Robert Chaplin’s Video

Web 2.0 and social media are changing the way all businesses and industries are interacting with their clients and customers.  For sports photographers, it is certainly no different.

I just watched a Robert Caplin’s montage video in which he shot approximately 9 hours of Game 6 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium.  Using three Canon EOS 5D cameras, Mark Caplin edited down the 12,000 images with his girlfriend Laia Prats into the short piece, which ended up running at 24 frames per second. He then matched it to Chopin’s Waltz No. 5.

Web 1.0 provided everyone with access to information.  Web 2.0 however, was about providing access to each and the ability to share information via social networks like facebook, twitter and youtube.

With such tools and networks, it is a double edged sword to an artist or photographer like Robert Caplin.  On one hand, Caplin has received global notoriety and exposure.  The mentioned video at Yankee Stadium received 13,000 views.  According to Caplin, “This will do more in terms of PR for me than what I could ultimately make from it, thanks to it being passed around on Twitter and Facebook and the blogs,” Caplin said.

Exposure is great and the 26 year old photographer is licensing his work to MLB.  Additionally, he can use this to leverage future successes, but one has to wonder about the ramifications of social media and the future of the internet as it can affect the purse of our creative geniuses.

http://www.robertcaplin.com/Videos.html