Bring Your Photography To Life With Stunning Video Slideshows

Posted on by

I want to let you in on my little secret.

It is about how I bring photographs to life by creating professional video slideshows that look like they cost hundreds of dollars.

My secret is that I am not an expert in video editing. My secret is that anyone can create their own professional video slideshows using the online video creation website that I use.

My secret is Animoto.

There. I said it. And I must admit that I feel a lot better for it!

When I first started out with these videos, I would guard this secret with my life in the fear that people would rather go away and make these videos by themselves instead of paying me to do so!

I have since realised that my fear was somewhat unfounded and that my job is safe…phew.

Most people do not want to have to spend the time and money on making their own videos. Most people don’t care how these videos are made… they just want one made for them!

But there is a certain group of people that I believe will be interested in learning how to create these videos for themselves. This wonderful group of people is known as…photographers.

I now see just how valuable Animoto videos can be to photographers, whom are much more likely to want to go away and create their own videos of their photos than the typical “normal” person. Not that photographers are not normal people, of course.

The creative freedom to be able to go away and put your photography together in a slideshow with emotionally moving background music is likely to be very appealing to many photographers.

How To Create Your Own Video Slideshows

Animoto videos are created online. You log in to your account, upload your photos, and drag and drop them into place.

You then add in your own custom text and select a backing track from their huge royalty free music library.

Now, this is the best thing about the videos…the photo transitions are done in time with the music. People will think you are a genius when they see how amazing these videos look!

Once you have added your photos, text and music, you just click “Done” and Animoto magically creates your video.

It really is that simple, and it does not cost too much either. I have seen professional looking videos on photographers websites that have obviously cost them hundreds of dollars. If only they had known about my little secret!

3 Ways To Use Your Video

Here are some great ways of using a professional video slideshow of your photographs.

1. Showcase your work

A video slideshow is an excellent way for someone new to your photography to get an overview of your best work in just a few minutes. The videos really do make a great first impression, and it is much more exciting for your visitors than having to trawl through your portfolio, photo by photo.

2. Social networking

Whether a professional or a hobbyist, you will easily be able to share your videos online. Simply upload the video to YouTube, post the link on Facebook, and a nice viral effect may start to take place as people share your video with their friends.

3. Sell the videos

Many photographers choose to show their clients (from a wedding or senior photo shoot etc.) a video slideshow of their photos. They then offer their client that video for free if they upgrade to the premium package.

Clients are usually so blown away by the video, that upgrading to the premium package is a no-brainer for them.

Its A Wrap

So there you have it: a quick and easy way to create your own exciting video slideshows and use them to get your photography out there.

There are many ways to use video to show off your photography. The opportunities for are endless.

Whether you go away and make your own videos, or decide to hire someone like me to make them for you, I just hope this post has got some exciting ideas floating about in your head!

Work Based From Home – Yes, It’s True

Posted on by

Thousands of people dream of starting a career that allows them to do their work based from home. While there are some companies that allow their workers to do some or all of their work at home, most employers want to physically see their employees at least part of the time.If you are lucky enough to find an employer that will allow you to base your career out of your home, you should consider yourself very fortunate. These jobs are rare and hard to find and the competition for them is fierce. That is why many people pursue self employment opportunities that will allow them to perform their work from the comfort of their very own home.TOTAL FREEDOM In addition to giving you the freedom to work when and where you choose, home-based self employment allows you to choose the type of work that you will enjoy the most and be the most successful at.The challenging part is deciding exactly what type of work you will do. You can get a few ideas by performing an easy search online for career ideas. One of the most appetizing work ideas of today is affiliate marketing. Not only does affiliate marketing allow you to work completely from home, it is also a creative career that can make you a lot of money. In fact, it is one of the fastest growing careers to be found online.AND MORE! Besides affiliate marketing, there are numerous other jobs that you can do online from your home. The key is to choose the one that will give you the most growth potential while allowing you to do work that you love. And the best part is that you will finally be able to do your work based from home.

Beginner Photography Training Tips for Newbies

Posted on by

What does it take to get good at photography? Photography training the proper way can make learning how to take great shots easy and a “breeze” whereas other methods will make you never reach that “artistic” and “clean” quality in your photos.There are two essential parts to photography that you should learn as a beginner.Camera Controls Although photography is often looked at as an “Art” where magic happens, if you don’t know how to use a camera then you won’t get anywhere. Fortunately, camera control basics are pretty easy to get a grasp on.There are automatic controls and manual controls on each and every camera. Even phone cameras have some manual settings. In general, for photography training you’re going to want to learn what all the manual controls are and how to use them.To start, there are two very important controls to know: shutter stop and aperture. These both control the amount of light let into the camera. By controlling both of these settings you affect the light exposure as well as the depth of field of the shot. In addition, you could do cool action shots at high speeds or shoot a photo at extremely slow speeds and make water look like clouds.Your goal as a beginner should be to learn how to use an SLR camera on full manual. This means setting the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus, and a number of other settings. Don’t worry, it’s not hard. Once you get the hang of it it’s actually something you wish every camera had.While automatic controls are very convenient, they prevent us from taking the photo that we imagine when seeing a scenery to photograph. Photography training enables us to see a scene, imagine how we want it in your minds, and then take the shot and match our vision to the end result.Creative Composition The next important part to photography training is learning composition, or how to properly arrange the contents within the screen of your camera. This is an ancient art with techniques and traditions dating back to the beginning of art history. The same techniques that apply to painting, drawing, etc apply to this. A good idea is to get some books on composition for any art (except music) and learn the techniques there.Some basic examples are the “rule of thirds” and “leading lines”.The Rule of Thirds – This rule states that instead of placing a subject at the center of the image, offsetting them to the left, right, top or bottom.Leading Lines – Using the lines around you to point towards the subject of interest. Having the lines lead the viewer.Although these examples are basic they do make a big difference in your photos if you’ve never consciously taken pictures with this in mind.When you have both of these two parts of photography training down (composition and technical camera usage) you should have no problem getting better at photography. The next step from there is refining your style and developing your artistic eye.