To Heck With Tech!

In 2011 I started my first blog series called "Refocus Blog." It was a blog just like this one (but with more rants!) I post this on my current COMMotion Blog because it's good to see how my communications career progressed, and how the communications field has changed.

Written December 3, 2011 - Refocus Blog.

The anxiety of navigating this new video world sometimes gets a little frustrating. With over 21 years of video experience, I now find it easy to “settle down.” I’m a Panasonic guy, I’m a PC, I’m a Lowel man, and I’m a Sennheiser cat. That type of talk when I was younger was borderline blasphemous – I was the newcomer who always wanted to keep an open mind about products and techniques. One day I was ranting and raving about a new gadget to one of my video mentors – he asked me “what would you do if you didn’t have it?” That never sunk in until now – some of the best video/film ever made didn’t have the technology that we have today. The basic shooting, lighting, and sound techniques are being reproduced in the post – with a click of the mouse.

So what differentiates the professional from the novice? Sad to say “not much” – technology is providing the average cell phone carrier with a far more superior camera than I started out with in my professional career. Editing software can be downloaded for free. YouTube (albeit a wonderful tool) has lowered the “watching standards” of the average viewer. Meaning we tolerate shaky, inaudible, poor-quality uploads. So there is a leveling of the playing field that technology has bestowed upon the craft. This allows the novice to disguise themselves as professionals – and take over the world (or even worse, my clients).

However, because of this influx of new filmmakers and videographers – my business has picked up. I have found that the market likes longevity, professionalism, and experience. Consumers want attention to their project, they want me to shape their vision. I realize that along with the aforementioned characteristics, technology is more of an advantage for the professional who uses it wisely. The foundations of being a good photographer are laid within –fundamental practices. Technology enhances the product of those practices or exposes the lack thereof.

Thomas Y. Lynch

Get a Life! - #Commlife