What’s wrong with this picture, er, I mean, this video…

www.whattheduck.net

In the midst of the packing and last minute details for an assignment I’m leaving on tomorrow (note to self: no more blog posts about Photoshop or plug-ins…whoa…you guys are tough, tough, tough), I took stock of my upcoming shopping list for gear, gadgets, and software.

And none of it was for still photo stuff.

I should be upgrading to CS5, but all my cameras are covered by the version of Adobe Camera Raw in CS4 so what I’m really getting ready to plunk down near four figures to upgrade is to Final Cut Studio from Final Cut Express, and not from CS4 to CS5.

And yes, I’d like that tiny new 85mm Nikkor DX  VR macro lens, but what I’m actually buying next is a fairly pricey little Sennheiser wireless mic setup. And I’ve been hitting the videography blogs with alarming regularity.

What the hell is going on? Hit the jump to find out just who, or what, has hijacked my brain.

Like a lot of editorial shooters, I’m totally swept up in the multimedia vortex. Truth be told, I’ve been in there for a while, and I’ve enjoyed the added dimension of dealing with audio in my multimedia slideshows, (even though I’ve yet to find a reliable market for these gems).

But, I put off learning about video for as long as I could (poor baby, I thought the learning curve of basic Photoshop was brutal… that was, of course, until I met Mr. Final Cut, who is a truly tough mofo), but the day has come.

And I’m excited by the possibilities. If the above cartoon (and Malcolm Gladwell, who floated the 10,000 hour formula in his excellent book, The Outliers) are right, I’ll probably be a grandfather (take your time, boys, no rush to reproduce! Dad doesn’t fancy grandfatherhood just yet.) before I get close to a decent fraction of the required hours, but there’s the thrill of total authorship that drives us old editorial shooters, who are all-too-used to getting our vision pawed over by layers of editors and writers before it sees the light of day.

But, I’m noticing a disconnect.

While magazine and editorial shooters are all about learning video, and the documentary and indie film folks are absolutely head over heels in love with big-chip, soft-bokeh, fast-prime-lens DSLR videography, lots of photo enthusiasts could give a hoot about the video capabilities of their SLRs.

At least that’s the feeling I’m getting at recent seminars I’ve taught recently in Houston, Philly, and San Francisco for National Geographic Traveler.

So, while it’s going to be quiet around here from me in these next 10 days, I’d love to hear from you, regarding your thoughts on DSLR video (or any kind of video) and how you think it will impact what you do. Or not….And go Celtics!