8 Reasons Why Photographers Should Learn Video

With every Joe Bloggs saying they're a photographer nowadays, it's more important than ever to stand out and one way our friends COOPH say you can do this is with video. 

Plenty of cameras now shoot 4K and the footage you even capture on mobile phones can be pretty decent when edited right. Plus, there are more action cams on the market than ever before.

So, it would seem that getting your hands on the right equipment is straightforward enough but once you have the kit, how can you use video alongside your photography to boost your business? That's the question the COOPH team tackles in the above video, covering the following topics:

1. Push Your Social Media

You can use short videos to promote yourself, get a particular message across or even share a few tips. Videos perform better than static content and generally get more engagement. 30-60 seconds is ideal for Instagram while 45 seconds is long enough for Facebook. 

2. Film Behind The Scenes

If you work with another photographer or have a willing friend, get them to film your shoots so people can see what you're doing and learn from it. 

3. Get Vlogging

Vlogs can, literally, be about anything but as you're a photographer, it makes sense to discuss ideas and talk generally about your interest in photography. Vlogs are great ways to build a following but it's something you need to do regularly to keep your audience engaged and growing.

4. Have Fun With Timelapse

Timelapse videos are just cool and that's why people like to see them. Think day turning to night, people walking through a town or traffic moving along a busy street and you're on your way to attention-grabbing content. The COOPH team even created one at the side of a lake with ducks (who doesn't love cute animals?) to show that so long as there's movement, your timelapse will be interesting. In the video, they use the DJI Osmo Mobile but you can create time lapse videos with any type of camera, be it a DSLR, smartphone or GoPro. Don't neglect trying different angles and shooting positions to change the mood/feel of the footage you're capturing, too. 

5. Create Tutorials

People love to learn so a great way to grow your fan base is with tutorials but as with vlogs, it's a good idea to add them to your feeds quite regularly so your audience stays engaged. Do remember to thank your followers every so often, too, and interact with them by replying to comments.

6. Promote Yourself

It's great that you've created a vlog or tutorial but you need to promote it to get your name out there so get savvy with social media so you can identify and share content on relevant social channels. You can also contact relevant websites to see if they'll share your content so more people get to know who you are. 

You also need to use relevant keywords when sharing content so you increase your view count which in turn can help you monetise your videos on channels such as YouTube.  

7. Diversity Is Key

The more videos you appear in, the more diverse your portfolio becomes which demonstrates you're competent in various areas but it's also good to have an area you specialise in as well. 

8. Team Up With Others

Collaborating with other vloggers, YouTubers and photographers is a great way to give you content that's a bit different to what you normally produce. They may have ideas and suggestions you've not thought of and as a result, you get new projects to work on. Plus, by collaborating you gain exposure on each other's channels so you gain more exposure. 

Do you have any tips to offer photographers who are exploring video? Pop them in the comments below.