I feel the discrepancy in popularity between your arctic video and your desk video comes down to relatability. Most photographers don't have the time or means to travel to all these wonderful places. While it's fun to watch these videos and living vicariously through them, people might look more for videos that help them make better photos where they live and where they don't have to rely on grand vistas to take good photos.
What I appreciate about you and your channel is how differently you approach landscape photography compared to most of the other landscape youtubers. They have so many rules and expectations, and often will be in the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen and they’ll only take one shot because the “conditions” weren’t just so. Or they “couldn’t find a composition”. So off the tripod the camera goes and my camera’s soul mourns for all the lost shots. But not you. You go out, handheld, and try everything no matter the conditions and you always get a keeper shot. I love it.
Massive congratulations to you all. Fabulous news. ‘Oh yeah and the video was alright’. Stay happy and well. And from a dad of 4, sleep at every opportunity!
Isn’t that value also capturing those moments that can never happen again. Those precious moments of a new life are like a sunrise or sunset. Constantly changing, bringing lots of the unexpected and often messy. Yet awe inspiring!
Congratulations! Very cool. Photography isn't about effort on one picture, it's about taking 100,000 photos and looking at 1,000,000 so you can "see" a photo and take it in an instant. That's when it gets to be really fun to do...
Great advice as usual and so true. I was sitting in my kayak on a quiet, glassy lake the other evening and probably took one of the best photos I've ever taken and it was 1 mile from my home and took absolutely no effort. Your baby boy is beautiful, congrats to you and Emily!
Bit late catching this video so happy 1st birthday Noah! When you get a bit older, listen to your Dad, he talks a lot of sense as well as taking good photographs.
Congratulations to the both of you. A beautiful little boy. Your blog made some good points. Ultimately it’s about the finished product not the time, effort or the equipment. Have fun and enjoy the moment(s). Just like raising children!
I noticed that with photos I took on a trip to Rome several years ago. I hiked all over the city getting pictures of the usual touristy spots, like The Vatican, Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum, but one of my favorite photos was taken off the balcony of my AirBnB one morning while I was drinking my coffee. For the longest time I wouldn’t accept that this was a really good photograph because of how effortless it was to take.
100% can relate. One off my pictures others like the most is one I am not proud of at all. I literally stood on a metal piece that said. Stand here for photo spot.
Congrats on the baby! I'm a new dad myself, he's 7 months old now, so not as new as yourself. It's great! Wait until you see that little one grow and change. Sure did take a hit on my photography time but it's worth it. I did start learning portrait work though. Super nice to have great pictures as the baby grows
Honestly the only portrait work I find interesting and would do is memories from events as the kid grows up. But don’t forget to put the camera down. It is believed we don’t remember much when we focus on taking pictures.
Congratulations 'dad'... hope all are well.... enjoyed your comments on value of pics taken....I first took photos in 1951 with my little box film camera & although none of the pics would win a competition, they are very valuable to me ...they are all B & W but they tell a story ...I am still only a hobbyist but just love taking pics now with my D500... cheers 😀
Congrats on being a dad! With respect to the presumed ease of effort of taking photos of your baby boy, I would, disagree that there's not effort in it. Look at the immense amount of effort, circumstance and time it took for you to live all the moments of your life that lead to you meeting Emily, and all the effort, time and circumstances that lead you up to getting married and finally making that baby... now that's a monumental amount of effort, though I know you will say the reward enormously outweighs the effort.
A big congratulations on the birth of your adorable son. There is nothing more wonderful in life than our children. Great video as usual with lovely images. That makes total sense and has to be remembered so as not to feel disheartened if some images don't receive the same acclaim as others.
Congratulations Dad!!!... also I just spent a week in the Canadian Rockies... (i live near them) and had a mixed bag of light and weather.. and mixed luck taking good photo's due to the conditions. .. which drove home to me the fact that it's the whole experience..... the photography is the reason i go. but it's the whole experience.. being outside.. being present and aware of the scenery, the light, and how that relates to the photographic problem...
First off, excellent video! Really puts a good perspective on things even outside of photography. But not importantly, how cute is that freaking baby!! Holy cow man he is so cute!! Congratulations on becoming a dad! It’s an amazing feeling!
The great american photographer Ansel Adams is credited with saying something along the lines of 'a photo isn't made good, purely on the basis of how difficult it was to take', so you're in good company 🙂 Congratulations on becoming a dad. I became a grandad around the time your son was born, also a little boy!
I think this is true of all artistic pursuits (and probably a lot of other things). I find the poems I write, sometimes it’s a massive battle to make them work. It takes hours of going over the same two lines over and over again and sometimes it’s worth the effort but often it’s just fine or still sub par. Other times whole poems pop into your head while you’re walking the dog and you just need to jot them down. It’s good practice to power through the former, but exactly as you say, the latter are objectively more valuable.
Congratulations on becoming a father! I was speaking to my wife this evening about you. She is an avid Hallmark channel viewer. Snowdonia sounds like one of the fictional locations of a royal prince that falls in love with an american woman as she has come across the world to watch his children. She laughed in agreement! The country side you are covering is beautiful. Thank you again for sharing!
All the best to Emily! Noah: Good luck with this special Dad...train him well!! James: Fantastic video - yet again. I for sure would give a like to 'emergency postings' as well; so please support Emily, when she needs you more than your followers do!
Conrats to Emily and you. As to photos and effort, consider the total experience of getting the shot and the "value" of the challenge and reward(s) to being there to push the shutter. You can sell the photo but getting the shot is yours forever.
Congratulations, James and Emily! Our twins were born at the end of July, and their NICU journey is the entirety of my SD card contents at the moment. Enjoy every moment!
Congratulations on the baby to you and your wife. they are actually wonderful at that age because they usually stay where you put them. At about 12-13yrs of age they all seem to catch an illness and it is called an opinion. Guaranteed to wreck your life but they grow out of it at about 35yrs of age. Beautiful baby and awesome shots.
Welcome to the world Noah, best of luck to you. James, congrats on being such a calm first-time dad, I personally was a wreck for the first few weeks with worrying I was doing everything wrong.
Congrats James , and Emily of course, Noah is perfect. Spot on message though, sometimes it is the opportunistic photo that required no effort whatsoever that turns out to be fabby.
Thank you for a look at the newest Popsys! "...covered by a substance that use to be inside the baby." So funny! As for effort vs. payback, never thought of photography the way you describe. I consider every "keeper" shot as lucky. Technique, equipment, experience, opportunity, etc., but still mainly luck. Maybe I don't feel I control as many variables. Glad you got out and found time to make a video, very enjoyable!
Awwwww . . . . James your new little boy is just gorgeous. I don't miss the sleepless nights, the chucking up, the messy nappies and the screams of tantrums. Enjoy it all though!!!! And take those moments to enjoy the outdoors with the camera. They'll help you survive this parenting gig. (Speaking from experience . . . . )
Too cute. Congratulations to you both. Absolutely agree with your point. I sweated all over London last week getting street and architecture shots but my biggest hitter on Flickr was one I took of a wet window at home after a shower of rain. ;-)
"Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans," Same for any art form photography included, so seize the small moments that happen every day and make the most of what's around you, thats the great thing about a camera isn't it, it enables you to do just that, wherever you are, and whomever you are..
Congratulations to Emily and you! Beautiful baby. Your lives will change in ways that you can't even imagine but will be wonderful. Your views on your best photos are spot on, The photos that mean the most to me are the memories of that time whether from a roadside pull off or a 2 hr hike.
I think the effort of this „effortless photos“ you had your camera in reach or with you and the constant awareness seeking for a spontaneous shot and then instantly capture a moment before it is gone. Therefore I highly value those photos too.
Awww he is so beautiful 😍😍 enjoy time when he is a tiny nugget the time goes so fast with a blink of an eye he is a toddler and before you know it off to school he goes. Sidenote hope mama is doing well ❤️
The sunk cost fallacy is a very real thing. "I spent x amount of money and waited for days in y location after travelling/hiking z miles" is used to justify a lot of images. I've had to develop a lot of discipline around the idea that part of photography, at least for me, is knowing that I might go out for hours, days or weeks at a time to a different location and come back with zero photos I actually enjoy. The most humbling experience was probably when I went to Finland a few years ago and pretty much didn't take a single photo I truly liked. That, and I had to really sit with myself, question my own ability and just carry on. It is what it is.
Congratulations on becoming a dad. Nothing like it in the world. I love the video. Agree that the viewer of any image sees the final product and not went into creating it. You and several other RUclipsrs do a great job of taking us behind the scenes to show us some of your travails. I wish you, Emily, and Noha all the best for a long, healthy, and prosperous life.
Very few photographers talk about the taboo subject of tripod use to enable pizza consumption… so hats off to you.
And congrats on your new baby.
Congratulations James and Emily! Despite being “useless”, Noah is adorable! Thank you for sharing a moment with him with us.
Maybe he should have named the kid "Tripod".
Congrats to you all!
I have 4 of those useless breathing, breeding things ... Males 🤨
"All the t-shirts that I own, apart from this one, are currently covered in a substance that used to be inside the baby." Priceless!
I feel the discrepancy in popularity between your arctic video and your desk video comes down to relatability. Most photographers don't have the time or means to travel to all these wonderful places. While it's fun to watch these videos and living vicariously through them, people might look more for videos that help them make better photos where they live and where they don't have to rely on grand vistas to take good photos.
Agreed. Greenland is fun. but that desk is kinda neat.
I noticed it with other youtubers too. The heavily produced videos don’t get as much views as the one in casual sitting.
Aw bless, so good to see the little one at the end! Happy fatherhood James, there is nothing else like it or as rewarding! 😊
What I appreciate about you and your channel is how differently you approach landscape photography compared to most of the other landscape youtubers. They have so many rules and expectations, and often will be in the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen and they’ll only take one shot because the “conditions” weren’t just so. Or they “couldn’t find a composition”. So off the tripod the camera goes and my camera’s soul mourns for all the lost shots. But not you. You go out, handheld, and try everything no matter the conditions and you always get a keeper shot. I love it.
Massive congratulations to you all. Fabulous news. ‘Oh yeah and the video was alright’. Stay happy and well. And from a dad of 4, sleep at every opportunity!
Isn’t that value also capturing those moments that can never happen again. Those precious moments of a new life are like a sunrise or sunset. Constantly changing, bringing lots of the unexpected and often messy. Yet awe inspiring!
So sweet you're a father! Congrats to you and family.
When my first daughter was born I felt blessed, proud and insignificant all at the same time. Congratulations!!!
Congratulations on becoming a dad best feeling in the world and good luck to you all
Congratulations! Very cool. Photography isn't about effort on one picture, it's about taking 100,000 photos and looking at 1,000,000 so you can "see" a photo and take it in an instant. That's when it gets to be really fun to do...
Big smile here. Soak it up James. These are great times for the three of you.
Great advice as usual and so true. I was sitting in my kayak on a quiet, glassy lake the other evening and probably took one of the best photos I've ever taken and it was 1 mile from my home and took absolutely no effort.
Your baby boy is beautiful, congrats to you and Emily!
Bit late catching this video so happy 1st birthday Noah! When you get a bit older, listen to your Dad, he talks a lot of sense as well as taking good photographs.
Congratulations to the both of you. A beautiful little boy. Your blog made some good points. Ultimately it’s about the finished product not the time, effort or the equipment. Have fun and enjoy the moment(s). Just like raising children!
I noticed that with photos I took on a trip to Rome several years ago. I hiked all over the city getting pictures of the usual touristy spots, like The Vatican, Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum, but one of my favorite photos was taken off the balcony of my AirBnB one morning while I was drinking my coffee. For the longest time I wouldn’t accept that this was a really good photograph because of how effortless it was to take.
Congratulations to you and Emily on the new addition to your family bless you all
100% can relate. One off my pictures others like the most is one I am not proud of at all. I literally stood on a metal piece that said. Stand here for photo spot.
You look like a happy dad. That's wonderful!
Noah .you have a great mom and dad enjoy the time with your.....thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Congrats on the baby! I'm a new dad myself, he's 7 months old now, so not as new as yourself. It's great! Wait until you see that little one grow and change. Sure did take a hit on my photography time but it's worth it. I did start learning portrait work though. Super nice to have great pictures as the baby grows
Honestly the only portrait work I find interesting and would do is memories from events as the kid grows up. But don’t forget to put the camera down. It is believed we don’t remember much when we focus on taking pictures.
Big congratulations on becoming a dad! 👏
Also, beautiful photos and a very important theme to keep in mind :)
Thanks so much Mads :)
Congratulations 'dad'... hope all are well.... enjoyed your comments on value of pics taken....I first took photos in 1951 with my little box film camera & although none of the pics would win a competition, they are very valuable to me ...they are all B & W but they tell a story ...I am still only a hobbyist but just love taking pics now with my D500... cheers 😀
Congrats on being a dad! With respect to the presumed ease of effort of taking photos of your baby boy, I would, disagree that there's not effort in it. Look at the immense amount of effort, circumstance and time it took for you to live all the moments of your life that lead to you meeting Emily, and all the effort, time and circumstances that lead you up to getting married and finally making that baby... now that's a monumental amount of effort, though I know you will say the reward enormously outweighs the effort.
A big congratulations on the birth of your adorable son. There is nothing more wonderful in life than our children. Great video as usual with lovely images. That makes total sense and has to be remembered so as not to feel disheartened if some images don't receive the same acclaim as others.
What a GORGEOUS little boy. And all that hair! Congratulations to you both.
Congratulations... Daddy 😊💐💐
Congratulations Dad!!!... also I just spent a week in the Canadian Rockies... (i live near them) and had a mixed bag of light and weather.. and mixed luck taking good photo's due to the conditions. .. which drove home to me the fact that it's the whole experience..... the photography is the reason i go. but it's the whole experience.. being outside.. being present and aware of the scenery, the light, and how that relates to the photographic problem...
Congratulations James and Emily. Enjoy your baby, he'll be 13 be for you know it...
Congrats brother what a Blessing! May God Bless your family always!
Welcome to the world little Noah! May God bless you with love and comfort each and every day
First off, excellent video! Really puts a good perspective on things even outside of photography. But not importantly, how cute is that freaking baby!! Holy cow man he is so cute!! Congratulations on becoming a dad! It’s an amazing feeling!
Congratulations Emily and James on the arrival of baby Noah, all the best wishes
Congratulations and all the very best for yourself and family!
Congratulations to your son 🙏🏼💕 so sweet!
Congratulations James….welcome to the new centre of your universe! Let the fun begin!
The great american photographer Ansel Adams is credited with saying something along the lines of 'a photo isn't made good, purely on the basis of how difficult it was to take', so you're in good company 🙂 Congratulations on becoming a dad. I became a grandad around the time your son was born, also a little boy!
Thanks to the RUclips algorithm, just found this channel. Such high quality. Wonderful.
Congratulations to you both. Looking forward to all the baby snaps.
I think this is true of all artistic pursuits (and probably a lot of other things).
I find the poems I write, sometimes it’s a massive battle to make them work. It takes hours of going over the same two lines over and over again and sometimes it’s worth the effort but often it’s just fine or still sub par.
Other times whole poems pop into your head while you’re walking the dog and you just need to jot them down.
It’s good practice to power through the former, but exactly as you say, the latter are objectively more valuable.
Congratulations on the arrival of the baby! Keep up the good work.
Congratulations on becoming a father! I was speaking to my wife this evening about you. She is an avid Hallmark channel viewer. Snowdonia sounds like one of the fictional locations of a royal prince that falls in love with an american woman as she has come across the world to watch his children. She laughed in agreement! The country side you are covering is beautiful. Thank you again for sharing!
Congratulations to you & Emily ! All the Best !!
Congrats!!!! Taking better photos of my kids is what brought me to jump into this, mainly as a hobby. Take many more pics, they grow up really fast...
Congratulations James and Emily! I understand your point but I should say that your video from Greenland is one of my favorite youtube videos ever.
All the best to Emily!
Noah: Good luck with this special Dad...train him well!!
James: Fantastic video - yet again. I for sure would give a like to 'emergency postings' as well; so please support Emily, when she needs you more than your followers do!
Conrats to Emily and you. As to photos and effort, consider the total experience of getting the shot and the "value" of the challenge and reward(s) to being there to push the shutter. You can sell the photo but getting the shot is yours forever.
Congratulations, James and Emily! Our twins were born at the end of July, and their NICU journey is the entirety of my SD card contents at the moment. Enjoy every moment!
Congratulations on the baby to you and your wife. they are actually wonderful at that age because they usually stay where you put them. At about 12-13yrs of age they all seem to catch an illness and it is called an opinion. Guaranteed to wreck your life but they grow out of it at about 35yrs of age. Beautiful baby and awesome shots.
Welcome to the world Noah, best of luck to you. James, congrats on being such a calm first-time dad, I personally was a wreck for the first few weeks with worrying I was doing everything wrong.
Congratulations James , wishing you and your family all the very best. Wonderful news. And very well done Emily !
Welcome Noah and the best of wishes!
Congratulations to your whole little family!
Congrats James , and Emily of course, Noah is perfect. Spot on message though, sometimes it is the opportunistic photo that required no effort whatsoever that turns out to be fabby.
CONGRATZ to the baby!!! And very good point with the effort!
I think it's so cool that your kid will grow up and can watch these videos of his dad. It will mean a lot to him. I know it would to me :).
Thank you for a look at the newest Popsys! "...covered by a substance that use to be inside the baby." So funny! As for effort vs. payback, never thought of photography the way you describe. I consider every "keeper" shot as lucky. Technique, equipment, experience, opportunity, etc., but still mainly luck. Maybe I don't feel I control as many variables. Glad you got out and found time to make a video, very enjoyable!
Awwwww . . . . James your new little boy is just gorgeous. I don't miss the sleepless nights, the chucking up, the messy nappies and the screams of tantrums. Enjoy it all though!!!! And take those moments to enjoy the outdoors with the camera. They'll help you survive this parenting gig. (Speaking from experience . . . . )
Congrats and a Mazel Tov (congrats in Hebrew) on your new baby. He will be a real joy in your life. Best wishes to Mom. Remember, sleep is overrated.
So cute! Love the mountains, but that little boy is adorable, congratulations to you both!!
Too cute. Congratulations to you both. Absolutely agree with your point. I sweated all over London last week getting street and architecture shots but my biggest hitter on Flickr was one I took of a wet window at home after a shower of rain. ;-)
"Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans," Same for any art form photography included, so seize the small moments that happen every day and make the most of what's around you, thats the great thing about a camera isn't it, it enables you to do just that, wherever you are, and whomever you are..
Yes, they will be very treasured photos of Noah. He's very much a mini James!! Enjoyed the video, lots of food for thought!
Congratulations James And Emily on becoming parents to your beautiful baby boy Noah, cherish every moment cos they grow up sooo quickly.
congrats to you both! hope Emily is feeling healthy and happy!
Congratulations James and Emily on your new addition to your family.
Congratulations to you and Emily on the safe arrival of Noah, he’s very cute 😊
Congratulations to you both on the new baby.
Congratulations on the birth of your son. Don't blink, they grow up much too quickly.
Congratulations on the birth of your baby boy. May he be blessed with a healthy and happy life!
Congratulations to Emily and you! Beautiful baby. Your lives will change in ways that you can't even imagine but will be wonderful. Your views on your best photos are spot on, The photos that mean the most to me are the memories of that time whether from a roadside pull off or a 2 hr hike.
Congratulations James!! There's nothing better
Congratulations, I missed last week's video I had no idea that Emily finally had the baby. I wish you and Emily all the best love from Texas
Congratulations to you and Emily on the arrival of baby Noah. He is gorgeous. Hope Emily is doing well.
Congratulations on becoming a dad! Warm wishes to your family
The underexposed image has a delightful chiaroscuro effect that is just perfect.
I think the effort of this „effortless photos“ you had your camera in reach or with you and the constant awareness seeking for a spontaneous shot and then instantly capture a moment before it is gone.
Therefore I highly value those photos too.
Congratulations!
Thank you for the Video and WELCOME NOAH!
Congratulations James and Emily!
That was so nice bringing the baby out. Congratulations!
Congratulations James& Emily. Very happy news for you. Think of future years teaching Noah photography. He’s gorgeous
Congrats James!
I totally agree and i used to be quite frustrated but that's what it is..
Congrats on the new baby. Thanks for the video!
Awww he is so beautiful 😍😍 enjoy time when he is a tiny nugget the time goes so fast with a blink of an eye he is a toddler and before you know it off to school he goes. Sidenote hope mama is doing well ❤️
Congratulations to the happy family!
Congratulations to you both on the birth of your son.
Congratulations and enjoy your baby adventure. It's the greatest one of all!
You look happier than I've seen you in a long time. Congrats!!!!!!
Congratulations James and Emelie on the borth of Noah! You will be blessed for years!
You look so proud with Noah. Congrats to your new family!
The sunk cost fallacy is a very real thing. "I spent x amount of money and waited for days in y location after travelling/hiking z miles" is used to justify a lot of images. I've had to develop a lot of discipline around the idea that part of photography, at least for me, is knowing that I might go out for hours, days or weeks at a time to a different location and come back with zero photos I actually enjoy. The most humbling experience was probably when I went to Finland a few years ago and pretty much didn't take a single photo I truly liked. That, and I had to really sit with myself, question my own ability and just carry on. It is what it is.
Congratulations on becoming a dad. Nothing like it in the world.
I love the video. Agree that the viewer of any image sees the final product and not went into creating it. You and several other RUclipsrs do a great job of taking us behind the scenes to show us some of your travails.
I wish you, Emily, and Noha all the best for a long, healthy, and prosperous life.
Congratulations! So happy for you
Congratulations to you and Emily. Lovely of you to let us meet Noah. Thanks for another great video.
Congrats to you and Emily on the new little one!! Thanks for sharing him! Brought many smiles!
And great video. Very insightful, per usual.
Congratulations to you and Emily. Noah is adorable. Enjoy these special first days with him!
Congrats James! Well done!
Congratulations! And welcome to the world, Noah.
Congratulations Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!