Photos or Video?

[TallPaul]

As of this last year I don't put all my videos on here as much as I used to.
HF members don't watch or comment as much as the older days when there was less videos being posted.
It is my way of starting a Thread and hoping to get some dialogue going. But there is less and less action.
Used to be this forum was my main audience but nowadays the You Tube viewers are my main audience.
Times change.
I'll still put hammock specific videos on here if I think they can help somebody short-cut the learning process.

Could be like my Mom always told me..."Son, don't wear out your welcome."
Shug

I did notice the other day you had a video on HF but not on your YT feed. Figured you were seeing where the traffic was coming from.

I subscribe to you on YouTube and typically reply over there and less on here. Personally I think traffic from here will always be small now that you are at 80k subs on YT - amazing BTW.

I say do whatever makes you happy and doesn’t make it a grind.

[Shug]

I did notice the other day you had a video on HF but not on your YT feed. Figured you were seeing where the traffic was coming from.

I subscribe to you on YouTube and typically reply over there and less on here. Personally I think traffic from here will always be small now that you are at 80k subs on YT - amazing BTW.

I say do whatever makes you happy and doesn’t make it a grind.

Yes, maybe not live on my YT site yet.
My Christmas Skit. I took it off of here for now.
Thanks Tall Paul.

[cmc4free]

I caught that one too. My wife heard the mandolin and knew what I was up to.

[alifeoutdoors]

I did notice the other day you had a video on HF but not on your YT feed. Figured you were seeing where the traffic was coming from.

I subscribe to you on YouTube and typically reply over there and less on here. Personally I think traffic from here will always be small now that you are at 80k subs on YT - amazing BTW.

I say do whatever makes you happy and doesn’t make it a grind.

Aye.

I know he won't promote himself because he's too humble and gracious but it really is quite handy to subscribe to his channel on youtube for those that haven't. Then you get the nice subtle alerts when a new video is uploaded. It's really helpful when you desperately need 20 minutes of non work therapy or you're going to put your head through your desk. I don't really like to promote social media as I don't facebook or do any of that ilk but youtube isn't quite so in your face. And there's such great content from honest real people out there that I find it way more worthwhile than most regular tv/cable media. Ok there's a whole lot of BS but that's modern media driven society. The main page can get a bit loaded with c$&p suggestions but if you just stick to checking your subs it starts auto filtering really successfully.

I generally go through life as a cynic but there are several truly enlightened people like Shug and a couple others (non hammock related) that bring me back from the dark side and inspire me. It's something you can only get with user generated content like youtube.

[Trecker8]

Which do you prefer?
I have noticed that I get less feedback from a post with just a video than one with multiple photos.
I'm guessing folk just don't have time to commit to a 3 minute video?

Check out Shug. His videos cover everything, and he camps out in some cold environments! Always has a positive and upbeat attitude - you can really tell he truly loves our pastime.

[Shug]

I caught that one too. My wife heard the mandolin and knew what I was up to.

Haaa...took me a few tries to get that Christmas song down. Always harder when filming.

Aye.

I know he won't promote himself because he's too humble and gracious but it really is quite handy to subscribe to his channel on youtube for those that haven't. Then you get the nice subtle alerts when a new video is uploaded. It's really helpful when you desperately need 20 minutes of non work therapy or you're going to put your head through your desk. I don't really like to promote social media as I don't facebook or do any of that ilk but youtube isn't quite so in your face. And there's such great content from honest real people out there that I find it way more worthwhile than most regular tv/cable media. Ok there's a whole lot of BS but that's modern media driven society. The main page can get a bit loaded with c$&p suggestions but if you just stick to checking your subs it starts auto filtering really successfully.

I generally go through life as a cynic but there are several truly enlightened people like Shug and a couple others (non hammock related) that bring me back from the dark side and inspire me. It's something you can only get with user generated content like youtube.

Your a good feller.

Check out Shug. His videos cover everything, and he camps out in some cold environments! Always has a positive and upbeat attitude - you can really tell he truly loves our pastime.

I do love getting out to backpack in the ol' hammock for sure.

[ShortRound]

I too will stop making videos.
But I will type out a long report with upside-down and sideways photos.

Shig



HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Love it

[kwpapke]

IMHO, an ordered list:

1: Good video (clear, concise, good sound, short, well-filmed, nicely narrated)
2: Photos
.
99,999: most videos I see (shaky, waaaaaaaaaay too long, too much background info with terrible narration, poorly lit, etc.)
Even great photographers like Ansel Adams thought they could take only a few good photos (quote: “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.") regardless of their superior skill, equipment, and time. And I'd argue that video is harder still. I really prefer a good video - there just aren't that many.
<snip>
I wish I could make good videos, but I am just not willing to put in the time it takes to script, shoot, and edit them.

Just catching up with this thread. As a Youtuber with a small but loyal following I see a lot of truth in this. I make maybe 1 video per month, because most require one or more trips into the backcountry. I try to keep my videos under 5 minutes, but some topics are complex enough that I'll stretch it out to 10 minutes. I agonize over how deep I do my cuts - that's why in Hollywood they have different people writing the script, directing, acting and editing. It ain't easy chopping out content you sweated out in front of the camera.

I do a lot of voiceovers/narration in my videos - scripting, recording and editing them takes almost as long as the filming.

People who attempt to make some sort of living at this combine video and photos (and blog posts), mostly now on Instagram because that's where the viewers are. That requires more effort than I am willing to put in, at least at this point.

Teaching is the goal of my videos, which is something I did a fair amount of in my career. This adds another level of difficulty as it's not easy finding topics that are under-served, where you have a unique perspective and can add value. However, doing so has led me in directions I never anticipated when I first started. My original intent was to do gear reviews to supplement my writing on BackpackGeartTest.org, never I thought I'd do camp cooking, fitness topics, iMovie tips and tricks, or extensive guides to the Grand Canyon, but that's been a big part of the fun.

Looking forward to seeing where this all takes us in the upcoming years!

Happy Holidays,
--Kurt

[Firesong]

I’m a picture guy too. I don’t mind the odd video or a specific how-to video but I’m often disappointed watching a 3-5 video of something that could have been told in 20 seconds or with a single picture and a paragraph. Content matters too. There are a lot of people trying to imitate others (for instance Shug) or try to flash something to brand their videos and ultimately fail kinda screwing up the why they put their video up in the first place. Someone else mentioned time and place for watching videos and that’s true too. I’ll put aside some time and watch Shugs new video etc.

[Firesong]

C'mon guys, don't beat me up for long-winded videos, most of mine are less than 5 minutes, and pretty to-the-point. As someone once said about music... "If it can't be said in three minutes, it prolly isn't worth saying."
But noted about, the picture preference. I just find it easier to describe a technique, or bit of kit, on video, rather than write a description alongside a photo sequence.

--
Gadget

Your videos don’t linger on filler, look at me kinda stuff. They are packed with info. I like them and fill refer back to them at times. No worries. You still have good pictures too