I take photos to try and capture what I feel and think about being alive, to try and document my sensation of being here. With a photo I can look at where I was physically in the world, technically in the control of my tools, aesthetically in my ability to make visible my perception in the moment and as a human being. When I look at what I think are my successful photos I get the sort of pleasure anyone gets from getting something right. When I look at the photos of photographers I admire, I feel I have a long way to go and much to learn. Even when I don’t take many photos or don’t take anything that excites me, I enjoy the sense of awareness of the world and what is happening around me that I feel practicing photography has brought me. In a way, it helps me live with intention…but I haven’t a clue what the purpose is. It’s just a state of mind I value.
100% under-rated channel. I feel like I'm stealing knowledge from the rafters of photography university. Thank you so much for sharing the know-how, the experience, and the questions that make us all better!
Thank you for sharing this video, your images are beautiful. I got started photographing as a child when my father gave me a Brownie Reflex camera. I loved using that camera and in fact I still have it. My first 35mm camera was a totally manual Fuji with a 50mm f1.4 lens. I carried it everywhere. My father was a Firefighter and I spent a lot of time photographing fires and firefighters at work. I still will occasionally get out and shoot a fire, but now my passion lies in finding and photographing the old and abandoned. Cars and buildings, that have long since been forgotten, and left to decay. I also enjoy travel photography. My goal for the new year is to try to do some street photography. But as long as I have my camera in my hand I am enjoying my hobby no matter what images I shoot. I just hope I can improve my skills and continue to grow as a photographer.
What got me into photography was when my mother told me to take a picture with a tiny kodak camera we had. I saw the pictures, and I was hooked on the images I had taken. They were beautiful. It was looking through a window they were that sharp. I'm 56 years old now, and still love taking photographs. Everything looks different through the lens of a camera.
Really nice pictures! I watched through them two and three times. The "why" question is a road with many forks. But I agree, it's worth the effort to try to understand. That effort shows in your work. As it will for all of us.
Another greatly made video Tatiana. It works on so many level - it’s very relaxing and kind of therapeutic. The photographs you took are simply marvelous. I really liked Cape Nowhere. I believe you spoke for a lot of people while stating the reason why you take photographs. For me it’s way of expressing myself and also documenting life, emotion. Thanks again for such a great video, not only photos or beautiful places - finding out great tunes as well.
Wonder, beautiful and inspiring video. Your work is so moving. Thank you again for making these videos. I'm heading out tomorrow on an 8+ week roadtrip from the east coast of the US to Alaska through Canada. I hope the inspiration from your work helps me to make a few satisfying images.
Wonderful video as always! I think I do analogue photography because I love the process. The technicalities, exploring and learning about all this technology that was on the way out when I was born. Keeping it alive and cherishing what once was.
The (( Lonesome )) shot is speechless, I loved how dreamy it is how atmospheric it is, The moment this shot appeared on the screen I directly paused the video and I kept looking into this shot for three minutes, Looking deeply into this shot took me into another state of mind where there is peace, harmony and tranquility Thank You for sharing these beautiful images with us We hope to see more videos like this in the near future…
I started with photography when I started university and to replace skateboarding after I had a chronic knee injury. I work pretty hard as an academic (in my 3rd year as a PhD student atm) and have always needed something to balance that rational way of thinking. Skateboarding was my original medium to view the world in a creative way but that injury left me without it and, to be honest, in a pretty dark place. But coincidentallly, it was a blessing in disguise. Initially I photographed my friends skateboarding and a few years later that resulted in my first zine. But photography has since, about 5 years, completely taken over every part outside of academics. I carry a camera 24/7 (yes, even in the lab or on campus) and shoot whatever mundane thing catches my eye. The simple act of taking photographs has given me balance already, getting physical memories from it or even getting good photos in return is just a very nice benefit. I love it, I live for it. I did an interview with a good friend of mine on this too! ruclips.net/video/V6JVBPutpq0/видео.html
Wow that’s an amazing point of view Tibo, so grateful for you having shared that with us here, really appreciate it and it truly was for you a blessing in disguise and I think it probably came at the right time and frame of find for you. Wishing you all the best with your academic career and life in general, thank you for watching and supporting ;)
I’m glad you were able to spend time with your family in a beautiful place :) My favourites were ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’, ‘A Horse With No Name’ and ‘View From My Hotel Room’.
I got my 1st camera at 6 years of age-a Kodak 126 "instamatic" for Christmas 1973. Since that day, photography has been to only constant in my life-people come and go, jobs change and our lives develop, but I will always have a camera within reach. I take pictures to record the world through my eyes, to make statements and to feed the artistic need to create. I have never limited myself to a single subject or genre and am as happy taking land and seascapes as I am portraits or street work. I also used photography as a lifeboat when I had a serious illness and had to change my lifestyle and career, enrolling at university and taking a B.A. and Masters in filmmaking and photography. Photography changed my life as a 6 yr old and saved my life when everything else fell apart.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing that, photography curiously enough also helped me after a serious illness in my life and I always looked at it as a safe place, fun place, place for growth I guess we share similar views on this and when you said you always have a camera within reach... 100% what I do too, life is way too beautiful not to pay it the due respect and attention!
@@TatianaHopper I can't imagine leaving the house without a camera, even for the shortest of journeys. After my illness, I have found it difficult to be particularly mobile, so in the best traditions of Lee Friedlander, I now do a lot of work from the driving seat of my vehicle-it certainly galvanises my mind and definitely makes me think as creatively as possible!
Great channel. I think for me its just being curious of many things and an excuse to engage with the world and of course to embrace the simplicity of the joy of seeing!
Beautiful pictures, fantastic work 👏I would suggest the Açores next - the other archipelago of Portugal. Stunning place, no less so than Madeira, guaranteed.
This was a beautiful video, Tatiana! And what a great soul-searching question too. I think every year, I find a new reason to be a photographer. When I had a digital point and shoot in high school, I wanted to take pictures because I wanted to have a record of everything that I experienced, like proof that I had lived and existed. I watched a video by Leena Norms about being in your 20s, and she said that sometimes it feels like being in your 20s is about collecting data. You want to collect as many experiences as you can because you think it will help shape you as a person and keep up with your peers. And so, I think that one of the main reasons I take pictures is to collect those experiences. It's also a privilege to be able to experience things and travel places, and so I treat every outing, even a trip to the drug store, as something really precious. As cliche as it might sound, being a photographer helps you see the beauty in the simple things. I get excited over things that my friends and family would roll their eyes over. And as I get older, I can see how photography has made me a more conscious, optimistic, and spontaneous. I take things in stride, embracing mistakes, and making the most out of what I'm given. It's humbling and therapeutic. And then as I got into film photography, I started to engage with the online community, which gave me another reason to further lean into photography. And then through channels like yours, I'm able to learn more about art and history, which is another reason to be a photographer because you want to try to emulate all of these great photographers of the past who are such huge inspirations. And so there's this positive feedback loop of being a photographer where the more you grow as a photographer, the more the reasons compound.
50k! Congratulations. Well deserved. Great video with very evocative photos. In answer to your question: When everything has already been photographed twice, it's amazing how we can still produce a 'fresh' look at life and the things around us. As someone who has photographed for many, many years (and miss my darkroom) I still get totally absorbed in seeing my world.
From one photographer to another. It has been a very long time since I was so inspired by the beauty of photography on film.Thank you. This post has been so well done I was moved by how well you executed your photographs, bringing out that roundness digital images struggle to do convincingly. I will be digging out and dusting off my Mamiya 6x7 and polaroid back, hunting down film and processing sources and hanging up the hasselblad and canon for some time. Your channel is inspirational your work, deep knowledge and love for the photographic art form impressive. Keep up the good work. I will be watching all your productions on you tube. a fan.
Wow that’s absolutely fantastic that you felt so inspired and enjoyed the video, thank you so much for your very kind and thoughtful words I really appreciate them and do please dust off that mamiya and put it to a good use ;)
Hi T. Cracking episode - tied to a big question. I guess what draws me to photography has evolved since I first borrowed the family Yashica rangefinder at about 14. At first, it was curiosity about how photography worked and I hit lots of technical errors, such that my interest in photography went into hibernation, until I bought a Praktica Super TL2 with my second full time wage packet aged 18. It taught me how to control the exposure triangle, liberating me to start concentrating on framing and composition. Five years later I moved to a Canon A1 and this was when I really found myself focussing on specific interests - natural history in the main but horses and landscape also. This in turn, fuelled a need to really get under the skin of photography and I opted for a three year City & Guilds 744 course in General Professional photography. A Mamiya RB67 joined the party and my natural history stuff really benefitted. I felt fully in control, for the first time and I knew I was in for the long haul. It wasn't until I retired at 59 that I seriously considered the 'why do I do this' question. I knew I loved the continual challenge in creating images but wasn't sure why, beyond a tacit awareness that I wanted to extract fragments of what I saw and know that these would outlive me, so maybe the 'why' has to do with an attempt to transcend life. All I can say is that today I'm enthralled by everything from film to digital, pin hole, 35mm, 6x9cm, folders, rangefinders, SLRs and particularly love 'hybrid' imaging - film negs digitised on a Sigma SD Quattro H. I'd like to go back to my cell now please nurse...
Maderia is such a beautiful island, I visited for the first time in late April this year and literally just scraped the surface. I will be going back. Just for the record, the frogs in the small pond in Fanal Forest do really sound like goblins at 3am (My daughter had said "Beware of the Fae!" before I left which helped a whole lot...) but the view of the Milky Way is second to none from there. Thanks for what you do on this great channel!
I love Madeira. My family are from there but I haven’t been since I was a child. My flight there got cancelled a few weeks ago. I am due to go soon with my cameras and I can’t wait to explore. Great content thank you.
stunning, stunning intro there :-) just "wow"! I really enjoyed the 3 Mamiya images from 9:00 onwards, but was particularly drawn to the Canon A1 shots around 5:00 I think for their simplicity. I'm too old to remember why I became a photographer!! I continue to be one for 2 reasons: firstly I still haven't taken that one "perfect" shot (perhaps I never will?!) and secondly to take my mind away from being ill (I have a blood cancer - partial remission at the mo but it'll come back one day and taking pictures helps me forget about things for a while). Photography really is my "during the meanwhilst"!!
Wow Nick, first of all thank you so much for sharing that with us here, I appreciate you and honestly from personal experience I know exactly what you mean about taking your mind away, trust me I do. And just wanted to let you know that I am wishing all the absolute best to you and sending you much love and strength to overcome that “obstacle”. And no matter what always try to enjoy what you do and have fun and that’s something you’ve commented before :) glad you enjoyed those images in particular and yes I found these very minimalistic compositions generally speaking and I’m pleased with them!
@@TatianaHopper thank you :-) photography is a wonderful pastime in that more than anything else I think it allows us to escape into a different place. perhaps its two-dimentionality is a window to escape reality - that's certainly what I've found when I really stop and think! I was diagnosed with my cancer nearly 8 years ago now, and 7 years ago had a stem-cell transplant which kind of stopped it developing. It's still there in my blood - just dormant. However the cancer caused a horrible spinal fracture which has left me permanently disabled and unable to walk far. It certainly changed the way I looked at life, and radically changed me as an adventurous landscape photographer!! I've often pondered where I would be if I hadn't got ill and strangely I hardly ever find myself wishing it had never happened. Horrible as it is, it's made me the person I am and that's something I wouldn't change :-) Anyway, I've been watching your videos for a long time now, and the growth of your channel reflects the hard work and the quality of the work you put in. Thoroughly well deserved! Thank you :-)
The intro made me double take, so gorgeous! I started photography as a motivation to hike more, but it quickly shifted into a bigger part of who I am. I feel like it's become a good way of going through memories in a really meditative and honest way. It's easier to come to terms with being an unreliable narrator in life when you're used to spending hours adjusting contrast and tone curves on a photo. It's great to keep track of those memories, and in rare cases enhance them, but I think reflecting on how the meaning of something can shift through time is more interesting. Not to mention how the same thing can be interpreted differently person to person.
Beautiful video. For myself, I enjoy taking photos (digitally in my case) and editing them, but increasingly it's the act of curation that draws me. Individual photos can certainly be potent, but I find it's the grouping of them - and the resulting narratives - that brings me to photography day after day. If nothing it gives me reasons to revisit old photos, to reuse them, to see if I can bring about intentionality even if it was perhaps lacking when I pressed the button.
Fantastic intro to this video. Very, very professional. I love your minimalist images. I take photos to document our time in history, my family life, people and places. I create images these days rather than just take them. I’m a fine art photographer I guess. I ended up documenting other people’s lives, their weddings and as someone who prefers to be invisible I became very visual to all the guests and people I photographed as a pro. It took me way beyond my comfort zone where I had to present a different version of myself to the world. Being a photographer puts you in full view of everyone whether it be on the streets or a paid photographic event. I guess I would describe myself back then as “The Reluctant Extrovert”. Someone who had to be outgoing witty, cool under pressure speaking to dozens of people at once at weddings, but inside I was uncomfortable with it. Now, I put that career to bed because I felt the need to follow my path in photography rather than a paid one. You, me and others here who follow you are all on a similar path, a path of photographic discovery. Above all I love to freeze a moment in time, a split second that can be missed in the blink of an eye. Stills photography is still the most powerful medium in my view. Cartier Bresson’s photo of a boy jumping across a huge puddle as his heel of his shoe is a millisecond away from touching the still water. Priceless image. I also photograph so that one day perhaps a distant relative may come across my prints tucked away in a dusty corner of a loft and see the world before they were born through my eyes so they can connect with my path through my lifetime. This why Vivian Maier’s story is so amazing to me.
Brilliant video … well done. Thanks for sharing your work, feelings and thoughts about your creative journey. The why is foundation before gear and process. Very inspirational … now if only the X100V that I ordered 6 months ago would ever arrive! I’m looking forward to the next opportunity for me to pour myself a cool one, sit back, relax and enjoy another TH adventure! Brava!
Nicely done Tatiana, both your photographic and video skills just amaze me. Documentary and inner peace is what drives me to photograph, I’m sure there are other reasons too but I can’t think of any others at the moment. 😊
So cool to see and learn about your experience in Madeira. As to why I photograph, I believe photography is my mirror & simultaneously a place to escape, it has played a pivotal role in helping me grow and heal these past 3 to 4 years, so much so that I don’t know what I would’ve done without it. Outside of that, I am realising that I do have things to say or convey through my photographs but those images have largely been unshared, which is ironic but I’ll get there. Thanks again for making thought provoking videos.
Thank you so much Sathya! Photography is a sort of therapy for when you cannot talk about what’s bothering / hurting, for when you cannot cope with certain realities and choose to focus on the task of finding beauty everywhere you go 💫
I guess there’s two main reasons that I’m a (amateur) photographer: 1) I really enjoy the act of creation, I was probably a musician before I was a photographer and the two things tickle the same desire in my soul, albeit in different ways. 2) it forces me to see the ‘beauty’ in the world, plus other elements of the world which ‘beauty’ is probably not the word for… and then after I see these meaningful things, I get to share them with others!
Great episode. The “why”. I guess, in part, to leave something of myself behind. A legacy that reflects something of the person I am. That, coupled with a desire to capture images I find appealing and share them with others. There’s also something somewhat selfish in that I desire to receive positive feedback on my work. Images that get positive responses make me feel good about myself. I’m also drawn to the process, and the steps it takes to improve. There are probably many more reasons why, but those are the highlights. ✌️
Amazing video! Those drone shots in the beginning hooked me! I think I make photos (film photos particularly) because I want to keep a record of how the world used to be and I want to do it on an old method of record keeping. I think people that were born in the 90s like me are the bridge between the super modern technological age and the more analog or mechanical age if that makes sense. So, I feel like I have a perspective of the world that could be important as time goes on. I also feel like photography helps me slow down and enjoy the little moments when I'm traveling or hanging out with friends and makes me feel productive even when I'm on a vacation or just relaxing.
That’s a really really good insight you shared with us Reimann I totally agree with you, also being born in the 90s I feel this connection with both worlds, a mechanical analog one and a super fast upbeat digital one, so I’m always left wondering in the middle and in a way I also agree with the need to record what I see to preserve how I saw it and how it was like if that makes sense. Thank you so much for watching & sharing your thoughts 🙌
I think I prefer the same photos taken at the same place with your panoramic camera in the previous video, I have more feeling with them, I prefer how they witness the atmosphere, maybe this famous cinematic effect you were talking about ;-) Madeira seems to have great places for sure ! Thx for sharing this video, the intro is magic
I love the videography on this video! and Lonesome is brilliantly executed and named. Why do I do photography? Photography is my muse, it is my meditation. Photography is my permission to disengage with the world in making process and a key to engaging with it in the presentation of the finished piece. Photography has sometimes been the only thing to break through depression and go outside and do something.
I take photos, not only for my self but also for my kids later on. To show myself and others how's life now and in the future and past! And the main reason is to get out and capture life and get my creative mind doing his job.
I love your channel and work. I love photography, it is like a drug that I am always chasing the next image that makes my hart sing. Keep up the good work. John.
I photograph for a couple of reasons. Firstly it keeps me curious about everywhere I go. Sometimes I don’t have a camera with me but I still see cool things. Secondly, it’s so I don’t forget. Life changes so rapidly and we have so many connections that I feel my memory suffers abit. Lastly, because of the camera itself, how you interact with it and use it and how you can always do things in a new way.
I photograph because I am a very inward visual person, and I find it enjoyable to express through images. I am also an observer so I enjoy capturing moments in time. My hope is that people find it inspiring, but if not, I still love the images I create and I use that to drive self growth.
"Why I make photos" is a big question! A few thoughts: I need to create something every day, and photography is one of the ways I meet that need. I love to be out in nature. I love the technical side of photography and the many intellectual challenges on so many levels. I'm a visually-oriented person, so images are deeply moving to me. But perhaps the most compelling reason is that I am able to share my work with others, bringing a bit of joy and emotional richness to others. It's an act of giving that is good for everyone. We are living in difficult times and if we all devote a bit of our time and talents to spreading a little love, a little beauty, well, it really makes a difference. Art keeps us together, in every sense.
Couldn’t have written it differently, you said everything when you talked about spreading beauty, being creative everyday and that art keeps us together, I agree 1000% with everything you wrote and thank you so much for sharing that insight with us Owen!
@@TatianaHopper Thank you! If we spread a little beauty and kindness every day then our lives will truly matter. I appreciate all your good work and insights. Keep up the great work.
I'm surprised how many people have taken up photography to help with mental health issues. It gives them a reason to get out of bed and leave the house. It helps you focus on beautiful and interesting things that you would have normally overlooked and it gives you a sense of achievement or accomplishment. In learning a skill and watch everything come together and improve as time goes on
No, I'm not going to Scarborough Fair and I'm not cooking lamb tonight :) :P Why do I shoot pics? I do it purely for my own enjoyment and if someone else likes them, then great!!. My photos are a reminder of what I've done and where I've been. Or, what I've been interested in documenting at that particular time. My astropics are my record of what I see in the sky. Not just for my own enjoyment but also a teaching exercise for anyone interested in what is in the pics. Being an astronomer, I enjoy explaining to others what they're looking at in the pics and I enjoy the act of conveying all the technical info in "bite sized" packets so that people can follow and understand what a fabulous place our particular universe is. So, for myself, my intentions are simple. No grand philosophical treatise or anything too deep and meaningful. No existential commentary on the reasons for being. No passing of judgement. Just take the picture and be happy for it.
Those three witches in the forest in "MacBeth" -- the forest that comes alive at the end -- what if those witches also were tress? That what your "Lonesome" evoked for me. (The tree in the foreground appears to be dismayed by them.) It's an unusually dramatic photograph. I'd like to be more proficient in photography -- to make a personal document for myself or others, of the remarkable things and events that Life reveals to us. (I shoot digital mostly, but don't like most modern sensors.)
Oh my gosh I kid you not yesterday I said to someone I was changing the name of this photo to MacBeth because it reminds me of the initial scene in Macbeth, the orson Welles one :)
@@TatianaHopper It must have been Orson Welles for me too!! He's quite the filmmaker, isn't he. (The forest that "marches" on MacBeth is "Birnam Wood" and the three witches are "The Weird Sisters." I see The Weird Sisters in your trees.
I photograph because it takes me into worlds and lives I would otherwise never experience. I photograph because photographing allows me to fall in love, over and over and over again. I photograph because I see. I see in design shapes, tones of grey, light, and shadow. I see the emotion in a single leaf, a branch shrouded in fog or a single tear on a person's cheek. I photograph to see what things look like in photographs. I photograph because my soul tells me I must.
I photograph because I can’t not photograph. I don’t mean to be smart, but I really can’t imagine my life without photography. Things photographic occupy too much of my daily thoughts. As I consider the question more, and this isn’t my quote. I photograph things to see how they look in a photograph. Photographing a subject transforms it into something different, it allows us to slow down in our observation of the subject. We can interpret and study for minutes or hours the image of a reality that lasted perhaps only 1/125 of a second.
Beautiful images, a video that deserves all our attention. My only objection is that the words of Eugene Smith and the next frases are too small to be read comfortably, and the effort to do it breaks the mood and concentration.
Thank you for your feedback Horacio and yes in smaller screens definitely very small and I will take that into consideration next time, appreciate your words and glad you enjoyed the video! :)
I take photos to try and capture what I feel and think about being alive, to try and document my sensation of being here. With a photo I can look at where I was physically in the world, technically in the control of my tools, aesthetically in my ability to make visible my perception in the moment and as a human being. When I look at what I think are my successful photos I get the sort of pleasure anyone gets from getting something right. When I look at the photos of photographers I admire, I feel I have a long way to go and much to learn. Even when I don’t take many photos or don’t take anything that excites me, I enjoy the sense of awareness of the world and what is happening around me that I feel practicing photography has brought me. In a way, it helps me live with intention…but I haven’t a clue what the purpose is. It’s just a state of mind I value.
100% under-rated channel. I feel like I'm stealing knowledge from the rafters of photography university. Thank you so much for sharing the know-how, the experience, and the questions that make us all better!
Thank you for sharing this video, your images are beautiful. I got started photographing as a child when my father gave me a Brownie Reflex camera. I loved using that camera and in fact I still have it. My first 35mm camera was a totally manual Fuji with a 50mm f1.4 lens. I carried it everywhere. My father was a Firefighter and I spent a lot of time photographing fires and firefighters at work. I still will occasionally get out and shoot a fire, but now my passion lies in finding and photographing the old and abandoned. Cars and buildings, that have long since been forgotten, and left to decay. I also enjoy travel photography. My goal for the new year is to try to do some street photography. But as long as I have my camera in my hand I am enjoying my hobby no matter what images I shoot. I just hope I can improve my skills and continue to grow as a photographer.
What got me into photography was when my mother told me to take a picture with a tiny kodak camera we had. I saw the pictures, and I was hooked on the images I had taken. They were beautiful. It was looking through a window they were that sharp. I'm 56 years old now, and still love taking photographs. Everything looks different through the lens of a camera.
Really nice pictures! I watched through them two and three times. The "why" question is a road with many forks. But I agree, it's worth the effort to try to understand. That effort shows in your work. As it will for all of us.
That tree shot turned out to be a masterpiece! Beautiful video again Tatiana!
Thank you so much Aris, glad you enjoyed it :)
Another greatly made video Tatiana. It works on so many level - it’s very relaxing and kind of therapeutic. The photographs you took are simply marvelous. I really liked Cape Nowhere.
I believe you spoke for a lot of people while stating the reason why you take photographs. For me it’s way of expressing myself and also documenting life, emotion.
Thanks again for such a great video, not only photos or beautiful places - finding out great tunes as well.
Wonder, beautiful and inspiring video. Your work is so moving. Thank you again for making these videos. I'm heading out tomorrow on an 8+ week roadtrip from the east coast of the US to Alaska through Canada. I hope the inspiration from your work helps me to make a few satisfying images.
whaaa such beautiful recap of the trip. Wonderful photographs! :))
Thank you so much Teo! 💫
The intro is magic. Love the reverse waves
Thank you so much 🙏
Love the intro titles' waves in reverse! Your editing sensibility is lovely.
Thank you so much!
The intro is like a dream. Wonderfull.
Amazing edition, work, portfolio, comments every chapter is a visual pleasure. Thank for your hard work.
Thank you so much Giorgio! Glad you enjoyed it and appreciate your very very kind words 💫
Wonderful video as always!
I think I do analogue photography because I love the process. The technicalities, exploring and learning about all this technology that was on the way out when I was born. Keeping it alive and cherishing what once was.
Makes total sense, love your last sentence, thank you so much for sharing that!
The (( Lonesome )) shot is speechless, I loved how dreamy it is how atmospheric it is, The moment this shot appeared on the screen I directly paused the video and I kept looking into this shot for three minutes, Looking deeply into this shot took me into another state of mind where there is peace, harmony and tranquility
Thank You for sharing these beautiful images with us
We hope to see more videos like this in the near future…
I started with photography when I started university and to replace skateboarding after I had a chronic knee injury. I work pretty hard as an academic (in my 3rd year as a PhD student atm) and have always needed something to balance that rational way of thinking. Skateboarding was my original medium to view the world in a creative way but that injury left me without it and, to be honest, in a pretty dark place. But coincidentallly, it was a blessing in disguise. Initially I photographed my friends skateboarding and a few years later that resulted in my first zine. But photography has since, about 5 years, completely taken over every part outside of academics. I carry a camera 24/7 (yes, even in the lab or on campus) and shoot whatever mundane thing catches my eye. The simple act of taking photographs has given me balance already, getting physical memories from it or even getting good photos in return is just a very nice benefit. I love it, I live for it.
I did an interview with a good friend of mine on this too! ruclips.net/video/V6JVBPutpq0/видео.html
Wow that’s an amazing point of view Tibo, so grateful for you having shared that with us here, really appreciate it and it truly was for you a blessing in disguise and I think it probably came at the right time and frame of find for you. Wishing you all the best with your academic career and life in general, thank you for watching and supporting ;)
I consider myself just a mere collector of sceneries, capturer of the moment.
I’m glad you were able to spend time with your family in a beautiful place :)
My favourites were ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’, ‘A Horse With No Name’ and ‘View From My Hotel Room’.
Glad you enjoyed these Kev, thank you for the words of encouragement and for the kindness you've always shown! appreciate it!
I got my 1st camera at 6 years of age-a Kodak 126 "instamatic" for Christmas 1973. Since that day, photography has been to only constant in my life-people come and go, jobs change and our lives develop, but I will always have a camera within reach. I take pictures to record the world through my eyes, to make statements and to feed the artistic need to create. I have never limited myself to a single subject or genre and am as happy taking land and seascapes as I am portraits or street work. I also used photography as a lifeboat when I had a serious illness and had to change my lifestyle and career, enrolling at university and taking a B.A. and Masters in filmmaking and photography. Photography changed my life as a 6 yr old and saved my life when everything else fell apart.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing that, photography curiously enough also helped me after a serious illness in my life and I always looked at it as a safe place, fun place, place for growth I guess we share similar views on this and when you said you always have a camera within reach... 100% what I do too, life is way too beautiful not to pay it the due respect and attention!
@@TatianaHopper I can't imagine leaving the house without a camera, even for the shortest of journeys. After my illness, I have found it difficult to be particularly mobile, so in the best traditions of Lee Friedlander, I now do a lot of work from the driving seat of my vehicle-it certainly galvanises my mind and definitely makes me think as creatively as possible!
Great channel. I think for me its just being curious of many things and an excuse to engage with the world and of course to embrace the simplicity of the joy of seeing!
Very well put Simon, thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙌
Beautiful pictures, fantastic work 👏I would suggest the Açores next - the other archipelago of Portugal. Stunning place, no less so than Madeira, guaranteed.
On the books for next year 😉
This was a beautiful video, Tatiana! And what a great soul-searching question too. I think every year, I find a new reason to be a photographer. When I had a digital point and shoot in high school, I wanted to take pictures because I wanted to have a record of everything that I experienced, like proof that I had lived and existed. I watched a video by Leena Norms about being in your 20s, and she said that sometimes it feels like being in your 20s is about collecting data. You want to collect as many experiences as you can because you think it will help shape you as a person and keep up with your peers. And so, I think that one of the main reasons I take pictures is to collect those experiences.
It's also a privilege to be able to experience things and travel places, and so I treat every outing, even a trip to the drug store, as something really precious. As cliche as it might sound, being a photographer helps you see the beauty in the simple things. I get excited over things that my friends and family would roll their eyes over. And as I get older, I can see how photography has made me a more conscious, optimistic, and spontaneous. I take things in stride, embracing mistakes, and making the most out of what I'm given. It's humbling and therapeutic. And then as I got into film photography, I started to engage with the online community, which gave me another reason to further lean into photography. And then through channels like yours, I'm able to learn more about art and history, which is another reason to be a photographer because you want to try to emulate all of these great photographers of the past who are such huge inspirations. And so there's this positive feedback loop of being a photographer where the more you grow as a photographer, the more the reasons compound.
Love your work and your insightful thoughts. You always get me to redirect my thinking back to purpose! Keep up the great work!
Thank you Darryl! Purpose is the key ✨
Lovely images. I really like your style and I think your videos have got better over time too as you have a nice relaxed way of presenting them.👍
Thank you so much David! Glad you enjoy the videos and you’ve been noticing that I certainly aim at it, constantly trying to improve :)
50k! Congratulations. Well deserved. Great video with very evocative photos. In answer to your question: When everything has already been photographed twice, it's amazing how we can still produce a 'fresh' look at life and the things around us. As someone who has photographed for many, many years (and miss my darkroom) I still get totally absorbed in seeing my world.
Thank you Geoff! I appreciate your kind words and thank you for sharing your thoughts!
From one photographer to another. It has been a very long time since I was so inspired by the beauty of photography on film.Thank you. This post has been so well done I was moved by how well you executed your photographs, bringing out that roundness digital images struggle to do convincingly. I will be digging out and dusting off my Mamiya 6x7 and polaroid back, hunting down film and processing sources and hanging up the hasselblad and canon for some time. Your channel is inspirational your work, deep knowledge and love for the photographic art form impressive. Keep up the good work. I will be watching all your productions on you tube.
a fan.
Wow that’s absolutely fantastic that you felt so inspired and enjoyed the video, thank you so much for your very kind and thoughtful words I really appreciate them and do please dust off that mamiya and put it to a good use ;)
Hi T. Cracking episode - tied to a big question. I guess what draws me to photography has evolved since I first borrowed the family Yashica rangefinder at about 14. At first, it was curiosity about how photography worked and I hit lots of technical errors, such that my interest in photography went into hibernation, until I bought a Praktica Super TL2 with my second full time wage packet aged 18. It taught me how to control the exposure triangle, liberating me to start concentrating on framing and composition. Five years later I moved to a Canon A1 and this was when I really found myself focussing on specific interests - natural history in the main but horses and landscape also.
This in turn, fuelled a need to really get under the skin of photography and I opted for a three year City & Guilds 744 course in General Professional photography. A Mamiya RB67 joined the party and my natural history stuff really benefitted. I felt fully in control, for the first time and I knew I was in for the long haul.
It wasn't until I retired at 59 that I seriously considered the 'why do I do this' question. I knew I loved the continual challenge in creating images but wasn't sure why, beyond a tacit awareness that I wanted to extract fragments of what I saw and know that these would outlive me, so maybe the 'why' has to do with an attempt to transcend life. All I can say is that today I'm enthralled by everything from film to digital, pin hole, 35mm, 6x9cm, folders, rangefinders, SLRs and particularly love 'hybrid' imaging - film negs digitised on a Sigma SD Quattro H.
I'd like to go back to my cell now please nurse...
Maderia is such a beautiful island, I visited for the first time in late April this year and literally just scraped the surface. I will be going back. Just for the record, the frogs in the small pond in Fanal Forest do really sound like goblins at 3am (My daughter had said "Beware of the Fae!" before I left which helped a whole lot...) but the view of the Milky Way is second to none from there. Thanks for what you do on this great channel!
I love Madeira. My family are from there but I haven’t been since I was a child. My flight there got cancelled a few weeks ago. I am due to go soon with my cameras and I can’t wait to explore. Great content thank you.
stunning, stunning intro there :-) just "wow"!
I really enjoyed the 3 Mamiya images from 9:00 onwards, but was particularly drawn to the Canon A1 shots around 5:00 I think for their simplicity.
I'm too old to remember why I became a photographer!! I continue to be one for 2 reasons: firstly I still haven't taken that one "perfect" shot (perhaps I never will?!) and secondly to take my mind away from being ill (I have a blood cancer - partial remission at the mo but it'll come back one day and taking pictures helps me forget about things for a while). Photography really is my "during the meanwhilst"!!
Wow Nick, first of all thank you so much for sharing that with us here, I appreciate you and honestly from personal experience I know exactly what you mean about taking your mind away, trust me I do. And just wanted to let you know that I am wishing all the absolute best to you and sending you much love and strength to overcome that “obstacle”. And no matter what always try to enjoy what you do and have fun and that’s something you’ve commented before :) glad you enjoyed those images in particular and yes I found these very minimalistic compositions generally speaking and I’m pleased with them!
@@TatianaHopper thank you :-)
photography is a wonderful pastime in that more than anything else I think it allows us to escape into a different place. perhaps its two-dimentionality is a window to escape reality - that's certainly what I've found when I really stop and think!
I was diagnosed with my cancer nearly 8 years ago now, and 7 years ago had a stem-cell transplant which kind of stopped it developing. It's still there in my blood - just dormant.
However the cancer caused a horrible spinal fracture which has left me permanently disabled and unable to walk far. It certainly changed the way I looked at life, and radically changed me as an adventurous landscape photographer!!
I've often pondered where I would be if I hadn't got ill and strangely I hardly ever find myself wishing it had never happened.
Horrible as it is, it's made me the person I am and that's something I wouldn't change :-)
Anyway, I've been watching your videos for a long time now, and the growth of your channel reflects the hard work and the quality of the work you put in. Thoroughly well deserved!
Thank you :-)
That's cool of LUMINAR to sponsor your video... they're a fab photographic tool for fine tuning images!
I know I am super impressed and have been using it regularly ever since!
The intro made me double take, so gorgeous!
I started photography as a motivation to hike more, but it quickly shifted into a bigger part of who I am. I feel like it's become a good way of going through memories in a really meditative and honest way. It's easier to come to terms with being an unreliable narrator in life when you're used to spending hours adjusting contrast and tone curves on a photo. It's great to keep track of those memories, and in rare cases enhance them, but I think reflecting on how the meaning of something can shift through time is more interesting. Not to mention how the same thing can be interpreted differently person to person.
Beautiful video. For myself, I enjoy taking photos (digitally in my case) and editing them, but increasingly it's the act of curation that draws me. Individual photos can certainly be potent, but I find it's the grouping of them - and the resulting narratives - that brings me to photography day after day. If nothing it gives me reasons to revisit old photos, to reuse them, to see if I can bring about intentionality even if it was perhaps lacking when I pressed the button.
Fantastic intro to this video. Very, very professional. I love your minimalist images. I take photos to document our time in history, my family life, people and places. I create images these days rather than just take them. I’m a fine art photographer I guess. I ended up documenting other people’s lives, their weddings and as someone who prefers to be invisible I became very visual to all the guests and people I photographed as a pro. It took me way beyond my comfort zone where I had to present a different version of myself to the world. Being a photographer puts you in full view of everyone whether it be on the streets or a paid photographic event. I guess I would describe myself back then as
“The Reluctant Extrovert”. Someone who had to be outgoing witty, cool under pressure speaking to dozens of people at once at weddings, but inside I was uncomfortable with it. Now, I put that career to bed because I felt the need to follow my path in photography rather than a paid one. You, me and others here who follow you are all on a similar path, a path of photographic discovery. Above all I love to freeze a moment in time, a split second that can be missed in the blink of an eye. Stills photography is still the most powerful medium in my view. Cartier Bresson’s photo of a boy jumping across a huge puddle as his heel of his shoe is a millisecond away from touching the still water. Priceless image. I also photograph so that one day perhaps a distant relative may come across my prints tucked away in a dusty corner of a loft and see the world before they were born through my eyes so they can connect with my path through my lifetime. This why Vivian Maier’s story is so amazing to me.
Wow! Amazing words Simon, enjoyed your comment so much and you nailed it, you, me and others in there we’re on the path of photographic discovery 🙌
This is beyond beautiful :) Great job Hopper :)
Cheers brother! ✨✨
Brilliant video … well done. Thanks for sharing your work, feelings and thoughts about your creative journey. The why is foundation before gear and process. Very inspirational … now if only the X100V that I ordered 6 months ago would ever arrive! I’m looking forward to the next opportunity for me to pour myself a cool one, sit back, relax and enjoy another TH adventure! Brava!
Nicely done Tatiana, both your photographic and video skills just amaze me. Documentary and inner peace is what drives me to photograph, I’m sure there are other reasons too but I can’t think of any others at the moment. 😊
This was gorgeous
🙏🏻
A magical place. I had a chance to visit with some friends who were doing an Atlantic crossing, but it didn’t work out. Someday.
So cool to see and learn about your experience in Madeira. As to why I photograph, I believe photography is my mirror & simultaneously a place to escape, it has played a pivotal role in helping me grow and heal these past 3 to 4 years, so much so that I don’t know what I would’ve done without it. Outside of that, I am realising that I do have things to say or convey through my photographs but those images have largely been unshared, which is ironic but I’ll get there. Thanks again for making thought provoking videos.
Thank you so much Sathya! Photography is a sort of therapy for when you cannot talk about what’s bothering / hurting, for when you cannot cope with certain realities and choose to focus on the task of finding beauty everywhere you go 💫
Really liked the 'View from my hotel room' shot 👍🏻
Thank you so much! :)
I guess there’s two main reasons that I’m a (amateur) photographer: 1) I really enjoy the act of creation, I was probably a musician before I was a photographer and the two things tickle the same desire in my soul, albeit in different ways. 2) it forces me to see the ‘beauty’ in the world, plus other elements of the world which ‘beauty’ is probably not the word for… and then after I see these meaningful things, I get to share them with others!
Really good thoughts in there Dave, thank you for sharing that with us! Appreciate it and agree with what you said 🙌
Great episode. The “why”. I guess, in part, to leave something of myself behind. A legacy that reflects something of the person I am. That, coupled with a desire to capture images I find appealing and share them with others. There’s also something somewhat selfish in that I desire to receive positive feedback on my work. Images that get positive responses make me feel good about myself. I’m also drawn to the process, and the steps it takes to improve. There are probably many more reasons why, but those are the highlights. ✌️
I am a photographer because I feel more connected to this particular art medium than anything else.
💯
Amazing video! Those drone shots in the beginning hooked me! I think I make photos (film photos particularly) because I want to keep a record of how the world used to be and I want to do it on an old method of record keeping. I think people that were born in the 90s like me are the bridge between the super modern technological age and the more analog or mechanical age if that makes sense. So, I feel like I have a perspective of the world that could be important as time goes on. I also feel like photography helps me slow down and enjoy the little moments when I'm traveling or hanging out with friends and makes me feel productive even when I'm on a vacation or just relaxing.
That’s a really really good insight you shared with us Reimann I totally agree with you, also being born in the 90s I feel this connection with both worlds, a mechanical analog one and a super fast upbeat digital one, so I’m always left wondering in the middle and in a way I also agree with the need to record what I see to preserve how I saw it and how it was like if that makes sense. Thank you so much for watching & sharing your thoughts 🙌
@@TatianaHopper glad you can relate! It was a pleasure watching!
I think I prefer the same photos taken at the same place with your panoramic camera in the previous video, I have more feeling with them, I prefer how they witness the atmosphere, maybe this famous cinematic effect you were talking about ;-)
Madeira seems to have great places for sure !
Thx for sharing this video, the intro is magic
Thank you for you sharing your thoughts Eric! Appreciate you 💫
I love the videography on this video! and Lonesome is brilliantly executed and named.
Why do I do photography? Photography is my muse, it is my meditation. Photography is my permission to disengage with the world in making process and a key to engaging with it in the presentation of the finished piece. Photography has sometimes been the only thing to break through depression and go outside and do something.
This has a production quality unmatched by even some high end movie studios. Amazing job.
Thank you so much Patrick quite a compliment there, I appreciate you 🤍
Jaw dropping set of photos 👏
Thank you so much 😊
I take photos, not only for my self but also for my kids later on. To show myself and others how's life now and in the future and past! And the main reason is to get out and capture life and get my creative mind doing his job.
Hey that’s such a good way to word it, I love the idea of documenting you’re referring to and of course being creative! Perfect summary 👍🏻
I love your channel and work.
I love photography, it is like a drug that I am always chasing the next image that makes my hart sing.
Keep up the good work. John.
Hey John loved your words, resonates with me and thank you so much for watching!
I photograph for a couple of reasons. Firstly it keeps me curious about everywhere I go. Sometimes I don’t have a camera with me but I still see cool things. Secondly, it’s so I don’t forget. Life changes so rapidly and we have so many connections that I feel my memory suffers abit. Lastly, because of the camera itself, how you interact with it and use it and how you can always do things in a new way.
i see it the same way as Garry Winogrand “I photograph to find out what something will look like photographed.”
Good philosophy Marc!
I photograph because I am a very inward visual person, and I find it enjoyable to express through images. I am also an observer so I enjoy capturing moments in time. My hope is that people find it inspiring, but if not, I still love the images I create and I use that to drive self growth.
I really liked the cow photo in black and white. It was good. But there were a lot of good ones in this video.
Thank you so much Arlo! Appreciate it and glad you enjoyed the photos :)
"Why I make photos" is a big question! A few thoughts: I need to create something every day, and photography is one of the ways I meet that need. I love to be out in nature. I love the technical side of photography and the many intellectual challenges on so many levels. I'm a visually-oriented person, so images are deeply moving to me. But perhaps the most compelling reason is that I am able to share my work with others, bringing a bit of joy and emotional richness to others. It's an act of giving that is good for everyone. We are living in difficult times and if we all devote a bit of our time and talents to spreading a little love, a little beauty, well, it really makes a difference. Art keeps us together, in every sense.
Couldn’t have written it differently, you said everything when you talked about spreading beauty, being creative everyday and that art keeps us together, I agree 1000% with everything you wrote and thank you so much for sharing that insight with us Owen!
@@TatianaHopper Thank you! If we spread a little beauty and kindness every day then our lives will truly matter. I appreciate all your good work and insights. Keep up the great work.
I think I’m a photographer because I love telling stories through my lens . Also because it gives me peace and meaning in life .
Love it Deeric, storytelling and passion are keys ✨
@@TatianaHopper most definitely . Thanks for all that you do 💙❤️
did you travel with the film rolls and if so, I assume no issues when you had to put the film rolls through the airport scanner?
Correct!
I'm surprised how many people have taken up photography to help with mental health issues. It gives them a reason to get out of bed and leave the house. It helps you focus on beautiful and interesting things that you would have normally overlooked and it gives you a sense of achievement or accomplishment. In learning a skill and watch everything come together and improve as time goes on
Great video and nice music :) I like your style
Holy cow these intro drone shots
Thank you 🙌
Nice to see your own work!
Thank you Ulf!
Appreciate this kind of video 🤍so inspiring
🙌
This is so epic!
Thank you Marcus! :)
Very nice ! 👌🏻
No, I'm not going to Scarborough Fair and I'm not cooking lamb tonight :) :P
Why do I shoot pics? I do it purely for my own enjoyment and if someone else likes them, then great!!. My photos are a reminder of what I've done and where I've been. Or, what I've been interested in documenting at that particular time. My astropics are my record of what I see in the sky. Not just for my own enjoyment but also a teaching exercise for anyone interested in what is in the pics. Being an astronomer, I enjoy explaining to others what they're looking at in the pics and I enjoy the act of conveying all the technical info in "bite sized" packets so that people can follow and understand what a fabulous place our particular universe is. So, for myself, my intentions are simple. No grand philosophical treatise or anything too deep and meaningful. No existential commentary on the reasons for being. No passing of judgement. Just take the picture and be happy for it.
I think for me it would be to instill and inspire empathy in the hearts and eyes of people towards the subject I care about
Beautiful
Those three witches in the forest in "MacBeth" -- the forest that comes alive at the end -- what if those witches also were tress? That what your "Lonesome" evoked for me. (The tree in the foreground appears to be dismayed by them.) It's an unusually dramatic photograph.
I'd like to be more proficient in photography -- to make a personal document for myself or others, of the remarkable things and events that Life reveals to us. (I shoot digital mostly, but don't like most modern sensors.)
Oh my gosh I kid you not yesterday I said to someone I was changing the name of this photo to MacBeth because it reminds me of the initial scene in Macbeth, the orson Welles one :)
@@TatianaHopper It must have been Orson Welles for me too!! He's quite the filmmaker, isn't he.
(The forest that "marches" on MacBeth is "Birnam Wood" and the three witches are "The Weird Sisters." I see The Weird Sisters in your trees.
Really nice video 👌
5:24 Stairway to heaven and wearing a Zeppelin shirt. Nice
Finally someone pointing it out, cheers Moses I was trying to be subtle ahah 😉
Thanks Girl.
10:51 - those soft spots mean you need to clean your sensor.
Yuph that’s exactly it! :)
very inspiring video
🙏🏻🙏🏻
I photograph because it takes me into worlds and lives I would otherwise never experience.
I photograph because photographing allows me to fall in love, over and over and over again.
I photograph because I see. I see in design shapes, tones of grey, light, and shadow. I see the emotion in a single leaf, a branch shrouded in fog or a single tear on a person's cheek.
I photograph to see what things look like in photographs.
I photograph because my soul tells me I must.
Beautiful deep words Terry, really appreciate your comment and thank you so much for sharing that with all of us, truly inspiring ✨
I photograph because I can’t not photograph. I don’t mean to be smart, but I really can’t imagine my life without photography. Things photographic occupy too much of my daily thoughts. As I consider the question more, and this isn’t my quote. I photograph things to see how they look in a photograph. Photographing a subject transforms it into something different, it allows us to slow down in our observation of the subject. We can interpret and study for minutes or hours the image of a reality that lasted perhaps only 1/125 of a second.
My country is Amazing :)
... and on intention, I confess that has been lacking in my process, and something I need to think about.
Everything happens in its own time, and its absolutely fine to roam without intention sometimes, its all good Rockwell!
Beautiful images, a video that deserves all our attention. My only objection is that the words of Eugene Smith and the next frases are too small to be read comfortably, and the effort to do it breaks the mood and concentration.
Thank you for your feedback Horacio and yes in smaller screens definitely very small and I will take that into consideration next time, appreciate your words and glad you enjoyed the video! :)
@@TatianaHopper I always watch your videos with enormous pleasure. I learn with you.