According to Janis Joplin, freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. Even though there is some truth in that, I see it a quite differently.
For me, freedom is the ability to do what I love and go wherever I want to go at any time.
I used to think that in order to be completely free to go wherever I like and do whatever I choose, I’d have to be a millionaire. But then I realized that, without a real purpose, I’d be bored.
True freedom is to be able to do what you love and to earn a living with it. You don’t feel like you are working anymore, because you are simply doing what you’d otherwise be doing in your “free” time.
You feel you have a purpose — and you are fulfilled by following your passion. Add to that the ability to do this from anywhere in the world you like, and you are truly free.
That is what it means to me to be a travel videographer. I love making travel videos… to capture the beauty of nature, the excitement of a group of travelers, the enthusiasm of an entrepreneur who created a tour company or runs day-trips.
I love meeting interesting characters and other people who turned their passion into their work.
I love to set up the perfect shot and find new ways to convey the spirit of an adventure or the culture and the ambience of a city. I love to travel and experience new activities, take in the sights and sounds of a city I have never visited before or marvel at the landscape of a national park.
But the best part is that I get paid quite well to be a travel videographer, and I’m free to choose where I go and where I “work.”
If this sounds like your idea of freedom, you should consider becoming a travel videographer as well.
If you already have a DSLR, or even just a Smartphone, then with a few extra tools, like a tripod and external microphone, you are all set to become a travel videographer, too. You will need to learn a few extra skills, but it will not take you more than a few weeks to get a handle on it and start earning money.
I myself started out as a budding videographer, simply shooting vacation videos. I started improving on my skills and spend some time selling my idea and, within one month, I was on the road, shooting videos in Europe and Africa.
At last, I’d fulfilled my dream of going on safari and discovering the wild of Africa, without having to save up for years in a job I didn’t like. Instead, I actually got paid to shoot videos, while being an active participant in those amazing safari trips.
I was filming and even editing in the most exotic of locations, such as Nairobi in Kenya, Zanzibar and Mafia Island in Tanzania and Cape Town in South Africa. I later decided to live in Australia for four years and discover this beautiful country through my newfound passion
I saw all of the major tourist attractions and plenty of off-the-beaten track location, and I absolutely loved that time. There were never any deadlines or people looking over my shoulder. I was always free to be as creative and free-spirited as I wanted to be and that has continued to this day.
I now spend most of my summers traveling around Europe in a mobile home and shooting video. During the winter, I take a ferry down to the Canary Islands, where it’s in the high 70s and sunny all year around, and this is where I edit all of my footage from the summer, while I spend the weekends surfing.
I feel genuinely free in pursuing my passion, wherever I chose to be. If I can do it, so can you.
Don’t put off being free. If you don’t start now, then the time might never come.
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]