Whenever you're ready I can help you find your own unique voice in photography: The Authentic Vision Framework: Transform your photography in under an hour, without needing new equipment or complex editing software. As a professional photographer with over 30 years of experience, I've been using this system to constantly push past my creative blocks, resulting in unique and memorable images. Join 600+ students here: bit.ly/43avvMn
Shooting anything is better than staying inside and thinking about it. Stagnation is when thinking a new Len’s / camera will improve your photos. As a pro of this year, 50 years in the game, this vid is great advice. Learning to see is the lifelong challenge.
When I was learning (ofcourse still i am a leaner) i asked a photographer that I want to learn photography.....I asked him for give me some tips....All he told me take a pen put on table and take shot from different angle and be creative with it.....and that was the point which started my journey...
Even when at work I have a secondhand canon powershot to take pictures with (and not worry about) since bringing my DSLR, Mirrorless, or film cameras is impractical. It's a powershot A590 with only 8mp, but it's tiny, has optical zoom, even has Image Stabilization, with a 32gig SD it can store a absolutely silly 8000+ images, the image quality is decent, and it's just fun to use... the best part? It was like 5$ secondhand and just needs AAs which are easy to source at work too. Still, if I can use my EOS M200, Rebel T6, Rebel Ti, or even my floppy-disk loading Sony Mavical MVC-FD75 I will go ham and try to capture all the interesting things that catch my eye, ideally in tge most interesting way I can, my biggest difficulty is my expanding camera collection making it hard to decide what to take. Funny that cameras are one of the few interesting devices secondhand stores around me seem to get, deffinitly blame channels like LGR and Grainydays for convincing me to check said stores more often, and understanding how much fun could be had with something as weird as a early 2000's floppy disk loading digital camera, it hits a weird mid-stage between film and digital and I find the low resolution images weirdly charming, having a 10× optical zoom makes it rather versatile too, that and tge feel of ejecting and slapping in fresh floppies when your 15-ish shots are up is quite satisfying, it's a fun experience for a retro nerd even if all the shots are terrible, and once you copy over the floppies to a modern PC the files are adorably small, kilobytes per shot, rather than the hundreds of gigs of storage my modern cameras consume. Need to start using my Polaroid Impulse AF and Instax SQ-1 more too, always adored instant photography since I was a kid, a big boxy camera instantly pushing out a picture right after it was taken will never stop being fun
I can take photos of everything and anything. Some photos I like better than others but the quality (better/worse) doesn’t matter. I see something I try to capture it. Gear might limit me, but it doesn’t matter. I will find another subject matter for which my gear is more capable of. Idk.
I discovered your channel by pure luck. Since then I bought myself a small APS-C camera and a tele zoom lens for it. I really like going out and taking pictures and learning with my camera and your channel is always a resource I come back to in order to learn something new or get inspiration what to photograph. Thank you for your time and effort, your videos are priceless!
I could say just about the same about myself, just with two prime lenses instead of tele zoom. Would you consider a tele zoom lens to be a must have for creative photography?
I personally have no photography training but I LOVE taking abstract macro shots, like super close up shots on things. It brings out those small rough edges human manufacturing makes and the dust clinging to EVERYTHING. It's amazing to me how much we don't see with our naked eyes ... now if only I could ever afford a probe lens, that would be so much fun!
I am a very artistic person of nature and see or notice things others do not or would not see. Being also alert or aware what is around me. Now doing photography most all these images you are showing, it is something would do. When people ask me what do you photograph, just like you said I answer them: everything and anything I see interest in.
For the last 8 years I have photographed almost everything around me and it has made me realise and also relate to your videos. It’s not just a job, it’s the way we see the world…perspective is such a beautiful things, not even from a visual way but a way of understanding as well.
8:46 really made me think back to my days in college philosophy classes and Emmanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative to never treat a person, or in this case a photographic subject as a means to an end. But to remember that people, or in this case photographic subjects, are always ends in themselves. Love this video, I took extensive notes while watching. Great content!
@@ThePhotographicEye I've been an amateur photographer for almost forty years, content like yours gives me hope that someday I'll be able to call myself something a little more. Thanks again for the great content!
I am a very artistic person of nature and see or notice things others do not or would not see. Being also alert or aware what is around me. Now doing photography most all these images you are showing, it is something I would do. When people ask me what do you photograph, just like you said I answer them: everything and anything I see interest in.
You woke me up with WAKE. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I realize that on days where I do not have inspiration, I would get my 16-80 lens and hunt for random interesting subjects. On days where I seemingly know what I think I feel like photographing, I'll challenge myself with a 35mm or 50mm lens. That kind of challenge keeps me occupied and it trains my observation skills as I see the 'beauty' around me.
I want to thank you. Your made me remember what I love about photography. In the last months I spent many hours watching gear review and thinking about what lens to get next, and had only taken a handful of photos of my travels and felt so uninspired afterwards. But after watching just a couple of your videos I felt the impulse to go to my front yard and found so many interesting subjects that had evaded me this whole time, I just took my camera and started shooting, and had such a blast doing it, just like old times. Your channel is a blessing. Thank you so much, you brought the joy of photography back for me
One of my favourite ways to shoot images is from the hip (actually the chest). I was introduced to the photography of Daido Moriyama while taking photography in college, who quite rightly points out that if you hold the camera to your eye people will complain or avoid being photographed. Taking shots from the hip (chest) as if you’re in a rested position avoids confrontation and gets some stunning results. They aren’t always the sharpest, they aren’t always correctly composed but that’s the fun of it.
I am 71 and learned photography with a Yashica-A TLR. With that camera you shot from the waist because the viewfinder was on top and the image was flipped much like it is with a cell phone unless you set it to flip the image.
Two weeks ago I started taking pictures with my smarthphone of object around me that could used as letters. My target was to find first letters of the days of the week and I have to say it made my everyday routine even better. Sadly, I got sick and i didn't manage to gather all the letters, but I will start again!!
Those everyday things will one day become nostalgia. Today I saw a photo from 1981 of a cinema now long gone, but it was a yellow rubbish bin in the street by a wooden & concrete bench which was maybe more of an object of a forgotten past.
This channel is such a motivation therapy for me. I very often and easily lose inspiration and self-comfidence and feel like I’ll never do anything good but every time I watch one of your video I get hopeful and excited again.
I only just started taking images on a used camera, and I already see the world as having more beauty than I could possibly have imagined...I'm just noticing it now in everything. This channel is amazing, it really did help me get started on my journey. Thank you :)
I take photos in a similar way. Nice to see a video along the same lines. Before I delete any photos that I think do not have potential, I take a second look and I’ll zero in on some thing and frame it differently and maybe filter it and all of a sudden it’s magic - it speaks to me. The potential I didn’t see before shows itself to me in a beautiful way. They give me a lot of joy. Thanks again for your lovely video.
I think the material you present is very good advice for amateur photographers who are new to the hobby, eager to get out and about. I think your remarks about street photography are particularly appropriate, when you say that to be successful you need acute awareness of what is happening [ down to the smallest detail ]. My eldest son has this awareness [ he was a soldier and has strong survival instincts and is a meticulous observer.] and is a natural street photographer. For myself, I have employed most of the techniques you describe, but am now more concentrated in what I choose to shoot. I use a simple test to determine what makes for [ or should make ] an interesting shot : how long are you compelled to keep looking at it, and later as you view it many times, does it remain interesting and you want to look at it again and again. Such shots are rare. The modern world we are bombarded with well constructed images ; to be noticed in this environment you have to be good. I find that now, as an old guy, it is only shots of people which are a lasting interest for me. They can be in a posed setting, or spontaneous snapshots. For some reason photographing photographers in the process of photographing something still appeals. All this of course applies to amateur photography, and I rather pity the typical professional doomed to shoot weddings, family groups with or without dogs, or, rock bottom, shoot houses and interiors for real estate companies.
Just amazing! I was looking for somebody to truly give a glimpse of what photography is really like and through you... I m just speechless and so grateful that i found a guide, a mentor like you. Photography started being more interesting and more and more profound /deeper after i started watching your videos. Thank you, thank you! ❤️ Happy Christmas! Best wishes!
Absolutely true. There is always something to shoot everyday wherever you are. One just have to open our eyes to SEE. However, many people will look but they don't see. Despite all the turmoil in the world it is still a beautiful place.
This 'WAKE' mindset was something I was really good at when I was messing around with film photography in my late teens and very early 20s. I took a long hiatus from photography because I was busy with life, and now I'm coming back to it at 41 (with a digital mirrorless full frame). I'm going to try to cultivate that attitude again.
@@DanielJW247 because digital lets you take a ton of useless shots, and you build a tendency to review shots after you have taken them. Nowadays we even have EVFs so there is that. Not saying you cant have a WAKE mindset, its just a bit harder to do with digital (imo)
You know what? when I started street photography, I’ve been so keen to what’s happening around me including the shadows, shapes, lines, figures, etc.. it’s so nice to have this WAKE concept 👍🏼
This style of photography is something I've played with for many years. Some don't appreciate the art but I find it captures a succinct moment in life, and therefore, history. I would often choose a theme. For example, 'doors', or 'pipes'. These camera games teach us about the fun of getting creative. Try photographing doors for a month. Nothing but doors.
These are some of the most helpful videos I have seen. They've helped shake me out of my doldrums and also have supported my tendency to photograph things around me that move me without judging whether I should shoot it or not. Thanks Alex. Keep them coming.
I am a street photographer and see art in every thing. To me it's the soul recognizing the beauty even if it's just crack glass on the street. Thank you so much for the video. I am Gemini and see just about everything.
Today I had my first photography gig (to a friend of my mom 😅). She has a fabrics factory and she wanted me to photograph her some stuff. IT WAS ABSOLUTE PAIN TO FIGURE OUT COMPOSITIONS OF JUST FABRICS, but I think I made some good shots (at least for a beginner). Ps: She wasn't there and I'm not sure what I did was exactly what she needed so I'll go back some other time. But I'm still proud of the shots and my family liked them and so did she (if her message is to be trusted).
I just love to capture the mundane and things, especially with older and obscure equipment (not necessarily photographic). It's an overwhelming need to find different methods and techniques to see the world differently. Thanks for the video.
YES! Wish I had this video back when I was 13/14. I joined a Facebook photography group to learn how to shoot as a hobby (still only a hobby) and every time I uploaded a photo, all they would comment is "no subject/no story" and nothing helpful. It wasn't until I grew older and started to explore how professionals shoot that I realized that group was just kinda toxic. What they thought were "bad" shots were in fact some of the most well known compositions in the photography world (as I would learn). Years later going back to that group just to see, still the same old bunch of people who only look for nice backgrounds with sunsets and are forever satisfied with that, left the group and I enjoy my own photography journey now
your words are both inspiring and challenging... i'm not ito photography, but someone who just started learning how to make video contents... and i am now burned out. what you shared are applicable for video creations... there is always something because there is no such thing as nothing.
Seeing differently definitely adds an element of fun to photography. Question: One thing that I sometimes wrestle with is demonstrated in the "Coatroom" image at around 5:20. The issue is what should be straight in an image. I think the answer is that the image should look "right" to the eye rather than follow any rules. But, curious what you think about this. Sometimes sticking to the horizon line doesn't look "right" to the eye. Thanks for an intriguing video. Have a great week.
As long as you can articulate your rationale for not having horizon level then you're okay. For me this image is about (tri)angles and pleasing contrasts of colors.
Not a photographer, but an artist. When I look at that image the thing that draws me towards it is that I feel like I can see a repeating rhythm being described throughout the overall image. The white area, yellow area and blue area, if they were blocked out to just shapes, seem to compliment each other with their overall shapes as well as creating a "big, medium, small" effect which is always visually pleasing. That pattern feels visually attractive, regardless of which lines are straight or correct. Plus, keeping some lines that converge towards each other to signal a vanishing point adds depth and space to the image. Plus, although the word cloakroom is angled, it matches the other converging lines and is level enough to be easily read. I'm not sure if the artist themselves thought about all of this consciously, but these are the things that make me feel balance in the image.
Had it been taken straight and level, it would look boring. That's not always a bad thing, you wouldn't take an angled photo for real estate for example. However...not following the rules is fine. If we all followed rules, all photos would look similar. I will generally only really go out of my way to avoid it if there's a hard horizon line in the frame. There's just something with the human eye and horizon not being level that's weird. But otherwise I'll skew my camera to however it seems most pleasing to eye.
One of the best, inspiring and motivational photography based video I've heard in a long time. Really pushed into my mind and confidence boosting. I have no other great words but wow.
Just came back from a photo walk in the woods that surround me, met a neighbour who asked what I was up to, I explained that I had been chasing letters, that most letters I found where Y, V, X and a few O’s. Also explained that it will be difficult to find Å,Ä,Ö, so maybe I should stick to the English alphabet. My neighbour looked very confused and I’m guessing that if he thought I was a bit odd before, I’ve certainly made my best to take away any doubts 😅. Great exercise! Thanks for the tip!
My camera absolutely goes everywhere with me-and it’s very rarely more than a few feet away from me; even when I’m in bed. I think, study, eat, and breath photography. For me, it’s the only possible way I will ever have a remote chance to be the photographer I want to become. Of course I may never achieve that greatness; but if I’m going to have a fighting chance at becoming great, this level of passion and effort is the bare minimum effort it will take.
This is really good advice on multiple layers. Beginners can feel inspired, hearing your advice before heading out to shoot and experiment. While photographers who feel stuck in a rut, needing inspiration, can be inspired to look at things from a different perspective.
I still have photos from when I was 5 or 6 and I would lay down to get photos of peoples shoes whos color I liked. Everything is worth shooting to me. I never run out of subjects. I even return to old subjects but with a different perspectives or different settings just to see how old subjects look from different angles or different apertures.
These pictures look amazing. They are just random things. Photographers must have a great eye for composition and art. I guess their is beauty in everything!
this video speak to me so much. i love street photography and i used to post it on my instagram to show it to people. but since it not gathering many likes or views it makes me stop to post it anymore. it makes me wonder, whether my photos aren't good or interesting enough for people or maybe i'm just not promoting it to people. Maybe my motivation as a photographer is wrong in the beginning, my goal is to chasing likes instead of fulfill my passion to take a pictures. but this video definitely bring up my passion once again to take a shot and post it on IG and i shouldn't care whether it gets 200k likes or just 5 likes. i take pictures because I LIKE IT not because i hope people would LIKE IT
I really appreciate this candid video. These days we do overthink what we create to the point that we don’t create anything. Much appreciating your discussion today.
Nice tips!!! The alphabet exercise. I live in the most ugliest of towns in The Netherlands. Want to picture it, then lightning is key, choose your moments. Suddenly the boring becomes quite striking.
9 years ago, I was driving down a street an saw a seen that I regretted not taking a photo of. I recently was in the area and took the shot. A simple shot, but I now have no regrets.
This is one of the most important videos on photography that exist on RUclips. It doesn’t matter that the content here ‘should be obvious’ what matters is that it’s being said at all. Excellent work, this video should be watched by all who considers themselves photographers to remind them to slow down, open their eyes and notice what is unnoticeable to the average joe. Is that not the whole point of this gambit? Capture and highlight what others miss? Thank you
One of the most inspiring tutorial ever. Thank you. I thought that the sensitivity to watch the world with a different eye was something innate, and probably it is, but through your suggestions, anybody can improve its own capacity
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences......yes I am one of those people who go out with my camera with great intentions & don't take any pics because I didn't 'see' anything to shoot.....after this video I can look at things differently using your 'WAKE' theory.... great video... cheers from Australia 😀
Thank you for helping me to grow. I think I recall a video, where you took some pictures in my home town - Brno (but I may be wrong...). I am looking forward to spend some time in the city center "as a tourist" soon. Though no one may really be interested in the pictures, taking them is always a therapy for me.
I have just found your channel this afternoon and spent the last 4 hours enjoying some wonderful content. Just coming back to photography at 68 as a retirement pastime I have been inspired by your videos. Thank you for your time and expertise.
This was very encouraging as I very often shoot from obscure angles. Even laying on the ground at Cedar Point amusement park at Halloween time to get a forced perspective of a skeleton holding a Sky-ride cable car like a serving platter. Totally worth it! LOL.
Fantastic messages as always Alex! You always seem to appear with some really motivational advice when I’ve got that mental block of what to go out and shoot. So thank you very much I really appreciate your thought-provoking ideas ☺️
Here's a tip that might be useful to anyone who isn't constantly carrying a camera: If you see anything remotely interesting just take a quick shot with your phone and review it later. I started doing this when I got into large format, since it's a nightmare to carry around searching for interesting locations, and with geotags you'll always find your way back. I wish I came up with it way earlier.
Loved the tree at top of the museum. Iv tried that image but felt I had to be higher up. And you definitely need the blue sky to bring the image alive. This vid has certainly helped in what to shoot around me. Thank you.
Ok, this was VERY COOL!! I'm kinda in that spot, having troubles finding things to take photos of. Mainly because I'm trying to get really great sunsets/sunrises, cityscapes, lakes, all those landscape type of things. But as you pointed out, there's a TON of other stuff out there that's just as cool and exciting! This has gotten me feeling excited to head out anywhere with my camera and take photos of anything and everything!! THANKS!!!
Thank you for making this video. I've had an idea to photograph some weird things. I thought it wasn't worth the effort and other people would make fun of me. You have told me that it would not be a waste of time to do so.
From experience, things I consider worth shooting are often considered not worth looking at by other peoples standards. As far as Egglestons work goes it was the prcessing that made his images. A photograph has always been the raw material that the image is produced from. Developing and Printing can make or break an Image and all pro's have always exploited the process even in the early days well before colour and digital manipulation.
Watched this as I wandered through my "boring" little village and I loved it I was seeing so many new potential images this is your best video for a long time for me keep up the great content
I totally agree with you. I have to say that during lockdown I was obliged to take pictures at home...so plenty of my children, myself, wife...and the house itself, with shadows and lights, forms, textures...then when the lockdown was finished, I found the same instinct outside,...I don't know but now it seems that I am more interested in the details more than the big "picture"...
Agree 100%! I feel like most of my personal photography is focused on showing the beauty of ordinary things. I'm constantly told by my phototgrapher friends that I see things differently than everyone else. I love this, as it makes me feel like I'm different (in the best way!). If everyone is clumped together taking the same shot, you'll find me walking down the trail in my own world. I'm not interested in having the same shot as everyone else. It's rather boring in my opinion. I want to be the one who found a different angle, a different way to see something everyone else just doesn't even notice. I think being able to do this has made me a good observer and in return, a good photographer. Trying to capture how things feel and not just how they look is also a good way to expand your eye and creativity.
Thank you for this video. I am not a professional photographer but I love capturing photos that invoke emotion. People have told me that I have the eye of a photographer.
I love the Day Light Savings time change twice a year because overnight, light changes drastically without me adjusting my schedule. It is a shock and I am made aware of these changes, as apposed to the slow change that naturally happens from day to day. It acts a primer for my to grab the camera and shoot.
So difficult to train our human brain to SEE the usual things! We are bombarded with images, and how to extract the one and only that we fell good with ? This too is so complicated! How to read light and shadows ? There is no manual for it. So many questions and no answer yet! Thanks for your videos, they are so inspiring!
Hey Bro. 2hars happening. This is very educational, been taken a series of trees with uniqueness. I live out in an area of baroness some what but I still love what I do photography. James
Thanks for this inspiring video! at some point I was a bit bored with my photos but then I try to be creative with less interesting venues, such as 85mm and 135mm for landscape. Chanel subscribed and I look forward to learn more from Masters like yourself! :)
Two of the photographs (i.e the old telephone booth in the veld) in the beginning of your talk were taken near a town called Magaliesburg in South Africa. I photographed that same telephone booth a while back. My first thought was where you got my photograph from! Great talk like always.
i absolutely love how you communicate your ideas, as someone who enjoys photography and mostly on my phone i always learn something new from your videos
Very inspiring video. I definitely need to think outside the box more and just let my instincts take over when I'm shooting stuff. Reminds me of a quote from Doctor Who, back when he was Peter Davison: "There's always something to look at - if you open your eyes."
I came across your YT yesterday and I just saw this video and it really helped me think differently. Great advise WAKE! Definitely going to subscribe to the channel.
Whenever you're ready I can help you find your own unique voice in photography:
The Authentic Vision Framework:
Transform your photography in under an hour, without needing new equipment or complex editing software. As a professional photographer with over 30 years of experience, I've been using this system to constantly push past my creative blocks, resulting in unique and memorable images. Join 600+ students here: bit.ly/43avvMn
Shooting anything is better than staying inside and thinking about it. Stagnation is when thinking a new Len’s / camera will improve your photos. As a pro of this year, 50 years in the game, this vid is great advice. Learning to see is the lifelong challenge.
Indeed.
When I was learning (ofcourse still i am a leaner) i asked a photographer that I want to learn photography.....I asked him for give me some tips....All he told me take a pen put on table and take shot from different angle and be creative with it.....and that was the point which started my journey...
Even when at work I have a secondhand canon powershot to take pictures with (and not worry about) since bringing my DSLR, Mirrorless, or film cameras is impractical.
It's a powershot A590 with only 8mp, but it's tiny, has optical zoom, even has Image Stabilization, with a 32gig SD it can store a absolutely silly 8000+ images, the image quality is decent, and it's just fun to use... the best part? It was like 5$ secondhand and just needs AAs which are easy to source at work too.
Still, if I can use my EOS M200, Rebel T6, Rebel Ti, or even my floppy-disk loading Sony Mavical MVC-FD75 I will go ham and try to capture all the interesting things that catch my eye, ideally in tge most interesting way I can, my biggest difficulty is my expanding camera collection making it hard to decide what to take.
Funny that cameras are one of the few interesting devices secondhand stores around me seem to get, deffinitly blame channels like LGR and Grainydays for convincing me to check said stores more often, and understanding how much fun could be had with something as weird as a early 2000's floppy disk loading digital camera, it hits a weird mid-stage between film and digital and I find the low resolution images weirdly charming, having a 10× optical zoom makes it rather versatile too, that and tge feel of ejecting and slapping in fresh floppies when your 15-ish shots are up is quite satisfying, it's a fun experience for a retro nerd even if all the shots are terrible, and once you copy over the floppies to a modern PC the files are adorably small, kilobytes per shot, rather than the hundreds of gigs of storage my modern cameras consume.
Need to start using my Polaroid Impulse AF and Instax SQ-1 more too, always adored instant photography since I was a kid, a big boxy camera instantly pushing out a picture right after it was taken will never stop being fun
It’s easy for me though. So what does that say about me? Sincerely looking for an answer.
I can take photos of everything and anything. Some photos I like better than others but the quality (better/worse) doesn’t matter. I see something I try to capture it. Gear might limit me, but it doesn’t matter. I will find another subject matter for which my gear is more capable of. Idk.
I discovered your channel by pure luck. Since then I bought myself a small APS-C camera and a tele zoom lens for it. I really like going out and taking pictures and learning with my camera and your channel is always a resource I come back to in order to learn something new or get inspiration what to photograph.
Thank you for your time and effort, your videos are priceless!
I could say just about the same about myself, just with two prime lenses instead of tele zoom. Would you consider a tele zoom lens to be a must have for creative photography?
I personally have no photography training but I LOVE taking abstract macro shots, like super close up shots on things. It brings out those small rough edges human manufacturing makes and the dust clinging to EVERYTHING. It's amazing to me how much we don't see with our naked eyes ... now if only I could ever afford a probe lens, that would be so much fun!
everything is interesting
I am a very artistic person of nature and see or notice things others do not or would not see. Being also alert or aware what is around me. Now doing photography most all these images you are showing, it is something would do.
When people ask me what do you photograph, just like you said I answer them: everything and anything I see interest in.
For the last 8 years I have photographed almost everything around me and it has made me realise and also relate to your videos. It’s not just a job, it’s the way we see the world…perspective is such a beautiful things, not even from a visual way but a way of understanding as well.
8:46 really made me think back to my days in college philosophy classes and Emmanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative to never treat a person, or in this case a photographic subject as a means to an end. But to remember that people, or in this case photographic subjects, are always ends in themselves. Love this video, I took extensive notes while watching. Great content!
Wow, thank you for watching
@@ThePhotographicEye I've been an amateur photographer for almost forty years, content like yours gives me hope that someday I'll be able to call myself something a little more. Thanks again for the great content!
THAT'S RIGHT! It's not difficult if you feel it. It's easy if you feel it and see it. Looking for something to shoot is wrong. It will find you.
I am a very artistic person of nature and see or notice things others do not or would not see. Being also alert or aware what is around me. Now doing photography most all these images you are showing, it is something I would do.
When people ask me what do you photograph, just like you said I answer them: everything and anything I see interest in.
You woke me up with WAKE. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I realize that on days where I do not have inspiration, I would get my 16-80 lens and hunt for random interesting subjects. On days where I seemingly know what I think I feel like photographing, I'll challenge myself with a 35mm or 50mm lens. That kind of challenge keeps me occupied and it trains my observation skills as I see the 'beauty' around me.
Thank you! I think that a lot of these concepts are things I already knew, to a limited degree. But I need to be more daring in my capturing them.
I want to thank you. Your made me remember what I love about photography. In the last months I spent many hours watching gear review and thinking about what lens to get next, and had only taken a handful of photos of my travels and felt so uninspired afterwards. But after watching just a couple of your videos I felt the impulse to go to my front yard and found so many interesting subjects that had evaded me this whole time, I just took my camera and started shooting, and had such a blast doing it, just like old times. Your channel is a blessing. Thank you so much, you brought the joy of photography back for me
Wow that’s awesome to hear. Thanks for watching
Youre not just a photographer, youre an artist!!!!
Thank you
One of my favourite ways to shoot images is from the hip (actually the chest). I was introduced to the photography of Daido Moriyama while taking photography in college, who quite rightly points out that if you hold the camera to your eye people will complain or avoid being photographed. Taking shots from the hip (chest) as if you’re in a rested position avoids confrontation and gets some stunning results. They aren’t always the sharpest, they aren’t always correctly composed but that’s the fun of it.
I am 71 and learned photography with a Yashica-A TLR. With that camera you shot from the waist because the viewfinder was on top and the image was flipped much like it is with a cell phone unless you set it to flip the image.
Two weeks ago I started taking pictures with my smarthphone of object around me that could used as letters. My target was to find first letters of the days of the week and I have to say it made my everyday routine even better. Sadly, I got sick and i didn't manage to gather all the letters, but I will start again!!
Those everyday things will one day become nostalgia. Today I saw a photo from 1981 of a cinema now long gone, but it was a yellow rubbish bin in the street by a wooden & concrete bench which was maybe more of an object of a forgotten past.
This channel is such a motivation therapy for me. I very often and easily lose inspiration and self-comfidence and feel like I’ll never do anything good but every time I watch one of your video I get hopeful and excited again.
Awesome, thanks for watching
I only just started taking images on a used camera, and I already see the world as having more beauty than I could possibly have imagined...I'm just noticing it now in everything.
This channel is amazing, it really did help me get started on my journey.
Thank you :)
Thanks for watching.
The most clear and crisp voice effortlessly enunciating the downright basics of photography. Brilliant!
Thank you
I take photos in a similar way. Nice to see a video along the same lines. Before I delete any photos that I think do not have potential, I take a second look and I’ll zero in on some thing and frame it differently and maybe filter it and all of a sudden it’s magic - it speaks to me. The potential I didn’t see before shows itself to me in a beautiful way. They give me a lot of joy. Thanks again for your lovely video.
Thank you for watching.
00:38 发现周遭的文字开始
00:48 进而找到自然界中的字母造型
01:07 并考虑更为复杂的组合
01:51 慢慢的体会从不同的角度看景物的感觉
01:59 比如, 从不一样的角度看世界, 比如狗
02:17 试着从不寻常的角度拍照
02:32 同时慢慢加入形状/形式/材质这些因素的考虑
02:51 摄影首先是要打破惯常思维的束缚, 从平常的事物中获得不一样的信息
03:37 哪怕在无聊的时候, 都要保持醒觉的状态, 去留意周围的事物.
03:47 从理所当然的事物中体察不同
04:37 习惯性的从日常中提取 形状/形式/材质
05:54 光线不光是呈现景物的力量, 它本身也是一种表现.
06:04 光和影的奇妙组合本身这就值得拍摄
06:20 街拍是非常容易获得表现力的地方
06:40 平平无奇的事物其实都在发生变化, 我要留意他们产生变化的那一刹那
06:55 哪怕只有光线变化了, 熟悉的场景也变得不同了.
07:38 拍照在于发现周围的不同, 而不是让周围将不同灌输给我们
07:56 专注观察当下, 沉浸在现在这个时空中去体验
08:20 习惯性的去拍摄, 不要想太多.
10:24 努力的和周遭的事物融合, 用他们角度去感受.
11:49 大胆的去尝试
I think the material you present is very good advice for amateur photographers who are new to the hobby, eager to get out and about.
I think your remarks about street photography are particularly appropriate, when you say that to be successful you need acute awareness of what is happening [ down to the smallest detail ]. My eldest son has this awareness [ he was a soldier and has strong survival instincts and is a meticulous observer.] and is a natural street photographer.
For myself, I have employed most of the techniques you describe, but am now more concentrated in what I choose to shoot.
I use a simple test to determine what makes for [ or should make ] an interesting shot : how long are you compelled to keep looking at it, and later as you view it many times, does it remain interesting and you want to look at it again and again. Such shots are rare. The modern world we are bombarded with well constructed images ; to be noticed in this environment you have to be good.
I find that now, as an old guy, it is only shots of people which are a lasting interest for me. They can be in a posed setting, or spontaneous snapshots. For some reason photographing photographers in the process of photographing something still appeals.
All this of course applies to amateur photography, and I rather pity the typical professional doomed to shoot weddings, family groups with or without dogs, or, rock bottom, shoot houses and interiors for real estate companies.
Just amazing! I was looking for somebody to truly give a glimpse of what photography is really like and through you... I m just speechless and so grateful that i found a guide, a mentor like you. Photography started being more interesting and more and more profound /deeper after i started watching your videos. Thank you, thank you! ❤️
Happy Christmas!
Best wishes!
Awesome, thank you!
Absolutely true. There is always something to shoot everyday wherever you are. One just have to open our eyes to SEE. However, many people will look but they don't see.
Despite all the turmoil in the world it is still a beautiful place.
This 'WAKE' mindset was something I was really good at when I was messing around with film photography in my late teens and very early 20s. I took a long hiatus from photography because I was busy with life, and now I'm coming back to it at 41 (with a digital mirrorless full frame). I'm going to try to cultivate that attitude again.
Harder to do with digital photography
@@masononemine1702 Why is that?
@@DanielJW247 because digital lets you take a ton of useless shots, and you build a tendency to review shots after you have taken them. Nowadays we even have EVFs so there is that. Not saying you cant have a WAKE mindset, its just a bit harder to do with digital (imo)
@@masononemine1702I get your point, right.
You know what? when I started street photography, I’ve been so keen to what’s happening around me including the shadows, shapes, lines, figures, etc.. it’s so nice to have this WAKE concept 👍🏼
This style of photography is something I've played with for many years. Some don't appreciate the art but I find it captures a succinct moment in life, and therefore, history.
I would often choose a theme. For example, 'doors', or 'pipes'. These camera games teach us about the fun of getting creative. Try photographing doors for a month. Nothing but doors.
These are some of the most helpful videos I have seen. They've helped shake me out of my doldrums and also have supported my tendency to photograph things around me that move me without judging whether I should shoot it or not. Thanks Alex. Keep them coming.
Thanks for watching.
I am a street photographer and see art in every thing. To me it's the soul recognizing the beauty even if it's just crack glass on the street. Thank you so much for the video. I am Gemini and see just about everything.
Today I had my first photography gig (to a friend of my mom 😅). She has a fabrics factory and she wanted me to photograph her some stuff. IT WAS ABSOLUTE PAIN TO FIGURE OUT COMPOSITIONS OF JUST FABRICS, but I think I made some good shots (at least for a beginner).
Ps: She wasn't there and I'm not sure what I did was exactly what she needed so I'll go back some other time. But I'm still proud of the shots and my family liked them and so did she (if her message is to be trusted).
Lol
Cool
Every time I watch your videos I get inspired. Thank you from New Zealand
I just love to capture the mundane and things, especially with older and obscure equipment (not necessarily photographic). It's an overwhelming need to find different methods and techniques to see the world differently. Thanks for the video.
I feel that for any photographer these videos are not to be missed. I love em!
YES! Wish I had this video back when I was 13/14. I joined a Facebook photography group to learn how to shoot as a hobby (still only a hobby) and every time I uploaded a photo, all they would comment is "no subject/no story" and nothing helpful. It wasn't until I grew older and started to explore how professionals shoot that I realized that group was just kinda toxic. What they thought were "bad" shots were in fact some of the most well known compositions in the photography world (as I would learn). Years later going back to that group just to see, still the same old bunch of people who only look for nice backgrounds with sunsets and are forever satisfied with that, left the group and I enjoy my own photography journey now
your words are both inspiring and challenging... i'm not ito photography, but someone who just started learning how to make video contents... and i am now burned out. what you shared are applicable for video creations... there is always something because there is no such thing as nothing.
Seeing differently definitely adds an element of fun to photography. Question: One thing that I sometimes wrestle with is demonstrated in the "Coatroom" image at around 5:20. The issue is what should be straight in an image. I think the answer is that the image should look "right" to the eye rather than follow any rules. But, curious what you think about this. Sometimes sticking to the horizon line doesn't look "right" to the eye. Thanks for an intriguing video. Have a great week.
As long as you can articulate your rationale for not having horizon level then you're okay. For me this image is about (tri)angles and pleasing contrasts of colors.
Not a photographer, but an artist. When I look at that image the thing that draws me towards it is that I feel like I can see a repeating rhythm being described throughout the overall image. The white area, yellow area and blue area, if they were blocked out to just shapes, seem to compliment each other with their overall shapes as well as creating a "big, medium, small" effect which is always visually pleasing. That pattern feels visually attractive, regardless of which lines are straight or correct. Plus, keeping some lines that converge towards each other to signal a vanishing point adds depth and space to the image. Plus, although the word cloakroom is angled, it matches the other converging lines and is level enough to be easily read. I'm not sure if the artist themselves thought about all of this consciously, but these are the things that make me feel balance in the image.
Had it been taken straight and level, it would look boring. That's not always a bad thing, you wouldn't take an angled photo for real estate for example.
However...not following the rules is fine. If we all followed rules, all photos would look similar. I will generally only really go out of my way to avoid it if there's a hard horizon line in the frame. There's just something with the human eye and horizon not being level that's weird.
But otherwise I'll skew my camera to however it seems most pleasing to eye.
Everytime I struggle for motivation I come to your channell and get inspired. Love your passion!
Cape Town South Africa. This video is amazing. It creates such awareness of things we simply take for granted.
This is a time when I love the algorithm! What a jewel of video is this! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
One of the best, inspiring and motivational photography based video I've heard in a long time. Really pushed into my mind and confidence boosting. I have no other great words but wow.
Thank you.
Just came back from a photo walk in the woods that surround me, met a neighbour who asked what I was up to, I explained that I had been chasing letters, that most letters I found where Y, V, X and a few O’s. Also explained that it will be difficult to find Å,Ä,Ö, so maybe I should stick to the English alphabet. My neighbour looked very confused and I’m guessing that if he thought I was a bit odd before, I’ve certainly made my best to take away any doubts 😅. Great exercise! Thanks for the tip!
This is what I love about this channel and learning space ❤
My camera absolutely goes everywhere with me-and it’s very rarely more than a few feet away from me; even when I’m in bed. I think, study, eat, and breath photography. For me, it’s the only possible way I will ever have a remote chance to be the photographer I want to become. Of course I may never achieve that greatness; but if I’m going to have a fighting chance at becoming great, this level of passion and effort is the bare minimum effort it will take.
This is really good advice on multiple layers. Beginners can feel inspired, hearing your advice before heading out to shoot and experiment. While photographers who feel stuck in a rut, needing inspiration, can be inspired to look at things from a different perspective.
Thank you
I still have photos from when I was 5 or 6 and I would lay down to get photos of peoples shoes whos color I liked. Everything is worth shooting to me. I never run out of subjects. I even return to old subjects but with a different perspectives or different settings just to see how old subjects look from different angles or different apertures.
These pictures look amazing. They are just random things. Photographers must have a great eye for composition and art. I guess their is beauty in everything!
God I love this channel. Your videos really make me think of photography differently. This is EXACTLY the gold-content that I’m seeking. Thank you!!
this video speak to me so much.
i love street photography and i used to post it on my instagram to show it to people. but since it not gathering many likes or views it makes me stop to post it anymore.
it makes me wonder, whether my photos aren't good or interesting enough for people or maybe i'm just not promoting it to people. Maybe my motivation as a photographer is wrong in the beginning, my goal is to chasing likes instead of fulfill my passion to take a pictures. but this video definitely bring up my passion once again to take a shot and post it on IG and i shouldn't care whether it gets 200k likes or just 5 likes. i take pictures because I LIKE IT not because i hope people would LIKE IT
Awesome.
Cool. Thanks for sharing.
I really appreciate this candid video. These days we do overthink what we create to the point that we don’t create anything. Much appreciating your discussion today.
Thank you for watching
Nice tips!!! The alphabet exercise. I live in the most ugliest of towns in The Netherlands. Want to picture it, then lightning is key, choose your moments. Suddenly the boring becomes quite striking.
9 years ago, I was driving down a street an saw a seen that I regretted not taking a photo of. I recently was in the area and took the shot. A simple shot, but I now have no regrets.
Mister, that was a kind of a peptalk of inspiration. Loved it. I never thought about that king of imagination. Thank you for that .
This is one of the most important videos on photography that exist on RUclips. It doesn’t matter that the content here ‘should be obvious’ what matters is that it’s being said at all.
Excellent work, this video should be watched by all who considers themselves photographers to remind them to slow down, open their eyes and notice what is unnoticeable to the average joe.
Is that not the whole point of this gambit? Capture and highlight what others miss?
Thank you
Thanks for watching
Don't know why, but this video made me really emotional. Thank you for that, i really needed to hear what you said.
One of the most inspiring tutorial ever. Thank you. I thought that the sensitivity to watch the world with a different eye was something innate, and probably it is, but through your suggestions, anybody can improve its own capacity
Thank you.
Excellent advice for beginners. I've made a note and subscribed.
Awesome, thank you
I can find a photo in anything. I helps to have an artistic eye I guess. Thanks for the inspiration anyhow. Always appreciated.
The best photography channel on RUclips.
You are my favorite photo guru! Thsnk you for your wonderful tutorials and for your cheerful and curious attitude to life, people and photography!
I've been enjoying your videos since I 1st found you on RUclips. Thanks for your time, efforts, conversational style, and videos.
Thank you for watching.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences......yes I am one of those people who go out with my camera with great intentions & don't take any pics because I didn't 'see' anything to shoot.....after this video I can look at things differently using your 'WAKE' theory.... great video... cheers from Australia 😀
Thank you for helping me to grow. I think I recall a video, where you took some pictures in my home town - Brno (but I may be wrong...). I am looking forward to spend some time in the city center "as a tourist" soon. Though no one may really be interested in the pictures, taking them is always a therapy for me.
Hi, yes then were from Brno. My wife and I visited there about 5 years ago. Enjoyed it very much. Thanks for watching
Great reminder! Rest of the day dog's eye view!!!
I have just found your channel this afternoon and spent the last 4 hours enjoying some wonderful content. Just coming back to photography at 68 as a retirement pastime I have been inspired by your videos. Thank you for your time and expertise.
This was very encouraging as I very often shoot from obscure angles. Even laying on the ground at Cedar Point amusement park at Halloween time to get a forced perspective of a skeleton holding a Sky-ride cable car like a serving platter. Totally worth it! LOL.
Fantastic messages as always Alex! You always seem to appear with some really motivational advice when I’ve got that mental block of what to go out and shoot. So thank you very much I really appreciate your thought-provoking ideas ☺️
Here's a tip that might be useful to anyone who isn't constantly carrying a camera: If you see anything remotely interesting just take a quick shot with your phone and review it later. I started doing this when I got into large format, since it's a nightmare to carry around searching for interesting locations, and with geotags you'll always find your way back. I wish I came up with it way earlier.
Needed this, especially with this long cold winter. Can't wait to look for stuff.
Great exercise to learn to see new things
Loved the tree at top of the museum. Iv tried that image but felt I had to be higher up. And you definitely need the blue sky to bring the image alive. This vid has certainly helped in what to shoot around me. Thank you.
Ok, this was VERY COOL!! I'm kinda in that spot, having troubles finding things to take photos of. Mainly because I'm trying to get really great sunsets/sunrises, cityscapes, lakes, all those landscape type of things. But as you pointed out, there's a TON of other stuff out there that's just as cool and exciting! This has gotten me feeling excited to head out anywhere with my camera and take photos of anything and everything!! THANKS!!!
That’s awesome, thanks for watching
Thank you for making this video. I've had an idea to photograph some weird things. I thought it wasn't worth the effort and other people would make fun of me. You have told me that it would not be a waste of time to do so.
Thank you for your channel! I found it on a whim. The way you explain things is very clear and I’ve learned so much!!
Awesome, thanks for watching.
From experience, things I consider worth shooting are often considered not worth looking at by other peoples standards. As far as Egglestons work goes it was the prcessing that made his images. A photograph has always been the raw material that the image is produced from. Developing and Printing can make or break an Image and all pro's have always exploited the process even in the early days well before colour and digital manipulation.
I would strongly disagreee that egglestons were made by "the processing".
Watched this as I wandered through my "boring" little village and I loved it I was seeing so many new potential images this is your best video for a long time for me keep up the great content
Thanks for watching
A fellow fan of carparks!
Wonderful advice.
I totally agree with you. I have to say that during lockdown I was obliged to take pictures at home...so plenty of my children, myself, wife...and the house itself, with shadows and lights, forms, textures...then when the lockdown was finished, I found the same instinct outside,...I don't know but now it seems that I am more interested in the details more than the big "picture"...
going outside during lockdown was great for photography with so few people
Agree 100%! I feel like most of my personal photography is focused on showing the beauty of ordinary things. I'm constantly told by my phototgrapher friends that I see things differently than everyone else. I love this, as it makes me feel like I'm different (in the best way!). If everyone is clumped together taking the same shot, you'll find me walking down the trail in my own world. I'm not interested in having the same shot as everyone else. It's rather boring in my opinion. I want to be the one who found a different angle, a different way to see something everyone else just doesn't even notice. I think being able to do this has made me a good observer and in return, a good photographer. Trying to capture how things feel and not just how they look is also a good way to expand your eye and creativity.
That’s a great comment and one I intend to pay more attention to in my own development👍
Thank you for this video. I am not a professional photographer but I love capturing photos that invoke emotion. People have told me that I have the eye of a photographer.
Thanks for watching
Omg, thank you sooooo much. I was laughing and crying at the same time, watching hing this video. Tha k you sooooooo damn much 🙏🙏🙏
Your welcome.
This video is enlightening. Not just the photos but the whole meditative approach. Thank you very much!
Thanks for watching.
I love the Day Light Savings time change twice a year because overnight, light changes drastically without me adjusting my schedule. It is a shock and I am made aware of these changes, as apposed to the slow change that naturally happens from day to day. It acts a primer for my to grab the camera and shoot.
So difficult to train our human brain to SEE the usual things! We are bombarded with images, and how to extract the one and only that we fell good with ? This too is so complicated! How to read light and shadows ? There is no manual for it. So many questions and no answer yet! Thanks for your videos, they are so inspiring!
This video just inspired me to bring my Nikon everywhere and take shooting more seriously by keeping my eyes open.
Thanks for watching
You are such a great educator Alex. Can’t wait to get out and try this. 😍👍
Excellent points! I’m always looking for photo Ops!
Wow, this is the way I do street photography! Thanks for the video.
the contexts, ideas and philosophy of this channel are absolutely outstanding and deep ❤❤❤
Thank you
Thank you so much Alex! Awesome!
Hey Bro. 2hars happening. This is very educational, been taken a series of trees with uniqueness. I live out in an area of baroness some what but I still love what I do photography. James
Thanks for this inspiring video! at some point I was a bit bored with my photos but then I try to be creative with less interesting venues, such as 85mm and 135mm for landscape. Chanel subscribed and I look forward to learn more from Masters like yourself! :)
Thank you for watching.
Two of the photographs (i.e the old telephone booth in the veld) in the beginning of your talk were taken near a town called Magaliesburg in South Africa. I photographed that same telephone booth a while back. My first thought was where you got my photograph from! Great talk like always.
That’s awesome, spent many years in SA thank you.
i absolutely love how you communicate your ideas, as someone who enjoys photography and mostly on my phone i always learn something new from your videos
Very inspiring video. I definitely need to think outside the box more and just let my instincts take over when I'm shooting stuff. Reminds me of a quote from Doctor Who, back when he was Peter Davison: "There's always something to look at - if you open your eyes."
Thank you, I really needed this to get out of my creative rut 😊
Thanks for these videos. Always enjoy watching and learning.
Thanks for watching
5:05 this is amazing, I kinda hate it but its too interesting
I came across your YT yesterday and I just saw this video and it really helped me think differently. Great advise WAKE! Definitely going to subscribe to the channel.
That’s awesome, thank you.
You are an amazing teacher