Killing two birds with one stone isn't always a good idea...
Sometimes, killing two 2 birds with one stone isn’t a good idea…
It can lead to less than ideal results.
When I first started working for myself in 2014, I was desperate and said YES to any job that came my way.
Back then, I still offered video services, so the bulk of the paid work that came in involved conducting interviews, shooting BROLL, and editing the raw footage into short form pieces that clients could use for their website, online content and newsletter.
In some cases, these clients hired me to also capture photos on the day of the video shoot, as well.
Why not, right?
One moment, I’m conducting interviews and walking people through telling their story. And, in the next breath, I’m switching my camera to photo mode, grabbing them out of the interview chair to search for a space to snap some headshots and portraits.
To say these sessions were hectic would be a massive understatement.
In most cases, clients were satisfied with the results. The videos and photos both had the requisite production value they sought, and the goals of each assignment were met in their estimation.
I, on the other hand, knew a secret that they didn’t know.
Since I had to run around like a chicken without a head, I had to sacrifice a ton of potential for each side of the assignment in order to stay on the client’s timeline, which, for any creative person, is not an ideal scenario by any stretch of the imagination.
When you have a plan and additional time to deviate from that plan, cool shit happens.
In these cases, I was rushing through everything, and didn’t have the luxury to take a beat, regroup, visualize and assess the situation in order to direct the people with 100% attention and focus.
While the assets created were certainly usable, a LOT of potential for better was left on the table.
After a few hybrid gigs, I stopped offering this type of service. And shortly after I made that decision, video production services were completely eliminated from my website.
The choice I made was not based on a lack of interest from potential clients - I mean, years later, I’m still getting requests to do both even though I haven’t offered video in years.
It was because this type of work would not meet my standards for quality service for those who trust me with the responsibility of creating diverse and compelling visual assets.
While I had to split my preparation and execution effort into a 50/50 split on those shooting days, those clients paid me 100% full rate for both.
And, to me, that wasn’t fair to them…
…and it’s not fair to you if you plan to hire a hybrid shooter to do double duty during the day of shooting.
When you hire an expert, allow the expert to focus on the one thing that they’re there to do, or the deliverables you receive will be compromised in one way, shape or form.
Now, that doesn’t mean that YOU can’t kill two birds with one stone, but there is a better way than hiring one operator to handle everything.
You could hire two separate operators - one to shoot portraits and headshots, and another to do your video work. Ask whomever you hire first if they have an accompanying photographer/videographer to cover the other piece of it.
Or, you can ask your network for a referral to cover the remaining piece of the puzzle.
Another option is to hire a willing and able hybrid shooter, but with a modified schedule.
Shoot your video content on one day, and photos on the other. That way, they can offer 100% focus and attention on the specific task at hand on that day, which will offer better results for you.
Just avoid trying to slam them with everything in one day.
At the end of the day, your photo and video assets are an extremely important component of the way in which you engage your audience.
They help to establish you as an authority in your space of expertise and create distinction from other experts in your space.
Don’t dilute the results by forcing the operator behind the camera to cut corners during the production process.
It’s only your personal brand we’re talking about here, after all :)