One thing here which is kinda the other way around and it happened with me once. In some social media website, I've posted a pic that I've shot with my phone, not DSLR. I've clearly stated in the description the story behind this shot; it was something quick and the phone was in hand, so I just did it. One guy replied: you can do this with DSLR and ND filters. I replied: Yes, I know; I have ND filters and I know how to use them but it was a quick shot for a quick idea I had in mind (all that explained in the caption), so he replied back: you shouldn't waste time with such shots and use DSLR instead with ND, it is more professional. 🤷🏻♂ seriously, how would I explain it further than this for such people?
My best ever photo ever is of a male lion I took at the San Francisco zoo. I took it with a 100 to 400 lens on a crop sensor Dslr at 400 mil, hand held. People love this photo it's tack sharp and the lion looks like he just left a beauty parlor, not a hair out of place. I showed it to my older sister justifiably proud. Her comment was," they are beautiful animals aren't they." No praise for the photographer.
I had an apartment up in the mountains in Switzerland and would set up my camera in the same place many, many times to take a picture of the view. I got the comment many, many times "You've taken that photo already, why are you (wasting your time) doing it again"? I sometimes explained that almost every time I took a photo there the conditions changed (winter, spring, summer, autumn/fall, stormy, beautiful sunshine etc., etc.) and, for me, each photo was different (and often beautiful) and maybe I could capture an even better version. I was enjoying myself and as one of my heroes, John Prine, sang "I ain't hurtin' nobody, I ain't hurtin' no one."
To a certain extent it's true. Ever noticed how recipes always have unreasonably short cooking times? This is because they're written with professional stoves in mind that are 5-10x more powerful than home ones. Some recipes are straight up impossible to do as they're written.
A common comment I hear in my gallery is along the lines of “I don’t like edited photos, I prefer images straight out of the camera.” To that I say “You mean like Ansel Adams?” They always say “Yes" so I refer them to a book written by AA named "The Print". Dispelling a common belief that Adams’ photos were straight out of his camera.
I have a copy of 'The Print' on my bookshelf at the ready just in case someone thinks that editing and processing haven't always been part of the photographic art form.
I work and show my photos in a gallery. When someone says “I would have done this” I immediately say “Where can I go to see YOUR stuff?” They never have an answer.
I had a friend who's gone now, but back in the day, we went out and shot pool, and he was the greatest pool shooter I had ever seen in my entire life. There is nobody better than Dave. He would play guys in the bar and never play for money. The guys that come in and take their custom-made two-piece pool stick and put it together very fancy, and Dave would go over to the rack and pick one off a cue and then he would clean their clock . He said to me. "A GOOD STICK CAN WIN WITH ANY CUE". And I find that is absolutely true in everything, including photography.
Owning a camera is like owning a truck and having people expect you to help them move lol. I've dipped my toes in several differnent genres of photography. Fashion, Figure, Portrait, Sport, Landscape, and Wedding (for 14 years). Some with success most without. The one thing I learned from all this back and forth, you need to know and love your subject inside out. I remember taking shots of bike races and thinking they were amazing. I later got them critiqued by a pro and they pointed out all the mistakes and misses i made and there were many. This is what I love about photography. Someone who is an expert photographer for bike races won't be for weddings or even rodeo. It's not the tools it's the love of thing you are photographing that makes you a better photographer.
Thanks Mark, another great video. I get the comment about using a phone camera instead of a "real" camera all the time. What many people don't get is the terrible ergonomics of trying to photograph with a phone - there is no viewfinder for instance and you really can't frame the shot with an confidence, plus many other shortcomings. iPhone photos might look OK on Facebook or Instagram, but get one on a computer screen at full size and the shortcomings are all too obvious.
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Thank you so much for sharing. People don t realize the extraordinary struggles, failures and disappointments faced before getting the perfect shot. As a art form, photography is the photographer s way’s of expressing his art. The way his final edit comes out is his preference that you do not criticize either you like it or not.
I received an email sayingnhow much they liked my photo and that I must have a really good camera. I replied, Thank you, that's a really nice email. Youust have a great keyboard.
This video is so so good! Some people can be very obnoxious with their comments. These remarks clearly come from individuals that have not experienced the entire undertaking of achieving an aesthetically acceptable photograph. That is, from locating an attractive spot (often complicated), figuring out what makes the spot appealing, working out a composition (can be dangerous), waiting for the right light or mood (lots of patience), and then post editing (requires advanced knowledge of software tools). All of these steps, besides many other events, is the work of a landscape photographer. A photographer will frequently return to a same location with the purpose of improving! Therefore, when unconstructive comments land on a social media post, we know where it is coming from: no hard feelings, ignorance can be very daring.
I remember responding once to a friend (who was a chef) when he said 'wow, you must have a great camera'. I responded with 'wow, nice food, you must have a great pan'. He then understood.
In answer to the first question re ‘good camera’, I reply, ‘I use a Leica/Hasselbad, etc.’ and they move away in wonderment!!! I use an Olympus. Never worry about co-ordinates, it’s the image that counts and the photographer’s unique way of portraying a scene or story. Interesting video, Mark. As for iPhones, I find them very non-ergonomic, and prefer a camera, of any variety.
Over the years as our photography changes the most important of our upgrades that we find advances our photography is not our hardware or our software but rather our artistry.
If you go to the Grand Tetons and look around you can line up your tripod by looking around and finding the depressions in the ground left by Ansel Adams’ tripod. It makes life so much easier.
Quite true! And it is not limited to photography. My wife has been sewing for years and is passionate about creating beautiful quilts. When they find out about it, many people ask her if she would repair their dress or pants… I think it is just a sign of ignorance and there is not much we can do about it, unfortunately. Some of these unfortunate souls may, someday, get curious enough to find out more about photography. Then they will realize they know nothing.
I can’t count the times I’ve been asked to shoot a wedding. As a landscape and night sky photographer, it really makes me chuckle. Kinda like, oh, you’re a doctor, can you heal my wound?
As a wildlife and night sky guy, I don't even let them finish the question asking about anything people related. I interrupt and say I don't do people. Then you get the "but you have a camera..." comment that gets another quick No.
Yeah. I'm perfectly happy to shoot a portrait for a friend for fun so he can use it as his profile pic but for everything else they should hire a actual pro and not some hobbyist who likes to go to the woods to find animals lol
Where I work, someone decided we all needed a photograph for our email profiles. The boss knew that I was a photographer and talked me up to everyone, so I was pressured into taking the photos. The problem was that I had never done portraits before, I didn't even have lighting equipment, and throughout the whole job, I was constantly apologizing and explaining I'm not very familiar with this lane of photography. The best of the photos were only just decent. I felt like I had been exposed as a phony, it was awful.
It's not just cameras. If, for example, you own a guitar (even if you suck) the assumption of others is, you're automatically available for their purposes. If you're interested in computers at any technical level you exist to be their personal IT consultant. At one point or another I've been "there" for all three. I just soundly ignore people when they start up...
I don't give out locations anymore. I feel that social media has ruined many a location. A perfect example is the Sleepy Hollow Farm in Vermont. They have to close the road every Autumn because of the crowds of Instagrammers. Will I make a difference by not providing the locations? Most likely not but I can try.
Well you only see the negative part about sharing locations. It's very good for bringing tourists. Tourists means money for municipalities / cities / states. What they (municipalities / cities / states) should do though is maintaining those locations.
I do a lot of bird photography. Hearing "Wow your tele lens has so much zooming" after laying in the mud for 4 hours to get a rare shorebird is something else 😅 Thank you do much for that video. Its such a comfort to see we are not alone with that 😊
I’m the king of unsolicited advice. When I’d share a photo with band mates, someone would take the already edited photo and send it back to their liking, Or in the moment, “hey send me that photo so I can touch it up” or recently, “let me see your camera and change all the settings” and let me just say, people aren’t aware of their surroundings any more. Great topic
The thing about wow what a super camera you have to take such a beautiful picture feels very familiar. And an example that happened x number of years ago when a good friend said something like that and asked where I had photographed the beautiful sunset. Then I answered sitting on your balcony and took it with my old point n shot camera she dropped her chin and she didn't believe me. But when I showed the picture on my laptop and showed her the picture in the same place I took it, she realized that the camera is less important, but it's more how you look at what you see.
@ 4:45: the tripod vs. no tripod questions cracks me up... Photography is an additive beast... The smallest change can have drastic results, eliminating issues one tiny step at a time adds up. It's close to the "garbage In/ garbage out" argument. Putting the camera on sticks suddenly means you have the latitude to go below the 60th of a second guideline (60th of a second is the slowest shutter speed I allow myself for a clear image while hand holding the camera) high iso images are kind of a cheat, just because you can, doesn't mean one should.
The last one about always being on vacation is very similar to what people told us when we lived and traveled full time in our 5th wheel RV for 8 years after retirement. When it's your home…you still need to do laundry, buy groceries, and all the normal life things and while we usually stayed a week at a time…even at a great location like Yellowstone or Jasper NP or whatever there were always days when we never left the campground or site and the highlight of the day was Happy Hour and tossing a steak on the grill at dinnertime. To be honest…if you operate in the typical "vacation mode" where you're go go go while full time living in an RV you will burn out in mere months. It's a lifestyle, not a vacation and there are plenty of ordinary mundane things happening…for example we got stuck 3 times for 2 months for some sort of medical issue for one of us…but if you have to be stuck then near Mount Ranier, in Cody WY next to Yellowstone are pretty darned nice places to be stuck.
Phones will never truly replace even full-frame camera bodies; you just can't beat physics. Just as an example, the new iPhone 16 Pro Max's main camera has a FF-equivalent maximum aperture of about f/5.6. You just can't fit a big enough optical system into a phone body to get the same images.
Regarding genre hopping....I was a landscape "advanced amateur" photographer long ago. Early digital times, a neighbor asked me to shoot some Christmas card photos of his children individually. So he chooses the pose/area for the work....I blindly follow....we take an image of one of his daughters. She has chewing gum in her mouth, she is posed next to a grotesque looking cactus plant that seems to be climbing the wall behind her - ominously. I take the pics, he chooses one....then begins a litany of complaints about the image: "Her chewing gum is showing....can't you 'Photoshop' that out?"... "The cactus is ugly...can't you 'Photoshop' that out?"... I spent *hours* editing the one photo to eliminate all the idiotic choices I blindly followed for him. Never. Again.
The genre thing is like music styles. My favourite has to be 'you were so lucky' though. Good photographers make their own luck by being in the right place at the right time.
An amusing video - thank you. I remember being at a lecture given by a distinguished photojournalist in London. When it came to questions someone asked him what f stop he had used to take a particular photograph. His response was - why dont you f off. Brought the house down.
I took a lot of sunrise photos while living in Arizona several years ago. My younger sister a musician by trade saw some of my work and had the gall to say I’d over saturated the colors in the sky. Living in the southwest we have amazing sunrise/sunsets. She lives in NYC where the sky is a rare commodity to even see… My wife defended my work, stating that I’d never critiqued her musical talents and my sister complained “you made me cry”, I’ve not spoken to her since.
The coordinates in the video, 41°24’12.2”N 2°10’26.5”E, point to a location in Barcelona, Spain. Specifically, these coordinates are near landmarks like La Rambla and Plaça de Catalunya, which are popular areas in the city center.
Thanks Mark. I agree with everything you said. You mentioned the difference of people that use phones versus a camera. I think with phones everyday people can take a snapshot of a memory/place. People that use cameras are artists creating photos. It’s not just point and shoot. That’s like saying, “Anybody can paint a Rembrandt.”
While I primarily use my DSLR, I have used my iphone to capture some well composed, striking photographs that have been enlarged to poster sized and hung in offices and galleries. I think most of photography is the skill and vision of the photographer and not so much about the camera itself. I don't think we should limit photography to advanced equipment like DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
@@mckelvyphotography I think that is the point. Skilled photographers can produce great photos on just about any equipment. The point I think they were making is the average person says they can do just as good of a job without any understanding of the equipment. You stated your prowess of an enlargement. I have taken a photo of a scene of coastal Maine and enlarged it to a 11 x 17 and it looks wonderful. That was shot on a iPhone 6!
Thanks...I agree, phones are astonishingly good considering sensor & lens size. Upside: you always have decent snapshot camera at hand. Downside: camera photos tend not to be post processed, missing the opportunity to turn good photos into better photos. They tend to be seen only on small screens, not shared on 55" screens. They tend not to be organized and catalogued (try renaming an image on an iPhone). I spent many years leaning to drive a Nikon D300, last year making the leap to a D600. I'll gladly continue to "carry that weight" and enjoy the benefits.
I Appreciate That You Share Your Knowledge of The Art! I've Improved my Photography Using Your Advice And Knowledge. Thank You For Helping Me To Become a Better Photographer! 🇺🇸🙏❤️🍻
Your passion for Landscape photography amazed me. What I gather from your so many videos that deep within you, lives a great artist who has extra ordinary feelings for nature and I believe that is the holy grail of Landscape Photography. By the way, you are so cool to ignore all those nonsense comments. Best wishes for more stunning photographs as you always do.
Great video, made me smile, especially the part about the overdone locations. I was at le Mont-Saint-Michel last month, so overdone but I'd love to do my own interpretation of it, and as you say, create something with my own memories. But guess what, the conditions weren't ideal, hahaha! I'll have to go back. There's one I hear very often: I don't edit my photos, I want them to look like how it really was. Yeah right. They love to make you feel like editing is a crime, so not done. I don't usually edit like cars or people away, I try to make sure I'm at a spot when it's quiet and I can shoot photos without cars and people. But still, I edit my photos. They don't realize that their photos are also edited by their phone.
Having tired of the "What kind of camera are you using? question, I have placed lettering over the camera logo with IDM. My first response is "It's an off brand". If pressed further, I slowly say' It Doesn't Matter.
Thanks for the video. I am nowhere near your level and still have heard most of those. One that I got at a showing was the cost to have a piece printed. It was apparent from their posture the next statement was to offer repro cost for the piece. I also get asked where I get prints made. It surely isn't Costco, and I don't want to get into the conversation about how an image needs to be tuned based on the display media (canvas vs glass vs metal vs the various papers) and how a Costco repro house mucks with that. I will, however, steer people to the town's pro photography place for gear. At least the ones who don't think their smart phone can take "that picture". 😁 . Edit: I forgot one. When shooting in places that are kind of popular, invariably I'll be asked to take a couple's/group's photo against the backdrop "because he has a nice camera and should know how to take a good picture".
Of course I'm listening to this while doing post work on a house I just shot. I've heard the "That camera takes great phots." comment before. I just agree and roll with it.
Great video Mark. People just stopped using their brains recently and everything has to be effortless. I’m an old school guy grown up on searching things in encyclopedia - not Google. We should go back to the roots and start making some efforts in life - in general.
In New Zealand we have an iconic tree in a lake that attracts many many photographers. I have photographed it twice and both my images are very different from eachother. Iconic place are iconic for a reason but it is the conditions they are photgraphed in that make your image different to everyone elses. What a perfect video. All those comments you mentioned are common place and annoying. I still don't know what to say to people that comment on my 600 lens when I am shooting birds when they say I have a huge camera bet I get good photos!!
The camera thing I just sort of brush off, because any real photographer knows that the camera is just a tool, but it takes a creative mind and "seeing" to make a photograph. The camera is just the tool, just like how the paint brushes a painter uses are just tools to create their vision on the canvas (and some could argue the canvas itself is just a vehicle for presenting the work, much like how a print -- and thus the paper selected -- a means for presenting a photo in a physical form). But the second point does bother me because I see too many people offer up critiques of photos that nobody really asked for. This reminds me a quote Bill Fortney said once in one of his classes I attended where he said something along the lines of "If you told me you liked my photo, I would say 'thank you'. If you told me you didn't like the photo, that's fine too, because you weren't there when I took the photo. I didn't take the photo for YOU" (meaning a specific person, other than himself). So to a point, people's opinions on photos are irrelevant, and people should only give critiques when asked for, although some people do broadly ask for critiques, but I suaully won't respond unless someone explicitly asks for a critique, and even so, I'm careful with how I say things to the photographer and suggest things (such as saying "Have you considering X" or "Y"?). I don't start giving them specific things to change, but I want them to think about their photo, and offer suggestions, not "commands" as to what they should change, and even if I don't like a photo, I will never tell someone that I don't like it, which I have seen people do or they make it seem obvious they don't care for the photo or the subject, which is fine, but when critiquing a photo, one should focus on the photo itself and separate their personal beliefs from the critique. Which is why I tend to focus more on mechanics of photos, not the subject. As for the GPS thing, I don't give those out, but I will usually give the name of the subject (if it's a buildling) and perhaps the location (City and Country) and people can do their own research. If it's something that's sort of a secret like an uncommon spot I found I might say "Somewhere in [Country]" or "[City], [Country]" and leave it at that). But I never give out the GPS coordinates. People can figure that out on their own, and so I don't reply to those either. Nobody has asked yet, most people just ask for the name and location though directly.
Thanks Mark, this one made me smile, I hear the comment about using cell phones a lot. Yes you can grab some nice snapshots, but those shots just lack something maybe a warmth or humanity, give me my DSLR any day. Have a great week.
The overdone scene one is an interesting debate. I live in Scotland so I have amazing landscapes all around but I rarely shoot the big scenes, not because I don't want to but because they've become so popular. I associate the Highlands with a sense of peace and vastness. A place you can lose yourself amongst massive and beautiful landscapes but if you go somewhere popular, like Glencoe, every single parking space is taken and it's become so busy that the appeal is lost. However, given I know Scotland so well, there are so many lesser known but equally wonderful places I can escape to where the potential for great photography is massive. The issue with photographing lesser known places, and I speak for myself here since my socials have no reach anyway, is that people enjoy seeing places they recognise. You can post the best photo you've ever taken with perfect conditions but if very few people have been there or seen photos from that location before, no-one seems to care. Chuck up a mediocre photo of the aforementioned Glencoe and people will love it because they've most likely been and seeing the iconic landscape brings back memories for them and they can relate to it.
I'm doing infrared photography and one thing I hear often is that I just take a photo and then apply a filter on Photoshop. Some photographers also ask about what presets I use, which is more about the lack of knowledge of the whole infrared process!
Some great comments here. I have made the mistake of saying "great processing" or "great light". Sorry I may have offended some. I see some photos that have what I call the 500PX look that have been processed to such an extreme that they no longer look natural. All I mean by "great processing" is that they've managed to keep it looking natural. Similarly, like you I like some of these iconic locations. They're iconic for a reason. Not every picture I see from those locations leaves me with the same emotion. Sometimes the light is just exceptionally great or there's fog or something that sets that image apart. When I say "nice light", I mean the lighting sets that image apart IMO. It is not intended to slight the photographers skill or determination to go back till he gets that perfect shot.
So, I realized finally how far I am walking/hiking to get to that SPOT. Maybe add that at times in your narrative. One night for Asto of the Milky Way it was about 1.5 miles into the wilderness. Not bad going in but at oh-dark 30, it turned into nearly a two hour walk back to the car.
“I can do what you do. My phone has a 200 megapixel camera on it.” “Well my phone camera can take pictures of the moon with clarity, so I don’t see why I can’t do wildlife photography either.” I’ve heard these before. Don’t worry about the negative feedback. People aren’t there in the moment and don’t know what you have with you, nor do they know what the environment consists of. Also, throwing “photoshop” around all the time is hilarious. Last but not least, when someone asks me to do wedding photography for them, I always ask them if they go into a bakery to buy a porterhouse steak. Totally different styles of photography. I don’t like photographing people and having them pose. It’s not my style. I like landscape and wildlife. Edit: Well it seems you covered some of my comments that I hear. That’s very telling.
Great video Mark. You manage to hit the mark every time. I have been asked the same questions more times than I can remember. One interesting thing, I do landscapes now but did 4-years of full time wedding photography, fair bit of portraits and commercial projects. I told my commercial photographer friends who were asked to shoot a friend's or relative's wedding to be careful. I Told them the wedding world is very specific and once the moment is gone, you can never get it back. You screw up a wedding, your life I over!! I lived that world on the edge for many years. They still accepted the assignment and complained about what went wrong afterwards! That is why I am shooting landscapes. I get to relax, hike the great outdoors and create what I envision or what nature provides me.
Van Gogh used the most amazing paint and brushes, Lol. Your problem Mark is you're too nice, just tell the rude people to jog on, lol. Many people are too lazy to learn photography so they can actually understand it, which is a real shame. In my experience of approx 40 yrs I've learnt to take photos to please myself, thankfully I don't take photos for other people anymore! If others like my photos that I create these days then that's just a bonus. Your passion for photography is very obvious as is your hard work, to my mind passion is always the best motivator ! Cheers from the UK.
Never mind the Trolls Mark, you're a fantastic photogrpher. But I do get why you made this video, it just needs to be said. In the 30+ years I've been a photographer I've heard it all, and yes some of them are certainly head shakers for sure. Keep do'n what your do'n. And believe it or not, even though I've been shooting for more than half my life, you've been a tramendous help and inspiration to me with your tutorials and sharing your own journey. Cheers buddy, keep up the great work.
Lol. Right and the money my friend. You nailed it. Once again thanks for the great video. I started photography in 1985. A few years later I became a professional and even taught intro to 35 mm lol . One of the questions I always got was what kind of camera do you use?
I hear two things you didn't mention. I'm mostly a wildlife photographer, and I always hear: "Wow you should send these in to National Geographic". Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. Related to that I hear: "You need to sell these?" I'd love to, but the same people who say that don't purchase one, when I offer to sell it to them. Thanks for sharing your things you hear all the time.
Great video- as always. I’m not a pro but I’ve heard most of these. My favorite was number one. I just had someone tell me when they saw my camera- that’s a big camera it must take great pictures!
Exactly. I don't care how many other people have photographed that location. I haven't. I want photos of places that I have personally been to and photographed.
1:55 - This is why I never watch the critique videos where some "famous" photographer is critiquing other people's work. I'll always remember one famous photographer's comment that he would have moved the rock in the seascape photo over. Uh...thanks....I think.
Mark I here the phone one all the time when they see my gear. I smile and agree and say if I was starting again I would use a phone but since I already have the equipment I might as well use it
I’ve heard pretty much all of these too. The “You must have a nice camera” line just makes me laugh. The truth is most people just don’t know the proper etiquette for most things in life outside of their own bubble. They think they are giving a compliment, because they believe the quality of the tool is what makes the quality in the product. It’s just the limited amount of information that a person knows to allow them to start a conversation about something they like without understanding the subject. One of the times I heard that, I just replied, “Yes, I do have a good camera. This print was taken with a Canon T1i.” And that guy wouldn’t have known the difference between that and a new Hasselblad.
Agree I'm a landscape photographer and yes I've shot weddings too and more planned. It's doable but agree on the premise. The story telling aspect is useful but from a technical aspect it's different. I agree in shooting on thr iconic....I dont look even them. Show me something different! The skill of a photographer is to make something interesting from an average scene. Agree 100% on all the others.
Great video Mark, as always. So, I'm a hobbyist, I don't have a website I've never posted a photo on social media to simply share. I've considered it, however I believe you just gave me the 10 reasons why not to. I don't have the patience and it's doubtful I could not NOT respond to the comments. You're an incredibly nice guy and God Love ya for your tolerance of such ridiculous feedback. Keep up the good work with that great Nikon Z8! Did I mention is takes great pics? 😝
A lot of those sound familiar. Especially the one about the camera being so good and asking if I could do their wedding photos. I love beautiful skies and scenery. I started out doing landscape before trying other things. I think milky way stuff was one of the next things. I do portraits from time to time and I have shot one wedding before. I love landscape photography but I didn't want to limit myself to just that. What if there's other things I'm good at that I might like even more? So I've been doing many different genres of photography. Right now I'm more into street photography. I've tried sports, macro, and a couple of other things. I've even gotten back into shooting film. I think if helps you to become a more rounded photographer to learn different genres. A lot of stuff overlaps. If someone wants a senior portrait at a waterfall or some other nice location, I have experience with landscape photography that most portrait photographers don't have. I can get shots that they don't know how to get. And I think it helps to keep you from getting burned out. But by no means am I telling people that that's what they need to do. This is what I think I need to do.
- I concur 100% that the new phone cameras are phenonophal, but at my age I've been looking through a viewfinder too long to start change horses in the middle of the stream and you can't argue with sensor size when you blow the picture up... 😉
Fun video, you hit a big point I find funny, the belief that if you do one genre you can shoot them all. I ran into this in another area. I was an electronics tech back in the 80s. After I graduated from electronics school I would constantly be asked by people to fix something of theirs, from TVS to toasters! LOL! Thanks for the fun video, have a great day.
🔥Quick Question: What’s something you hear all the time I didn’t mention??
One thing here which is kinda the other way around and it happened with me once. In some social media website, I've posted a pic that I've shot with my phone, not DSLR. I've clearly stated in the description the story behind this shot; it was something quick and the phone was in hand, so I just did it. One guy replied: you can do this with DSLR and ND filters. I replied: Yes, I know; I have ND filters and I know how to use them but it was a quick shot for a quick idea I had in mind (all that explained in the caption), so he replied back: you shouldn't waste time with such shots and use DSLR instead with ND, it is more professional. 🤷🏻♂ seriously, how would I explain it further than this for such people?
My best ever photo ever is of a male lion I took at the San Francisco zoo. I took it with a 100 to 400 lens on a crop sensor Dslr at 400 mil, hand held. People love this photo it's tack sharp and the lion looks like he just left a beauty parlor, not a hair out of place. I showed it to my older sister justifiably proud. Her comment was," they are beautiful animals aren't they." No praise for the photographer.
I had an apartment up in the mountains in Switzerland and would set up my camera in the same place many, many times to take a picture of the view. I got the comment many, many times "You've taken that photo already, why are you (wasting your time) doing it again"? I sometimes explained that almost every time I took a photo there the conditions changed (winter, spring, summer, autumn/fall, stormy, beautiful sunshine etc., etc.) and, for me, each photo was different (and often beautiful) and maybe I could capture an even better version. I was enjoying myself and as one of my heroes, John Prine, sang "I ain't hurtin' nobody, I ain't hurtin' no one."
"Canon is Doomed"
Variation on the "GPS?" theme: "Settings?" Just hilarious.
“Wow chef, that was a delicious meal. You must have a really good stove.” 😂
What a nice pen, you must be a good writer!
What a good painting, your brush must be amazing!
To a certain extent it's true. Ever noticed how recipes always have unreasonably short cooking times? This is because they're written with professional stoves in mind that are 5-10x more powerful than home ones. Some recipes are straight up impossible to do as they're written.
As a professional baker, I get asked about my ovens all the time. 😂
I only have a gh2 ...and I can make good photos. Totally nothing to do with your equipment
Sharing with the masses. Just remember that sometimes the "m" is silent in masses.
Most times the M is silent.
"great shot! You must have a really nice camera!" "Why, yes I do! I taught it everything it knows!"
Brilliant comment. Definitely going to use that. 😊
A common comment I hear in my gallery is along the lines of “I don’t like edited photos, I prefer images straight out of the camera.” To that I say “You mean like Ansel Adams?” They always say “Yes" so I refer them to a book written by AA named "The Print". Dispelling a common belief that Adams’ photos were straight out of his camera.
Yeah, then they will show you their "un-edited" phone pictures.
I have a copy of 'The Print' on my bookshelf at the ready just in case someone thinks that editing and processing haven't always been part of the photographic art form.
I just tell people that I don’t “edit” my photos, I “develop” them.
I work and show my photos in a gallery. When someone says “I would have done this” I immediately say “Where can I go to see YOUR stuff?” They never have an answer.
Michaelangelo must have had a really great paintbrush!
I had a friend who's gone now, but back in the day, we went out and shot pool, and he was the greatest pool shooter I had ever seen in my entire life. There is nobody better than Dave. He would play guys in the bar and never play for money. The guys that come in and take their custom-made two-piece pool stick and put it together very fancy, and Dave would go over to the rack and pick one off a cue and then he would clean their clock . He said to me. "A GOOD STICK CAN WIN WITH ANY CUE". And I find that is absolutely true in everything, including photography.
Owning a camera is like owning a truck and having people expect you to help them move lol.
I've dipped my toes in several differnent genres of photography. Fashion, Figure, Portrait, Sport, Landscape, and Wedding (for 14 years). Some with success most without. The one thing I learned from all this back and forth, you need to know and love your subject inside out. I remember taking shots of bike races and thinking they were amazing. I later got them critiqued by a pro and they pointed out all the mistakes and misses i made and there were many. This is what I love about photography. Someone who is an expert photographer for bike races won't be for weddings or even rodeo. It's not the tools it's the love of thing you are photographing that makes you a better photographer.
Saw this in a cartoon once: when someone says “your camera takes great pictures”, respond with “your mouth makes great compliments”.
Thanks Mark, another great video. I get the comment about using a phone camera instead of a "real" camera all the time. What many people don't get is the terrible ergonomics of trying to photograph with a phone - there is no viewfinder for instance and you really can't frame the shot with an confidence, plus many other shortcomings. iPhone photos might look OK on Facebook or Instagram, but get one on a computer screen at full size and the shortcomings are all too obvious.
Thank you so much for sharing. People don t realize the extraordinary struggles, failures and disappointments faced before getting the perfect shot. As a art form, photography is the photographer s way’s of expressing his art. The way his final edit comes out is his preference that you do not criticize either you like it or not.
I received an email sayingnhow much they liked my photo and that I must have a really good camera.
I replied, Thank you, that's a really nice email. Youust have a great keyboard.
This video is so so good! Some people can be very obnoxious with their comments. These remarks clearly come from individuals that have not experienced the entire undertaking of achieving an aesthetically acceptable photograph. That is, from locating an attractive spot (often complicated), figuring out what makes the spot appealing, working out a composition (can be dangerous), waiting for the right light or mood (lots of patience), and then post editing (requires advanced knowledge of software tools). All of these steps, besides many other events, is the work of a landscape photographer. A photographer will frequently return to a same location with the purpose of improving! Therefore, when unconstructive comments land on a social media post, we know where it is coming from: no hard feelings, ignorance can be very daring.
I remember responding once to a friend (who was a chef) when he said 'wow, you must have a great camera'. I responded with 'wow, nice food, you must have a great pan'. He then understood.
In answer to the first question re ‘good camera’, I reply, ‘I use a Leica/Hasselbad, etc.’ and they move away in wonderment!!! I use an Olympus. Never worry about co-ordinates, it’s the image that counts and the photographer’s unique way of portraying a scene or story. Interesting video, Mark. As for iPhones, I find them very non-ergonomic, and prefer a camera, of any variety.
Got my first (hand me down) camera in 1953. I smiled through this entire video.
Over the years as our photography changes the most important of our upgrades that we find advances our photography is not our hardware or our software but rather our artistry.
If you go to the Grand Tetons and look around you can line up your tripod by looking around and finding the depressions in the ground left by Ansel Adams’ tripod. It makes life so much easier.
Quite true! And it is not limited to photography. My wife has been sewing for years and is passionate about creating beautiful quilts. When they find out about it, many people ask her if she would repair their dress or pants… I think it is just a sign of ignorance and there is not much we can do about it, unfortunately. Some of these unfortunate souls may, someday, get curious enough to find out more about photography. Then they will realize they know nothing.
The wedding photography comment reasonates with me! I did one wedding and hated every second of it. So when people ask, I tell them NO immediately.
I can’t count the times I’ve been asked to shoot a wedding. As a landscape and night sky photographer, it really makes me chuckle. Kinda like, oh, you’re a doctor, can you heal my wound?
As a wildlife and night sky guy, I don't even let them finish the question asking about anything people related. I interrupt and say I don't do people. Then you get the "but you have a camera..." comment that gets another quick No.
Yeah. I'm perfectly happy to shoot a portrait for a friend for fun so he can use it as his profile pic but for everything else they should hire a actual pro and not some hobbyist who likes to go to the woods to find animals lol
@@MarkJ1776 "Do you know why I do what I do? It's because there are no people."
Where I work, someone decided we all needed a photograph for our email profiles. The boss knew that I was a photographer and talked me up to everyone, so I was pressured into taking the photos. The problem was that I had never done portraits before, I didn't even have lighting equipment, and throughout the whole job, I was constantly apologizing and explaining I'm not very familiar with this lane of photography. The best of the photos were only just decent.
I felt like I had been exposed as a phony, it was awful.
It's not just cameras. If, for example, you own a guitar (even if you suck) the assumption of others is, you're automatically available for their purposes. If you're interested in computers at any technical level you exist to be their personal IT consultant. At one point or another I've been "there" for all three. I just soundly ignore people when they start up...
Ignorance is bliss as they say! Appreciate all your videos Mark.
Mark - I've always found your videos intelligent, instructional, and educational. Now I can add "entertaining" to that list!
Your attitude and patience towards these questions out of ignorance are with a round of applause
Real substantive criticism delivered in an appealing and non judgemental manner. Nicely done.
Did anyone ever look at Monet's paintings of lilies and say, "Claude, you must have a good brush." Great video, Mark. Points well made.
I don't give out locations anymore. I feel that social media has ruined many a location. A perfect example is the Sleepy Hollow Farm in Vermont. They have to close the road every Autumn because of the crowds of Instagrammers. Will I make a difference by not providing the locations? Most likely not but I can try.
I have given general town / National park. I've never been asked GPS before, but after this video will have this one ready: 11.3493° N, 142.1996° E.
Well you only see the negative part about sharing locations. It's very good for bringing tourists. Tourists means money for municipalities / cities / states. What they (municipalities / cities / states) should do though is maintaining those locations.
@@thatguyvince8767 That's deep!
Sounds like a great place. I need to go there 😂
I do a lot of bird photography. Hearing "Wow your tele lens has so much zooming" after laying in the mud for 4 hours to get a rare shorebird is something else 😅
Thank you do much for that video. Its such a comfort to see we are not alone with that 😊
I’m the king of unsolicited advice. When I’d share a photo with band mates, someone would take the already edited photo and send it back to their liking,
Or in the moment, “hey send me that photo so I can touch it up” or recently, “let me see your camera and change all the settings” and let me just say, people aren’t aware of their surroundings any more. Great topic
The thing about wow what a super camera you have to take such a beautiful picture feels very familiar. And an example that happened x number of years ago when a good friend said something like that and asked where I had photographed the beautiful sunset. Then I answered sitting on your balcony and took it with my old point n shot camera she dropped her chin and she didn't believe me. But when I showed the picture on my laptop and showed her the picture in the same place I took it, she realized that the camera is less important, but it's more how you look at what you see.
@ 4:45: the tripod vs. no tripod questions cracks me up... Photography is an additive beast... The smallest change can have drastic results, eliminating issues one tiny step at a time adds up. It's close to the "garbage In/ garbage out" argument. Putting the camera on sticks suddenly means you have the latitude to go below the 60th of a second guideline (60th of a second is the slowest shutter speed I allow myself for a clear image while hand holding the camera) high iso images are kind of a cheat, just because you can, doesn't mean one should.
You are such a humble professional photographer and I have learned so much from you, thank you for sharing your craft so generously.
I hate it when they post their own image in the comments.
They get blocked the moment I see it.
The last one about always being on vacation is very similar to what people told us when we lived and traveled full time in our 5th wheel RV for 8 years after retirement. When it's your home…you still need to do laundry, buy groceries, and all the normal life things and while we usually stayed a week at a time…even at a great location like Yellowstone or Jasper NP or whatever there were always days when we never left the campground or site and the highlight of the day was Happy Hour and tossing a steak on the grill at dinnertime. To be honest…if you operate in the typical "vacation mode" where you're go go go while full time living in an RV you will burn out in mere months. It's a lifestyle, not a vacation and there are plenty of ordinary mundane things happening…for example we got stuck 3 times for 2 months for some sort of medical issue for one of us…but if you have to be stuck then near Mount Ranier, in Cody WY next to Yellowstone are pretty darned nice places to be stuck.
Phones will never truly replace even full-frame camera bodies; you just can't beat physics. Just as an example, the new iPhone 16 Pro Max's main camera has a FF-equivalent maximum aperture of about f/5.6. You just can't fit a big enough optical system into a phone body to get the same images.
Regarding genre hopping....I was a landscape "advanced amateur" photographer long ago. Early digital times, a neighbor asked me to shoot some Christmas card photos of his children individually.
So he chooses the pose/area for the work....I blindly follow....we take an image of one of his daughters. She has chewing gum in her mouth, she is posed next to a grotesque looking cactus plant that seems to be climbing the wall behind her - ominously.
I take the pics, he chooses one....then begins a litany of complaints about the image:
"Her chewing gum is showing....can't you 'Photoshop' that out?"...
"The cactus is ugly...can't you 'Photoshop' that out?"...
I spent *hours* editing the one photo to eliminate all the idiotic choices I blindly followed for him. Never. Again.
The genre thing is like music styles. My favourite has to be 'you were so lucky' though. Good photographers make their own luck by being in the right place at the right time.
Perfect. Your #1 was my #1. Reminds me of the time I said, "Hey Mona, that was a great dinner. I'm glad I bought you a good stove."
An amusing video - thank you. I remember being at a lecture given by a distinguished photojournalist in London. When it came to questions someone asked him what f stop he had used to take a particular photograph. His response was - why dont you f off. Brought the house down.
I took a lot of sunrise photos while living in Arizona several years ago. My younger sister a musician by trade saw some of my work and had the gall to say I’d over saturated the colors in the sky. Living in the southwest we have amazing sunrise/sunsets. She lives in NYC where the sky is a rare commodity to even see…
My wife defended my work, stating that I’d never critiqued her musical talents and my sister complained “you made me cry”, I’ve not spoken to her since.
The coordinates in the video, 41°24’12.2”N 2°10’26.5”E, point to a location in Barcelona, Spain. Specifically, these coordinates are near landmarks like La Rambla and Plaça de Catalunya, which are popular areas in the city center.
Thanks Mark. I agree with everything you said. You mentioned the difference of people that use phones versus a camera. I think with phones everyday people can take a snapshot of a memory/place. People that use cameras are artists creating photos. It’s not just point and shoot. That’s like saying, “Anybody can paint a Rembrandt.”
While I primarily use my DSLR, I have used my iphone to capture some well composed, striking photographs that have been enlarged to poster sized and hung in offices and galleries. I think most of photography is the skill and vision of the photographer and not so much about the camera itself. I don't think we should limit photography to advanced equipment like DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
@@mckelvyphotography I think that is the point. Skilled photographers can produce great photos on just about any equipment. The point I think they were making is the average person says they can do just as good of a job without any understanding of the equipment. You stated your prowess of an enlargement. I have taken a photo of a scene of coastal Maine and enlarged it to a 11 x 17 and it looks wonderful. That was shot on a iPhone 6!
Thanks...I agree, phones are astonishingly good considering sensor & lens size. Upside: you always have decent snapshot camera at hand. Downside: camera photos tend not to be post processed, missing the opportunity to turn good photos into better photos. They tend to be seen only on small screens, not shared on 55" screens. They tend not to be organized and catalogued (try renaming an image on an iPhone). I spent many years leaning to drive a Nikon D300, last year making the leap to a D600. I'll gladly continue to "carry that weight" and enjoy the benefits.
I Appreciate That You Share Your Knowledge of The Art!
I've Improved my Photography Using Your Advice And Knowledge.
Thank You For Helping Me To Become a Better Photographer!
🇺🇸🙏❤️🍻
Your passion for Landscape photography amazed me. What I gather from your so many videos that deep within you, lives a great artist who has extra ordinary feelings for nature and I believe that is the holy grail of Landscape Photography. By the way, you are so cool to ignore all those nonsense comments. Best wishes for more stunning photographs as you always do.
I agree with alot of what was said. I always enjoy watching his weekly videos and learn alot. Thank you very much for your content. Much appreciated.
Great video, made me smile, especially the part about the overdone locations. I was at le Mont-Saint-Michel last month, so overdone but I'd love to do my own interpretation of it, and as you say, create something with my own memories. But guess what, the conditions weren't ideal, hahaha! I'll have to go back. There's one I hear very often: I don't edit my photos, I want them to look like how it really was. Yeah right. They love to make you feel like editing is a crime, so not done. I don't usually edit like cars or people away, I try to make sure I'm at a spot when it's quiet and I can shoot photos without cars and people. But still, I edit my photos. They don't realize that their photos are also edited by their phone.
Thanks for sharing with us. You are spot on with these observations. Looking forward to your next one.
Having tired of the "What kind of camera are you using? question, I have placed lettering over the camera logo with IDM. My first response is "It's an off brand". If pressed further, I slowly say' It Doesn't Matter.
Thanks for the video. I am nowhere near your level and still have heard most of those. One that I got at a showing was the cost to have a piece printed. It was apparent from their posture the next statement was to offer repro cost for the piece.
I also get asked where I get prints made. It surely isn't Costco, and I don't want to get into the conversation about how an image needs to be tuned based on the display media (canvas vs glass vs metal vs the various papers) and how a Costco repro house mucks with that.
I will, however, steer people to the town's pro photography place for gear. At least the ones who don't think their smart phone can take "that picture". 😁
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Edit: I forgot one. When shooting in places that are kind of popular, invariably I'll be asked to take a couple's/group's photo against the backdrop "because he has a nice camera and should know how to take a good picture".
Thank you for sharing your comment about using a tripod. I found out by using a tripod. It saves me much time and effort in post processing.
One piece of Sage Advice(tm) I got recently is this: "Never take criticism from anyone you wouldn't take advice from."
Wisdom! ;)
Of course I'm listening to this while doing post work on a house I just shot. I've heard the "That camera takes great phots." comment before. I just agree and roll with it.
Great video Mark. People just stopped using their brains recently and everything has to be effortless. I’m an old school guy grown up on searching things in encyclopedia - not Google. We should go back to the roots and start making some efforts in life - in general.
Great book. You must have an incredible keyboard.
Industry leader company names often become verbs. "Can you Photoshop that for me?" "Sure, I'll have to Google the best way to do that."
In New Zealand we have an iconic tree in a lake that attracts many many photographers. I have photographed it twice and both my images are very different from eachother. Iconic place are iconic for a reason but it is the conditions they are photgraphed in that make your image different to everyone elses. What a perfect video. All those comments you mentioned are common place and annoying. I still don't know what to say to people that comment on my 600 lens when I am shooting birds when they say I have a huge camera bet I get good photos!!
About phone vs camera - 100% my thoughts !
The camera thing I just sort of brush off, because any real photographer knows that the camera is just a tool, but it takes a creative mind and "seeing" to make a photograph. The camera is just the tool, just like how the paint brushes a painter uses are just tools to create their vision on the canvas (and some could argue the canvas itself is just a vehicle for presenting the work, much like how a print -- and thus the paper selected -- a means for presenting a photo in a physical form). But the second point does bother me because I see too many people offer up critiques of photos that nobody really asked for. This reminds me a quote Bill Fortney said once in one of his classes I attended where he said something along the lines of "If you told me you liked my photo, I would say 'thank you'. If you told me you didn't like the photo, that's fine too, because you weren't there when I took the photo. I didn't take the photo for YOU" (meaning a specific person, other than himself). So to a point, people's opinions on photos are irrelevant, and people should only give critiques when asked for, although some people do broadly ask for critiques, but I suaully won't respond unless someone explicitly asks for a critique, and even so, I'm careful with how I say things to the photographer and suggest things (such as saying "Have you considering X" or "Y"?). I don't start giving them specific things to change, but I want them to think about their photo, and offer suggestions, not "commands" as to what they should change, and even if I don't like a photo, I will never tell someone that I don't like it, which I have seen people do or they make it seem obvious they don't care for the photo or the subject, which is fine, but when critiquing a photo, one should focus on the photo itself and separate their personal beliefs from the critique. Which is why I tend to focus more on mechanics of photos, not the subject.
As for the GPS thing, I don't give those out, but I will usually give the name of the subject (if it's a buildling) and perhaps the location (City and Country) and people can do their own research. If it's something that's sort of a secret like an uncommon spot I found I might say "Somewhere in [Country]" or "[City], [Country]" and leave it at that). But I never give out the GPS coordinates. People can figure that out on their own, and so I don't reply to those either. Nobody has asked yet, most people just ask for the name and location though directly.
Thanks Mark, this one made me smile, I hear the comment about using cell phones a lot. Yes you can grab some nice snapshots, but those shots just lack something maybe a warmth or humanity, give me my DSLR any day. Have a great week.
What a great video Mark! Thanks for this. GPS? 😀
The overdone scene one is an interesting debate. I live in Scotland so I have amazing landscapes all around but I rarely shoot the big scenes, not because I don't want to but because they've become so popular. I associate the Highlands with a sense of peace and vastness. A place you can lose yourself amongst massive and beautiful landscapes but if you go somewhere popular, like Glencoe, every single parking space is taken and it's become so busy that the appeal is lost.
However, given I know Scotland so well, there are so many lesser known but equally wonderful places I can escape to where the potential for great photography is massive. The issue with photographing lesser known places, and I speak for myself here since my socials have no reach anyway, is that people enjoy seeing places they recognise. You can post the best photo you've ever taken with perfect conditions but if very few people have been there or seen photos from that location before, no-one seems to care. Chuck up a mediocre photo of the aforementioned Glencoe and people will love it because they've most likely been and seeing the iconic landscape brings back memories for them and they can relate to it.
I'm doing infrared photography and one thing I hear often is that I just take a photo and then apply a filter on Photoshop. Some photographers also ask about what presets I use, which is more about the lack of knowledge of the whole infrared process!
Great video Mark ! Fortunately, I photograph for me, accept the challenge of getting it right & I never post on social media.
You nail d it again, thank you!
Enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing!
Some great comments here. I have made the mistake of saying "great processing" or "great light". Sorry I may have offended some. I see some photos that have what I call the 500PX look that have been processed to such an extreme that they no longer look natural. All I mean by "great processing" is that they've managed to keep it looking natural. Similarly, like you I like some of these iconic locations. They're iconic for a reason. Not every picture I see from those locations leaves me with the same emotion. Sometimes the light is just exceptionally great or there's fog or something that sets that image apart. When I say "nice light", I mean the lighting sets that image apart IMO. It is not intended to slight the photographers skill or determination to go back till he gets that perfect shot.
So, I realized finally how far I am walking/hiking to get to that SPOT. Maybe add that at times in your narrative. One night for Asto of the Milky Way it was about 1.5 miles into the wilderness. Not bad going in but at oh-dark 30, it turned into nearly a two hour walk back to the car.
I have been taking photography serious for about a year and half, and I have had been asked a couple of those. Thanks for the video.
For the "Tripod" question, I'd use the tripod for focus stacking for landscape or macro photography!
11:45 - same here, Mark! There's something special about handling a dedicated camera that a phone just doesn't have. Also, GPS? ROFL I'm kidding :D
X's 10 on the tripod. It is a tool I have found to serve me well for all the reasons you spoke about!
“I can do what you do. My phone has a 200 megapixel camera on it.”
“Well my phone camera can take pictures of the moon with clarity, so I don’t see why I can’t do wildlife photography either.”
I’ve heard these before. Don’t worry about the negative feedback. People aren’t there in the moment and don’t know what you have with you, nor do they know what the environment consists of.
Also, throwing “photoshop” around all the time is hilarious.
Last but not least, when someone asks me to do wedding photography for them, I always ask them if they go into a bakery to buy a porterhouse steak. Totally different styles of photography. I don’t like photographing people and having them pose. It’s not my style. I like landscape and wildlife.
Edit: Well it seems you covered some of my comments that I hear. That’s very telling.
Great video Mark. You manage to hit the mark every time. I have been asked the same questions more times than I can remember.
One interesting thing, I do landscapes now but did 4-years of full time wedding photography, fair bit of portraits and commercial projects. I told my commercial photographer friends who were asked to shoot a friend's or relative's wedding to be careful. I Told them the wedding world is very specific and once the moment is gone, you can never get it back. You screw up a wedding, your life I over!! I lived that world on the edge for many years. They still accepted the assignment and complained about what went wrong afterwards!
That is why I am shooting landscapes. I get to relax, hike the great outdoors and create what I envision or what nature provides me.
Very good video Mark. So true with what you are saying. Also those that criticize other people’s work usually never post any photos 😄😄
You're the best, Mark! Thank you!
Van Gogh used the most amazing paint and brushes, Lol. Your problem Mark is you're too nice, just tell the rude people to jog on, lol. Many people are too lazy to learn photography so they can actually understand it, which is a real shame. In my experience of approx 40 yrs I've learnt to take photos to please myself, thankfully I don't take photos for other people anymore! If others like my photos that I create these days then that's just a bonus. Your passion for photography is very obvious as is your hard work, to my mind passion is always the best motivator ! Cheers from the UK.
great video Mark, , the one i always get is "you should do this for a living", easier said than done as you know
Mark, thank you for saying all this...
You make the point! Very clear! Is about what you see!😊
“You always get perfect conditions “ is like “(insert favorite pitcher) is so lucky. He always pitches when the other team doesn’t score.”
Never mind the Trolls Mark, you're a fantastic photogrpher. But I do get why you made this video, it just needs to be said. In the 30+ years I've been a photographer I've heard it all, and yes some of them are certainly head shakers for sure. Keep do'n what your do'n. And believe it or not, even though I've been shooting for more than half my life, you've been a tramendous help and inspiration to me with your tutorials and sharing your own journey. Cheers buddy, keep up the great work.
Thank you , I have done weddings and never again, great video
Lol. Right and the money my friend. You nailed it. Once again thanks for the great video. I started photography in 1985. A few years later I became a professional and even taught intro to 35 mm lol . One of the questions I always got was what kind of camera do you use?
I hear two things you didn't mention. I'm mostly a wildlife photographer, and I always hear: "Wow you should send these in to National Geographic". Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. Related to that I hear: "You need to sell these?" I'd love to, but the same people who say that don't purchase one, when I offer to sell it to them. Thanks for sharing your things you hear all the time.
Great video- as always. I’m not a pro but I’ve heard most of these. My favorite was number one. I just had someone tell me when they saw my camera- that’s a big camera it must take great pictures!
My thinking about "overdone locations" is that if I haven't taken a photo there even once, it sure ain't "overdone" for me.
Exactly. I don't care how many other people have photographed that location. I haven't. I want photos of places that I have personally been to and photographed.
Love this. Although I must confess, if I see one more shot of the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye I’m going to impale myself on it.
Totally agree with you, Mark ! Great topic !
The naughty side of me really wants to wind up the instagram critic community... Maybe one day! Great content, as always, thanks Mark.
1:55 - This is why I never watch the critique videos where some "famous" photographer is critiquing other people's work. I'll always remember one famous photographer's comment that he would have moved the rock in the seascape photo over. Uh...thanks....I think.
Very well said Mark. Well justified. Totally convincing. 👍
Mark
I here the phone one all the time when they see my gear. I smile and agree and say if I was starting again I would use a phone but since I already have the equipment I might as well use it
I’ve heard pretty much all of these too. The “You must have a nice camera” line just makes me laugh. The truth is most people just don’t know the proper etiquette for most things in life outside of their own bubble. They think they are giving a compliment, because they believe the quality of the tool is what makes the quality in the product. It’s just the limited amount of information that a person knows to allow them to start a conversation about something they like without understanding the subject. One of the times I heard that, I just replied, “Yes, I do have a good camera. This print was taken with a Canon T1i.” And that guy wouldn’t have known the difference between that and a new Hasselblad.
Agree I'm a landscape photographer and yes I've shot weddings too and more planned. It's doable but agree on the premise. The story telling aspect is useful but from a technical aspect it's different. I agree in shooting on thr iconic....I dont look even them. Show me something different! The skill of a photographer is to make something interesting from an average scene. Agree 100% on all the others.
Great video Mark, as always. So, I'm a hobbyist, I don't have a website I've never posted a photo on social media to simply share. I've considered it, however I believe you just gave me the 10 reasons why not to. I don't have the patience and it's doubtful I could not NOT respond to the comments. You're an incredibly nice guy and God Love ya for your tolerance of such ridiculous feedback. Keep up the good work with that great Nikon Z8! Did I mention is takes great pics? 😝
A lot of those sound familiar. Especially the one about the camera being so good and asking if I could do their wedding photos. I love beautiful skies and scenery. I started out doing landscape before trying other things. I think milky way stuff was one of the next things. I do portraits from time to time and I have shot one wedding before. I love landscape photography but I didn't want to limit myself to just that. What if there's other things I'm good at that I might like even more? So I've been doing many different genres of photography. Right now I'm more into street photography. I've tried sports, macro, and a couple of other things. I've even gotten back into shooting film. I think if helps you to become a more rounded photographer to learn different genres. A lot of stuff overlaps. If someone wants a senior portrait at a waterfall or some other nice location, I have experience with landscape photography that most portrait photographers don't have. I can get shots that they don't know how to get. And I think it helps to keep you from getting burned out. But by no means am I telling people that that's what they need to do. This is what I think I need to do.
Great list! Heard them all…way too much. 😂
- I concur 100% that the new phone cameras are phenonophal, but at my age I've been looking through a viewfinder too long to start change horses in the middle of the stream and you can't argue with sensor size when you blow the picture up... 😉
Fun video, you hit a big point I find funny, the belief that if you do one genre you can shoot them all. I ran into this in another area. I was an electronics tech back in the 80s. After I graduated from electronics school I would constantly be asked by people to fix something of theirs, from TVS to toasters! LOL! Thanks for the fun video, have a great day.