The ground swell of solo video journalism is building – and the announcement that Pulitzer and YouTube are sponsoring a contest for this style of video journalism only adds to the credibility of this newly emerging profession.

Check out the video:

I recently had a chat with the owner of a new video stock agency about how video is becoming the new “Stock Photography”.

I was discussing this with Matthew Gray of Relevant Motion about signing up with his stock video agency.

Matt comes from a similar background as I do – having shot still photojournalism for a number of years and having been represented by stock photo agencies.

Now his new venture brings a new paradigm to light – video stock footage being the new form of stock photography.

This departs from the 20th century notion that stills can fulfill the visual content needed to illustrate a story. Fair enough. But now look at the consumption of video content online and the realities are that visual literacy is about moving images, not static stand alones.

I miss the days of shooting 35mm cameras and processing that film, printing it, etc. It took years of trial and error to hone my skills in that arena. Now everything is 1′s and 0′s – all digitized. Viewers are consuming massive amounts of video content online, so much so, that most are no longer willing to sit and look at a still image for more than a few seconds. Quality video content provides a means of stimulating ones interest in ways that still images cannot – and vice versa.

The die hard hold outs refuse to accept the inevitability of the changes taking place in the visual content creation profession. That doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. One can choose to not change and the results will be those out of a job. Those who embrace – even hesitantly – the changes taking place and choose to move forward from shooting stills only to adding video to their skill set, will find themselves become more creative, versatile shooters in the process.

What do you do when you just don’t feel inspired creatively?

Lately I’ve been hit with what seems like a creative block that I can’t seem to overcome.

When I shot stills, it seemed pretty straight forward – I’d grab my cameras and go find subjects to shoot. But shooting video isn’t the same thing.

Video requires a level of shooting methodology that can seem rigid and somewhat uncreative. I got into shooting video because it allowed for telling more in depth stories. But lately it seems like nothing strikes me as worth telling. I’m actually beginning to miss the days of shooting film. I could grab my 35mm cameras – or grab my 4×5 field camera and go on a photo shoot just for the sake of shooting. But I have somehow lost that drive since making the move to video – as if video has become the master of practicality instead of being my muse for creativity.

I’m not sure how to find a creative spot with shooting video. Maybe it’s the time of the year – but lately I’ve viewed video as a sterile medium that presents facts only – without much in the way of being creative. I’ve recently been going through my archives of b/w prints and stock slides that I shot years ago and I can still remember many of those instances of when I went out to shoot just for the sake of shooting. I can’t seem to find that same drive when it comes to video.

I’m not sure what to do to overcome this – maybe it will require a drastic shift that takes me back to shooting stills and adding audio narrative to create slide shows that tell a story.

I have alot to think about now.

I realized that I have used this term throughout my blog postings without giving any sort of a definition to this term.

Working as a multimedia journalist is a unique concept – one that is constantly being redefined as this point in time, but to be a “Jack Of All Trades, Master Of Them All” requires having a swiss army knife skillset.

The Term “Jack Of All Trades – Master Of Them All” does bring a level of competence that requires one person in the production of video content. As a Solo Video Journalist, we should  strive to provide more in many ways, without having a need for a production crew and as such, bring a level of competency to multimedia journalism with streamlined equipment and production values  – while at the same time, maintaining as high a level of professional quality as possible.  It pushes the boundaries of content creation with a Zen like attitude towards equipment and a less is more attitude to the subject.

Bottom line, push your skills and equipment as far as you can – then push it even further – you’ll be amazed at what you are capable of producing.

Since I create music as a part of the creative process via my alter ego, dj ClifMahn, I got to thinking this morning about what does a creative pattern experience when listening to music that evokes a certain sense of previsualization when brainstorming project ideas.

Although I am older in years than I look, I also feel younger in spirit as well and find myself attracted to music that is typically listened to by people 10-15 years my junior.

The sophistication of Downtempo, Jazz, and Deep House music is what I’m attracted to – and in a sense, it creates a certain sense of positive creative energy within my being (a term expressed by Eckart Tolle’ in The Power Of Now”).  Many would say that there is no complexity or structure to these forms of music.  What I have found is that they bring a sense of stillness, or maybe a sense of pattern that allows  for me a creative sense of well being.   Whatever it is, I have been drawn to these forms of music basically my whole life – those of having an essence of soul, of rhythm, of almost having a life energy of their own.

Whatever it is, it allows me to let loose of the negative energy that permeates the world these days and invokes in me a sense of positive outlook on this life – and it allows me the space to think of ways to bring a positive message to the work I shoot as a Solo Video Journalist.