So in case you missed all the shouting, Flickr now does video — although they’re calling the feature “long photos,” since you’re limited to uploading 90 second clips. Whether you call it short video, or long pictures, I think it’s worth tinkering around with — just to see what we can do with the format.
Some other folks have experimented a bit and found that even shorter clips (say, 10 – 15 seconds) are even better, if you’re looking for something that a passer-by can take a quick look at. Maybe this short time is something innate to humans, or maybe the quick “cuts” in modern TV programs have trained us to expect this. At any rate, I thought I’d put up a few 10 second video clips to see how people respond to them.
Since all the clips I’m uploading (at least for now) will be roughly 10 seconds long, I’m calling my collection Attention Deficit Theater. Here’s the first clip I’ve uploaded — of a fountain in the gardens at Schloss Nymphenburg, in Munich:
I can’t say that I agree with the Flickr video detractors — vid… er… long photos likely won’t mess up Flickr any more than the existing crop of junky cellphone snapshots already has. Meanwhile, as some have pointed out, short video could really add to the ways in which photographers connect with their audiences.
Either way, please let me know what you think!
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