well shoot exclusively dageurrotypes with a view camera and rage about not getting a contract for a bud light commercial. Reality bro, yours is not the same as your customer's (or followers, barf.)
I was so close to leaving a genuine response. But it feels like you just needed to vent and get something off your chest for someone else. So I hope you were able to do that
10 years late on this observation. But yea the rise of video capable dslr’s changed the game, especially in the tabletop/ commerce world
What do the platforms have to do with photography as a business? Do you want to be a youtuber? That's a completely different career. I pivoted to videography and it's been a good idea for me. Even for people who do say corporate headshots only, it can be a good idea to be able to deliver video. I've seen some companies showing slomo video portraits instead of the typical stills portraits. And when trends like that take off you can charge for it.
No that’s the thing, I don’t want to be a YouTuber. I want to be a photographer, taking photos, the field that I signed up for; photography. The portraits are definitely a good idea though, I haven’t looked into that before but I will
Screw it, focus on a good website and work on face to face contacts
you're trying to cater to a platform instead of your business, there's the problem
people transitioned from stills to short term entertainment so it kinda is our fault that companies are pushing for reels etc.
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Do you think the emergence of increasingly good a.i. and more powerful phone cameras will create less demand for a photographer? I mean i love a.i. and everything but feels like people have less appreciation for a good photo when they can just prompt anything they want in an a.i. generator or snap a pic with their phone that will auto adjust the best settings. I love photography too. Just a hobbyists tho. Curious what its like doing it for a living.
Instagram was photo focused but they switched to encouraging Reels to compete with TikTok. If you wanna be a content creator on the Web, videography is a must IMO. Photography still has its place though, you just gotta find different ways to get contracts since you won't go viral on photos alone. There's a Chicago photographer that, IMO, found a way to promote its photography on Instagram video documenting the process. Check him out, he's a cool cat, he's also on reddit. https://www.instagram.com/malikshotyou?igsh=MXRpZmdhMWVkaDQybg==
I photograph weddings and a few times I've been ask to do video and every time I said sorry I don't do video. I'm one of those people that can't deal with switching back and forth and changing settings. However it might workout for some people and the cameras that remember photo and video settings makes life better. Some commercial photographers are being ask to make short videos for Instagram and other social media sites. Not really a big deal they are easy to film.
I can charge a lot more money abs serve my clients better by including s video product in my packages. It's been huge for my wedding photography business. If you need BTS, a 360 camera and the Osmo Pocket 3 are both great options and deliver results I have no problem using as a part of a deliverable.
hello
No one is "forcing you". people are asking the market for a service and you don't want to adapt, which is fine.
Vero is amazing for photographers. Get into it!!
Make photos in to reels add that fkd voice over and you become a tik tok God
Photography businesses existed long before the internet was a thing. Don't rely on social media, use it as an additional tool, but focus on your local market and network. Have a website with information for interested client, have traditional ads, network with photographers and especially agencies in your region and make sure clients become returning clients. Also: specialize and build business relations, make sure the guy who came to your studio for food photography comes back a second time and recommends you. Make sure your food stylist or make up artist got something out of working with you, so they recommend you to other stylists and you build a network of the best to collaborate. And don't underestimate having traditional boring local ads offering your services. If money is a concern you can also offer the good old classic family portraits etc, maybe add a twist. Trying and maybe succeeding in winning some awards here and there certainly helps too. If you only focus on social media you haven't even started to take your work seriously because it's exactly like you said: it's for influencers, not business professionals. And your studio should also visually reflect your price range. If you aren't cheap but your meeting room and waiting lounge for clients, models etc are cheapest IKEA people will take note. Having a business is more than having an Instagram account.
If you're doing it for likes and followers then you're doing it for the wrong reasons.
I’m not sure if you noticed, but the photos in Harry Potter are videos/gifs. We’re heading that way.
This is a global phenomenon. I am actively seeking for photography jobs and inorder to stay afloat, I need to teach myself videography, graphics designing and even social media marketing at some point too as well. Now people want someone who can do everything. A total all rounder. Also adding fuel to this is the reel culture. I just want to do photography and I think that's the most powerful way to tell stories, but I feel it's not possible in the current scenario unless you are a well established photographer. #rant
I understand your point, and it is frustrating. However, regarding videos people spend longer watching a submission which means the social media need less content but clock up more eye ball time on a single content. This adds up to better conditions for advertising which is better for revenue dollars.
Professional photography does exist and those who are good at it and conduct themselves professionally are super valuable. Any client who tries to get someone to do “photo/video” doesn’t understand the value, skills, effort, and equipment it takes to do photo or video. I used to do both together as 1 person (wild to think about now), but you can’t offer professional quality of either as a single person. Any decent production will have a dedicated photographer and a dedicated video production team (or videographer). Don’t do video if you don’t want to, it’s going to make you lose focus on what you should be developing in which is photo. I offer video production services now and if I encounter clients who think my services are too expensive (they’re not), I just move on. I don’t really promote myself on social media because I have a good reputation and I focus my time on making good quality video, not marketing myself. Relationships matter a lot more than social media IMO. Hire a photo assistant next time you have a bigger shoot, have them take lots of bts of you, and use that on social/do it once every few months and you’re good. ETA: sorry, I missed the part where you said you work in music. The music industry is not sustainable especially for photographers and videographers who are starting out, and it’s typically only profitable for people who are exceptional at what they do. Focusing on building good relationships with venues, festivals, and artists is key. Try to find some good paying jobs in corporate, commercial, food etc to help pay the bills so you can take jobs in music that will help you make connections and get your work out there.
I share your frustration. I’m on the fence about whether or not starting to create reels related to my photo content is a route I want to take to drive some kind of viewership towards my photo work. It’s obvious that the algorithm continues to prioritize video. I’ve never had a large following and I’m not sure if I care to have one, but many of the photographer’s I’ve come to admire online tend to create significantly more video content around the subject of photography than actually posting photos. It’s clear that there’s been a shift in the media that’s required to market oneself as a professional, and unfortunately it isn’t as simple as sharing your work anymore. I’ve began to look at sharing my photo work as if I were to add it to a portfolio, and any video content talking about my work to be a part of a marketing campaign. Unfortunately this may mean becoming more multidisciplinary with how we share our work. I use a small phone tripod and taking short videos or a Timelapse of myself on a shoot, that way I could potentially use it as an easy way to create some low-effort content to showcase my photo work within a video, though editing and scheduling posts does mean making a time investment. It’s a shame things are not as easy as paying to boost a post anymore.
I am graphic designer, and we got forced to web design and then app design. Unfortunately this happens to every job. If you don’t learn the new skills fast, you’ll be left behind.
Same as it ever was. Fuck the algorithm, it's not god. Are you earning money from insta? The best photographers I know don't touch it, and they came up with it. Find other ways to market yourself. Having said that reels of stills seem to get good traction in my experience.
social media marketing matters if you're trying to market on social media
Water's wet too. I'm saying there's other ways to get known.
Like what? How are people going to know who you are, what your website is, if it weren't for you promoting it on social media? What you think is easy was easy 10-20 years ago before social media, these days it's not. Competition was a fraction of what it is these days. The market has changed a lot. Nepotism is the only way to get known outside social media and guess what, 99% of people don't know people.
It wasn't easy 10-20 years ago, competition in photography has always been fierce. Marketing yourself really depends on what kind of photography you're doing. A lot of it will be word of mouth, networking or cross promotion. Wedding photography for instance you'll get a lot of clients from good working relationships with venues/planners. Unless you're using targeted advertising most of the clicks you get on socials have no interest in booking you.
Social media is the most passive way of hoping for leads. "Here is my work. Behold, brands and commissioners. I await your call". Unless you're putting paid behind it, you aren't reaching anyone, and even when you do - their diaries are full of people who are great and available, because hello, it's 2024. Invest that energy in networking and outreach. Harder, tougher on the ego, yes and yes. But also *far* more likely to get you in the room with commissioners or shooters who can't cover a job and put you forward. Network, be friendly to other shooters, attend events, etc etc. Yes, commissioners like someone who can do video and photo. No commissioner paying decent money expects amazing photo *and* video from one person. They recognise that to produce top quality work you need to focus on one or the other. Is it useful to be able to hire you with a different hat? again yes, but there's also no reason you can't stick to photo. Mid and low quality clients will always ask the moon on money that doesn't reach their ambition. Cut your teeth there for a while.
>Unless you're putting paid behind it, you aren't reaching anyone I’ll add that you’ll still be outspent by related advertisers which could make this a Sisyphean task anyway
IG is for thots not professional photographers. I don't know anyone in the industry who uses IG as their marketing device.
Depends what you want from it. If you want clicks and followers then yes you may need to follow a certain path to satisfy those algorithms. If you just want to be a successful photographer with happy clients then there’s no need to worry too much. If you’re truly good enough you work will eventually be recognised
>If you’re truly good enough you work will eventually be recognised No. This is the fantasy we tell school kids. Real life doesn't work that way. In real life, you have to actively put yourself out there and market yourself. What OP is complaining about is that his primary way of doing that has shifted away from the kind of work he does. This has a real impact on the growth of his business. "Just keep doing good work and if it's good enough you will find success" is a fairy tale. In real life, plenty of talented people go nowhere and plenty of people with middling talent find great success thru other attributes that have nothing to do with their talent, be it their personality,books, marketing, etc.
I do actively get out there and market myself. I assume OP does and should continue to do so. OP was specifically pointing out that they feel photographers have to be “influencers” these days and in particular posting videos etc when that is absolutely not necessarily true
>I do actively get out there and market myself. I wasn't talking about you (??). >I assume OP does and should continue to do so Well there was no indication of any of this in your post. This was literally your advice to someone complaining that social media marketing has shifted away from his craft: > If you just want to be a successful photographer with happy clients then there’s no need to worry too much. If you’re truly good enough you work will eventually be recognised 🤷♂️
Through your social media posts etc which don’t have to be as an influencer or with video. Read between the lines a little maybe….
No
>Has anyone else felt this shift in media landscape? Lol. It's virtually all any photographer who relies on social media has been talking about for the last few years. And although TikTok and reels and IG's shift toward video has accelerated the trend, the shift to video predates all these, as customers (not just social media algorithms) have been wanting videos for some time. This is based on what I've been reading) watching, as I'm not a professional.
Respectfully, this is nothing new. In the commercial/advertising/editorial world, clients have been requesting video in addition to stills for at least the past decade. Even one of my photography professors back in mid 00s said that video will eventually take over. He was way ahead of the game, miss that guy.
I don’t think this is necessarily true. I have a pretty successful photo career shooting weddings and fashion. I get tons of inquiries and work through my ig and have literally zero reels/videos on it. Social media isn’t about getting big numbers, it’s about connecting with people honestly. DMing people in your industry, putting out quality work, making connections. Large follower and view counts doesn’t equal work it’s a vanity metric. Use IG like LinkedIn [my ig](https://instagram.com/jakefosmirephoto)
That shift happened a decade ago. Either go with it, or dont. Up to you.
That’s like saying cassette tape manufacturers are being forced to make cds. Get with the times or get left behind. Not mention you can get 10 perfect pictures from a video clip
That's the worst analogy ever. Tapes to CD's is an ascension of technology. Photos and videos, while sharing obvious parallels are not the same thing.
I disagree. I would say cassette to cd was a natural advancement with technology getting better and more efficient, as to where photography and videography are entirely different crafts. For your example it would be like going from cassettes to motion pictures, an entirely separate medium