Photographer Spotlight: Richard Harrington

A certified instructor for Adobe and Apple, Richard Harrington is a practiced expert in motion graphic design and digital video. Starting his career out in the world of broadcast journalism, Rich has always had great interest in visual communications. His producing skills were also recognized by AV Video Multimedia Producer Magazine who named him as one of the Top Producers of 2004. Rich is a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Instructor Dream Team, and a popular speaker at international conferences. He has chaired conferences since 2003 for the National Association of Broadcasters. Website: https://www.richardharrington.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhedpixel YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RHEDPixel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.harrington Why is cable management so important to videographers? For most shoots the recording capabilities of what the cameras can do internally isn’t good enough, so we’re turning to external recorders. If during the shoot the cable comes loose not only you can lose signal quality but it will stop the recording. It’s important to not have any interruption in signal flow so it’s critical to have a rock solid connection. Video doesn’t have the same flexibility as photography, we need to get it right, and viewing it on a monitor is crucial. What’s your dream gig? I’d love to do more travel. I do a lot already, but I’d love to do even more travel and documentary work. That’s on my road map to explore more cultures. If you could offer one piece of advice to storytellers what would that be? Get to know your subject, put your time in beforehand and do the research. I’ve done a lot of interviews throughout the years, and when I’ve known something about the person you can bring their story to life. It’ll allow you to make a better image, tell a better story. What’s your favorite piece of gear? I’m a bit of lens junky. I love retro photography and taking the time to manual focus. What’s your favorite piece of Tether Tools gear? JerkStopper Extension Bar. It’s in my bag all the time. From time-lapse to video, I use that thing on every shoot. It allows me to put all of the tools I need in one place, while keep my eye on the shot and turning my camera into a command center.

You recently published a blog titled “Why Video and Film Have Lost Their Value” – what can photographers and videographers do to stop from being undervalued? It’s a complex issue. Photographers and videographers need to get business sense, figure out what they need to survive and in the long-game. There’s a whole bunch of people who think taking pictures is cool and they want the opportunity to do it, but aren’t realizing they won’t be taking pictures professionally well into their 80s. We need to get back to sustainable business practices, and working pros need to diversify. Story tellers are story tellers. There’s lots of different mediums and tools to get the job done, and having and practicing that skill set leads to more opportunities and the ability to be more gainfully employed. Richard Harrington teaches a Lynda.com course titled “Tethered Shooting Fundamentals”  that details the benefits of tethered shooting, how to tether your camera, build a tethered station, and use software such as Lightroom or Capture One. If you’re new to tethered shooting, it’s a great place to start. If you are looking for a full setup like what Richard features in the video below, the Pro Tethering Kit is a great solution. It has the entire setup including Aero Table with Aero SecureStrap and other accessories, your choice of cable, cable management and carry case.