Will Marlow

Photography and videos are tremendously important for communicating on the Internet.  Why?  Because people do not want to read online.  People consume information on the Internet primarily through videos and pictures, not written words.  You can argue with me on this point all you want, but you're better off just accepting the fact that your message will reach more people if it's framed by pictures and videos.  (If the New York Times needs to supplement its written words with pictures and videos, so do unknown bloggers and websites.)

This means that you would benefit tremendously if you equip yourself to take high quality, professional looking photographs on a regular basis. 

Here's one of the biggest tips I can give you: often, the biggest difference between professional-looking photos and amateur photos comes down to the time of day.  I was speaking with a veteran advertising producer who told me that he used to hate getting up at three in the morning to prepare for a photo shoot that had nothing at all to do with a sunrise, but the fact is, the quality of light two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset is magical on film.  Those two two-hour chunks of time are when 80% of important outdoor movie scenes and magazine pieces are shot. 

If you want your pictures or videos to look professional, the early bird still gets the worm.