Video Tips if You're a Photo Person
And 20% OFF Carrot Express with my code!
Before we dive in to this post, I had to tell you about the most perfect piece of carrot cake I had this weekend from Carrot Express. The Miami brand just opened in NYC and to celebrate, I’m giving you fine readers 20% OFF, THIS WEEK ONLY when you use the code DaraLovesCarrot at Carrot Express (18 West 23rd St). Try their cilantro lime dressing too while you’re at it. And you know how I feel about cilantro so if I’m saying it’s good, that REALLY means something.
Just say you have a code at checkout: DaraLovesCarrot :)
Onto the Substack!
I absolutely love making fun of all things social media, as you can probably tell. It’s like that pet that’s so ugly it’s cute, or that show that’s so dumb but you can’t look away. And most of all, it’s like a relationship: the things you initially loved about them become liabilities and things you “have to live with.”
So instead of asking myself, “what am I doing wrong?” as it pertains to IG, I started asking myself, “what do I truly enjoy doing? And is there a way to make videos out of it?”
Side note: almost anything these days can be made into a video, but of course it takes practice and a willingness to try! Reminder: be patient with yourself.
The first part of this lesson comes in the form of asking yourself those same questions. If you REALLY despise video and don’t want to do it, that’s fine! You can still make an impact with static photos, BUT you are leaving out a significant chunk of eyeballs (and potentially money on the table) because that’s what IG loves to serve up right now (and TikTok is literally only videos). You don’t have to pander to the algorithm, but you can’t complain about it if you haven’t even tried it, either. Take it from me.
Once I got three or four “things” I like doing, I expanded on each one and thought of ways I could make it work for the social media platforms I use. Below is an example of something I like to do and how I could make videos out of it.
I enjoy: making content on photoshoots, either for myself or for clients
I also enjoy: making people laugh
How can I mix the two? I made a list of some ideas:
take a few static photos and put them together in InShot or IMGplay to make a stop motion video (pasta pulls, cheese pulls, even flipping a burger on a grill)
before and after shots showcasing my Lightroom Presets for photo editing (check out that video here on TT)
BTS (behind the scenes) video of me shooting for one of my clients
film the equipment I use while on a shoot and then do a voiceover explaining what each piece is and where they can find it
Make a parody video of what it’s like to be a content creator (my favorite)
The biggest piece of advice I can give for video content on IG or TikTok is this: sharing what you KNOW is the first place to start. If you’re forcing it, you’re never going to do it. It has to be something you like doing and can speak to comfortably.
If it feels weird talking to a camera, remember this: you don’t have to! Yes, people like seeing faces, but if you’re not there yet, don’t rush. You can do voiceovers or even use that weird robotic voice that a lot of people use (the one that reads the text you put on the screen).
Comfortable talking to the camera but worried about messing up? Do what I do and make a little script! And don’t forget, you can fix mistakes with editing after. Just remember to pause for a second before or after each point you make so if you need to cut a piece out, it will be easy for you to do so. And if a script feels too overwhelming, make bullet points so you stick to the story and don’t ramble.
Here’s a good example of one I made for TikTok over the weekend. I ordered Birria tacos from Birria Landia, one of the best birria tacos I’ve had in NYC and they now deliver via UberEats and Postmates. I was genuinely excited to eat them as well as film them, but most importantly, I needed people to know about this. I completely made up this VO on the spot, but there were a few key words I wanted to make sure I included, so I wrote those down as bullets. Take a look at the link below:
Birria Landia Tacos and Consomme on TT
Hope that helps a bit and made you hungry because it’s Taco Tuesday. Stay tuned for more musings and just FYI I’ve been posting more on TikTok so if you want to stay up to date and enjoy my vids, give a follow :)
IG: @darapollak
TikTok: @darapollak