Should All Photographers Do YouTube?

In This Week’s Post

Should All Photographers Do YouTube?
The End of Polar Bear Photography in Svalbard?
Video of the Week (Only 151 views).

Read Time: 6 Minutes

This year will be my 10th year on YouTube. I can’t believe it.

10 years ago, nobody knew my name and my images struggled to find an audience.

10 years ago, I was unhappy in my job.

10 years ago, I was not well travelled and, since the age of 18, was still living out of my overdraft. Pay day would come and the money would go.

10 years ago, my escape from my unfulfilling job and lack of financial security was landscape photography.

When I was out with my camera I didn’t worry about a thing. I loved it. I wanted to do it all the time, I wanted it to be my job, but this seemed impossible.

I would dream about owning a VW T25 camper and travelling the world, sleeping under the stars, climbing mountains, and making images. Writing for magazines and books and getting paid to do it.

Pah, keep dreaming, Heaton. You have more chance of winning the lottery.

But then, on November 24th 2014, I uploaded my first Youtube Video.

My 1st video

Little did I know that this one step, this one single action would change the course of my life forever.

Since 2014 I am no longer in my overdraft and have financial security for the foreseeable future.

I am happy and fulfilled with my job.

I consider myself incredibly well travelled, certainly compared to pre-2014 Heaton: Argentina, Chile, Svalbard, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal to name some of the more exotic places I have been lucky enough to photograph.

I have my camper van, which may not be a VW T25, but Delica has served me well.

Best of all, I am pretty much living out the life I used to dream of all those years ago when settled in for the evening, drinking Whiskey and reading David Noton’s Waiting for the Light.

Should You Do it Too?

Naturally, my answer is going to be yes because I have seen success with YouTube, however it all depends on what your goals are?

If you enjoy photography for very personal reasons, you love the process and the peace and quiet it can bring, then I would be hesitant for anybody to disrupt that by trying to document and share the process.

If you love sharing, talking about, living and breathing photography, then having your own YouTube channel will certainly help your work reach a much wider audience.

It’s not easy though. Initially, making videos whilst out in the field will disrupt your photography and you may feel like you have missed shots.

Soon enough the disruption will ease, and you will be documenting your photography shoots without even thinking about it. If anything, the video making will improve your photography as it will force you to be more selective with what you choose to shoot.

One Piece of Advice.

Beneath this text, you can watch a video I have made which goes into a little more depth on the topic of Photographers and YouTube, but if I could only give one piece of advice to photographers looking to document their own photography, it would be:

You must distinguish between what is a photo shoot and what is a video shoot.

I see this all the time. Photographers go on a photo shoot and bring along a video camera in case they want to make a vlog. The result of this is a half-hearted attempt at a photography video, which fails to capture and engage the audience and fails to tell any kind of story. These videos usually begin when the photographer has already set-up and framed their shot. They talk through the image, show a little b-roll and then end.

I get it. Video gets in the way of photography and you’re a photographer first, not a Youtuber.

But, with a little practice, you can become both.

The day before your shoot, tell yourself – “I am not going out on a photo shoot. This is a video shoot”.

That little shift in mind-set will dramatically change how you approach the day.

When you’re making a video, you’re not only thinking about the main topic (your photography), but you’re thinking about the entire process and how you can best show and communicate this with your audience.

It’s almost like you’re having an out of body experience and looking down on yourself as you tackle your photo shoot.

What gear have you packed and why? How has the weather forecast influenced your decisions? Are you excited to be out or are you feeling a little pessimistic? Are your feet wet? How far have you walked? How has the light affected your mood?

By sharing the full story of a photo shoot, you can make so much more of a connection with your audience and ultimately, this is what leads to success.

But it is tough. When you’re tired, it is difficult to think about photography and video.

All the b-roll required to tell a story takes up a lot of head space, not to mention the time.

The extra gear is heavy. It is cumbersome.

It’s embarrassing to film when people are around.

All the above is true, but it is what is required to make a good video. You must work hard, with little to no rest, especially when you’re chasing the light.

But the rewards are so worth it. Look at me, where I am today and where I was 10 years ago.

I wouldn’t change a thing.

Watch a more in-depth video on the topic: https://youtu.be/yIKy_A3eGkA

Norway Moves to Make Photographing Polar Bears Almost Impossible.

The Norwegian Government has adopted several amendments to the environmental regulations in Svalbard that will affect photography.

Walrus, Reindeer, Arctic Fox & Birds

Already adopted changes limits landing sites, meaning it will severely impact opportunity to photography of all the wildlife photography that takes place from land.

Polar Bears

There is a second round of proposed legislation. It is a proposed distance requirement of 300 and 500 metres to polar bears. This forces photography of polar bears to be done as such a distance that it will be pointless.

The amendments enter into force 1 January 2025.

My Thoughts?

This is a tough one and I don’t feel qualified to weigh in with a strong opinion, but I do have 2 questions:

How will this affect tourism in Svalbard and will the local economy be hit by people choosing to travel elsewhere?
My first thought is that Svalbard may lose an enormous chunk of its economy. Currently it is the best place on Earth to observe and photograph Polar Bears. If this is taken away, people will decide to travel to Greenland or Canada.
How much of a negative impact do the current regulations have on the wellbeing of Polar Bears?
I don’t need to say how important it is to protect wildlife and there is nothing worse than irresponsible tourism. However, when I was in Svalbard last year, I witnessed zero negative impact on the Polar Bears when we were close.

Firstly, the Bears approached ‘us’, out of curiosity.

Secondly, if the bears are on the fast ice (ice that is fastened to the land), we can’t approach anyway. It is illegal to break the fast ice because this is their main habitat for hunting.

Finally, if we did see a bear in or close to the water, we would cruise toward it in a small Zodiac. The expedition leaders were incredibly respectful and never approached too close, they would kill their engines to avoid noise and we would simply observe from a distance of about 100 meters. The bears either ignored us or came for a closer look to see what we were.

I am certainly not an expert and I have next to no experience, however from my own trip last year, I witnessed nothing but good things. We saw happy, healthy bears who were unbelievably relaxed in our presence. I saw nothing at all that would warrant the imposing of such strict measures. However, I am under no illusions that there will always be incidents when irresponsible tour operators push things too far in the name of profit.

Read all of the details about the proposed changes here.

If You Want to See Polar Bears in Svalbard Before the Proposed Changes, I have 2 Places on my 10 Passenger Ship.

May 15th – 24th 2024.

10 Passengers.

A1 Ice Class Polar Yacht.

Landscape & Wildlife Photography.

More Info Here

In This Week’s Post