Continuing my reviews of educational content, this week I’m reviewing another video purchased through Creative Live for $29. This video features adventure and action sports photographer Lucas Gilman giving advice on how to break into the adventure sports market. Being that this is my intended market, I found this clip well worth the money and it provided me several keen insights into this space.
Lucas Gilman
LUCAS GILMAN
Overall, it’s a great class. At times, Lucas seems a little uncomfortable in front of the crowd, but I found the information shared to be very valuable. There are several parts that seem like more of a storytelling session and less relevant to the topic at hand. However, if you make it through these parts there is always a great nugget of information on the backside or hidden in the middle.
TAKEAWAYS
I won’t list all of his bullet points here (there are many), but I will mention a few key items I took away from this clip. One, work only with the best athletes you can. A great athlete will always make you look better than you are. Two, production and print cycles vary for each publication, learn about those cycles so you can market your work in the correct season. Three, with advanced cameras becoming less expensive, find a way to set yourself apart from the crowd. Use your head to do this, not just your camera. Four, use trade shows like Outdoor Retailer to make connections and build a network of people with whom you can share your work.
ADDITIONAL TOOLS
As an added bonus, Lucas mentions a useful software tool that he uses in his photography business. This may seem insignificant, but pricing is a gaping hole in the world of photographic education and this software, fotoBiz, seems to help streamline that process. I have yet to purchase the software, but it’s definitely on my list. Lots of useful information packed into a short video. There may have been too much information included which prevented getting very in-depth on any one topic. Overall, great information in a quickly consumable format.