The audience that are willing to pay exorbitant amount of money for such a photograph are the rich narcissists, who believe they are the elite, because it boosts their view of how the world should be...empty and void of people.

Gods own county … ah, Lancashire then 😂 greetings from a fellow northerner, currently exiled to Somerset. Subbed :D getting back into my photography so looking forward to hearing. 😊

Very good analysis here. Audience is crucial. I sometimes take on gigs to photograph weddings & events. I posted a few samples on FB photo groups and received the worst feedback, some of which was downright hateful. But my clients absolutely loved these pix.

It's worth 4,3 mln, but not for me.

I don't think it's worth the money that it was sold for (I'm convinced the art market is mostly just money laundering, anyhow), but I actually kinda like the photo even without the cockamamie backstory. It's boring, yes, but it's so boring it's really in your face about it and even aggressive in its boringness. It's aggressively peaceful, and I appreciate it. It's the kind of thing that would look good in a large format hanging on a wall you don't spend much time looking at. That said, this is really only the type of thing you can get away with once you've already reached a certain status. Mr. Gursky could not have produced this early in his career and received any acclaim at all, my tastes notwithstanding.

Taking away human impact *leaves canal and sidewalk

What did I think when I first saw it? Well I loved it, I thought it was very beautiful and very clever, like much of his work but you'll never understand it if you don't see it in the flesh, full sized on the gallery wall. It's no good just looking at it on your phone or even a PC. As to the value, yes, that is somewhat inflated but born out of his reputation, the very short print run, I think it's an edition of around seven copies, and the bill board size of the prints. And yes, this whole commercial aspect of the work can be used to dismiss it without thought, but that's just a diversionary tactic to avoid actually talking about the image.

All I can say is a fool and his money are easily parted, as my hero David Bailey said there are no rules and I believe he got that from Picasso

yours*

Come on. This 'German photographer' is a member of an established apparatus which 'invests' in such big images with a negatively provocative content in order to put them on display in a well known gallery, while another part of the apparatus hypes the image in the press, not missing the segment of bored rich investors. By claiming a primary sale and 'greatness', the image takes shape of a good investment. The apparatus then wait for an idiot to turn up to be the new anonymous owner, probably having a small rebate to boost his ego. The first 'buyer', the gallery, and the photographer then share the real money. It's The Emperor's New Clothes repeated in a modern frame. Some are very good at such fraud, and fools are everywhere. The internet will inform you like this: 'The print was originally acquired by the Galerie Monika Sprüth in Cologne, and subsequently bought by an anonymous German collector.'

This is a nothing photo. Until i saw it is 3 1/2 meters wide, Then i could see myself standing in front of it and appreciating its meaning. Sometimes size matters

It's also rather a large print (over 3.5 metres wide!). I wonder where he got it printed?

That photograph is definite proof that you don't need talent, just good connections will suffice.

You just convinced me to photograph for myself instead of trying to impress audience.

In other words, what you’re saying is, the skill is in the art of finding the one fool with far, far more money than sense, the actual content of the photograph doesn’t matter in the slightest. There only needs to be one - he’s not going to be selling prints. It makes even less sense than selling paintings for millions of dollars because the exclusivity and notion of ownership of originality is far more tenuous with a photo than with a painting.

The photo isn’t just sh1t, it’s _offensively_ sh1t.

An interesting take. It makes sense about the audience for a work determining what will make that work successful, however you define success.

Emperors New Clothes? The moral of the story is to not show your photos to other photographers!

Lovely walk Tom. The summary said it all …… “enjoy your photography”.

Which model do you suggest for newbees?

It was actually the home of his younger son Titus salt jr ❤

Really enjoying the videos, and can't believe you have less than 5k subs! I'm sure that will change pretty quickly though.

Thanks for interesting walk! Welcome to Uzbekistan! There are many interesting places in my county

A walk with difference, super place, super images and as usual very instructive and entertaining.

"Take it anyway & see how it turns out" I'm guilty of this a lot.. then copy all images to the computer and end up deleting 80/90% of them 🤣 Beautiful scenery there and some lovely shots taken, hope you enjoyed the holiday.

Love your sense of humour! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about composing your photographs!

Love your educational style

Yorkshire boy studied geology lol

What makes me pick up my camera? One word: enjoyment. I consider myself a serious amateur. A national camera store here in Canada, "Henry's" would label me as an entusiast. I am writing this note in Sepember of 2024. I shoot with a Nikon Z5 with, usually, a 24 to 200mm lens attached. I upgraded from a Nikon D50 which only had 2 gig of memory. In other videos, you mentioned that viewers of your pictures don't care about your camera or camera settings. I totally agree. I believe that's its best to spend your money on lenses as opposed to cameras. Only upgrade your camera if your photography has advanced past the capabilities of your camera. So far, I haven't with my Z5. My need for enjoyment gets satisfied in two ways: 1) photography gets me out of the house to hike the various trails here, namely the Bruce Trail here in Ontario Canada, google it and 2) the satisfaction that I have taken what i think is a good picture. In the last two years, I have delved into the artistic end of photography andI don't mean ICM. I find the artistic end very challenging as I don't have any formal training in anything artistic. I am a professional accountant and I hold a university degress in honour physics. No artistic training here. However, I do work on composition: what do I leave in the picture and what do leave out. Can I improve on perspective: moving around or lowing the camera angle. Would a viewer find my photo interesting? Is there a wow factor? Does the photo conjur up questions to engage the viewer. Trust me, I struggle in trying to answer these questions. I rarely post picture to social media; hence, I usually stop at just putting myself in the shoes of a viewer. Admitedly, I do post some pictures to Facebook and Instagram to get feedback from my "friends". Take care.

great video! I learned a lot

you are a natural born teacher. the simplicity / complexity level of the explanations, the pace with which you offer the information, the props, even the tone in your voice, all spot on. well done.

Babe wake up, new Yorkshire Photo Walks video

I like to see settings because it helps me visualize what can be done. Great tutorial.

This was a REALLY great tutorial. Notes have been taken. Thanks for another informative video Tom - keep them coming!

Tom you should come down to hemsworth area , there is nice places around for walks.

I shoot mostly still subjects and tend to select aperture and adjust speed to get it right (ISO fixed with film). If there is something moving I may need to compromise on motion blur and aperture. With digital one can of course adjust ISO too, at the cost of increasing noise but perhaps being able to use smaller aperture for more depth of field or larger if you want smaller depth. Someone shooting action sport would select it all so differently to avoid motion blur often. You need to choose what your subject needs but it comes to depth of field, motion blur and having enough light (ISO sensitivity, adding external lights or flash).

Some good advice but long winded. 1. Write a mind map. 2. Make it better. Repeat 3. Most importantly, think critically and engage with the information.

I've seen a lot of these videos and have to say this is broken down really well.

You make great lessons! I spent years experimenting with different compositions to get this knowledge.

Very, very good. Your channel is destined for great things.

Very helpful tips! I often overthink my composition yet always fail to make a compelling one. I hope I can hone my skills in composing like you are.

Hi there - interesting format of the video... Thanks! But I wander that when you talk on 28mm lens and minimum shutter speed - you do forget, that camera have IBIS - that allow you to get sharp image even at lower shutter speeds that equivalent to focal length of the lens... In Nikon Z the IBIS is usually provides up to 5 stops - so you do not need to hike the ISO so much (even if it does not do the harm).

Thoroughly enjoyed this, Tom. I don't "do" audio podcasts because I've the attention span of my Jack Russell, so the videos work best for me. Hoping to join you again, hopefully more frequently, in this next season.

Very well explained, congrats

Do you find a gray flat cap preferable to black or plaid? I do like your videos though, makes for an enjoyable afternoon. I'm the obligatory bearded giant photographer

Always look forwards to your videos man, always helpful and entertaining

Really enjoy your videos and just love the accent

The dog is the Barguest. It's name allegedly deriving from Berg (Mountain) and Geist (ghost). Similar folklore appears in many Anglo Saxon cultures across Europe. It would take unsuspecting children and sheep as its prey and hide them around the gill. Trollers is by no means always dry though. Indeed, during the whole year the upper parts (before Dry Ghyll) still flow. During the winter and after reasonable rainfall, the whole place floods regularly and you would find your route impossible. (FYI - There is a terrific composition looking directly east up the U-shaped valley right before you climb over the broken stile at the entrance to the gill. Next time!) Edit: That mine (that you called a Cave) only goes about 20m and stops abruptly. Unlike many abandoned mines in the Dales, quite safe to explore.

I'm not from Yorkshire, but even I know one should only go on Ilkley Moor 'baht 'at'... 😁

Great video, too much assumption in videos that we are all great at photography from a basics point of view.