For some odd reason, over the past couple of weeks, several of the landscape photographers I follow have posted videos about their YouTube experiences. Some have been active for years, others for just a couple. But all are reconsidering what the effort to produce content ultimately means to them and whether/how they should continue.
Most have noticed a slowing in the growth of their channel in both views and followers. Some of that appears to be a legitimate change in audience interests. But some of it also seems to be the ever present YouTube algorithm, which chooses how and how often a video is presented for viewing.
I rely on YouTube for my artistic “fix” and also for more mundane activities such as home repairs. So this change is troubling to me. What does it mean?
And it isn’t just the photographers I follow that have commented on this. I’ve noticed that YouTube delivery has changed over the years, so that once you express even a tiny interest in a topic, you seem to be presented only videos about that same topic for weeks and months that follow. Or alternatively, when you search for a topic, you seem to get totally irrelevant content that somehow the algorithm thinks is related.
I’ve only produced a handful of my own videos on my own channel, and none recently. A variety of reasons for this, including health issues. But my point is that it is a huge effort to develop and produce content, even if only filming from home. I can punch out a blog post like this one in a couple hours, plug in some images or video clips, and call it a day. With YouTube, you have to worry about location, lighting and sound, about variety in your shots, and about B-roll (which fills in the cuts between the talking head segments). At least I do. And I still don’t have it right yet.
Some creators do full length talking head content, from the same static setup, day in and day out. I have to say that I don’t watch many of these anymore myself, unless there is a specific thing I want to learn. So I understand why this approach is not very appealing. But I started in YouTube as a hobby, not as a source of income. I don’t feel any obligation other than my own work ethic to produce high end content with high production value on a regular basis. I just want it to be informative and watchable, offering something only as often as I deem it worthwhile.
To me, watchable means a decent quality image, GOOD sound, and a screen that changes every so often with new visuals. Nothing worse than presentable visuals with crappy, tin can sound from the built-in mic on the camera or smartphone. None of these high end creators do that.
So why is interest slipping? Effort is one thing, but topic selection is another. And maybe that’s the real crux of the matter for my landscape photographer creators. Most make their money by leading groups to honeypot tourist locations. While there, they make some videos for YouTube too. But how many Iceland videos, or UK Lake District videos, or US Southwest videos does one need? Fewer than what is available it seems. So these creators turn to “in-studio” episodes, showcasing editing or gear instead. And some are roundly criticized for it, to the point of having to put out a video to explain it.
I don’t honestly know what the answer is. I have found new outlets in other subjects, including tropical fish-keeping and astrophotography. Maybe it’s just a case of knowing what I want to know right now about a given subject, and instead needing personal experiences that allow me to apply what I’ve learned, rather than more online content. Other people may feel the same.
But it also seems that YouTube might be at a turning point, as people begin to seek something else. I hope it’s not just the Tik Tok craze taking over, with desired content absorbed in 60 seconds or less. That would be just plain wrong. YouTube does now include “shorts”, but I have absolutely no interest in these. That’s like reading the Coles Notes (Cliff’s Notes) version of War and Peace (for those of you who remember what those are). Again, just plain wrong. We will see what happens.
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