4x5 Portraits of Strangers, Film Prices and NFTs
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- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2024
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A note on NFTs : I understand that they're not invisible. That was a joke.
A good video explaining them : • What is an NFT? (Non-F...
0:00 - Meeting Tom
2:34 - NFTs and the Darkroom
4:45 - Film Prices and Horses
7:17 - Squarespace
8:04 - Ginny on 4x5
10:48 - Pentax 67
11:33 - Film and Photography
Processing by Northeast Photographic : www.northeastphotographic.com/
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You're an absolute madlad for nailing focus on every 4x5 frame in this video, if I ever get into large format I'll just tell myself that if Bryan can nail focus while filming a video and keeping a rapport going with a subject then I should be able to get something half in focus without those variables lolol. So rad seeing your flow with large format stuff progress
also BRO BUY MY NFT'S BRO I'll BUY YOURS TOO BRO LET'S GET NON FUNGIBLE BRO!!!
Was a lovely surprise to see my viddy pop up in the film price segment too, lets hope Paul doesn't make an appearance here ahah. I'd been looking forward to this video for a while now and it was well worth the wait, thank you kindly for another beautiful offering my good sir
Many times missing focus led to getting focus most of the time. Haha you will do fine. It is just like the RB but upside down!
"the thing that is holding me back from entering that space and that community is that space and the community" made me do an actual cartoon spitting tea out laugh haha
Haha it is funny in a sad sort of way. 😂
The black and white really has an emotional feel with the way his eyes positioned. Beautiful work…. Cheers 🤜🏼
i really love this strangers and cars series. I drive for work and go through a lot of small towns with everything from classics to junkers. I often think about the stories behind them. I shoot as many as I can without being obtrusive but I wish I could have talked to the people like you have.
Really impressive how you nail focus that perfectly. Respect!
Edit: after watching the whole thing, favorite episode in a longer time Bryan. I like seeing you just enjoying it and getting fuled by it.
Just have to have the breathing technique of a long practiced monk.
@@BryanBirks but how do you make sure your subject doesn't move out of focus?
There is something special about your photography and the way you present it. There is no awareness of time when watching your work.
Thank you very much Meum!
Meeting new people is definitely a nice aspect of photography.
Shooting film in large quantities has always been an expensive endeavor, relative to the times. That’s one of the reasons the learning curve for photographers sped up when digital became the norm.
The dog presence really transformed her character and you showed it perfectly through the 4x5 pics and in the backstage video. Truly inspiring work, Brian.
Thank you!
I really do appreciate your video's. I'm from a small town in Indiana and your work reminds me of the scenes I'd see in my town. Years ago I struggled with street photography living in a dead small town. Since the pandemic...I found the diamonds in the rough of small towns. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Somebody has to document the Midwest. It is not all sun drenched beaches and skyscrapers in New York. Me and Matt Day holding down the fort over here!
There’s something I just enjoy about your approach to photography and people. Thanks for sharing. My new mantra is who needs 50 fps when you can have 2 fph.
That is a nice mantra indeed. 2 might be pushing it though! haha
Another brilliant film Bryan - that lady with the dog will be absolutely delighted when you deliver her print…I’m sure you will. I’m impressed at your ability to focus so accurately too!!
Prints are being ordered soon indeed. Thank you for the kind words Peter!
Why am I crying. I love you so much and I’m so proud of you!
I think you really made her day and yours too. Thanks for sharing that.
Appreciate the support John!
Im super happy to have found this video. Its inspiring to see a photographer pushing through the fear and discomfort of putting yourself out there. I've always wanted to try something like this, maybe this will push me over the edge. Great stuff Bryan.
Thanks Joe. Definitely do it. You can only grow from such practices. 🤘🏻
that close up of the horse is so nice
Man this has to be one my favorites from you. The whole Ginny sequence had me smiling, so damn wholesome dude. And couldn’t agree more about what you said about cherishing moments
Thanks Jack! I try to make wholesome my middle name.
Love how this project strikes this perfect balance of inanimate objects and human experiences. How Ginny’s portrait session evolved into what it became. Really love this, and thank you for sharing these moments so beautifully.
Thanks man. In the future I definitely want to take more still photos for it. I’m only just now experimenting with walking around the scene of the person I’m photographing and trying to find a still life that makes sense for the overall project. Cheers 🍻
The magic of creating connections over film photography! You definitely made her week bro. 🙌🏽
Appreciate you dude!
I'm 48 and have been shooting film forever - film has never been that cheap. Sure there were more economical films, but Kodak Gold I remember buying that in the 90's and it was about £4-5 for a roll of 35mm. With budget film and labs like Supasnaps and Truprint, my friends thought I was a bit posh buying Kodak Gold! The positive thing about price increases is that the more you have to think about the image and whether it's worth it, you'll become a far more discerning and skilled photographer and make (almost) every image count. That's really what I've also always loved about film - the fact that there's a slowing down and thought behind it rather than just 'spray and pray'.
A very good mindset indeed and one I have to have a lot with large format 🙃
Love your channel, and your authentic approach. It really comes through in your photographs as well.
This one really brought joy to my heart. I think we so rarely get to share our story and it always seems that after warming up to you, your subjects genuinely appreciate the interest you show in them. Love that you looked at some of her work with her.
Thanks Michael. I definitely believe the initial interest in their car helps a lot in easing the conversation. Plus the long process of getting a 4x5 shot helps as well. Cheers!
The photo of Ginny and the Poodle is beautiful! I would love to see a video of when you return to show her. Thank you for the inspiring video.
I will do my best to get some clips!
You get it Bryan. You just get it. Thanks for sharing these moments.
Appreciate you Brett!
I've been enjoying your content for awhile now....was enjoying this, but man...when the lady asked to bring out her dying elderly pup, that just got to me.
Glad you did that for her.
People that say money can't buy you love, never owned a dog.
:)
CC
Man i love these pictures so much, i wish i had your camera. They remind me of the photograher Judith Joy Ross.
Finished a roll of film last week and got it back a couple days later and i was not quite satisfied with the results, but your videos get me so motivated. Thanks a lot. Greetings from Madelein
When I’m in a quandary about cameras and my photography I just re-watch videos featuring Alex Majoli where he uses his Olympus Micro 4/3rds camera and f2 zoom lens. That being said I have a Pentax MU 6x7 + 105mm on standby at my usual camera store. I’ll use the weekend to try and determine if it is a necessary purchase, especially since I sold my beautiful and lightly pimped Pentax 6x7 kit about three years ago. And just when I think it’s safe to come out of my cave I watch RUclips and at least one of your videos pop up and I fall down the rabbit hole again. But not before smashing my digital cameras against a brick wall.
You are just too good at large format hahah I really enjoy your photo and the time and thought you put into them. Even the photos you thinks arent great I enjoy. Keep up the great work and story telling.
That means a lot Sheree. Thank you!
Always a nice time checking in on these videos. Appreciate your take on the NFT photography "community". I think a lot of people myself included feel similarly.
Thanks dude. I'm very close to saying "fuck it" and doing my own thing on there. The behavior is just very off-putting to me. I don't think anyone is against making money. It's just...the other stuff.
Thanks for another great video. Love the interaction at the end with your model. Fantastic
Glad you enjoyed it.
This is absolutely lovely video! Thank you for this! This lady is amazing!
Thanks for watching Aleksandr!
These photos are just so good man! These are some of my favorite of yours.
Thank you Drew!
As always, love hearing about these little connections that you make, and seeing those amazing LF portraits!
Thanks as always John. Glad to have you here 🖤
I really loved to watch this one. Thank you Bryan!
Appreciate it!
These are my favorite videos, the contact with people while shooting and the stories that arise. Thanks for sharing and I hope for more videos like this. Great Pictures! 👍🏻
Thanks Marco. Many more portraits to come in the future.
wow, that was a very inspiring video. having felt really uninspired lately but this makes me wanna go out and experience moments like this myself ... love your art and your approach to life.
Thanks Dani! Glad you got something out of it.
loved everything in this video
The love for photography in this video is contagious Bryan, thank you for making it. Looking forward to the photobook!
Appreciate you Sathya!
The moment you captured with that woman was great. Those portraits were so real and unstaged and just raw... Really great work.
Thank you Andrew!
The horse shots are incredible. Great video as always.
Thank you Sandy 🖤
Fantastic shots! The medium format photos were great, imo
Appreciate that. MF is indeed very nice. There's just something about the 4x5 experience it can't replicate.
gotta drop everything whenever you post! beautiful as always
Thank you Jay. Means a lot 🤘🏻
Great shot of Ginny and Mamba
Thank you Mark!
Love your videos! Like your no BS to the point attitude.
Appreciate that. Always try to be that way 🤘🏻
Great video Bryan. Thank you again for sharing your experience and your path into film photography. The way you talk and what you say makes you wiser than your age suggests. About film prices, I'm actually on the "be more selective" option but aiming at option 3, sell my work to buy film (and fee time) to shoot more work. Take care
Thanks for watching, sir 🍻
Good on you for putting your portrait subjects at ease like this, with Ginny bringing out her dog and showing you her photographic prints. It takes a lot of nerve to approach total strangers. Enjoyed this very much, Bryan.
Appreciate it Craig! Failed many times to get to this point. Definitely worth it though.
I lose interest in my Pentax 67 so parted ways with it I hope the new owner loves her even more then I did. Great video.
Bro, I didnt even see that you posted this! I just hit that bell - Great video as always! I feel dumb now that I messaged you about NFTs without watching this first lol
hahaha no worries dude! Thanks for watching.
Lovely work. You are technically accomplished -knowing how to make the most of the camera and darkroom and you're also great at getting good shots with strangers. You put them at ease and the photos end up being a tender record of your encounter with each stranger. I imagine these photos will also become even more interesting with the passage of time.
Thank you Paul! Profession is slow and steady in every way. Glad it is showing.
Wonderful!
And again... It's you being you... Enjoying what you do. So relaxed so honest love it I just love it. And because of your work I gained confidence to go out here in Belgium and do the same but looking for old farmer's.... Thank you so much 🙏 really a big fan of you and your work.
Oh I’m sure you will find some amazing characters out in Belgium. Let me know when you get some portraits!
Lovin it. Moments and pictures. Can't wait for you to release "the" book ;)
In due time. Thanks Vincent!
Nailing it again! You capture the essence of why you're in the game so well, and coming home with keepers in the process. The way you bring these encounters to the screen is heart warming. Please don't let Kodak (or anyone else for that matter) discourage you. Thanks for the inspiration!
Kodak never discourages me. Just bought a couple more boxes of TMax and Portra 🖤
another phantastic video!
Thank you! ✌🏻
Beautiful work. Especially the large format ;-). Make sure to continue that work, no matter what the cost of film!
I definitely plan to. Even if I have to sell all the other film stuff!
One of your better episodes to date dude. Thank you
Thank you kindly 🖤
Love your vids Bryan. Said it before. The b/w are my favorites.
Black and white just hits different sometimes.
Fantastic video as usual but also a really lovely story ❤️
Appreciate it 🖤
like the video very much. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome video as usual man. Love seeing the footage in your darkroom.
Thanks my man! Darkroom needs a bit of a clean but it gets the job done. Haha
The shot of Ginny and her dog is one of your more painterly photos. Love it!
Thank you sir!
As I remember in the old times, before digital, the photography business was mainly based on the amateur market. My fear with wave after wave of price increases, is that the participation of the enthusiasts and amateur photographer in the revival of the analogue photography will come to an end, and that is not good for any one. Very nice photography Mr Birks.
I need the book of this project ! I also need to fly in if there is an expo !
Book is definitely coming but who knows when!
You can print bw prints from the color negative as well.
I have done that a couple of times. Takes a specific negative to get good results in my short experience though.
Great video Bryan! Hit me in the feels
Appreciate you dude. Glad I could smash your feels this a.m. 💥
You should go back to Ginny and do a Analog Artisans episode on her and her photography.
Great video.
thank you!
You inspired me to begin my forst serious photo project! :)
Hell yeah. What’s it about? Do share
@@BryanBirks its about isolation and loneliness of student during corona times! I will photograph them in their “safe place”, and the style of the portraits is inspired by your style of 4x5 portrait photography!
@@kisslevente1975 very nice. Glad I could be of inspiration!
Great Vid
Appreciate it!
HI，I from china.I like your videos and your photography very much.Your photography style calms me down.Please continue to work hard to shoot better works.
tbh I think the first Pentax shot demonstrates you can convey 100% of the story with maybe 80-90% of the vibe / image quality of the 4x5. if you've got the luxury of time and money to do the large format shot it's great but but the 67 seems like a good tool to be able to pull out of the bag if you need it.
Very true. I feel like the Pentax is the perfect companion to 4x5 for things like that. It has the same feel sometimes.
awesome video mate 🔥🔥 They're super crisp
Thank you sir. Appreciate it ✌🏻
That was such a fun video to watch, can you share what camera and lens you're using? For video and for the photos. Amazing work man.
Photo : Chamonix 45N-1 and Xenotar 135mm.
Video : Lumix S1 and Sigma 35mm f/1.2.
@@BryanBirks thanks a lot man. You do amazing work. Very inspiring.
The dog, the bandaid, the sandals, the T-shirt. Perfect shot that will look great in the book. Joel Sternfeld levels achieved there.
Ah Joel. Part of my Mount Rushmore. Thank you Tom. Always appreciated!
Literally just saw your pictures on reddit
Welcome!
Inspired. Haven’t been in the darkroom for months due to using it as a dumping ground for all my clutter. Getting that cleaned out tonight. I’ll mail you a print as well if you’re interested. You can write on it, rip it or just know you inspired it and throw it in the trash.
Haha would never throw it in the trash. Maybe tuck it in my closet next to the broken Intrepid 8x10 where most of my darkroom prints live 😂
The wizard returns! Pentax gang will miss you 😔
I THINK I’m going to go through the rest of the rolls of 120 I have before making a decision. I think. Maybe. I don’t know.
That lady will treasure the shot of her and the dog (I assume you will/have given her a copy) until her last day. Great photos Bryan thanks for sharing your journey.
Thank you for the kind words Chris!
@@BryanBirks you’re very welcome 👍📷👍
So much good stuff! Ginny seems amazing, and while you like the poodle shot best, I have to say I really love her head shot. Those wise clear blue eyes.... dang.
Thank you! Yeah the portrait turned out better than I thought it would. Probably would have liked to get a tad closer in the end. I’m always mad I didn’t get close enough. 🤷🏻♂️
I will love to see her art too, great video!
Wish I would have got some video of it. It was very high contrast black and white. Lovely stuff!
@@BryanBirks nice video,I’m more motivated to go and shoot my “new” cambo wide! Never have a 4x5 before…thanks!
Early 2021, I started developing my films in order to reduced my cost with the increase of prices, with the next one I made the decision to cut colors film and reduce my black and white. Shooting film is fun but when a film and development is the cost of a wine bottle, it is not something I can sustain on the long term. Digital is not perfect but it is more affordable.
Definitely makes you prioritize things. Hoping the best for the future of film so I can continue using my favorite medium.
Bonsoir vraiment une superbe vidéo et les portraits sont vraiment extraordinaire
Bonne soirée à vous! Merci pour les mots gentils. Je ne sais pas parler français mais je sais utiliser Google translate. Ha!
@@BryanBirks c'est très gentil à vous. Bonne journée bien amicalement Olivier
its not bad to sell your art work, it's necessary otherwise you are out of work. Your portraits of the man and his car at the start are outstanding. Man, that lens! Interesting comparison between the Pentax and 4x5. I'm starting to have the same thoughts but the Pentax is so much easier to set up!
Your rapport with people is great. You didn't get super deep, you just got real.
BTW the video production was also outstanding. I have no doubt you have a gift for all this.
Thanks for the kind words Tony. Agree with selling your work. I’m all for it. Some of the tactics that certain people employ to do it though are less than ideal.
@@BryanBirks Ain't that the truth! All power to you man.
Great work on the portraits. You really have come a long way with your work. The last image you printed in the darkroom is superb. I agree with you that it's important to print your work. What you get from an image that is printed with the tones and the paper are so different than digital images. It's like the difference of corresponding with email vs talking to a person. It's so much better.
I agree with you about NFT. The whole concept is crazy stupid. Right there with crypto currency. I don't have a problem with people making money but NFT-no way.
What lens did u use on 4X5 camera?
135mm
Do an analogue artisans of Ginny!
Honestly thought about it. A big maybe!
👍Super cool ☑️😎👌video. You have a new subscriber🔴
The idea of NFTs is dumb. Thank you for discussing. Also, beautiful 4x5 portraits in this video!
For me NFT it is a really hard topic. In one hand community is great on Twitter. I meet so many good photographers. In the other hand I am sick and tired how some people announce they want to buy more art. Without understanding them. I will say that I am in NFT world cause I want to earn money for my films. Shooting street on film is touching my wallet. But I can switch to digital and even don't want to.
I’m very in between on things. Yes, I want to sell my stuff. No, I don’t like the way most people do it. In time I hope the novelty of it goes away and it becomes more about work than status.
@@BryanBirks I hope you are right about that. Also watching your images from medium format. I truly understand why it is really hard to come back to Pentax.
Shoot Quality 👍 Nice portraits 🙂
Will Never give scams like ‘N#* my time it used to be called pyramid selling!
Thank you Stuart!
Film has never been cheap. Olympus realised this and the Pen-F cameras were born. As a long term film photographer I can confidently say that Kodak colour film is now disproportionately expensive. However, I believe that hipsters such as yourself really aren’t helping this price situation. Here in the U.K. even expired film is now more expensive than in-date film. Madness.
P.S. I know you’re not a hipster.
I’ve never understood expired film. It’s always the same or more than fresh stock. I would like to thank the real hipsters for causing that dilemma. I don’t shoot much so it’s definitely not a problem for me. I would have hated to see it increase over the years like yourself.
NFTs are a huge grift. Basically just scamming people. You're selling people a receipt. You can still sell prints of your original artwork, they don't own the negative. etc. etc. Good to get in early, bad to be left holding the bag.
Had not heard of NFTs before. The idea of paying much money, or a "seller" expecting others to do so, for what I assume is a password to access a website and download an image, then view on a screen or print out on your own inkjet, seems ridiculous. I think we are still a long way from any successful business model where photographic prints are sold as downloads, mainly for the chessy nature of the idea. There is also the problem of someone downloading your digital image and reselling the image or prints made from it. Copyright? Right, when was the last time you heard of a copyright infringement action over a photo?
It’s usually not even a downloadable copy. It’s just a receipt to say that you own the digital file. And the high prices are due to “rarity” and each one usually being a 1/1. It’s a very silly world.
@@BryanBirks Wow. That's even a business model. It's in the class of "Send me money, and I'll pray that God makes you rich."
Like Bryan said, the buyer of the NFT owns the original item. It contains built-in authentication as proof of (exclusive) ownership. So yes, people could download or copy the image, but they can’t own actually it (I guess that would be like owning the Mona Lisa vs. a forgery/imitation artwork?). And I assume this ownership could be an investment or traded, much like real world artwork. (Caveat: I am definitely no expert….).
NFTs make great sense for things like titles and deeds and i like the idea of artists being able to make money from the art but currently it is just the worst. I don't think NFT art is going anyway but its current form will probably die out.
I do look forward to seeing it evolve into something worthwhile though.
I would rather it just die or everyone do it. It is very polarizing. I suspect that with the increased scrutiny with the government and the influx of people flocking to it, it won't even be worth the time to try and build compared to physical art.
NFT’s are a full-on gimmick. I would stay as far away from blockchain technologies as possible.
Love your videos and the fact that you’re unwilling to hop on the bandwagon simply because there’s some easy money attached to it.
Cheers!
Appreciate it David. We shall see how it plays out with going more mainstream. Maybe it’ll be less gimmicky and taken more seriously in the future. Who knows.
Someone changed his mind about NFT. What about money laundering?
I wouldn’t say I changed my mind. I’ve always been against the way people do it. Aka shilling, wordy and pretentious descriptions to trick people into thinking it’s more than what it is, and the overall transactional vibe that the community gives off.
Money laundering isn’t even a big deal to me. Crypto bros can do whatever they want with their coins.
I’m more so tired of the mediocre work being sold for thousands of dollars. Because I know my work and the value of it. This leads me to believe that the community values marketing, perceived status, and popularity above all else. Which I don’t agree with at all.
Then you have the environmental problems which is a whole other story.
@@BryanBirks Totally agree Bryan. Just for the record, I would buy your NFT art. I am also considering selling mine there for the only reason I wann be able to shoot more and print more, and if the NFT allows it, so be it. The way I see it is that money will be laundered anyway, at least, in this way They get to own a NFT. But yeah I totally agree with you in the whole comunity vibe, it is pretty sickening. Regards Bryan, nice vid as usual. Always appreciate your honest opinion.
@@larrainlsd6546 you make solid points. I really don’t know how to feel because I’m not willing to do the social gymnastics in order to make sales. I’d post, advertise once, and then leave it. Which probably wouldn’t do much.
Kinda hoping it becomes more mainstream sooner than later because it’ll devalue some of the current work and baseline everyone else. Plus it’ll have more eyes on the energy problem. We shall see.
@@BryanBirks yeah, hopefully. The whole environment issue is very problematic indeed, and the whole fever with crypto and NFT just aggravate everything.
Really enjoying going through your back catalogue of videos 🤌📸
Glad you like them!