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Like a lot of “creative types,” I’ve always been a visual person. Growing up, I was happiest and most focused with a pencil or paintbrush in my hand. But—as my fellow creative types know—most adults discourage “art” as a life path.
Slinging an old camera around your neck can turn any trip, vacation, or walk down the block into an adventure. Even places you've seen a million times before can become new and exciting when you look at them through a lens...even more so when you know that you can turn these photos into an income when you get home.
Gliding between the jagged peaks of the French Pyrenees in my chairlift seat, I took a deep breath and tried to relax. It wasn't the soaring height of the peaks that made me nervous, or the prospect of swishing down them on my skis. It wasn't the weather, either—blue skies stretched from peak to peak. Nope, everything on the slopes was perfect.
Travel videographer Tom Reissmann makes a very comfortable living—pulling in about $80,000 a year—making short videos while traveling the world and living wherever he pleases. And, after following Tom for a week in Paris with a group of fellow beginners, I found out how easy it is to learn to create professional-looking videos you can sell in less than a week.
The sun was setting in Northern India as we crested the hill, making our way to Ranthambore Fort. Birds exchanged their evening chatter from the treetops, now turning gold in the low sunlight. Along the path, a bearded man appeared in a temple door, inviting us to remove our shoes and receive a blessing.
"Come on, get up, get up!" Cocooned in our sleeping bags, we knew the sun was up, and the light on the lake was going to get intense—fast. So we pried each other up, grabbed our cameras, and ambled down to the shore.Frost coated everything—including our life jackets. But the scene was too good to miss: a thick, white fog blanketed the lake's surface. As sunlight reached the water, the fog started dissipating. But we worked quickly...taking turns photographing each other paddling our kayaks through the mist.
This photo of a couple kissing in Paris is where it all started for Cheryl Bigman: But let’s jump back to the beginning of the story...