When people think of a photographer, videographer, or a multimedia producer, they often think of influencers or someone with a camera who creates stunning content with the click of a button. The reality is that photo and video production is much harder than it looks.
There isn’t a better way to understand how photo and video production works than travel. Before you ask a photographer to also capture video of your next event or assume they can make motion graphics, here are a few lessons from traveling that can help you understand the content production process:
It’s not about you
One thing most travelers experience is homesickness. Missing the comforts of home are common when you’re in a new place surrounded by languages, food, and places you don’t know. It’s normal to want the familiar, but always expecting another place to cater to your needs isn’t realistic. Places aren’t built to accommodate new visitors, they’re built for the culture and people around them. Travelers who always focus on ways to make a new environment fit their needs and supply them with creature comforts miss out on experiencing a place that might provide them more than what they expected.
Angkor Wat in Cambodia
While on a recent vacation to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the surroundings were nothing like home. The high temperatures and humidity were far away from my foggy, cold mornings in the San Francisco Bay Area. None of the languages were familiar to me and like most foreign visitors I took the necessary precautions to avoid traveler’s diarrhea.
I could’ve complained and tried to make these countries’ customs align with my own wants and needs, but I wouldn’t have gotten far. Another country and its culture is not made to comfort you, it has its own customs for the people who live there. If I attempted to make a country’s lifestyle mirror mine, I would’ve only felt more frustration.
Taking yourself out of the spotlight is important to understand for effective photo and video production. Putting the spotlight on your company or making them the main part of the narrative in photo and video content doesn’t mean it will connect with your audiences in the same way that it connects with you. When you publish a video or captivating photos, all it means is that you posted them. Take a second to think about what this content looks like from an audience member who isn’t as familiar with the topic and ask yourself:
How does this align with my company’s values and brand?
What story does this tell about my company?
Am I only wanting to focus on a certain topic in photos and videos because I feel strongly about it? How might our audiences feel?
What story do we need to tell about a partnership through photos and videos?
These questions can help you decide what the focus is for your project and if the direction you’re choosing is the best route. Stop putting yourself at the center and remember that a content production team is thinking about the thousands of other followers your brand communicates with everyday. You’re not the only one.
Create content with intention
Thanks to cell phones, every moment can be captured. While it’s fun to share and look back on these memories, it can also be overwhelming. Traveling with my mom to southeast Asia, nearly everyone had their cell phones out ready to photograph and film everything. My mom followed suit and photographed every moment from immigration signs to scooters on the street.
Ninh Binh in Vietnam
At first I gave into the trend. As soon as we got to our hotel room, I was thrilled to soak up the air conditioning and use the wifi. After a couple of days of this, I realized it was holding me back from enjoying my vacation. Plus, how many more photos could I take of Buddhist temples, mountains, and poorly lit dinners? I decided everyone didn’t need to see every single moment of my trip. Some things are better left not shared.
The same kind of mentality can also be applied to photo and video production. I’m often asked to hire a photographer and videographer without an understanding of why. Capturing and creating content for constant publishing turns your company’s digital channels into a cluttered bulletin board. Now, imagine if you’re an audience member looking at your company’s platforms from the outside. With images and text crowding your view, can you understand why your company does what it does? Do you know why it should matter to them?
Think about that family member or friend who constantly texts, DMs, and emails you. We all know that person. What do you do when you see yet another message from them? Do you respond or do you tune them out? In most cases, you’re probably sick of them, ghost them, and may even mute or block them. Think of your company’s photo and video in the same way. Before you ask someone to take photos and videos of everything, consider how you will use the content and avoid oversaturating your digital channels in case audiences grow tired of your company always talking about themselves.
Photo and video are not the same thing
Seasoned travelers know that even if you’re traveling to countries in the same region, each one is different. Each country will have its own feel, flavors, history, and rules. They may have similarities, but they’re not exactly the same.
Traveling through Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, I saw that even though each country shared similarities (like high temperatures and humidity), they all had their own story. Different governments, histories, and cultures gave each place its own story. Bangkok was not like Siem Reap and Hanoi, which is what makes travel a unique experience.
This also holds true for photography and video. Although I’ve worked for companies that hire one person to film, photograph, edit, and create motion graphics, it’s not always realistic or sustainable. Many times, the person in this role tends to lean towards one content type over the other or they have more expertise in photography than they do in video. It’s unreasonable to expect one person to know everything about photo, graphics, video, and animation because they are all different things.
When you photograph, you take the time to move around, compose your shot, and pause to get the shot you want. Video requires a different approach as you’ll be capturing content while you’re moving and want to make sure you move as smoothly as possible to reduce camera shake. And, if you want an edited video or animated graphics, that’s an entirely different skill set that requires additional training and editing software to get lighting, color correction, and audio just right.
During one of my recent projects, we hired a contractor to photograph and film an event. As he switched his camera back and forth for photo and video, it required a few minutes for him to adjust settings on his camera plus he had to take audio into consideration. Doing this means he might miss a certain moment, but he needed to take his time in order to make this switch to capture everything in the best way possible.
While I’ve been taking classes to better understand photography and video, I meet many photographers who are asked by clients to also provide video. The reality is that video has different requirements from photography and more equipment. A photographer or a videographer may both have a camera, but that doesn’t mean they can execute each other’s job at the same level of expertise. Asking one person to do both is possible, but you’re better off hiring two different people to handle two different jobs.
What’s behind the content is a different story
When I tell people I’ve visited faraway places or they see photos of my latest travels on Instagram, they often think my life is full of mystique and glamor. I feel the same way scrolling through TikTok or Instagram and watching videos of an influencer wearing a fabulous hat in a field of tulips or perched on the edge of a pool with a tropical sunset. It all seems like a dream life. But is that the truth?
Wat Pho in Thailand
Travel is fun and exciting, but there can be a harsh reality behind it. There’s a lot of planning involved. When is the best time to go? How will you get from the airport to the hotel? What do you do if you don’t know the official language(s)? What if you get sick? These questions are just the beginning of what’s behind the glamorous travel adventure people see on social media.
Logistics are not the only thing to consider. Travel is depicted as a way to let go of everything that’s weighing you down. The reality is that whatever emotional baggage you have at home you carry with you wherever you go.
A week before leaving for southeast Asia, I moved into a new apartment and experienced some major changes and setbacks. Wandering through famous sites and night markets seem like the perfect way to distract myself, but the reality is that I carried these situations from home with me. Each time my thoughts began to drift to what happened back home, I had to find ways to focus on the present. Travel can help with that, but it can’t relieve everything and automatically make everything better. Healing takes time no matter where you are in the world.
Photo and video production is no different. Photography and video seem like something that should be quick and easy, right? All I need is a camera or a phone and I’ll instantly create content that gets thousands of likes. My company’s message will be spread with a blink of an eye and everyone will want to sign up for our service or buy our product.
The reality is that photography and video require a lot more work and attention to detail. What are your goals with producing a video? How will you use the photographs you’re asking for? Where will you be publishing photo and video content?
Content also goes through multiple rounds of revision. While my team or I may be a part of the ideation and execution of the content, there are plenty of others who weigh in before anything is published. In some cases, content goes through multiple revisions before it’s shared with the public.
It’s easy to criticize a photographer or videographer based on the content you see, but what’s happening in the background is a different story. There’s a lot of sweat, hard work, and countless hours that go into making engaging photo and video content.
You get what you pay for
When traveling, one of the most valuable lessons you quickly learn is that the quality of your experience often directly correlates with how much you're willing to invest. When making accommodations, booking a tour, dining, or shopping for souvenirs, you often get the experience at the amount you paid for. While I’m always on the hunt for a bargain, the more I travel, the more I’m willing to pay more for quality or convenience.
Traveling while I was younger, I was open to budget accommodations at hostels, booking a cheaper tour, grabbing a quick meal at a fast food chain like McDonald’s, or haggling for lower prices at the market. Even though I can’t afford luxury travel, I don’t always select the cheaper options because I’m no longer willing to compromise for a room that’s noisy, uncomfortable, and lacking in basic amenities or souvenirs that wear or break quickly when I get home. Paying more for a private hotel room or a well-crafted memento can provide an experience I might not get with cheaper options.
This principle holds equally true in the realm of photo and video production. Just as there are bargains that leave you delighted and others that lead to regret, the same can be said about the equipment, services, and professionals you choose in the world of visual media.
Investing in low-cost cameras, lenses, or hiring inexperienced creators can be a gamble. While it’s possible to find affordable gear or talent that performs well, more often than not, the lower price reflects compromises in quality, durability, and reliability. Hiring experienced directors, photographers, and editors is akin to opting for a reputable guided tour. These professionals bring a wealth of knowledge, streamlined workflows, and creative insights that elevate your project.
Investing in high-quality production values – such as superior lighting, sound equipment, and post-production effects – is similar to savoring an authentic dining experience. These elements add depth, polish, and professionalism to your project, making it truly stand out.
There are times where you may not be able to afford polished photography or video. Using simplified approaches and tools can work for certain projects. However, cutting corners on every project might save money in the short term, but it often results in a product that lacks the richness and impact of a well-invested production. Having a mix of both organic and more professionally-produced content goes a long way in making sure your photos and videos are quality.
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Cover image by Amore Seymour on Pixabay