The Rise Of The Moving Image

Hugo Nicolau in ‘Familiar’, directed by David Ellison; Photography by me, Kat Hannon

In the modern age, you may have noticed that moving images are everywhere; you may be looking at the digital billboards in Piccadilly Circus or scrolling through TikTok on your smartphone, but wherever you go, you can’t escape the constant stream of videos. As we move into a world of social media, online advertisements, and tv entertainment, photographers must look for exciting, new ways to get involved with videography and the moving image.

Video & Photography In Marketing

Stock Image From Canva

Nowadays, many marketing agencies have started to include video and photography production as part of their branding packages; one of the main reasons for this is that the modern age craves entertainment regardless of whether it’s relating to industries like accountancy and IT.

No matter where we are online or in reality, we want to see things that inspire us. You will always hear the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, but in the branding world, that is exactly what we do. If you had to choose between a brown box of cereal with a small, boring font or a neon pink, triangular shaped box with loud, animated imagery, you will probably go for the one that stands out most.

When we consume content like this blog, for example, we look for easy ways to digest the information. To many of us, that means searching for a video summary or a series of photographs that tell a story; these types of imagery help us to process information, making it easier to understand the message that is trying to be conveyed. In marketing, content is king. Not only do we want to reach a wider audience, but we actually want to connect with them. The more high quality content you put out there, the better, and this is even more true for video content. One third of all online activity is now spent watching video, whether it’s on one of the main streaming platforms or simply a vlog.

You might be reading this thinking: ‘but doesn’t the rise of the moving image mean the decline of the static photograph?’

The short answer is no, and here’s why…

Videographers & Photographers; The New Dream Team

Camera Man on Set of ‘Familiar’, directed by David Ellison; Photography by me, Kat Hannon

So, we’ve touched on why video has become so popular in recent years, but how is that related to photography? Firstly, there are many opportunities for photographers to get involved with production companies who work in video or film; for instance, stills photography is a great way for photographers to immerse themselves into the realm of the moving image. Working on a film set allows you to experience the action, the excitement and the buzz of film production without having to do the videography yourself. Every film needs photographs. Despite moving billboards and Tiktok videos, photographs are still needed for the promotion of new movies; these images would be printed in magazines, leaflets, brochures, and news articles. The age of print media hasn’t quite come to an end yet, and so, photographers still play an important role in this process.

The popularity of video has also meant that there has been much more collaboration between photographers and videographers. Take fashion shoots, for example; today, if we do editorial shots for a new clothing line, we almost always have a series of images and a series of videos. The photographer captures the detail and precision of the pieces, but the videographer captures the movement of the garments. It is a perfect combination because you can see the image in two different forms, giving you content for print media and content for digital media.

Stock Image From Canva

Using Video To Promote Photography

Videography is also a fantastic way to promote your own photography work; whenever you are doing a shoot, you have to think about how to show it off to your online audience. Of course, you can post the images to Instagram, but as we’ve established, video is the most popular way to consume content. Bringing a videographer along to your shoots can help you get some great behind-the-scenes footage which you can post to Tiktok, Instagram Reels or to your website. Not only are these videos engaging to watch, but they also give your viewers an insight into your personal photographic process and the way you work. In terms of bringing on new clients, this type of on-shoot videography is just gold.

So if you’re a videographer and you need a photographer on your next project, feel free to hit me up! Feel free to get in touch with me at contact@kathannon.com or fill out the contact form on my website.