You've Been Lied To: Camera 'Rules' That Need to Die

[@mrmagic3331]

youtube video rule #1: no annoying loud background music

[@mike_s_media]

I've been shooting photo for a little over 20 years and started video about 7 years ago. The only thing on this list that I come across regularly is the gatekeeping which seems mostly limited to the gear/spec junkies. Everything else is wildly subjective and absolutely has a place in photo and video at least in the non KZbin sense. Mr. Hart seems to just want to call out beginners for being excited to shoot wide open like we all once did (not sure how that's a "rule that needs to die"). Log profiles have been around for about 20 years now so technically we had log profiles in the past. If you want to be technical shooting raw is actually the industry standard in digital and film was the standard before that (which film used was the primary determining factor in color tone etc). Also in the professional space most people aren't concerned with dynamic range because 99% of modern cameras are more than adequate without needing to delve deep into specs. However, you'd need to look at an older consumer grade digital camera to really understand why dynamic range became such a trending topic the past few years.

[@WesKriesel]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I totally get what you're saying-gear/spec junkies can be intense, but everything else is really subjective, and there's room for all kinds of styles. It’s cool to hear your perspective from years of experience in both photo and video!

[@pacesettingpodcast6804]

This video made me feel so much better about my own photography journey. It's easy to get caught up in the 'rules,' but hearing these perspectives really puts things in perspective. Thank you!

[@WesKriesel]

🙏

[@JerredZ]

Thanks for letting me be a part! Great video, Wes. Great to have you doing so many cool, positive things in the photography community!

[@WesKriesel]

Thanks, Jerred. I appreciate you being willing to share your voice and perspective!

[@photographybypetercharles9939]

My pet peeve is the over reliance on technology. Modern cameras are engineered to take most of the decision making out of the hands of the photographer. This can be a good thing when we need it, but do we need to be on auto everything, scene mode, etc. just to take a picture of some flowers?

[@WesKriesel]

Thanks so much for your insight! I appreciate you watching and commenting. It reminds me of a challenge I love-spending a day shooting with manual focus. It’s such a valuable way to sharpen our focus and timing, and ultimately elevate our craft.

[@HonJingKaiCwss]

My pet peeve is that most photographers say autofocus is always better than manual focus. My Tokina 28-70 would disagree

[@hunterhart1]

Thanks for letting me hop in! great idea for a video by the way!

[@WesKriesel]

Thank YOU for being so generous with your insight and advice! You were dropping free knowledge: attend to framing, layering, composition and lighting and you are on your way!

[@SuperJackjackie]

The whole "ISO 100 rule" probably started in the early days of digital cameras, around the 2000s and early 2010s. Back then, CCD sensors were the “quality option,” but they were terrible once you moved away from their native ISO, and even decent CMOS sensors were noisy at higher ISOs, like ISO 6400. When I was working as an assistant with a Canon 5D2, my boss couldn’t stand how high ISO shots looked. I reckon the original idea was to stay under a certain ISO, but somewhere along the line, it turned into this “always shoot at ISO 100” thing. Lol.

[@WesKriesel]

Thanks for the insightful comment! The "ISO 100 rule" definitely feels like a leftover from early digital days when sensors struggled beyond their native ISO. Back then, even good cameras like the 5D2 showed noticeable noise at higher ISOs. It probably started as "keep ISO low for quality" and morphed into "always ISO 100." Times have changed, though-modern sensors handle high ISOs so much better!

[@FrancoGutz]

Hot takes for sure and I’ve gotta disagree with quite a few. Get the sharpest lens you can afford. Sure there’s a whole industry built on softening the shot but how many filters can effectively sharpen. Burst mode when shooting handheld is the way to go if you’re at a slower shutter speed or at a long focal length. The first shot has a bit of shake from hitting the shutter sometimes and it’s gone by the second. And shoot log. If it’s getting posted without editing mp4 is the best way. But if you’re going through the work of putting it on a timeline, you might as well throw on one of your saved node trees. It adds about 30 seconds if you’re organized. Also, you never know when you’ll need old footage so having quality in the archives is gold.

[@Fifthimagez]

This was truly amazing work thanks so much for this ❤

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for watching and leaving a comment. I appreciate you!

[@rhinobabypress9034]

❤❤❤

[@WesKriesel]

Thanks for watching.

[@Hellseeker1]

"I send my photos to a colorist" So being a professional is less work? Boy moving them sliders to taste is such hard work. These "Colorists" didn't take the picture, how would they know what it actually looked like? How do they know what the artist is trying to convey? Sounds like laziness, why not just use a preset? This tells me I work harder than most "professionals"

[@omarknowsphotos]

This tells me you've never been part of a larger production. I'm also talking about video, FYI.

[@mike_s_media]

First, you are talking about photography while he was referring to video. If that didn't scream your level of experience then understand that using presets is about the most beginner thing you could do in photography just shy of shooting exclusively in jpeg. Also, when you use the term "colorist" you are referring to someone who works in the film industry and they absolutely know what original shots look like and should look like as they spend a painfully extensive amount of time ensuring every color is not only accurate but matches from frame to frame. It's literally a full time career... There's a lot of information out there to help you not sound so ignorant the next time you respond to something like this!

[@omarknowsphotos]

@@mike_s_media ride or die, I've got your back FOR LIFE

[@GPadugan]

of course you are working harder, anyone who works for free is working harder. Part of being a professional (of anything) is knowing what to do and what to delegate.