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Using products to practice

I’m definitely trying to live more outdoors but there’s inevitably time when I can’t get outside. I’m often guilty of collecting plenty of photographs and videos and spacing them out over the following days and weeks. The insatiable beast that is social media demands regular and consistent content in order for your account to be seen by others. And, if the dream of living a life of adventure is ever to become a reality, social media plays its part in getting eyes on this blog and, in turn, bringing with it some work.

However, if you follow me on social media, you’ll see that I post pictures of products regularly too. Others do it, some with the same reason as myself. The product shots you see aren’t ads, at least not yet. Of course, sponsored posts would indeed bring some revenue with them but it’s not something I currently do. Instead, I use products to practice with. Creating photographs and video is part of what I do, and part of what I’d do in the event I were to move entirely away from a conventional 9-5 job. Having the right set of skills is therefore important. And skills need practice.

Originally, the whole photo and video thing started as a bit of fun. We’d ride bikes in the woods and grab clips, stuffing them together into ‘edits’ and sharing them with our friends. Eventually, the natural progression of editing and sharing led to seeking out ways to improve. A similar thing happened with photography – I’d just grab shots whilst away on holiday. That turned into shooting most weekends, then into carrying a camera around almost all the time. Photography became my primary hobby and, with it, all the post-shoot work that comes. I find editing photographs incredibly fun and rewarding so it’s natural that I’ve spent a lot of time getting to grips with the software used.

Video editing takes me much longer. Because of that, I’ve always shelved it and it’s been second to photography for a very long time. Until recently, that is. Earlier this year, I made the conscious decision to make videography more of a focus. It’s the way the world is moving and I figured it’s an equally complimentary skill to have alongside photography. So, with some extra practice, I’m now at a point where I can confidently say that videography is making more sense.

The product content on my social media is an easy way for me to practice such skills without having to leave the house. It’s the sort of stuff I can do on a Sunday morning whilst my partner has a sleep in. It doesn’t require much planning ahead of time and means I can keep my skills sharp, and learn some new things to put into practice later. It does mean that the stuff I post isn’t always about bikes… but then my life isn’t always about bikes either. Sometimes, like today, it’s coffee; Other times, it’s tshirts or my own stickers. Whatever it is, it’s always something I enjoy and so has at least some relevance to me. Whether or not that helps with social media algorithms I don’t know, but it does help with my own skills.

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