January tends to be a really creative time for me. It was the month when I first created this blog. The month when I hatched the idea for my e-book. The month I started a Patreon, the month I explored posting photographs on Shutterstock (that one never really took off, but it was fun to experiment with.)
This year, and this month, I’ve thrown myself into yet another new thing, and it’s been fun. I started making videos!
I know very little about YouTubing, I don’t even spend all that much time on YouTube. But recently- and probably due to really missing the Camino- I’ve started watching hiking videos. It started with my friend Alan’s videos of his trek across Japan, then I discovered Sara’s Camino journeys. And then another YouTube channel, and another.
I thought back to an idea I’d had after my 2019 walks on the Aragonés and the Norte. I’d taken short videos every day on those walks and posted them to Instagram stories. I’d had a lot of fun with it and had thought about stringing the videos together into something a little larger, more continuous. Not all of my friends and family were or are on Instagram (and I’d imagine some blog followers aren’t, either!), and many missed those videos. I thought it would be a fun thing to create and share.
So, 2020 turned to 2021, and the pandemic is still here, and the days are cold, the nights are long, and I decided to work on making an Aragonés video. I know I keep saying that making the video was fun, but I can’t think of a better word. It’s fun! I’ve made a few videos before- not really knowing anything about the process and figuring out iMovie by trial and error- but I’ve always really enjoyed the process. And this time was no different.
There’s so much still to learn, and a lot about the videos that I wish could be different. For starters, all of the vertical clips! (Instagram uses a vertical format for their stories, and so on that platform it made sense to use a vertical orientation. But for YouTube? Not so great!) And because I never really intended to make a video like this, I wish I had shot a lot more, I wish my narration was a little different, a little fuller.
But I can only work with what I have, and I loved sorting through the clips and stringing them together and finding music and choosing photographs and just… reliving it all. Watching my own progress, seeing how I grow more confident throughout the month, hearing the certainty in my voice, the joy.
I have one video completed and posted up on YouTube. Here it is! It’s the Part 1 of my walk on the Camino Aragonés, and Part 2 will be done soon. I’m also planning to put together some videos from the Norte as well. After that… well, I’ll have to go on another walk. I think- maybe?- this will be a new project for my next Camino, another way to capture and share the stories of my walks. I’m still going to take lots of photographs and write blog posts, but the videos feel like a very natural evolution. A different kind of picture, a different way to show you my pilgrimage.
I hope you enjoy this new little venture. If you like the first video, please subscribe to the YouTube channel! I’m certainly no expert on this, but it’s a way to be notified when more videos are posted, and it gives me a good sense of how many people are engaged and watching.
That’s the small update for now; more soon!
Personally, I think that it’s imperfection in your video that makes it authentic. And it is its authenticity that makes it a more than worthwhile watch. If I want a perfect documentary, I turn to National Geographic. If I want to participate in your journey, then I don’t need high production value. You have a steady hand and your voice was clear and easy to understand. That is all I need. I am already looking forward to the next video. Keep it going, please.
This comment really means a lot to me… there was a big part of me that hesitated to try to make a video at all, thinking my footage wasn’t good enough, that it wasn’t intended for a vlog. Just so easy to zero in on the imperfections and what could have been better. But yes, what you see is REAL, it’s not polished or shiny (ha! not at all!), but it’s the real journey. I’m so glad you are enjoying it 🙂
So awesome! I already watched and enjoyed the part 1 video you posted! Thanks for sharing the journey!
Thank you Katya!! So nice to “see” you here 🙂 I’m so happy that you enjoyed the video! More to come
Just binged your Camino Del Norte videos.
I look forward to your blogs.
Keep at it, vlogging is not an easy skill to pick up. I recommend checking out Efren Gonzalez’s Camino Del Norte channel to see what you can do in your next Camino.
Hi Ben, thank you so much for this comment and the encouragement! I agree, it’s not an easy skill but it’s been so much fun to learn and to work on… I have so many things that I want to do when it comes to taking video on my next Camino. And it’s funny you should mention Efren Gonzalez’s work; I just came across his stuff about a month ago and have watched a few Camino videos (plus some of his current AT stuff). He is so good! Sometimes it’s a little intimidating to watch such professional videos (like I feel miles and miles away from being able to create anything close to it), but there’s also so much to help me learn. Now I just need to be able to GET onto a Camino to make more videos…