Five Things Every Photographer Should Know

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Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish writer and photographer, specializing in portrait photography and documentary photography, known for writings about photography and as an educator. You are always welcome to send an e-mail to Thorsten for questions, suggestions and ideas.
Thorsten Overgaard is an independent writer and photographer who write, teach workshops and publish user reports about the equipment he uses. There is no affiliation with Leica Camera AG or any camera dealers, no free gifts, no sponsorship, no kickback and no paid content. All you see is real and based on the life of an eccentric and hard-working photographer who makes his own money, buys his own equipment and form his own independent opinions - and shares with you. Enjoy the ride.
Job no 1947-0219
#StreetPhotography #Leica #ThorstenOvergaard

[@matteovrizzi]

Simple but brilliant advice explained clearly and succintly. No annoying, hipster-friendly content , just good old photography talk. This guy knows his craft. Thank you!

[@curiousfurious5877]

Love the squirrel in the background climbing up the tree....3:07

[@myyoutubejourney2469]

CuriousFurious58 a missed nice photo!!

[@mogostudio]

I saw it too :)

[@Eltargrimm]

4:50 is a photograph taken in Turkey. Much respect for capturing a more or less generic scene without any obvious giveaways about the location, yet doing so in a way that a local can immediately identify it for what it is

[@williaminbody205]

It’s not a photograph until it’s printed. Simple straight forward advice, but it’s how it happens. Truth to words.

[@jan-martinulvag1953]

I never look for what to take photos of. It hits me, I see it, and I take the photo. No thinking, no reflection, just pure emotion.

[@29jug11]

A video to keep and to treasure .... sound advice and guidance to photographers of all abilities.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you 🙂

[@ankerwiedemann]

I have now seen quite a few of your videos regarding photography and they really fuelled my passion for getting out there with my newly bought M10 and get to experience and learn to make good use of it. I like your simplistic and no nonsense approach to taking pictures - especially coming from a renowned professional like you. And it makes perfect sense to me. I will try to be more daring, actually taking and sharing a few photos with others to both learn but above all gain the experience that will make me get a bodily sense and immediate understanding of my camera. Very educational 😉👍

[@tedming3515]

I love Leica. Though I don't have it. I love the way it interprets the light.

[@grumpywiseguy5992]

Having said the below comments about focus. You are ahead of the game in that you don't have to learn a new focusing system every year or two when some new whiz bang camera comes out. You are so familiar with Leica, that once you decide what you want to record, your muscle memory takes over and it is done. Your mind is already onto the next composition. Fresh and clean every time. No fiddling with menus, buttons, knobs or dials. No accidentally hitting some random button and the camera freezes up just when the "perfect shot" happens. The street photography that you do is one of the most demanding types of photography there is. It is a series of instantaneous complex decisions that are made between man and machine. There is only one opportunity at hand, one shot, and if you a busy fooling around with the camera, you fail. All the computers, all the autofocus options, all the menus in the world will NOT save you from failure. Only your experience, your feel for the world around you, and your experience with this one system will allow success.

[@josh885]

I agree but really new focusing systems every couple years are no problem at all if you don't keep buying a new camera every time one comes out. Your post speaks to a more gneeral issue that is not camera specific. That is one of the BIG mistakes photographers make. They never stick with a body long enough to really become a master of it. With complex modern cameras with a ton of features (most of which aren't needed anyway) and buttons and such If you are buying a camera faster than once every 3-5 years you never really become an expert with any of them. Especially if you start switching brands too. The old camera you an use instantly without thinking about the buttons and that you know how it responds to light so well you can set the exposure without the meter and be within a stop or less of perfect much of the time is always better than the latest wiz bang feature a new camera has.

[@CrueLoaf]

Love your enthusiasm. I agree with all 5. Never thought about exposure too much. But will do now. Thanks.

[@johnluminor]

I like the comical understated undertone of his videos... he is not taking things Too serious but he doesn’t smile when talking..👍🏻

[@seannohilly6928]

He is danish for christ sake.. Why smile?

[@loveaodai100]

This is a great video and I have been doing these five items daily for many years. But there is one more thing that every photographer should know and consider doing. First... start with a master digital folder of every photo in one's collection. In my case there are about a half million over 40 years of photography. There should then be a ready program on one's computer that can quickly begin displaying the photos from the entire collection randomly showing the image about 4 or 5 seconds using a mild transition between images. I put such a "slideshow" every day after my afternoon nap for about a half an hour. This helps ensure that your memories and many great shots will not be lost and helps one to remember nice days a year ago or 20 years in the past when the images were taken...

[@WTomMeier]

Quick and to the point. Very helpful. You are a good teacher.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you 🙂

[@angrd020]

Fantastic advice and always inspirational! Have a fantastic day Thorsten...

[@francisjordan309]

Thank you sir. I have just found my photographic bible, your 5 steps. Bless you.

[@dreamcatcher3622]

I knew some of what you said already - but your delivery and images are inspiring.

[@alperengurr]

How great to see photos from Turkey

[@shamshermann]

Excellent advice senor. Thank you for sharing the perspective, is very different from what I've heard from other folks. 🙏🏼

[@UKBROOKLYN]

What a great lesson. Reduced to the essentials.. Carry it, See it, Expose it, Sort It, Post it. Should be the photographers mantra or for the young ones perhaps a forearm tattoo.. Thanks for this, you have a great way of bringing thoughts and ideas into focus.

[@gilean6179]

thank you for this video and for your the work you put into it.

[@paulstevenson200]

What a superb vid. Excellent, informative and well-paced delivery. Five simple points but thought provoking in an obvious, but for me missed, sort of way. Thank you. Very inspiring.

[@leemartin2978]

Another top class informative blog. Really great advice

[@talleyrand9442]

Thank you. Such excellent summary on getting back out and actually shooting! I've just taken up film photography (medium format and with a Leica M3!). Been watching so many videos about which film to buy and how to develop and scan film but you brought me right back to the whole point, shooting!! Kudos to you, sir. And thank you, once again. I was in New York last year and your photos brought me back. Very enjoyable.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you. Love when what I write and do videos about inspire to go take photographs :-) After all, it's about your photography, not mine!

[@jacktaylorphotos]

Excellent, concise advice Thorsten. "Wearing the camera" is something I will take away from this and do more. I strongly agree with the advice to edit every day. It took me many months of dedicated shooting to get into this habit, because I would always be out shooting. And doing video, the editing is even more burdensome. It took me a while to figure out how to juggle both at the same time, but I found it is much, much easier working on it each day than dealing with a huge backlog all at once. It's much easier to approach once it becomes part of your routine.

[@Noealz]

I really enjoy your videos - I hope you continue making them

[@kevykev555]

Thanks for the reminders and tips!

[@35mmview18]

Sound advice. My Leica has been sadly under used for a few weeks now. I feel renewed interest now that I have just watched your video.

Thanks for sharing this video. It is actually very useful as it points out what is really important when doing portrait photography.

[@darryl_young]

Thank you for sharing. I really like your photography style.

[@RedMissou]

You really speak the language of photography, I love that about your videos and I’m learning tons of things, best find this month is discovering your channel! Thank you!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you!

[@is1dre]

Excellent video Thorsten - keep it up!

[@chief_scientist]

Really well done. Worth reviewing regularly!

[@hasanmoula5395]

Thank you for sharing your advice.It helps..♥

[@kevingoza]

So simple. Thank you!

[@fandangofandango2022]

Dear Sir, Thank You for this Information.

[@rishirule1]

Thanks for the Advices. .Granted 👏💝awesome i love street photos

[@robertbutts9835]

Yes I always have a camera and I always have 2.. A Canon and my Nikon and wow beautiful you have shot.

[@PixelsInMotion]

Great composition , thanks for sharing this video

[@ikonographics]

Wonderful video! Thank you!

[@aboutphotography]

Great video as always!

[@marianneritavanvliet4554]

Great teacher great lesson learn a lot. Wonderful photographer. Thank you!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@Lockiel]

Great video, so hard to find real useful information on improving photography and not just some new fancy gear review.

[@geddonjt]

Great video Thorsten.

[@shakteem]

Good advice and great shots. 👍

[@rmclark339]

Great advice. Thanks for the video

[@jbigallery]

Thank you so much for your great lessons.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Welcome! Thank you for your feedback :-)

[@donnaduhamel6004]

Kool advice ..Inspired xxxxxx

[@grumpywiseguy5992]

Focus is just as important. You have been using the same focus system for many decades now, the Leica rangefinder focus system. You can focus on a face or an eye as fast as any other camera can and you are in control of it instead of hoping the camera gets in focus what you intended. Thanks for not mentioning which camera to carry, just that one should carry one. Not everyone has the funds available to carry around a 15 to 20 thousand dollar system, like the M10 and a Noctilux lens that you habitually carry. Finally, I am at fault in not sharing. High technology, has not gotten around to making it easy enough to transfer photos from cameras to anywhere that one can edit photos or share them easily. It will be the one thing that will cause the fall of classic cameras in the end, even your precious Leica.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

It's true that focusing manually with a rangefinder is fast and intuitive (because you don't have to wait for an EVF to zoom in and zoom out, and also because you can prepare and quickly change focus deliberately), but any focusing can be natural and fast for you, once you get used to is. Yes, you're spot on about sharing. It's almost that the more technology we get, the more of a barrier - or at least more work - it gets to import, select, edit and share. It should be easy and natural (working on that with some tech companies).

[@GatorheadLuis]

Great video. Love your youtube videos. Big fan. I shoot with the Leica Q and take it with me almost everywhere.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you :-)

[@Noealz]

Thats a nice lil list you got there : )

[@MrYHW]

Very useful tips, thank you

[@Anonymous-it5jw]

Thanks. I needed your List of Five Things to get me off of dead center.

[@macbookdieter]

I do own a digital camera, but really enjoy shooting film. Mostly use my M3

[@Pikkakikka]

Basic the best advices! 👍

[@raulslorencis158]

Thanks for advice! 😉👍

[@mhsvz6735]

Thank you.

[@Pysees868]

Great photos.

[@shyamhk]

Beautiful, what camera are you using to record your videos?

[@klarkolofsson]

Looking good, herr Overgaard.

[@jaliscopow6814]

Come to Chicago it’s beautiful this time of year pal

[@hassannassif9464]

Thanks for the video, I have a question: in order to be always ready for the right moment what is the best mode you recommend, is it manual or Aperture priority mode? Thank you

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

I have my camera at Aperture priority as default. It will work in most situations (I can also move the frame and 'pick up' a different exposure and lock it by pressing the shutter release half down). I only use Manual when I use external light meter, or when I have set up a frame where I am just waiting for something to happen (in street photography or portrait, for example)

[@DennisLimCY]

Which do you carry more lenses with you? or the lens mounted on the camera is all that you carry? If so, is it a 50mm lens? Thank you for all the great videos.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, I usually just have one camera with one lens with me when I am out and about, and mostly a 50mm lens. I'll travel with a bag with 2-3 cameras and 4-5 lenses, but I leave the bag in the hotel or apartment and just take out one camera with a lens. (In the video I have the CL or M9 and the M10 as we were also doing footage for the "Street Photography Masterclass" that is being released in some days).

[@darylnd]

Well, I just bought my first Leica today. (Did I really say "first?" This isn't going to turn into an addiction, I swear! Maybe just one more...) I've been shooting since 1982, mostly Nikon SLRs but also a Rolleiflex, a Zeiss 6x6 folder, a Rollei 35, a variety of DSLR and mirrorless. I haven't been able to bond with the new techno-marvels: I feel as if they're simultaneously slowing me down and taking my mind out of the process. I discovered, after a month in SE Asia last summer, that I don't need a bag of lenses and a bulky camera. I want light and nimble, I want to know at a glance what my settings are, I want to be able to pre-focus (BTW, Eye-AF is overrated, IMHO), I don't want to forever be bumping some button or knob that changes some setting and causes me to miss the shot. So now I have a silver M10, a Leica factory demonstrator. The store had been holding it for me for a couple of weeks, since they were backed up on their used gear appraisals (I traded my Sony kit) and I was away with my family on vacation last week. As luck would have it, they had just received, this very morning, a beautiful, Leitz Canada 50mm f2.0 Summicron-M (Type 4) and marked it at a bargain price. What a jewel! "This one won't last long," he said. "No, it won't, because it's going with me," I replied (the fellow they were helping when I walked in was looking at it, but left to think about it). The lens had no front cap, but I seldom use them and added a used B+W filter and a spare battery to the bag. I used my old Peak Design Leash to determine the length for my Rock N Roll strap, Royal Red or Cigar Brown, I think: 125cm seems right at 5'9", 165 lbs., and leaves some leeway for bulky clothing in cold weather.

[@hardrock1826]

Excellent video with really good images and some very practical advice. The one rule is everything and that is "Always Carry A Camera." Fail to do that and the other rules are none existent. Because without that camera you cannot apply the other steps to success in your day to day photo experience. I have a small digital Olympus I carry about 50 percent of the time. And just with that, there has been some really good photos that I have been lucky to capture. If I go to an event, like a flea market, car show or fair, etc. I always take a real camera, rather than just my little digital snappy camera. I shoot film and digital, but I still enjoy spending time in my photo lab, processing and printing B&W Film. It never gets boring. All I could think about while watching the video, was feeling sorry for you. Because you probably missed some fine opportunities while you were talking to all of us. LOL Keep up the amazing work and thanks for sharing your experience..

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

When you go one way, you miss what is the other way, and if you take a break, you miss something else. But then again, the way you choose is likely to bring you interesting places :-)

[@jackiehedger26]

A great video, thank you

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you for the feedback :-)

[@pedrotavares3555]

Excellent video.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you :-)

[@seken2nun]

Good stuff 👍🏾

[@A-RA-N]

J’apprécie beaucoup ce que vous faites bravo

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Merci!

[@raulsandoval7259]

Just signed up to your newsletter and was looking forward to the promised ebook, never did get it nor did I get a link to download it either.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Could have ended in your spam foler. Mail to [e-mail] to get a new link or sent via WeTransfer.

[@TheNotsmith]

Nice hat !

[@acatssoftnose3940]

Which is better? A beautiful camera that disarms people when they see it, or a fully black camera that can blend in with a black jacket while carrying it? I want to get a Fujifilm X100F, but I'm conflicted between getting a silver one with a brown leather case, or a black one with a black leather case.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Black is traditionally he stealth one. Perhaps it is more for the sake of the photographer than anyone else. I find that no matter how colorful jackets, scarfs, hats and all I wear, nobody notices me taking their photos - Because I decided they can't see me. And it seem to work just as well as a stealth camera :-)

[@malfaris82]

Some good tips

[@krishartsphotography5643]

Nice & Thanks :)

[@Snikers777105]

Excellent video. Thank you. Where did you get your hat?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

The hat if from JJ Hat Center on 5th Ave in NYC

[@AdolfoUsierPhotographer]

cool 👏🏻👏🏻🔝

[@jaliscopow6814]

I have some nice car pictures by the lake front here in Chicago

[@oneharry_og]

Who makes the camera strap kind sir?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

That one is my own brand "Always Wear a Camera", model "Yosemite" (125 cm long): www.overgaard.dk/Thorsten-von-Overgaard-Gallery-Store-Leather-Products-1-Camera-Bags-Camera-Pouches-Camera-Straps.html I also like and use straps from Rock'n'Roll Straps: rocknrollstraps.com and the Japanese brand Artisan & Artist: www.artisan-n-artist.com/product_list.php?nid=88

[@baronvonmaximillionsnell2757]

Good Advice.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you!

[@JimmyCheng]

Does it work if I have my iPhone everyday?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes!

[@cjandrews8441]

awesome video

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you :-)

[@johnfarley4201]

Fabulous

[@drspaseebo410]

Yeah ~ wear a camera at all times, and be taken for a tourist ! Fact is that today (2019) almost everyone carries a SMART PHONE, and most smart phones today incorporate a high-pixel camera... very handy for taking phodos !

[@Bembeleke]

High pixels dont make a good photo.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

It's perfect to be taken for a tourist. Nobody cares about you taking photos then :-)

[@exitar1]

Link exposure to focus point...

[@joshdiditt]

You're so cool. Great video

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you :-)

[@neilpiper9889]

Light quality Lens qualty Looking and Discrimination The perfect Negative or image on card Print

[@gottago9824]

squirrel! @3:05 . lololol

[@nielsrrmikkelsen]

@ 1:44 Yes I am - heavy? Not at all!

[@tboneproductionsvbphotogra1059]

Eh, to each their own. #1 is asking for trouble where I live so I concealed carry. That's mostly for aspiring street photographers and journalists. My list is #1 Read books/watch videos on why you should do photography and what it can accomplish in the world so you can have a compelling reason to do it. #2 Read books/watch videos on technical knowledge of science of photography and gear use. #3 get a camera that can shoot in manual and preferably can be fitted with hoods, lenses, filters, and a flash trigger and learn all the functions. #4 shoot for years refining the skills, #5 print and publish the refined, skillful and above all meaningful work.

[@davidgebo3250]

Just a side comment, but I think the power of Photos, Books and Cinema is not what it was of say 40 or 50 years ago. One war photo in Life magazine in the 40's could change things, cinema in the sixties meant something, good literature was with one for life. People today turn on the internet and see dozens and dozens of war photos or crime photos and barely glance at them. A black and white photo of Kennedy on election night is etched in the mind, we see hundreds of photos of Trump in one day and they're all throwaways. We are buried in images today. Famous means something different today also. When an Album came out in the sixties it Meant something, people looked at the album art and collected it. People played them over and over, song writers had something important to say. Today we have 14 year olds mouthing words to beats made by computers, all mindless throwaways. Millions of photos today mean nothing. The papers and magazines will pay a years salary for a Star scratching their ass or picking their nose though. The audience today is far too segmented with far too many choices. Who are the prophets in the desert today?

[@museonfilm8919]

I agree with your points! The ability for anyone to be a 'self-publisher' via social media means that you have to wade through alot of modern images to find anything that is TRULY inspiring. I recently discovered the street photography of Fan Ho, and it has totally made me re-consider my own efforts. It seems like the main goals for many photographers is to do an un-boxing, compare camera specs, then share their 'secret' to good editing.

[@Bembeleke]

I agree we have over indulged and the food has lost its flavor...

[@hagentrondheim3675]

Why not use auto Iso?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

You can use Auto ISO, but as ISO is one of the three adjustments to get the light and exposure right (aperture and shutter speed is the two others), Auto ISO means the camera will adjust this one element automatically. So when you try to adjust the exposure by changing the exposure time, the camera will adjust the ISO back so you get the 'automatic result' the camera think it should be. However, you can have cameras where the Auto ISO doesn't adjust automatically but follow your lead and you can be in control. In those cases it is fine with Auto ISO. Auto ISO sounds easy, and it sort of is. But manual ISO is very easy too, and you are in full control: 200 ISO for outdoor and daylight, and 3200 ISO or 6400 ISO for evening/darkness always. That's the only two ISO settings you actually need. The rest you can adjust with shutter speed, and shutter speed doesn't affect the look of the image (because if a portrait is taken at 1/125 of 1/4000 doesn't change the look of the portrait).

[@colin343]

@@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard do you ever use the M9 at night?

[@huepix]

I walked around with my camera for forty years. All I got was a sore shoulder and a dodgy back

[@anandhua.b4589]

did you forget about taking photos

[@basimalgharbawi8000]

Very usfull video

[@Nickpvj]

Are You from Denmark can hear a little dame in the accent

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, the accent doesn't leave you :-)

[@gjingodjango]

and if you want to get a head ware a hat!

[@pebblenapkins]

3:05 SQUIRREL

[@nielsappels3139]

puts extra emphasis on the step 1 'observe' part

[@martinberry1540]

Always wear a camera - yes, but $10k worth of Leica and lens in some places is not advisable

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Never really had a problem with that. More "problem" people ask how old the film camera is 🙂

[@vinnypal783]

that squirrel in the background was distracting

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

It's his park, we were only guests ;-)

[@wolfeyez300]

SQUIRREL!!!!!!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, it's just going about with its business in the background.

[@mirahgirl01]

Idk how you carried all that money to the store to buy that leica, let alone the canera around near humans... That's too heavy for me!

[@ProduzioniClandestine]

Is this a joke?