September 29, 2022

Should stop buying Canon cameras, or is this fine?

Canon just pissed a lot of customers off. I don’t think it will make them more money in the end. We have a lot of Canon uses here and I was a huge Canon guy for years. But we have a problem and I want you to tell me what you think.

Companies may be able to make products that “prevent” customers. Like by killing lenses such as the Viltrox 85mm. But ignoring your customer can be a fatal mistake.

That’s what Kodak learned before they went bankrupt in 2012!

A lot of you know me for Lightroom presets, Photoshop actions, and Capture One styles. But you may not know that long before that I had the photo podcast and even now I do a lot of non LR/PS videos on my YouTube channel.

Kodak is perhaps one of the greatest marketing lessons in modern history. They were KING of moments for a century. They invented the digital Camera. Then tried to snuff it. By being out of touch with their market, Kodak fell from nearly 150,000 employees in the 80s and 16 BILLION in sales in 1996, to Bankrupcyin 2012..So how does that relate to Canon?

I’m going to talk about that AND show you why the expensive lens is not always the one you need in today’s video.

Imagine how the course Photoshop would have been different if they has locked of us creators, plugin developers, and third-party partners in the name of the intellectual property. You would not even be coming here for my Lightroom presets.

Since I’ve commented on Canon for many years and seen this arc. The truth is Canon is no longer king and they are lashing out! So I thought I would make a video and share of a few of those stories and what has led us to this Canon fiasco. I hope you’ll share your thoughts in the comments here or on my channel.

Respecting customers is first.

I don’t have a Viltrox lens myself as of writing this. But if you use my products you know that despite being a one-man band, I work hard to make sure customers are happy. Because without customers your intellectual property, your marketing. your tech is pretty much useless.

There’s nothing wrong with Canon cameras. or third-party lenses What’s wrong is Canon! Now Canon is about to find out if their customers will allow themselves to be treated this way.

Gavin Seim

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October 31, 2017

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Does video work?

We study marketing a lot over here and put a lot of work into it, especially our promo videos. Most companies don’t make a promos everything but I’ve always felt it’s important. I thought we could  share and maybe learn something about how to reach our customers better.

Does it matter, do people watch the videos or do they just read the copy? Honestly we agonize over promos here. Everything from the soundtrack to the humor. For example we started including outtakes because some people thought I was a bit too intense and artsy. It’s fun, but it’s something we use for balance.

We decided we to make two promo videos for the new Nitty Gritty collection. So first, which video is better? Second, do product videos effect how you buy? After that, let’s talk. Comment and tell us more. Do you make promo videos of your work? How would you do things differently? Let’s share some ideas that we can all use.

Tun into our Facebook page next week and I’ll share results on what worked here and why we did it.

Thanks for taking part. As a bonus we extended the $50 off deal on Nitty Gritty for another day. Get them here.

Promo Video 1:


Promo Video 2:

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October 9, 2015

seim-mily-wayClick for large version.

A7R II, 10sec, ISO 12,800, Canon 24mm TSe II

I believe I can go at least 50 inches with this. Here’s a few tight crops. . Yes there’s some noise, but it has a reasonable nice grain feel to it and for this ISO it’s amazing.

— Gav

The War in Heaven

The War in Heaven

 

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September 12, 2014

Today I’m proud to officially introduce PHOTOGRAPHIC School, a new YouTube channel dedicated to the craft of photography. We’ve always been about content and this new phase takes it a big step further. Our award winning videos have focused on the light and the craftsmanship. Filled with free content and unique training, PHOTOGRAPHIC School is bringing free content that will help people be better image makers.

This project with bring everything from Lightroom training videos to on location lighting and travel work. It’s going to be fun.

Please subscribe.
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As the project grows, more resources can be committed to it, so please share it, then watch our new video: Lighting with ONE LED Panel. — Gav Seim

one_led_light_posterP

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October 22, 2013

Here’s a fun outtake from the road as we film for the new PHOTOGRAPHICS miniseries. You can follow the trip here. Watch the real trailer and pre-order the film here.

Watch the actual trailer…

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