J
All the cameras sitting on my shelf bar one, my phones and the iPad I'm typing on to write this post can create both still photographs and moving video footage. And a couple of the reasons I haven't been posting much lately is I've been testing cameras / devices, shooting, editing and uploading video clips and generally sorting out all sorts of things for a new direction in what and how I shoot. As I've mentioned before, it is my intention to shoot a lot more stock video footage, in addition to my usual landscape / location / travel / outdoor photography. The fact that the hard disk on my laptop has finally collapsed under the strain I put it through and my subsequent use of my tablets and desktop has also served to concentrate my mind on where I'm headed from here.
It's been unclear, as far as I've been concerned, as to where stock photography (and my contribution to it) is going, but I now think I have worked out finally what the trend is. Basically it can be summed up as content for mobile devices created with mobile devices. It is of course not that simple, but it's certainly where the libraries I contribute too and sell my work through think the future is and that is what they are seeing in their customer base.
And there is no doubt that as time progresses, print media is becoming used by less and less people and tablets and phones are replacing desktop and laptop computers as a way of acessing and creating news, educational and entertainment content. World wide people are choosing to present themselves, define themselves and converse with others via social media and this odd combination of lowest common denominator junk entertainment, instant non-stop news reporting and technological innovation is shaping the way we see and experience the world as well as helping us to see ourselves as part of that world.
If we have an Internet connection, we are no longer alone and confined to our own limited time and space. We can, if we choose to, become a part of a global community and whether or not our interactions within that are in any way 'real life' experiences and whether our relationships in cyber space mirror the face to face connections with our flesh and blood family and friends, there is no doubt that our perception of how we 'join in' via our screens has changed dramatically. And for me, there is also no doubt that cameras creating images, both still and moving, is one of the ways we can 'position' ourselves. And the fact that those cameras are probably the most important tool for doing that is significant. Though these days, they look a little different.
There is obviously still a place for 'conventional' cameras, DSLR's and mirrorless, but I'm not sure that's the right choice for me any more. After extensive use of all my cameras over the past days, I've taken advantage of the amazing weather we've been having to shoot a lot of pictures and videos. And I've come to some quite surprising conclusions. The best looking video for my kind of work comes from my Nokia Lumia smartphone. In fact the three cameras I have that provide me with the footage I like the most are the Nokia, my Panasonic CM1 in 4K and my iPad. The iPad shoots incredible high resolution panoramas and is also really good to work with, that screen being terrific for composing with. The stills I can get from all of those cameras / devices are also perfectly adequate for my requirements. The best all round 'hybrid' camera is my Leica T (Typ 701.) For example, that cameras software video stabilisation gives me smooth shake free footage every bit as good as that from my Sony A7 II and Olympus OM-D E-M5 II with their 5-axis stabilisation. At least for how I shoot video it does.
And these are the cameras that I seem to like using the most and also seem to be leading me to adopt a genuinely more creative approach to my work. I will be publishing a series of articles on all this as soon as I have the time to do so. And that really is the core of all this. Because I've been shooting so much material lately that I'm really pleased with and have been editing it and uploading it, that I haven't really had the time to do much blogging and reviewing.
All of this has resulted in some decisions as to what I use. One thing is for certain, I need something better to edit video on. Not on the software front as iMovie works well for the short stock clips I'm shooting, but I would really like to see some of the 4K footage I'm creating without it 'stuttering.' I'm off to the Apple Store tomorrow! It also remains to be seen how many of the cameras I have sitting on my shelf stay around. For example I haven't used my Fuji X-T1 for weeks. And I'm using my Nikon Df, Sigma DP2 and Olympus OM-D E-M10 hardly at all. And the reasons for this are simple.
All the really useful technological advances these days seem to be coming as a consequence of the need to make mobile devices almost 'point and shoot perfect.' The manufacturers are aware that their smartphone market wants devices that work great without the need to do anything other than compose and press the shutter button. Consequently these devices have great exposure, colour balance and AF without the need for 'fiddling.' And I very much appreciate that.
So is this approach something everyone should embrace? No of course not, but it works for me. As I indicated at some point in the future there will be a series of posts on this plus image samples and videos, so I'll go into the specifics more then. In the meantime it's back to the editing.
