Digital Outback Photo is since 2000 a web site clearly devoted to all aspects of artistic photography. We do not plan to change this in the near future. So we get asked: why we now also cover video?

• We do not cover video in general but only video captured with HDSLRs (digital still cameras that can also capture video). This trend started in 2008 and in a few years we expect most if not all digital SLRs (including the new cameras like the new Micro 4/3 cameras not using a mirror) to support video.
• We expect that some of our readers would like to know how to use this new feature and we would like to help them.
• We are are clearly photographers and not movie makers in the first place. What then qualifies us to feature video here at DOP? The only thing that qualifies us is that we are in the same boat as other photographers that want to learn at leat a bit about video. We gain our personal experience and share it with our readers. We call it "learn as you go". We have the same problems as many of our readers to learn this new medium. Because we put lots of work into learning how to make use of the video features we can help you to save some time to make the same mistakes as we do.
• Still photography and video both deal with images but are in the end very different art forms:
  • Motion
  • Sound
  • Flow
• While you may get in still photography away to some extent with little post processing you can't do any video without video editing. If you don't like video editing then creating videos maybe not for you.
• Quite a few photographers find the new video features only a distraction. We respect this view and for some it makes perfectly sense.
• We hope that video proves to enrich our photographic work. Some people try to tell stories with their photos and video is all about story telling. Maybe we get some new impulse from video for our photographic work. We find that we can do more crazy things in video than we usually do in photography. This may lead to more experimental still photos.

Still image from the GH1

Note: Download the video for better viewing experience. This is only for your personal use permitted.

• It seems that you need to concentrate in the field on either photography or video as they are so different. Still your visual language will be shared between both art forms.
• We actually believe that we photographers can learn a lot from the vision of directors (e.g. David Lynch) and DPs. Also post processing techniques techniques from video can be helpful for photographs (color grading and such). On the other side we as photographers often know how to frame. Videos can get away with sub optimal framing because the frames only last seconds.
• We try to learn video by doing some short documentaries and more abstract clips. We think that documenting places in video can help to find the essence of this place. This may then help to capture photos to do the same thing. Because it is all an experiment only time will tell.
• Right now we try to learn the basics:
  • How to shoot video
  • How to edit videos
• We start with low expectations and go from there. At this point we are happy to get some short videos that are just "nice" for our level of experience.

Even if you may find that we covered video too much over the last few weeks rest assured that we think as photographers first. Getting started we had to dive into video making with all our energy but this won't change our dedication to still photography (unless Holywoold calls with big bucks :-) ).

Best you let us know (via email or forums) what you like us to cover in both worlds.

Uwe Steinmueller, August 2009