video killed the photography addict (kind of).

Confession: I've never been a huge fan of video.

I grew up in the late 80's/early 90's, when videos and photos were... very different things. Photos were always portable, easy to look at and show off, and I liked the variety of presentation (frames, books, collages) and how you could reuse photos for various reincarnations. Videos were cumbersome and complicated - you needed a video cassette (and you had to be kind and rewind!), a working VCR, television, electricity, etc. If you didn't have any of those things, you couldn't watch the video. And back then, video editing was a lot more cumbersome.

But now, videos and photos are both widely viewed on the same platforms: smartphones, tablets, computers. Companies incorporate video into their advertising platforms - billboards and public transit ads are going digital, and social media has embraced video with very open arms. Video is everywhere, and the differences between videography and photography have greatly diminished.

(If you couldn't tell from previous blog posts, I'm now a huge fan of videography. You can visit me on YouTube or vimeo!)

It took a few events to sway me to the dark side of videography: the first was a video journalism class I took as part of my Master's degree, giving me the confidence to start using iMovie when I got a new macbook last year. Also, since Arden has almost always been carried for her naps (yes, still. STILL.), I sometimes watch YouTube videos while carrying her - travel videos, lifestyle vloggers, and mommy vloggers with small children. Video seems to capture kids' personalities much more intricately than photos, and I really wanted to film some of Arden's milestones and little baby quirks, since our modern technology so easily allows us to do so.

During last year's trip to the States, I decided to put my elementary videography skills to use by filming little bits and pieces of our vacation. I made two videos - one for our Washington trip and one for our Hawaii trip - and wrote original music for both of them (see below for my thoughts on music!). And while they're a bit mediocre in quality, I'm really quite proud of them. Since then, I've made four videos from our Australian travels, four more family reunion compilations, and two birthday videos for Arden.

Here are a few random observations I've made about videography:

~The Pros~

-You get the bigger picture. Photos, good photos, capture the peak of the moment - a smile, a frisbee caught in mid-air, a cuddle with a cute puppy. But videos capture the lead-ins and conclusions, the moment as a whole. They also give more context and personality.

-You can be more creative with video. There's a whole world of editing software out there (I use the very simple iMovie at the moment, but will be looking into other programs soon), and you can do a lot with videos. Slideshow-esque montages, vlogs, teaser trailers. This year for Arden's birthday, I got a little ambitious and decided to interview family members about what they like about her - and despite my lack of fancy equipment, it turned out as well as I could have hoped. It was challenging to put together (finding all that b-roll was pretty time-consuming, as well as adding subtitles), but it was one of my favourite projects.

-You get more artistic credit. Back when I was obsessed with mediocre photography and taking high-res photos of everything and nothing, I noticed that no matter how many hours I spent poring through photoshoots and editing and curating cds for family and friends... photographs are really easy for other people to take for granted and take credit for. And the lines are blurry with any form of photographic visual art (if you ask someone to take a group photo, does it become their artistic work? etc.). But with video, it's a lot harder for other people to take credit for your work. It's possible. But, not as casually as it is with photography. It's pretty obvious from my videos that I created them, and I like that.

~The Cons~

-Nobody will watch your videos! I'm kidding. Sort of. But not really. A few people will watch... the first few minutes. Most likely if they are in the video, although not always. Most definitely if they're your parents or something. Some people will "like" or "heart" your social media post without actually watching most of it (two of my friends recently announced a pregnancy at the end of a seven-minute long vacation video - I'm pretty sure most of their social media acquaintances still don't know they're expecting..!).

It's not (really) personal. It's just that a lot more effort is required to experience video, compared to photographs. The viewer needs a good chunk of time (just three minutes is eternity compared to the milliseconds it takes for the human brain to process a vacation selfie), some privacy or lack of distraction, headphones if they want to enjoy the sound in silence. That's just how it is. And even then, most people won't make it to the end. Time is precious. Sure, there are tips and tricks for getting people to watch your entire videos. But here's my one personal tip: if you want to make home vacation videos, make them for yourself - because you're probably the only person who will actually watch them, and more than once.

-Filming is harder than photographing. I think. I'm not a professional anything, but from my experience, it's easier to salvage a terrible photo than a terrible video.

-It takes a lot of effort to make a video. Especially if you're like me, and score your own films and are meticulous about where things line up with the music and chronology and tone and What Is The Overarching Theme?? and all that. My videos are far from perfect, but I have things I'm picky about, and I'll spend hours making sure my own preferences are catered to. Also, videos just take more of everything - time (to film, to edit, to view), and especially data. Just something to keep in mind!

-Very non-instant gratification. Technology is so advanced that people are accustomed to instant access for everything. I can't tell you how many times I've recently seen photos framed and displayed: of cell phone versions of professional photoshoots (weddings, baptisms, etc.). In this day and age, people do not want to wait for paid photographers to edit and curate photos - they want a photo on their iPhone, and they want it now. So, waiting for a curated video of vacation moments (at the very least a few days' worth of work) is like a lifetime compared to that.

-You still need technology to view videos. I will always treasure printed photos more than videos in the end. You know, just in case an electromagnetic pulse brings down every computer and communication system a la 2000's Dark Angel.

~A Word About Music~

When I started making videos, I had no intention whatsoever of writing my own pieces. In fact, I had always planned on using popular songs. So I was pretty bummed to learn that using copyrighted music is a risk for uploading onto video sites, and that it's a lot of work to do it correctly. Your video can be pulled off the internet thanks to copyright detection, and that's that. Even if you're not monetizing. As a songwriter, I am all for this! But... I wish there was a way to easily ask permission from the copyright holder, and pay a reasonable fee to use their song in your video. I really wanted to use Ingrid Michaelson's "Home" for last year's Washington video, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have cared. But, to try to contact her and ask for her permission and then somehow contact YouTube with proof of said permission? Not worth it.

But, guess who writes music for free? Me!

A long time ago, I wanted to be a composer for films and videos. That was before I took Music Theory classes in college and did not flunk out, but came pretty darn close a few times (parallel fifths are absolute magic, I don't know what all the fuss is about). I'm obviously not scoring films for a living. So I do it for a hobby.

I've been writing and recording music (mostly pop songs) for almost a decade now, with nothing professionally released - which means I have a lot of older music at my disposal, and none of it will violate YouTube's copyright laws. Most of my video scores are original music created just for that video, but some are new versions of old pieces. Like an old song that had once been a heartfelt ode to an ex-boyfriend, a song that will never resurface in that original form, but a tune that I really kind of liked. And so I redid it as a folky instrumental thing, and it was very fitting for a recent video. And no one has to know about it! Except, I just told you. Oops. (But I won't tell you what video it is, ha!)

~Moving Forward~

With both photography and videography, it's always a challenge to try to be mindful of balancing personal enjoyment with capturing the moment, being present instead of being an artistic director. But I find that as I'm more comfortable with my artistic strengths, I'm better at choosing what moments to enjoy media-free, and which moments to try to film seriously. I film mostly with future-Arden in mind, hoping that she will enjoy seeing her Australian (and American) adventures set to cinematic scores. I also keep our families in mind - since they aren't able to personally witness much of Arden's childhood, videos seem like the next best thing.

I definitely want to continue making videos for our little Australian getaways, and for family reunions. Sometimes I wish I had discovered video editing earlier in my life, like when we took a cruise to New Zealand or spent a few months loitering around small towns in Victoria. But I'm glad I discovered my love of video during Arden's first year - those infant memories are a little more priceless than beautiful sunrises and international travels.

I am in the process of upgrading my equipment (my current camera is a Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS, which I got in 2012 and not for the purpose of video at all - but it gets the job done). I should probably use a different program than iMovie, which for some reason has no "save" button (and yes, I've lost entire videos before... this is not fun) nor the ability to work on multiple projects at once. And I should probably (eventually) find a job that lets me put my skills to use for an actual paycheck. Eventually.

To all my friends and family who have watched my videos and support my newest habit, thank you for the encouragement! And I hope you keep enjoying these little glimpses into our lives.

CK