People are also less patient and tend to have less time, so watching three videos to see if they like a photographer instead of scheduling three meetings to evaluate their work is a value add, regardless of whether you are a bride or a busy art buyer. Videos are the perfect solution to creating that emotional connection from afar, and it's not just wedding photographers who have discovered this.

Now, more and more commercial photographers and photojournalists are realizing the benefits of using videos on their Web sites. Photojournalists are using them to help bring their stories to life and commercial photographers are using them to share their creative vision or to provide a further understanding of how they work and what makes them tick.

In fact, videos have proven particularly useful for the commercial photographers, whose job opportunities typically hinge on their ability to work well with an art director. Videos streamline the hiring process, allow art directors to determine if a photographer's style is in keeping with what they are looking for and how well their personalities and working styles might fit with the client's.

What kinds of videos are right for your business?
Much like the three uses for video I highlighted earlier, there are three different kinds of videos that tend to correspond to those purposes, and most photographers start with the easiest (and least expensive) version and work their way up the ranks.

Slide show set to music
For starters, most photographers creep into the video world by setting their still images to music and creating a slide show to help tell their story and showcase their work. This involves adding motion to the site -- while not necessarily introducing video. Examples of this kind of video, in the wedding and photojournalism industries, can be viewed on CHRIS+LYNN's Web site and the Curse of the Black Gold Web site.

[Unfortunately, QuickTime will be needed for viewing this last site. Connected Photographer doesn't recommend QuickTime for video both because you have to download the entire video to view, as compared to Flash streaming video, and because the QuickTime intall download from Apple often comes with other, less savory payloads that will install themselves onto your computer. -Ed.]

Bio videos
The next logical step is to create a video that talks about who you are as a photographer and how you prefer to work with a client. These bios, if you will, can be shot on a Web cam or any of the latest and greatest video technologies on the market, and editing isn't always necessary.

The frequency of real-time videos being posted on the Web has altered people's expectations in terms of video quality, so as long as you have good lighting and speak clearly, the outcome will likely be acceptable. In fact, an unedited video can sometimes help your personality shine through, which makes it appear more endearing and natural. An example of a commercial photographer's bio video can be viewed at on Chase Jarvis' home page.