A road trip usually creates a great opportunity to snap some photos or shoot video, whether you’re a couple going on their honeymoon or you’re with a corporation headed to a trade show or a retreat. While taking the photos on your own can be fun, it can also detract from your ability to enjoy and participate in the journey. That’s why more and more people and organizations are hiring professional video services and photographers like ROF Industries Inc. to capture their adventures on the road.

Travel photographers and videographers take images of clients’ vacations, retreats, trade shows, conventions, team-building exercises, etc., allowing all members of the group to fully experience the event without having to handle photography duties. The images and video captured by travel photographers and videographers is high quality and professionally edited, making it eminently suitable for promotional video production purposes.

Who Are Travel Photographers?

Travel photographers and videographers specialize in a subcategory of photography involving documenting time and place in specific areas. Good travel photos and videos provide images that clearly capture the unique features of a specific place or event or culture. Some great examples of travel can be found in National Geographic Magazine and similar publications.

Travel photography and videography require some very specialized skills many other photographers just don’t have. Because they’re on the road instead of in a studio, there may be limitations concerning the type of equipment travel photographers can bring along, requiring travel photographers to know how to get the most out of available gear. Weather is often a big issue for travel photographers, and these professionals must know how to capture images in hostile conditions. Lighting is also often a challenge for travel photographers, who must be able to shoot in bright sunny conditions as well as when low light is available.

Good travel photographers and videographers need to be able to:

• Take images of landscapes, portrait shots, panoramic views, etc.
• Incorporate landscape and geographical features, as well as weather and manmade features into photos that create a true sense of place.
• Balance people and place in images, capturing the essence of both. Viewers should be able to tell that a video was shot in China or Spain by the look of the geography and backgrounds in the shot.

Photographers and videographers who practice their trade on the road also have to be good diplomats, knowing how to approach potential subjects for photos, or officials whose permission may be necessary to shoot inside certain properties.

Benefits of Hiring a Travel Photographer/Videographer

Travel photographers and videographers make documenting trips and events a lot easier for their clients. If you’re considering hiring a travel videographer or photographer for your next big journey, consider these benefits:

• Focus – Your travel photographers and videographers won’t be busy setting up booths, registering attendees, fielding calls from the office or other activities your staff would have to perform alongside photography duties. Because their only job is taking photos and video, your travel photographers and videographers will be able to focus on that task, allowing them to create a better quality product. Also, because your staff isn’t stretched between photography and their core duties, they’ll be able to better focus on those duties.
• Better equipment – Travel photographers and videographers are likely to have higher-end equipment than you or your organization may have, as capturing images is their full-time profession. As a result of this technological advantage, these professionals are likely to take better quality photos and video than you or a staff member would be able to take.

Training – Professional videographers and photographers have advanced training in their field that allows them to capture superior photo and video. Many have years of experience, and some even have advanced degrees in the subject. These professionals know all the capabilities of their equipment, as well as how to use editing software to polish their work. The result of using travel photographers and videographers will be a higher quality product.

Hiring Travel Photography Staff

When hiring professional video services and photographers, clients need to perform a thorough screening and vetting process to ensure they make the right choice. When evaluating candidates for the job, consider asking the following questions:

• Ask for a portfolio – It seems glaringly obvious to ask for past work samples, but many clients fail to do so. Check out your potential travel photographer/videographer’s work and ask about past travel work. See how the photographer/videographer adapted to the many conditions involved in travel photography, such as lighting conditions, rain and challenging locales and terrain.
• Inquire about their equipment – A good videographer or photographer should be able to explain the basic functions of the gear they use and why it’s the best equipment for the demands of travel photography. Pose a variety of scenarios to the potential hire and ask how their equipment will help them overcome the challenges associated with these scenarios. Also take the time to Google the equipment types named by the photographer/videographer to see if they’re industry standards or well-regarded gear.
• Get a clear picture concerning rates – To avoid getting surprised by a higher than expected invoice, make sure you and your photographer/videographer are on the same page regarding compensation. Ask about their standard rate, as well as compensation for accommodations and travel expenses. By hammering out these details ahead of time, you can avoid less than pleasant conversations later.
• Ask about final cut – Determine how much input you will be able to have regarding the final cut of video or photos taken. Some photographer/videographers take a collaborative approach to working with clients, while others are more restrictive concerning client input into their process.

Careful screening will help ensure that you get a seasoned professional who can provide the photos and images you desire from your travel experience.

ROF Industries Inc. & Shatterproof Collaborate

ROF Industries Inc.’s collaboration with Shatterproof shows the value of travel photography and videography services.

ROF Industries Inc. recently worked with Shatterproof, a national organization that works to protect children from alcohol and drug addiction, and to end the stigma often attached to those suffering from addiction. ROF Industries Inc. toured 25 events in 15 states over seven months, documenting Shatterproof’s interactions with the public via its Shatterproof Challenge program. The program raises funds for the organization by recruiting folks to participate in rappelling and other physical challenges.

ROF Industries Inc. followed Shatterproof staff as they attended these challenges, documenting the hard work of both Shatterproof and members of the public supporting the organization by participating in the challenges. ROF’s photos and video helped capture the spirit of the events, allowing Shatterproof to better promote its events and its mission. ROF Industries Inc. got images and videos of enthusiastic members of the public rappelling and enjoying the Shatterproof Challenge, conveying the message of empowerment and community support Shatterproof desired. Images from the events show the potential of travel photo and videography captured by ROF Industries Inc. to deliver powerful messages that elicit a positive response from the public.

ROF Industries Inc. provides a variety of high quality photography and videography services available for small business and individual customers, including travel photography and videography. The Internet age has made high quality photos and videos essential to marketing a business or organization, and ROF Industries Inc. can help you devise the strategy that best incorporates visual content into your website. In addition to these services, ROF Industries Inc. also produces internal training videos and photo content for clients, helping businesses and organizations more effectively communicate with staff. For photos and videos that work, contact ROF Industries Inc. today.

Hire a professional Travel Photographer/Videographer

Bolsa Chica State Beach has provided us with some amazing sunset photography lately! These clients were so easy to work with and madly in love with each other.

Check out the “teaser” video we produced for our new client Endurance Camps. Their camps provide an incredible experience for runners, swimmers, cyclists, triathletes and any adult looking to get in shape and have fun! We’ll be posting the full video and photos from the camp very soon…

We are so honored to be working with The Mavrix Group on their new mansion in La Jolla, CA. This video shows the progress thus far. Stay tuned for more!

Whether it’s a corporate event or special personal occasion, capturing important moments on video can preserve them for reflection, reminiscence, and review. There is a huge gulf between fly-by-night amateur video and the kind of images a skilled videographer can provide. When hiring videography services for corporate events, training, or marketing videos, or for personal events, knowing what traits and skills to look for can mean the difference between a beautifully shot video or a slapdash collection of random images.

The advent of digital videography has made video content more affordable and widely available than ever before. In the past, video was an expensive proposition, as the price of film and editing equipment was quite high. Today, most smartphones come with video capability, and you can easily find video editing equipment for your personal computer.

Most businesses – even small mom and pop shops – now have video content on their websites, and video will soon be the predominant form of content on the web. Companies are using corporate video for everything, including how-to videos, training videos for employees, tours of their facilities, and marketing content.

Quantity does not always equal quality, however, and there is still much to be said for the polish professional videography can add to audiovisual content, particularly videos recorded at events. Each event is different, and the skills and techniques videographers need will vary.

Wedding Events

Weddings are among the most important milestones in our lives, and brides, grooms, and their families want a picture-perfect reminder of their day. Wedding videographers need to collaborate carefully with their clients to get just the right tone and style for their video. While some wedding parties will want videographers to use lights and other equipment, others will want a more naturalistic wedding video. Understanding where the boundaries are is critical for wedding videographers.

Lighting is often a challenge for wedding videographers, as most weddings take place in venues where the lights are low, like churches or cathedrals. Wedding videographers will need to use cameras with low LUX ratings, as these cameras are better equipped for capturing low-light video. Wedding videographers will also need to install mics throughout the venue to pick up important parts of the wedding audio, such as the vows and the music.

Videographers for weddings will also need to be capable of working with and around photographers who may also be shooting the event.

Corporate Events

For corporate events, videography services need to get a good feel for the tone and purpose of the event. Is it an informal employee retreat, or a high-stakes meeting? Once they have a feel for the event, videographers will be able to shoot appropriate video. Professional videographers will need to set up lighting and sound prior to the event. They’ll also need to know where most of the action will take place so they can be sure to record important speakers and presentations.

In many corporate videos, videographers transition from action shots to one-on-one interviews with attendees and corporate leaders. This helps to keep the video from becoming stale and boring.

Performance Events

Taking video of performance events such as concerts or plays poses a series of challenges to videographers. Performance videography requires a lot of set up time, as videographers must find the ideal places to position their cameras and mics. They must also run a series of tests to ensure their sound equipment is at the optimum setting for recording at the particular venue where they are working.

At many performance events, videographers use three cameras – one for long shots, and two for more close-up shots. Videographers using cameras for close-up shots must often deal with crowds or other possible sources of interference during the event.

Communication Key

Whether it’s for a corporate event, personal event, training, or corporate marketing video, establishing a clear line of communication between the client and the videographer will help ensure the client’s requirements are met. Clients should explain exactly what they want to their videographers, and the videographers should ask questions and make suggestions concerning how best to meet these requirements. Without clear, unambiguous directions, videographers may misinterpret their client’s vision and create a video that misses the mark.

Some pre-hire questions that may help companies and individuals considering hiring a videographer include:

• Is your style more documentary or cinematic? – Documentary style videos are more businesslike and to the point, cinematic videos are more artsy and make more use of lighting and effects. Be sure that your videographer’s preferred style of shooting matches the purpose and intent of your event.
• How much final say do you provide clients over the final cut? – Some videographers are very particular about their work and offer little control to their clients concerning video editing, considering it best left up to the professionals. Other videographers are more accommodating. When hiring a videographer, consider how much control you want over the editing process.
• What cameras do you use? – Find out what type of cameras and video editing equipment your videographer will use, and consult with other videographers or browse online forums to see how dependable that equipment is. If your videographer is using sub-par gear, your video may turn out to be disappointing.
• What’s your experience? – Make sure your videographer is used to shooting the type of event you want him or her to shoot, as wedding video is a far cry from footage of a corporate team-building exercise. Be sure to ask for references, and also look at past examples of your wedding videographer’s work.
• How much is your rate? – Most videographers charge based on time and will offer a standard rate. Make sure you understand the videographer’s pricing structure and how time spent on editing will impact the price.

ROF Industries makes high quality videography services available for small business and individual customers. Video is a highly effective training and marketing tool that until recently only big companies could afford to do properly, with high-end cameras and editing equipment. The digital age has democratized video, and ROF Industries exists to bring top quality video content to your business.

Events Recorded by ROF Industries

We had such a great time with Lindy & Monte’s wedding that we just had to post 2 blogs! Here are some of our favorite photos with a color treatment that we are really loving at the moment. Enjoy!

Bosque del Apache, New Mexico is the perfect destination for those interested in wildlife viewing, photography or videography. January is one of the best times to visit in order to see various species of migrating birds. For more information on how to travel to this amazing place email us at nicole@rofindustries.com