Don't fall into the trap of taking nice photos because you think you should. This was a hard-learned lesson for me but once I learned it, I really understood what my value was as a photographer.
Пікірлер: 128
@czelendzerii398516 күн бұрын
You assume Im capable of taking a single nice photo?
@maxkent16 күн бұрын
I’d rather you weren’t 💪 even better
@briansolomon296913 күн бұрын
Amen! I'm sill waiting to take my FIRST nice photo!
@bruce-le-smith10 күн бұрын
my parents said your photos were nice haha, dont worry
@jirelandphotography4 күн бұрын
This comment though! 🤣
@jojo-gs4wg2 күн бұрын
😂😅
@nonculus8 күн бұрын
haha jokes on you! my photos are either underexposed, overexposed or out of focus
@Wholeness94 күн бұрын
Well that’s not “ nice” =success
@briansolomon29693 күн бұрын
@nonculus I do that so much, I've started to tell people it's intentional and it's my "photographic style."
@NedasFlanderas3 сағат бұрын
Mom, is that you?
@SageEpyon16 күн бұрын
I've been shooting for a decade, but I feel like I'm lost identity wise. This is a great reminder, beautiful video.
@maxkent16 күн бұрын
We all feel that way sometimes! And sometimes you think you’ve got it and then you feel like you lose it again 🙏
@WhoIsSerafin16 күн бұрын
If nice photos make you happy, go nice. I don’t care if im nice or something else and dont care after 19 years. It's probably a random mess of daily enjoyment and absolute boringness for most others. This is what it was for most before social media ruined that fun for this new generation. Embrace the nice if you're having fun!
@Cthames12313 күн бұрын
I agree with you 100%
@xcx86469 күн бұрын
Hang on - you say you take boring, nice photos... but then someone hired you because of your unique vision and style?
@danicee15 күн бұрын
“Nice” is basically palatable to non-artists. Life’s too short to take photos that are expected, we have to capture photos that inspire us
@PippetWhippet10 күн бұрын
You’re just gatekeeping who is and is not an artist. More people are inspired by “nice” photos than your edgelord crud. Yes they understand it, they just prefer a nice landscape. It’s more inspiring to them.
@danicee10 күн бұрын
@@PippetWhippet No one is gatekeeping anything, literally everything is available to view online. It's a matter of liking and sharing work, which I actively do by actually sharing photos I like regularly. I don't hide or gatekeep artists, that's up to others to pay attention and form their own opinions over what they like and don't like, what inspires them. That's an individual pursuit. *edit: everyone can take a photo, it doesn't mean that they regard themselves to be a photographer and/or artist
@Anon543874 күн бұрын
@@danicee You literally said who you think the artists are and who they are not. If that isn't gatekeeping or an attempt at it what in the world is?
@JackieDElia7 күн бұрын
Finding your own style is so valuable. There are certain photographers that just have their own style and you can spot it quickly. Such good advice here.
@monishkanna12194 күн бұрын
I love how his tattoos just blend with the shirt he's wearing.
@raybeaumont767013 күн бұрын
Just take YOUR photos YOUR way. If others don't like 'em - tough! It ain't rocket science.
@vetobadmusic3 күн бұрын
One thing that helped me personally is to just take a picture that I "think looks good" and then in post look at what made me feel this was and simply double down on that to hone in more of a style. This is in opposition to finding "what looks good" with the help of a set of rules that is. Not sure if this is helpful to anyone, but hey.
@Onions-gu9wx5 күн бұрын
Photography is like a mirror, it's not about the mirror itself but what's in front of it.
@JeanSialelli5 күн бұрын
I feel like I found this video at the perfect time. It has really resonated with me. Thanks.
@nexx4102 күн бұрын
I generally have come to know that in creative fields for some people the less you know the better you’re off. People get stuck on all these rules and never seem to just enjoy the experience.
@goinginzaneКүн бұрын
Love the message in this video, quite inspiring as someone trying to get a ” breakthrough” with my images. Direct format and subtle background music are spot-on as well. Thank you for creating this and sharing your wisdom with the world!
@NedasFlanderas3 сағат бұрын
What I really understood in the last few weeks about photography when I decided to come back to it - that it doesn't matter if you know how to use your camera right or you take photos according to rules - the best pictures are those that either captures "the moment" or an emotion. If you know the rules and camera's parameters, that's even better, but something that you can't stage is the best because nobody else in this world will be able to capture the same. So sometimes, those simple photos with a "soapbar" (that's how we used to call those (now) old digital cameras for family vacations or celebrations) are better than the ones captured with a professional camera by professional photographer - they have much more value.
@chinatones15 күн бұрын
You're right, and it's ok to experiment. What helps me is spontaneity. That's related to my personal project/concept but when you got less time to think it sometimes lead to surprising results. Just have to get better at it now.
@giangiacomobadalamenti58139 күн бұрын
Dude you made the perfect point nailing the focus on the background 👌🏻
@maxkent6 күн бұрын
Haha! I literally only just noticed that, it’s tough shooting and editing on the road! 🔥
@dylans695810 күн бұрын
Man, I've been shooting for like 10 years and always falling into ruts - and have a degree in photography too. I think this lesson was more valuable than anything I learned in my 3 years at Uni.
@photoautomax15 күн бұрын
Great discussion Max, spot on. It’s easier said than done I think, especially while traveling, to avoid those touristy shots. Enjoyed the one-on-one format too. 👏
@hansnoir30685 күн бұрын
one of the best content I have seen recently. brutally honest - love it!
@Seimstudios4 күн бұрын
Good points. Being too perfect leaves us distracted. The pictorialists were onto something. But if when people start looking for shadows instead of light and feeling instead of perfection. Everything changes.
@Jayden-tq6to2 күн бұрын
You are criminally underrated. This is solid advice
@sauzefilms10 күн бұрын
true af. i used to think about taking *only* nice photos basically for external validation, but now i just shoot anything that's interesting and made me want to lift my camera up no matter how "not nice" it looked.
@Bannazkit16 күн бұрын
It's funny, found you through looking up this old Olympus Trip 35 that I had lying around for ages, looking to get into photography. Consistently, I find several of your videos, like this one, is just as applicable to my music (which I have been doing for the past 10+ years). This is really great, honest artistic advise.
@maxkent16 күн бұрын
Quite a lot of my advice is just life lessons that apply to a lot of stuff 😆
@Bannazkit16 күн бұрын
@@maxkent Yeah, but delivered in a dry, english manner
@maxkent16 күн бұрын
Real recognise real
@huntercreatesthings12 күн бұрын
Could not agree with you more! Awesome video.
@snoogie2k2 күн бұрын
Thank you for reminding me.
@nickl21812 күн бұрын
This is an amazing video
@hugobeingdumb6 күн бұрын
4:08 shared experience. I feel when i first started I had such high ambitions that the rules didn't matter really - everything I was doing was just me. Once I learned the 'rules' everything felt like it was just a template.
@JasonLawrenceNoel16 күн бұрын
Less nice photos…. More your photos =) Love it!!! Great video ty
@Scubadog_3 күн бұрын
my 4 star shot library is literally named "interesting" for this reason. this video has been very reaffirming because i've gone through basically the same hurdles, especially after art school and all of the rules that come with it
@robbe47113 күн бұрын
Doubt is the motor of life. If you ever reach your destination...you're literally dead.
@corybrown81963 күн бұрын
This right here! Took me years to realize this, and he's spot on
@richardlynam200710 күн бұрын
'Nice' Video 😀
@JKL6665 күн бұрын
Good u pointed this out, can recognize myself in this.
@kedralive6 күн бұрын
What do you think about Fujifilm X-T20 and 18-55mm lens? What lenses are still good, up to about $200-300
@relaxwithme32667 күн бұрын
Very true. I realized this in filmmaking about 5 years ago. Once I took ownership and did things in my own style, my career took off. Now I run the video department and do almost everything "wrong" but have never had so much fun or been more successful. For example, I don't use a gimbal. I shoot either handheld or on a tripod. I don't use rule of third. I lean heavily on macro shots. I mix up music genres that don't normally fit well together. I color grade in a unique way that no pro would do for a Netlix show. I operate only on instinct. I never use shotlists. etc etc. The point is, at a certain time in your life, you gotta just be you and the world has to either be okay with it or not. I'd say as a male it equates to becoming a grown man.
@maxkent7 күн бұрын
That’s great dude! Keep up the good work
@AxisFilmsProductions14 күн бұрын
Thanks for this video, this is exactly what I needed to hear!
@maxkent13 күн бұрын
Sometimes you just need to be reminded of this stuff 💪
@lelandfitz176212 күн бұрын
I think rules are important. You need to know them by heart. When you know how to set your camera up for what you envision in your mind withouth having to think much about it, you're at a proper stage to think about "style." I wouldn't play them against each other.
@tobiasyoder3 күн бұрын
I agree it seems that the waves of thinking "I really am getting this figured out now!" after every little breakthrough is somewhat universal for most photographers. At the end you touched on that having a clearly identifiable style is a big thing. While I agree somewhat, Ive found for myself trying too hard to have a 'distinct' style can become a little contrived. What I find more important is to just keep following whatever keeps me interested which I think will naturally lead to a style as more of an emergent property. Enjoyed your thoughts :)
@bruce-le-smith10 күн бұрын
seen a few on this theme lately. good one. photo is like sport in many ways. you need to know how to handle the ball, to make offensive and defensive moves, to pass, to communicate to a teammate you're open, to confuse your opponents. those are the rules. but great players dont just run the drills. they do the drills until they're reflex, then they get out there against players who also know the drills and they all try to fake each other out
@asphotographics9 күн бұрын
Great analogy. I think in art, and especially photography, we forget the importance of practice, of drills, of honing skills. You can’t go out everyday and think you are going to make a masterpiece. You need to practice. You need to put in the hours with the camera (and without the camera) looking, seeing, visualizing. How many sketches did DaVinci make before he finally painted Mona Lisa? Athletes spend thousands of hours training, practicing, working on basic skills, obsessing over details of their performance. Then, on game day they go out there and perform and hopefully it all comes together. Sometimes it doesn’t. As a photographer, I need to accept that most days are practice days. Most photos I take on practice days will be nice but not great. But that’s okay because it’s all training (as long as I am aware and open to learning). Experiment. Fail. Learn. Then when inspiration, conditions, the location, or the client are right, then I can put all that training to use. And hopefully come away with something a few degrees above nice.
@simon_hollins16 күн бұрын
Wisdom just when I needed it 🙏
@maxkent16 күн бұрын
It’s a reminder for myself as much as anything 🌞
@tomhannigan223411 күн бұрын
Great vid and great photos. A bit of constructive feedback: It felt like you reiterated the same point several times through the video in much the same way each time. I’d have been interested to hear more about that experience with the cover photo for example, and you could have used more of a storytelling approach to getting your point across. I’ve subscribed and looking forward to your future vids, keep it up 👍
@petermcginty363615 күн бұрын
Thank you. Good words.
@maxkent15 күн бұрын
🔥
@jackbeltane16 күн бұрын
Great video, love your work. Photography improves when you adopt the mindset of taking photos for yourself, not trying to take a picture you think will be viral on IG. I have been shooting since 1979 and with a SLR since 1988. I am a multi discipline photographer. I feel shooting less photos, slowing down gets you more interesting shots.
@ateswierjr15 күн бұрын
This is a great reminder thanks! 👏🏻
@maxkent15 күн бұрын
🔥
@Wholeness94 күн бұрын
I am because of we. TRUTH ARE HIS WORDS. I bought my first camera exactly 1 year ago. Some people go outside every now and then, I go inside every now and then. I carry a slide with me, I now frame throughout my day, asking how the image makes me feel. My camera case is strapped on my belt. Our lives are worth documenting and I do. I seldom see what others see, maybe because I have no television,email,social media accounts and time thieving acquaintances- I shoot/view dozens of images per day- LIFE HAPPENING THE WAY I FEEL IT. Photographers,instructors, artist and I myself believe and express the images are remarkable. Be true to you. Shoot for you,share with us. Heal,be well,create,be you and LOVE US
@ryzz_FN.11 күн бұрын
What is the cam? It looks so grainy and nice. How do you edit
@scottnorland42149 күн бұрын
When I'm shooting an assignment I like to start with the safe, expected photos, then get more creative. Risk failure after I've banked a safe few.
@karim80305 күн бұрын
I think a better way of putting it is: photography, is like a language, and "rules" are tools that we use to communicate photos. Every photo opportunity is a puzzle, and a learning opportunity. We have many different ways to solve that puzzle, and the results are both subjective and real.
@richardgarcia80913 күн бұрын
thanks
@chriszueger4 күн бұрын
just found your channel. great stuff Max!
@maxkent4 күн бұрын
Thanks dude!!
@dunerino89212 күн бұрын
much appreciated!
@vinylarchaeologist7 күн бұрын
• Doesn't take nice photos, because everyone else does • Holds lav mic in hand because everyone else does
@justinsievers27563 күн бұрын
This was really cool
@ennayanne2 күн бұрын
i take shitloads of nice photos on my phone and will continue to do so
@tropicalwave-C5 күн бұрын
nice motion in your shots!
@LaFuenteOnFilm16 күн бұрын
Agree with the creating your own lane and doing something different
@maxkent16 күн бұрын
😎
@SMGJohn6 күн бұрын
I think most people would agree there two kinds of nice photos, the ones where something interesting is happening makes you end up staring at it for a while. The other is the one you put as a wallpaper and then forget about it the day after.
@georgerady97062 күн бұрын
They were called ‘snaps’ back in the film days… now we take these with our smart phones and it costs nothing!
@thelemon5069Күн бұрын
Deff calling em snaps instead of shooting now
@FilmAndFancies-xf9itКүн бұрын
Tbh? That is why I love my janky little Polaroid. Sometimes I love using a very limited format with film that might just randomly decide it wanta to turn weird colors. Once I know I can never reach "perfect" with a medium it is a lot less stressful to me
@milosdudukovic57549 күн бұрын
Not gonna lie, indeed a nice video. Love how relaxed you are. Can you perhaps tell me, what microphone do you use in this video? Peace
@DanJFilmsКүн бұрын
Where did you take the thumbnail for the video? I love it
@cjwomack16 күн бұрын
I get bored with the same ole stuff sometimes too, but like you said it’s hard for me to know which rule to break to mix it up 😅😂
@maxkent16 күн бұрын
That’s where you have to experiment and get inspiration 🔥
@Anon543874 күн бұрын
The nice part is that with digital it really frees one up to experiment a lot without much of a hit to the pocket book.
@mymenare7 күн бұрын
good video ,,,,, :)
@mr_danyol5 күн бұрын
Photography is visual poetry so there will naturally be a lot of repetition with imagery and symbols. What separates a “nice” photograph from a great photograph is the ability of the photographer to see the world from an under-appreciated perspective and be vulnerable enough to pursue making the image.. as long as the photographer captures a unique perspective/message there is no need for style.. the idea that a photographer must have a style is one of those hidden art world rules that is completely absurd.. I’d rather look at images made by a group of people learning photography than look at images where a photographer “interprets” a group of people/community from an outsiders perspective.. the best photographers see something beautiful and then make an image to record that beauty.. the way in which an individual sees the world is the only style that is needed to capture a great photograph
@scoruluce5 күн бұрын
❤❤
@jjuarez8315 күн бұрын
Yeah. There are a lot of photographers that do beautiful work that looks the same.
@jimmywestphoto9 күн бұрын
Though I agree with what you're saying, learning the "rules" is a must though to be able to find your own style. MOST photographers with a distinct style still uses compositions made by rule of thirds. For example your photo at 3:05. That's 100% rule of thirds. 3:08 is just a snapshot with your editing style to it. 3:13 is also rule of thirds. ETC. But as I said, I agree with you need to develop your own style, but getting there is by learning all the "boring" stuff first.
@gergnotsloh12 күн бұрын
I'm an old guy and grew up learning film and got a degree in fine art photography. What I see nowadays is exactly what you described. The "nice" stuff. Landscapes, perfectly composed. Portraits with beautiful people with that perfect rim lighting etc. etc. It's boring. It seems like a lot of modern photographers have gotten away from the real psychology of the human being and just gone for glitz and glamour. If you're going to do a landscape, make it your own. Put some people in it. Wrap them up in cheese cloth or something. MAKE your photos. Everyone nowadays just TAKES photos. Anybody can do that.
@LR150713 күн бұрын
Im watching this from about 100 metres away from that cinema 😅
@Anon543874 күн бұрын
One thing I think you are missing about getting noticed. Noticing photographers is not even a priority for most folks. Artistic type stuff, while nice, is not a necessity of life so it takes a back seat to the practical concerns. Speaking of practical, photographers tend to be more emotionally motivated and, similarly, are responsive to nostalgia. An awful lot of shots are, in one way or another, evocative of that. That, though, doesn't really register with people who are, either by inborn nature or necessity of life, more practically minded about things. Photography largely appeals only to other photographers which is really rather like a dog chasing its own tail, in a manner of speaking.
@wilkebitter57423 күн бұрын
First few seconds: Thats Aberystwyth Pier, isnt it? Good point made, though. It amazes me how you can shoot raw Images on phones via the lightroom app and the Images are broken in beautiful ways.
@z3a3k34 күн бұрын
Just about like with anything else in life, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
@jan-jans1434 күн бұрын
i love this
@maxkent4 күн бұрын
🔥
@rhubarbspecialist30273 күн бұрын
Awesome shirt mate
@maxkent3 күн бұрын
🔥
@j4s0n673 күн бұрын
0:08 oh my god that's straight out of Wes Anderson film
@thelemon5069Күн бұрын
Never learned rules on purpose i just do
@frapduda68378 сағат бұрын
In Germany we say "Nett ist die kleine Schwester von Scheiße", basically: "Nice is the little sister of crap"
@classic.cameras12 күн бұрын
I think there is a balance between a Nice Photo and a Crap Photo. I see so many people take nice photos but I also see others take crap photos of some rubbish in an alleyway or some graffiti sprayed abandoned building. Just a waste of film/electricity. While others try to copy others edginess not taking the time to think "Ok yeah this person is famous but why? Is this any good?". I operate this way. ALWAYS mind your backgrounds and take whatever you want but never take a photo simply for the sake of taking a photo. Have some reason to shoot the shutter button, film, digital or even cellphone. Anyways nice vid
@GPadugan2 күн бұрын
There are objectively good photos and bad photos. The problem with style is that it is not objective, it is subjective. You cannot defend subjectivity by definition. If person "A" likes your work, that doesn't make it good. If person "B" doesn't like your work that doesn't make it bad. This is a problem. The ability to take an objectively good photo means that the photographer has established that ability and that serves as a starting point. You can't have a style if you can't take a nice photo first. Because your style, whatever it is, is defined by how far away and in what direction it goes based on that initial starting point.......the nice photo.
@byjohnycli10 күн бұрын
W take
@migranthawker29522 күн бұрын
They might suck to you, but they might be just what the photographer wanted. We might think your type of photography sucks, so you take your images and let others take theirs!
@dergelenkspreizer527210 күн бұрын
Uhmm. okay. I have no problem with straight clean work executed by following rules. I never have a hassle to do something extraordinary. I like the boring very much. Makes life so much easier.
@Werbinich.4 күн бұрын
why is the focus on the wall and not at you
@maxkent4 күн бұрын
Idk lol, I was in the middle of travelling so I missed this in the edit. Sometimes when my camera has low battery the AF decides to mess with me 👹
@chromagraphphotoart8 күн бұрын
Required viewing...
@BetoCarBri8 күн бұрын
Now a days everyone is a "photographer"
@cstpa110 күн бұрын
ok
@sonofoneintheuniverse11 күн бұрын
Take pictures of nothing. Lots of spontaneous images. And you will evolve into your owns style. Reqires lots of practice, stamina, critical sense and introspection. Works for me but may not work for you... 😊
@paulstevenson20012 күн бұрын
Distracting, pointless muzak.
@sonyviva30810 күн бұрын
Idk I don't care man, when I see something nice I'll just capture it not fake it.I've done car shoots that were staged and it does look nice.. But it isn't special.
@ZidaneSteiner8 күн бұрын
People should demonstrate a mastery of their craft. The rules of composition, lighting, technique, are there for a reason. You can break these rules, but your images will look "bad" and not in a "good" way. There are masters of this craft who break the rules in interesting ways. But 99.99% of you wont be able to do that, because you can't even take a technically "good" photo in the first place. You'd be better off focusing on interesting subject matter, rather than trying to be creative with uninteresting things and trying to pass it off as avant garde.
@ytfeelslikenorthkorea3 күн бұрын
stop taking photos in general. No one needs your photos (other than AI models).Most of the scenic "nice photos" are already replaced by a flood of AI generated crap on Instagram, and PEOPLE LOVE IT. People who see themselves are "artists" produce mediocre crap that needs a tone of justification of "what artist meant to say was..." (which means: it's crap). Photography as a hobby needs a big reset. I myself am in a purge phase. I decided that certain chapters in my life and photography as a hobby/activity are closed now, there is no need to come back to this, so I am purging my archives of weddings, events, fashion and stage. I can approach it without projecting emotions which cloud the judgement of most photographers "it's good because I made it","It's good because I remember what I felt when I took that photo". Now the emotions are gone, I can judge them for what they are, and delete most of them. Started with 150k of photos (from 20 years of activity). Down to 19k now, and still counting. Where I can, I develop my RAW images to JPEGs and ditch the originals - let's be honest, if there is any revolutionary formula for any given photo, I would have used it by now, no need to keep RAWs forever). It's a very liberating process.
@henkvrieling95868 сағат бұрын
Unnecessary annoying music
@windowlicker232710 күн бұрын
Sounds like (and looks like) someone can't take good nice photos. Sour grapes much?
@madonna8165 күн бұрын
Seeing a lot of what looks like accidents from my 80’s 110 le clic camera. If that makes you happy, good! Run with those scissors! 🫶