Some of the most talented multimedia producers in our industry today actually started their careers as photographers. Photographers make up the majority of staffs at nearly every inspirational multimedia company – Media Storm, Bombay Flying Club, Talking Eyes Media, Weyo, and Story4, to name a few. Whether out of necessity or personal aspiration, these photographers have successfully made the transition to multimedia production and now use their still cameras as only one storytelling option. So why did they do it, how were they successful, and how can you follow their lead?
While at The Roanoke Times, I worked under Seth Gitner, a former photographer who transitioned to multimedia in 1998 “when he discovered the power of pairing recorded audio with still photographs.” Seth now teaches multimedia journalism at Syracuse University, and has made several large contributions to the field of multimedia. While there I also worked alongside many talented photographers, including Josh Meltzer. Josh made his first audio slideshow in 1999, and has since seamlessly integrated video and audio into his storytelling. I watched as he mastered the art of videography during the production of “Age of Uncertainty,” a project that won POYi’s “Documentary Project of the Year.”
Above all, I must give due credit to Joe Weiss, whose multimedia programming skills brought about Soundslides which allowed photographers to more easily create multimedia by pairing audio with their photos.
I’m assuming you all have someone in mind when you think of a photographer who excels at both photography and multimedia. So how do they do it? Practice, read, learn, and practice.
There are excellent resources out there for photographers wanting to learn how to shoot for video, or double task to record audio and take photos in the field. Below is a list of 20 such resources from some of my favorite blogs to get you started:
So there you have it. Take a baby step and pick up a video camera or audio recorder next time you are in the field. Or, flip through an introduction to programming book the next time you are in a book store. I promise you that it will be an exhilarating journey and one you will never regret!
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