Video is the new black, red, yellow, blue, and every single color you can think of. People are consuming more films, clips, and animations than ever before. In fact, over three-quarters of all internet traffic comes from video. Over one billion hours of video are watched on YouTube every day. There are more than eight billion video views per day on Facebook. Instagram has launched IGTV, which allows users to share videos up to one hour long. The popularity of video is stretching across all platforms and industries.

But how does that affect you, a photographer with little to no experience in shooting video? Funny enough, it impacts every inch of your photography business. From the potential of your skills and services to the reach of your photography website and social media platforms, there’s so much that can be improved with video. If you are still not convinced, here are 7 reasons why all photographers should delve into videography:

Stay on top of trends

There is no doubt that videography has become a huge trend in the industry, for both photographers and clients alike. Understanding what your audience is interested in is a must to improve your work’s exposure. This is why you should strive to identify new trends as soon as possible. Unlike popular belief, staying on top of trends does not mean you need to sell out to each of them. Instead, examine the individual characteristics of the trend and see which parts your work can benefit from.

It is commonly the case that trends go hand in hand with increased online exposure. This is not only because people are actively looking for this type of content, but because platforms actively push its reach. Take the new Instagram algorithm as an example, which seems to reward users who try new features and share content that engages viewers for longer periods of time.

Challenge yourself

Comfort is a creative mind’s worst enemy. It’s so easy to stick to what you know, but how much can you actually learn if you never challenge yourself? If we had to pick a sole reason why all photographers should start shooting video, this is it.

Learning a whole new creative process has unmeasurable benefits that will be evidently reflected in your work. Creating videos will challenge the way you see the world, as you move from a static to a dynamic perspective. This will push you to reinvent how you plan every scene and compose each shot. You’ll also find yourself planning sessions in a whole new manner, and even post-processing the footage will take some newfound knowledge.

Improve your technical skills

The capabilities that you can gain from shooting videos are not limited to creativity. Once you start using your gear for new purposes, you’ll discover many features that you had never paid attention to before. You will also take your existing technical skills to the next level as you see them applied to a whole new environment.

For example, you will see how shutter speed affects objects you want to capture in movement. Your manual focusing skills will improve dramatically, as you won’t be able to rely on auto focus when shooting video. And let’s not even get started on how much you will learn about audio.

Share your expertise

One of the biggest opportunities the Internet offers to photographers is the ability to become experts in their field. Sharing your knowledge with the community will allow you to build a loyal audience that’s deeply invested in your work. The best way to share this knowledge? You guessed it: video.

Whether you choose to publish behind the scenes footages, create tutorials, or engage in Q&A sessions, video will play an essential role in this process. In order to make the most out of this opportunity, you will need to capture high-quality footage that stays in sync with your brand. These videos should provide an added value to your work, which will only happen if your audience can feel that you put enough effort behind it. You can easily include this content in your portfolio with Wix Video and sync it with your YouTube and Facebook channels.

Enhance your portfolio

Motion has raised as one of the biggest photography website design trends of the year. Adding videos to your online portfolio can have a huge impact on how visitors perceive your work. People perceive photographers and videographers as two entirely different professionals, and those brave enough to blur this line are seen as next-level creatives.

Start by using video on your homepage, or adding a few short clips within your main gallery. Even subtle changes like these will have a significant impact on how visitors react to your website. In fact, making little changes every so often can result in a better engagement rate than redesigning your whole site every other year. In essence, you don’t need to do a lot to do a lot.

Pro tip: These video and photo website templates offer a great starting point for building a portfolio that covers the best of both worlds.

Offer more

This one is quite obvious. The more you know, the more you’ll be able to offer. Expanding your photography services page will allow you to cater to a wider audience and grow your customer base. On top of that, including video as part of your service offering will give you a significant advantage over other photographers.

For example, let’s say someone is looking for a newborn photographer and finds two whose work they love. If one of them can create a video of their baby in addition to a photo session, that one will most likely be the chosen one. Even if there is a price tag difference, when it comes to preserving memories people tend to pay more attention to the end product rather than the cost of it.

Because, why not?

You already have all the gear and a passion for capturing your personal view of the world. Why not give video a shot? There are no downsides to trying, but so much to benefit from. See it as a new tool to play with and learn more about media creation, rather than just another trend you should know about.

Don’t feel pressured to start providing video services as soon as possible. In fact, it shouldn’t be part of your offering until the quality of your videos is as high as that of your photos. Doing so before being ready just because you don’t want to be late to the video party will only compromise the value of your brand.