Yes and no

4x open frames with different rolls of diff are the most useful lighting modifiers

I really hate the hard box. Just paint a reflector black

My Sony 24-105 f4 basically lives on my camera 😄 in 90% of situations it’s all I need. Occasionally I need a wider aperture, closer focus, or more reach, but these situations are the exception not the rule.

This is such a great video.

I'm glad it had nothing to do with quality because I need a good starter set and I want to keep my budget under $600 USD. Was able to get backdrop with stands on temu for less than $50.

its not the inspiration perse, at the end of it its still art. but what i find is that you need to be really methodological with your ways. every process needs to be repeatable so they can be measurable. measurable because your invoice needs to be reflected on your work. theres no room for guess work, or at least you sell the illusion that you are not doing guess work. even of you do, that guess work still needs to be measurable. you should also be able to separate your emotions, pride and ego as an "artist". if you cant, designate the business part to someone who can do the business-ing for you

I can promise you that I’ll never see anyone using one of those……ever. Lol

I’m staying with the camera system I have my company doesn’t need to put out any more money than necessary what we have now gets the job done and it certainly isn’t Fuji !

Only reason is that it isn't consistent white balance but that can be fix in post

Is it bad that I wanted to slap every professional photographer and illustrator that I have seen posting the "I do not consent" story? I mean F**k Meta, but they literally told everyone how to opt out of their Ai crap. That's more than Adobe has done

I like the multi-cam as I tend to watch this like a tv program, but I think you could save time and effort and it would still work. 👍🏼

“You can steal my work but you won’t steal my clients.” This is the key! 🔑

If your best mate has booked a photographer for his wedding DO NOT take a camera! It’s the cringiest and most intrusive thing to see as a wedding photographer, regardless of your ability. It’s like an off duty chef walking up in a restaurant kitchen and making themselves a side dish to the main they’ve ordered.

Money and money management is the #2 reason most businesses fail, including photographers. The #1 reason is... not having a business plan. And sure, you can succeed without any kind of business plan, but it's extremely rare that happens. And planning is the phase I'm currently in to determine if I can make photography an actual business. Sure money is absolutely important. No business can survive for long on zero revenue, and money mismanagement will sink any company. But not having any kind of business plan, and not adapting your business plan as you move forward, will severely hamper any growth prospects and make you more likely to fail. You don't need a perfect business plan at the start, because you can and should always adapt it, even if you're doing so... 3 months in. But you do need some kind of plan at the start so you aren't going in blind.

Love it, I’m going to give this a go on my next big shoot, thx for the reminder!

Certainly. Here's an enhanced version that incorporates the concept of layout and cropping: Dear Scott, Thank you for sharing your valuable insights. Your perspective resonates strongly with my experiences in commercial assisting, particularly regarding composition and layout considerations. When I first started commercial assisting, I was intrigued by the unique compositional approaches, which often differed from the traditional photographic techniques I had studied at art school. These compositions seemed to prioritize negative space in unconventional ways, which piqued my curiosity. This observation led me to inquire with my mentor about the rationale behind these distinctive layouts. His response was illuminating: he explained that these compositions were deliberately crafted with text placement and potential cropping in mind. He emphasized the critical importance of: 1. Leaving adequate space for copy (text) within the frame 2. Ensuring flexibility for various cropping ratios to accommodate different media formats 3. Balancing the visual elements to maintain impact across multiple layout scenarios This revelation was a pivotal moment in my professional development. It underscored the fundamental principle that one must always consider the end product and its potential variations when creating commercial imagery. Understanding that a single image might need to work across print, digital, and other media formats - each with its own layout requirements - transformed my approach to composition. Like you had mentioned clients often need images for multiple different spaces. Your shared experiences serve as a valuable reminder of these essential concepts. It's always enriching to gain insights from fellow professionals in our field, as it broadens our collective understanding and enhances our craft. Thank you once again for contributing to this discussion. I look forward to further exchanges of ideas and perspectives on the intricate balance between artistic vision and practical commercial requirements in our industry. Best regards, Eric Carlson

The anecdote about the poor guy shooting without card was tragic but useful to hear. Sometimes I wonder if I am too paranoid in my preparation, but the story tells me "nope - keep doing what you're doing."

I love this video. You’re honest to the point, and you’ve convinced me to buy one of these ancient beasts. I want to do landscape photography and I’ve been looking for a system on a budget or a while. I currently have my eye on a 5dsr😂

hey scott, would you be so kind and give me some help with tethering fuji? you've said couple of times that it's a nightmare to tether and i can't get it to work

But you did it anyway?

Thanks! You actually cut to the chase and deliver a superbly clear (and useful) video. I think that the theme is a bit out of your common subjects, but ... could you possible make a video about automotive light setups and shooting?

I was a photog at a daily in the states for 35 years. Because of where I live I did all sorts of small commercial projects as side jobs. Now that I’m retired, the side jobs still keep coming. I never could have lived on my commercial work unless I moved to New York.

Great guys giving insightful tips but for me there is too much talk about mundane stuff or not related. I don’t have time for that part. The rest great 👍

what is the adjustment clip in video track 2 for, in this case?

My friend said to ditch Adobe and learn Davinci. So glad I switched!

I wouldn't touch it ever -UK Pro 35 years in the game - commercial, studio, location, weddings, done the lot - when you rely on quality and completing the job competently time and time again you cannot use inferior tools. However, when I started out I could not afford the 'pro' gear others were using but made it my mission to never compromise and now I don't - if the shot is rubbish - its on me!!

When Scott mentions that ‘the drop*’ of a musical piece should match a particular part of the video footage, this can become an exercise in circular madness. Do we spend loads of time finding a more-or-less appropriate audio clip to match the planned timeline of the video, or do we base the video editing on a song that best conveys the mood we are trying to achieve in the final render ? This is a rhetorical question. The truth is, a bit of both. But it’s a massive time-suck where hours could be spent. This something to be mindful of. Hence I urge people to really think about what Scott is saying from the 3 minute mark in this video. Is it the gold-standard 100% guaranteed composing solution for matched audio & video ? No, but it’s a good start to comprehend what we are trying to achieve, and accept that it’s a much greater challenge than it may first seem. It does make me wonder though.. his shoots are very often a team collaboration including stylists, assistants, runners, retouchers etc… why not add a sound composer to the job roster? * For those unaware, 'the drop' is a part of a musical piece that often includes an emotional build up, then either starts bangin', or the opposite, it may revert to the verse again. Or it could be a few instruments being silenced. Often a combination. This in itself is worth understanding, for those who aren't musically-inclined, as it's a powerful mood-shifting moment. And once you understand what 'the drop' means, you'll start to consciously hear it in lots of songs The human mind is a fascinating, malleable lump of clay.

I left profoto for flashpoint. No client cares what equipment you use! Why spend for such high cost equipment unless you have too.

I can't speak for anyone else but most podcasts/video essays I listen to are background noise while I'm working so fancy multicam setups are wasted on me. I'm sure KZbin metrics might give you more insight into the statistics but I think you'd be fine with a single camera as long as the audio and information remains high quality!

Like the intro Scott!!

Dude! That is fantastic! Just brilliant. Thank you for sharing!

Yeah BTS is super helpful, people feel like they know what it’s like to be on set with you. I make a 30 sec talking head intro and layer the broll on top to really let the marketing or sales decision maker get to know me ✌🏼 The more you show the better the chances

🥳🎉🎂YEAH!!!

Leica Q3 .... horrific camera - but its amazing on utube

In sales, giving someone product on loan is known as the 'Puppy Dog' close!

Rookie photographer here, but with extensive international sales experience: do not spend time with the wrong type of customer. It is that simple. Be polite, be straight to point, learn to say no.

Love this channel - good info and opinions. It would be good if you have your guests links in the info so I can check out thier work too. Thanks for putting it all together

6:20 - SO nearly said pair of b******* Heheh Can you next discuss upcoming trends? (Apologies if you have already) - Is there an end to the "things on shaped blocks" ? I saw it used in a QVC advert recently and looked SO incongruous..

If possible can you post the link to where I can buy the aperture adapter, Gaffa tape just doesn't cut it. Many thanks and great video

Instagram likes as a measurement for success. Com on man...thats rubbish.

Thank you for featuring @KeithCooper. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have purchased the Canon printer he recommended. It changed my professional life 🙏 I'm eternally grateful for his suggestion.

I appreciate you, but your drill knowledge is not there lol You flip flopped on the impact and drill.

I'm definitely not a pro in any type of photography and you most definitely are so I'm sure to be wrong in my opinion about the 3 burger image so give it to me if out of place, my issue is the shadows naturally fall to the back yet there are also shadows at the front on the 2 outside burgers and i get thats how you lit the scene but it just seems unnatural. As for copying although not absolutely every nightscape image taken by the guy i learnt from, i did in my very early days go and do a couple of his locations mainly because i didn’t have or know of other places to shoot at at the time compared to now where I now have several locations scouted for future shoots. What annoys me about social media, is the amount of people who share images not in the conventional way by saving them and reposting them to pass them off as their own.

What I learned apprenticing with a top husband/wife wedding photographer team, Monte and Sandi Zucker, when I was twenty back in 1972 is that if you want a life outside of work with paid vacations and a comfortable retirement do not become a self-employed photographer. Back then what separated the pro from amateur was the quality of equipment and skill, especially with lighting. Nowadays because everyone takes photos with their phones, the image quality (focus/exposure/auto HDR) is so good there is less of a distinction between a photo taken with a pro level camera with the lighting skill to record detail from shadow to highlight and a photo taken with a cell phone and that has devalued what a ‘professional’ photo has to offer in the minds of clients. Working 18 months shooting wedding was enough to burn me out and make me realize retail level photography of any type wasn’t something I’d be happy doing. I loved taking photos, but sadly that’s only about 5% of running a profitable business. The key to making a profit in any business is the ability to sell and upsell a client without alienating them when they get the invoice which is 2-3x what they had an expectation of paying. There is art to doing that which is why in any large company the highest paid employees are usually those in sales.

Single camera. Good to see both people on-screen having a conversation because you get a sense of the others response to what is being said. I would be very surprised if multicams raise viewer numbers, or single cameras reduce viewer numbers. I find that the switching between shots is distracting and breaks continuity of what is being said. Fluctuating exposure is also distracting/annoying, just saying!

Light is light

Excellent video. Is it possible to tether two cameras simultaneously to a computer with Phase One and take two short simultaneously too. For example, when digitising a book, two cameras to be set at 45 degrees to take an image of two open pages. I will be grateful if you could answer this. Thank you!

Would you pls share what are the issues with tethering the GFX camera and how to fix it? thanks!