I am one of those who love cameras maybe more than photography 😂 but when I meet someone who wants to buy one and asks me for opinions I almost never mention what to buy or not, or what they need. Instead, I recommend them to start with what they have and go with their own flow and pace. I'm talking about amateurs obviously, where maybe the budget matters the most and focusing on the gear will eventually burn newcomers out and make them hate this wonderful art. I pay total respect to you all "pros"! You do a hell of a job with a lot of stress on your shoulders , said by a nurse in love with photography. Cheerio!
Fantastic advice. I mostly shoot with 2 lights. Love this. I've seen so many bts and tutorial videos and seen so many photographers who are tethering a very expensive camera off a laptop that they are sitting at while talking to a model they're not physically looking at. 5 steps ahead of themselves nearly editing as they shoot. Not relationship with their subject and so detached. Love your stuff
Nice! I’m a mixture, artist & photographer whose life has been dominated by work in technology. I still use my Z9 in manual 90%, only auto iso when shooting sports or runway. Technology is great if it reduces waste, like a flash/camera trigger for high speed subjects. But I feel it gets in the way of the learning process with too many Influencer types asking me “what’s an aperture” 😅
We all need a hero to inspire us, and keep us level headed. Happy to hear you got to work with yours at such a young age. Nothing better than feeling grounded in your own skin.
Excellent advice Jodie. Before I retired I was a professional photographer for four decades - eventually building a large three-camera room studio and employing a number of other photographers. When digital photography came along I was a very early adopter - 1996 scanning film to use Photoshop on the images, and a few years later ditching film altogether. Hindsight is an exact science, therefore today I know a lot more than I did when I started - yes, much more. Here are two concepts to help aspiring (and established) pro photographers who are following your channel to build their bueiness: Clients are asking themselves, “Why should I buy from this photographer?” So, why should people buy from you rather than some other photographer? Figure it out. Learn marketing and salesmanship, forward and backwards, upside down, inside out, and backwards. Figure out exactly what it is clients get by hiring you that they cannot get anywhere else from any other photographer. Why are you special? What about your photography is different? Then communicate it. The other piece of advice comes from the fact that “photo” means light, “graphic” means to draw. Learn lighting. Lighting is your main tool. The kind of camera is irrelevant. By your use of lighting you can create a distinct style of photography. Whenever I see a photographer advertise that here she is a “natural light” photographer, I immediately know that person is clueless about lighting - even outdoors, where we use scrims, reflectors, and gobos along with lights to control the light.
Good post. When I’m teaching my students lighting techniques, my starting point is always less is more. In a studio with multiple lights available, there can be a tendency to turn everything on and hope for the best rather than starting with one light and, if that gives you what you are looking for, that is enough. Only add more light when you can justify that it is needed. When I used to do editorial, usually location-based, it was a necessity as I was travelling, setting up and shooting by myself - unobtrusive small kit was the order of the day. In my experience, many established professionals (such as yourself) only use that which is necessary - no more. Then they can concentrate on the important stuff - rapport with the subject and collaborating to get the best image.
Awesome. I think you touched on the real secret to creating a great image; having vision and a team that can help make it happen. Also, congratulations to have had the opportunity to spend that time with Nick Knight.
What I'm hearing from you is that you are, like me, more goal oriented than process oriented. For me this applies to several aspects of life and career (photography is a sideline business, not my primary career). But I will say that the lightbulb moment for me in this video is when I recognized you describing your goal orientation and I realized... maybe for the first time, that I also apply goal orientation to my photography! I mean, that shouldn't surprise me. After all I know I am goal oriented, so why wouldn't that spill over into my photography? I just never really thought of it that way before. And it doesn't mean I have no respect for process. On the contrary, I deeply respect the process of location, lighting, composition, etc. I just don't get too focused on the minutia of it because, like you, I just want to know - will this get me the result I want on this shoot? If it does, then I'm happy. If it doesn't, then I step back into the process and re-evaluate my choices. Now I can't wait for my next booked shoot to see if that thinking rises into my consciousness, and if so, how it impacts my work. See... this is what I love. 37 years involved with photography and yet every day I still learn something!
I work outdoors and inside but not studio and use 2 cameras both zooms, plus one wider angle lens in my back pack just in case. The only time a tripod appears is for astro images as a fun side project. These lenses have covered ground projects , some weddings and many aerial missions. I think about compositions and use the zoom to frame on the spot which saves time in post.
great video, I am an amateur/Enthusiast photographer myself; Because of my Autism, I don't get subtle well, so the tech knowledge gives me the capacity to KNOW the gear will do the thing I need, and the capacity to fix a problem, as I know the 'quirks' of the system, and the workflow I need to make sure my money in film (120 roll film) isn't wasted, filters, tripod, Cable release and lens hoods are essential to me, as I can't hold a camera still enough for long exposures (1/125th and under), so these tools give me the confidence to 'pull the trigger' without a thought, also the main point of tech knowledge is 'production' photography, ie architecture, product, fashion, where absolute precise composition and exposure is crucial, for "artistic" photography genre, the 'feel' of a system, it's vibe while using it, and the ergonomics of it in ones hand is vital, as the 'inspiration' this tool gives to the artist is the guiding factor.
Man I'm all about trying to keep it simple. I also often fail at that. Often times a lot of my shoots do end up with 5 or 6 lights (or more), but that's rarely the goal going in. It's typically start with one light and one modifier and just start shooting. Everything after that is just finessing to heighten the image. Shoot for a bit, look at the images, then go "man I'd really like to put a little pocket of light right there, except dial some cool into it and make it just bright enough that it's just starting to register". Do that, shoot some more, review the images, I see something else that I want to do, next thing you know, I've used all the lights available, but looking at the image, it's not immediately different looking from the first shots, but the later shots almost always end up being the ones picked. As far as cameras go, I'm totally fine with a simple camera that just lets me control the shutter speed, the aperture, the ISO, the white balance (if shooting digital) and the focus and otherwise just gets out of the way. There is so much built into modern cameras that I just don't use.
I do video, and the more I learn, the more I realise people just repeat clickbait jargon. Most have no clue, and are out of step with the client's needs. Gr8 video and true, it is about the client, not you......
Hi loved this video I am looking at doing one like this on street photography and I use a zoom lens as well I love the look you get from it and you don't need to have the best grea as well its knowing to use it
I just retired so I thought I would give photography a try. I just bought the Sony A7RV, Sony 85mm GM 2 f/1.4 and the Sony 35mm GM f/1.4 Whenever I start a new hobby I hate upgrading later
While I take pride in learning tech notions very quickly - I agree with you. Same goes in cinema. There are very technical and great directors and cinematographers and other just as great in their own way who keep it very simple. There is no single "right way" only YOUR way.
Totally correct, technology being the application of a technique is a means to an end and not an end in itself. It's a medium just like paint to a painter or stone to a sculpture. The creative vision comes first and then the appropriate medium is selected to best resolve that creative vision.
I think the most important part about gear is finding what you need to do what you want to do. The end. Honestly beyond that you're just supporting the gear companies, not your career. Just my opinion but that being said I do love a shiny new lens and I'm guilty of owning gear I have never used or used once. I've gotten better about it over the last 4 or 5 years. It's a journey, never a destination.
Funny, when i put on a zoom lens i become lazy and static. But im a guy i can do only one thing at a time and zooming is one thing already 😅 Being close to the subject and interact with tho it is something i can very well relate to!
My brain works like yours. I struggle to undestand the numbers, reading instructions makes no sense to me. When I use to shoot weddings my favourite lens was a zoom and I used one off camera flash a Metz 45 CT 5.
sometimes you have to go all out to understand how to strip it back - cameras are our tools and its considered lame to shoot in anything but M so we buy the best gear we can and use 20percent of what it is capable of - but ive seen new photographers embrace all the other modes, its a results business right? - make it work, and push it to help you best the gear can. and the notion (from a comment below) you can only learn from the best, thats crazy to limit yourself, I watch loads of docs on photographers and most of the top ones rely so heavy on their techies and editors these days I dont think they should be so revered when its the team getting the shot, not just one person.
I love one light setups! I think the majority of my portfolio is just a single Octa feathered. Enjoying your channel content so far. I'm only a hobby photographer I never ever ever ever want to make my hobby "work or a job" or involve money but I love learning about the behind the scenes and things working photographers have to deal with. I find quite a lot of the good photographers are artists first and photographers second, I see people that know nothing about cameras and gear just pick up a camera and start using it and they produce amazing results pretty quickly as they have an eye for things, rather than being concerned with the technology they are using.
I am made of the same cloth as your Dad. I can up skill on very quickly…technically, but have limited talent. I can produce plenty of good shots…but the great shots come much less often. It’s just the way it is and I’m OK with it.
To me camera is a means to an end. I view cameras as tools to get the job done. I almost use zooms to photograph people. There is a lot of nonsense about zooms on RUclips that tends to irritate me. I think one of the reasons I became photojournalist is because I hate tripods.😈
Hey! Check out my first video here: ruclips.net/video/-DwvoKKXQHM/видео.html It goes into detail about finding your creative visual identity as a photographer. Hope it helps!
I never talk to other photographers because there are VERY FEW photographers that i think make great work, i strongly believe that you can get poisoned by listening to all the bad information/opinions out there. It's very important to only listen to the best photographers.
I am one of those who love cameras maybe more than photography 😂 but when I meet someone who wants to buy one and asks me for opinions I almost never mention what to buy or not, or what they need. Instead, I recommend them to start with what they have and go with their own flow and pace. I'm talking about amateurs obviously, where maybe the budget matters the most and focusing on the gear will eventually burn newcomers out and make them hate this wonderful art. I pay total respect to you all "pros"! You do a hell of a job with a lot of stress on your shoulders , said by a nurse in love with photography. Cheerio!
Totally agree with everything you said!
The more I get into fashion photography, the more I realize it’s more about the ideas than the tools.
Fantastic advice. I mostly shoot with 2 lights. Love this. I've seen so many bts and tutorial videos and seen so many photographers who are tethering a very expensive camera off a laptop that they are sitting at while talking to a model they're not physically looking at. 5 steps ahead of themselves nearly editing as they shoot. Not relationship with their subject and so detached. Love your stuff
Nice! I’m a mixture, artist & photographer whose life has been dominated by work in technology. I still use my Z9 in manual 90%, only auto iso when shooting sports or runway. Technology is great if it reduces waste, like a flash/camera trigger for high speed subjects. But I feel it gets in the way of the learning process with too many Influencer types asking me “what’s an aperture” 😅
We all need a hero to inspire us, and keep us level headed. Happy to hear you got to work with yours at such a young age. Nothing better than feeling grounded in your own skin.
Excellent advice Jodie. Before I retired I was a professional photographer for four decades - eventually building a large three-camera room studio and employing a number of other photographers. When digital photography came along I was a very early adopter - 1996 scanning film to use Photoshop on the images, and a few years later ditching film altogether. Hindsight is an exact science, therefore today I know a lot more than I did when I started - yes, much more. Here are two concepts to help aspiring (and established) pro photographers who are following your channel to build their bueiness:
Clients are asking themselves, “Why should I buy from this photographer?” So, why should people buy from you rather than some other photographer? Figure it out. Learn marketing and salesmanship, forward and backwards, upside down, inside out, and backwards. Figure out exactly what it is clients get by hiring you that they cannot get anywhere else from any other photographer. Why are you special? What about your photography is different? Then communicate it.
The other piece of advice comes from the fact that “photo” means light, “graphic” means to draw. Learn lighting. Lighting is your main tool. The kind of camera is irrelevant. By your use of lighting you can create a distinct style of photography.
Whenever I see a photographer advertise that here she is a “natural light” photographer, I immediately know that person is clueless about lighting - even outdoors, where we use scrims, reflectors, and gobos along with lights to control the light.
Good post. When I’m teaching my students lighting techniques, my starting point is always less is more. In a studio with multiple lights available, there can be a tendency to turn everything on and hope for the best rather than starting with one light and, if that gives you what you are looking for, that is enough. Only add more light when you can justify that it is needed.
When I used to do editorial, usually location-based, it was a necessity as I was travelling, setting up and shooting by myself - unobtrusive small kit was the order of the day. In my experience, many established professionals (such as yourself) only use that which is necessary - no more. Then they can concentrate on the important stuff - rapport with the subject and collaborating to get the best image.
I adore Scott's channel, admire his work.
Awesome. I think you touched on the real secret to creating a great image; having vision and a team that can help make it happen. Also, congratulations to have had the opportunity to spend that time with Nick Knight.
What I'm hearing from you is that you are, like me, more goal oriented than process oriented. For me this applies to several aspects of life and career (photography is a sideline business, not my primary career). But I will say that the lightbulb moment for me in this video is when I recognized you describing your goal orientation and I realized... maybe for the first time, that I also apply goal orientation to my photography! I mean, that shouldn't surprise me. After all I know I am goal oriented, so why wouldn't that spill over into my photography? I just never really thought of it that way before. And it doesn't mean I have no respect for process. On the contrary, I deeply respect the process of location, lighting, composition, etc. I just don't get too focused on the minutia of it because, like you, I just want to know - will this get me the result I want on this shoot? If it does, then I'm happy. If it doesn't, then I step back into the process and re-evaluate my choices. Now I can't wait for my next booked shoot to see if that thinking rises into my consciousness, and if so, how it impacts my work. See... this is what I love. 37 years involved with photography and yet every day I still learn something!
Same, I've become a zoom lense convert once I came over to the fashion space. The versatility is top notch.
I work outdoors and inside but not studio and use 2 cameras both zooms, plus one wider angle lens in my back pack just in case. The only time a tripod appears is for astro images as a fun side project. These lenses have covered ground projects , some weddings and many aerial missions. I think about compositions and use the zoom to frame on the spot which saves time in post.
you make a lot of great points thanks
great video, I am an amateur/Enthusiast photographer myself; Because of my Autism, I don't get subtle well, so the tech knowledge gives me the capacity to KNOW the gear will do the thing I need, and the capacity to fix a problem, as I know the 'quirks' of the system, and the workflow I need to make sure my money in film (120 roll film) isn't wasted, filters, tripod, Cable release and lens hoods are essential to me, as I can't hold a camera still enough for long exposures (1/125th and under), so these tools give me the confidence to 'pull the trigger' without a thought, also the main point of tech knowledge is 'production' photography, ie architecture, product, fashion, where absolute precise composition and exposure is crucial, for "artistic" photography genre, the 'feel' of a system, it's vibe while using it, and the ergonomics of it in ones hand is vital, as the 'inspiration' this tool gives to the artist is the guiding factor.
Can really relate to this, thank you for sharing your experience
Thank you great video and very helpful. Creativity and collaboration first with technology being an important tool but in a way playing second fiddle.
Man I'm all about trying to keep it simple. I also often fail at that. Often times a lot of my shoots do end up with 5 or 6 lights (or more), but that's rarely the goal going in. It's typically start with one light and one modifier and just start shooting. Everything after that is just finessing to heighten the image. Shoot for a bit, look at the images, then go "man I'd really like to put a little pocket of light right there, except dial some cool into it and make it just bright enough that it's just starting to register". Do that, shoot some more, review the images, I see something else that I want to do, next thing you know, I've used all the lights available, but looking at the image, it's not immediately different looking from the first shots, but the later shots almost always end up being the ones picked. As far as cameras go, I'm totally fine with a simple camera that just lets me control the shutter speed, the aperture, the ISO, the white balance (if shooting digital) and the focus and otherwise just gets out of the way. There is so much built into modern cameras that I just don't use.
I do video, and the more I learn, the more I realise people just repeat clickbait jargon. Most have no clue, and are out of step with the client's needs. Gr8 video and true, it is about the client, not you......
Hi loved this video I am looking at doing one like this on street photography and I use a zoom lens as well I love the look you get from it and you don't need to have the best grea as well its knowing to use it
Love the sincerity. Thanks
I just retired so I thought I would give photography a try. I just bought the Sony A7RV, Sony 85mm GM 2 f/1.4 and the Sony 35mm GM f/1.4
Whenever I start a new hobby I hate upgrading later
While I take pride in learning tech notions very quickly - I agree with you. Same goes in cinema. There are very technical and great directors and cinematographers and other just as great in their own way who keep it very simple. There is no single "right way" only YOUR way.
Couldn't agree more!
Great video. Thank you.
Totally correct, technology being the application of a technique is a means to an end and not an end in itself. It's a medium just like paint to a painter or stone to a sculpture. The creative vision comes first and then the appropriate medium is selected to best resolve that creative vision.
Beautifully put!
@@jodiemannphotography Thank you Ma'am :)
I think the most important part about gear is finding what you need to do what you want to do. The end. Honestly beyond that you're just supporting the gear companies, not your career. Just my opinion but that being said I do love a shiny new lens and I'm guilty of owning gear I have never used or used once. I've gotten better about it over the last 4 or 5 years. It's a journey, never a destination.
Funny, when i put on a zoom lens i become lazy and static. But im a guy i can do only one thing at a time and zooming is one thing already 😅 Being close to the subject and interact with tho it is something i can very well relate to!
Amazing blog, all this fantastic energy you shared, I truly feel it through the screen 🤗
My brain works like yours. I struggle to undestand the numbers, reading instructions makes no sense to me. When I use to shoot weddings my favourite lens was a zoom and I used one off camera flash a Metz 45 CT 5.
Cool Hair!😻😺😽
Omg Thx!!
sometimes you have to go all out to understand how to strip it back - cameras are our tools and its considered lame to shoot in anything but M so we buy the best gear we can and use 20percent of what it is capable of - but ive seen new photographers embrace all the other modes, its a results business right? - make it work, and push it to help you best the gear can. and the notion (from a comment below) you can only learn from the best, thats crazy to limit yourself, I watch loads of docs on photographers and most of the top ones rely so heavy on their techies and editors these days I dont think they should be so revered when its the team getting the shot, not just one person.
I love one light setups! I think the majority of my portfolio is just a single Octa feathered.
Enjoying your channel content so far. I'm only a hobby photographer I never ever ever ever want to make my hobby "work or a job" or involve money but I love learning about the behind the scenes and things working photographers have to deal with.
I find quite a lot of the good photographers are artists first and photographers second, I see people that know nothing about cameras and gear just pick up a camera and start using it and they produce amazing results pretty quickly as they have an eye for things, rather than being concerned with the technology they are using.
Love your message! And the way you describe learning pathways etc is spot on how I feel, also. Subscribed right away! :)
Thankyou! Happy to hear it resonated with you! :)
I am made of the same cloth as your Dad. I can up skill on very quickly…technically, but have limited talent. I can produce plenty of good shots…but the great shots come much less often. It’s just the way it is and I’m OK with it.
To me camera is a means to an end. I view cameras as tools to get the job done. I almost use zooms to photograph people. There is a lot of nonsense about zooms on RUclips that tends to irritate me. I think one of the reasons I became photojournalist is because I hate tripods.😈
Thank you, such a refreshing video.
Spot on Jodie
Direct mentorship by Nick Knight is crazy, Im jelous
Appreciate you
Is the voice sync out on this?
can you make a video on how to become creative as a beginner photographer
Hey! Check out my first video here: ruclips.net/video/-DwvoKKXQHM/видео.html It goes into detail about finding your creative visual identity as a photographer. Hope it helps!
I never talk to other photographers because there are VERY FEW photographers that i think make great work, i strongly believe that you can get poisoned by listening to all the bad information/opinions out there. It's very important to only listen to the best photographers.
Angela Rayner without the Lancashire accent…
or free holidays
I don't remember subscribing to this channel? Good video though. Cheers.
ZOOM LENSES??! Clicking off now! lol jk
Enter Islam and success