Can’t wait to see this series develop Bryan. You tend to be quite hard on yourself and I’m the exact same way so my wife says lol. I’ve chosen to not look at it as a bad thing either. You’ll always be humble and that allows for the best learning experience throughout the process. Anyways, I really enjoyed this first episode and was excited to learn more about Gedney’s work so thank you for bringing him up! Cheers brother!🤘📸
I’ve heard the “you’re too hard on yourself” from everyone. But I just have to work that way. If I get compliments and shit I get very lazy like the work is done. But it’s far from done. That’s why Chico was so important to me. They weren’t afraid to hit me where it hurts.
I want to express how awesome it is that you share such an honest experience with us about your photography. I know many can relate to you and your videos are sometimes warm. Keep going buddy and hope we run into each other one day
I've just started a project of shooting from where I'm from and the old and the new, slowly it became a project of the boring and mundane (that's what northern Sweden is) BUT what I didn't expect was how much of me is ending up in those photographs and I Can't wait to show them to the world later on this year.
1. Landscapes in the Midwest are difficult. But can be strikingly beautiful when done well. 2. If you ever want a car buddy/tour guide of Eastern Iowa lmk, I'm working on a similar project.
The suspense was killing me at the start. I enjoy your complete honesty. It can't be easy putting all of your thoughts out there, but I'm sure it will help you grow as a photographer. The GFX photos looked good. I struggle getting the colours to look in a lot of light on my GFX and even X series Fuji cameras.
I just struggle with getting the soft look of film. It’s either to contrasty or way too soft. But I just need to embrace the digital look and take the pros and cons of it. Affordability and ease is always a plus.
Great video, a topic I can totally relate to living in Alberta. Are you familiar with George Webber? He has a book Prairie Gothic which would be right up your alley, just focusing on the Canadian Prairies.
One of the things I enjoy about your photography, as a Brit living in Chicago without a car, is that it shows me a totally different side of the Midwest that I basically never get to experience.
For me the intro is the exact opposite to other peoples opinion to your intro. The music and too the filmed scenes are for a psycho movie, and has nothing to do with the Midwest. For me the scenes. The musice and scenes seem to me as if, for example, a UFO would fly into the picture at any moment, or as if a murderer or monster could jump out of the cornfield at any moment. Is this the Midwest? The scenes are dark and negative and so have nothing or very little to do with the Midwest. Surely there are some murderers and rapists out in the Midwest, but only a few. For me it seems, that you only had the idea to do anything else, than you did in the past. Surely you are an artist and have the rights to do what you want, but I would preferr to see you as an artist who does art, not crime movies like "art" videos. The intro does not fit to you and does not fit to the Midwest. Sorry Brian, that is my opinion to this intro. However, the rest of your video is like Brian's work, that I know and like. BTW Brian, do you like this intro?
I wanted to experiment a bit. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I’m not about to be the photographer on RU-vid who does the same thing like every single other photographer. Lo fi music, coffee b roll, that shot of that barn in the Tetons…sound familiar? I loved it. That’s why I made it. And if you don’t think it fits me then I would venture to guess it’s because you don’t really know me as a person. And that’s fine because you’re only seeing what I give you online. Hope you enjoy the next video if you decide to watch. 🍻
I wasted four years of my life in college to get a shit tv and film degree. Didn’t learn a single thing and thought I was going out to Hollywood. So I’ll just stick to RU-vid filmmaking now. Haha
Thank you so much for your commitment to keeping it real. (I read the earlier comment telling you to “chill out” and I think your response was polite, but I would have given a different response, lol.) I, along with many others, really appreciate hearing from someone who isn’t afraid to talk about the struggles and challenges they face with their work….as opposed to so many “influencers” who only want to show their “bangers” and how awesome their creative life is. Also, I respect your principled approach to photographing people. I think about the photographer’s work I like the most (like Schutmaat’s for example) and you can feel the respect and dignity he has for his subjects, it literally shows in the work. And that’s what elevates it. Appreciate you, man.
Dude, the “chill out” comment was wild. If he thinks I’m not chill now I can’t imagine what he would say with my old videos talking shit on everyone under the sun. Lmao Thanks for the kind words. Really appreciate it!
I went on a work trip to rural Nebraska some years ago and loved it, some of my favourite photos were from that trip. I live by sea (in the UK) and I had a moment whilst standing in a corn field with country as far as I could see and realised I was the furthest I've ever been from the coast... Exploring Nebraska was the open spaces, it's the may layered stories that shape the landscape (both nature and human) and it's a visceral sense of time past and and time passing. I think. Great video, and I think I'm going to have a look at those old photos again.
The idea that there aren't boring places, just boring photographers made me think of Rilke saying that “if your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for to the creator there is no poverty and no poor indifferent place.” Great video, thank you 👏
my personal experience with digital color has been that the older and higher end the camera is, the better the colors. used a phase one p65 for a few months, now i dont shoot any digital anymore because so far nothing has been able to match it
Let the photos speak for themselves. Let the viewer interpret them the way they choose, i know thats how I prefer to view photos. For me the only exception is when it's a singular subject where you want to tell a specific or special story.
I agree somewhat. I think some projects benefit from text and background. Other more poetic and ethereal work might not need words. But I also know many people think the opposite. Poetic needs words. Documentary/real world doesn’t. It’s all preference for sure.
Bryan, man this is very cool. I feel the same way with what I am attempting with a photo project. The midwest is hard to capture especially without people to drive a narrative. It's hard enough to create compelling, honest, and uplifting images using human subjects. Without the human subject, I am thinking about some archival material from The Center for Land Use Interpretation as a guideline for the midwestern landscape problem. Doubly cool was your mention of Alec Soth. He had some work in a SLAM show from his Sleeping by the Mississippi series last year. I was particularly drawn to his work there and the idea. Thank you for mentioning him and reminding me of my stored but misplaced thoughts.
Soth is a treasure trove and even if you don’t like his work I think he has compelling thoughts to make you think on photography. His course is still the only education I’ve paid for with photography. And it increases in value every time I watch it.
I'm sorry you feel that way. You can always not watch white men with cameras. I can't help my skin color, my dude. I can’t even believe I reply to these asinine comments.
@@BryanBirks well if you look at demographic of the RU-vid algorithm it's mainly caucasian males who have the biggest audience. The video production is getting better than the visual communication. Photos should be printed not a computation on a screen no way can your work be appreciated on a screen.
@@BryanBirks also videos on cameras and film has pushed the price through the roof and priced working-class people out of it again… it should be available to everyone not just RU-vidrs…
My RU-vid is a supplementation of my work. I print my work. I have prints hung up behind me in the video. Lmao I even said in the video that I’m focusing on making a book. Not sure what else you want. But if you can’t appreciate work on a screen (I can) then why the heck are you watching work on a screen? Go look at a book then. Also, I’m working class. I’m not rich. I live in the Midwest which is cheap. I don’t buy a lot of extraneous shit. My RU-vid channel has made me around $4K over five years. I’m not rolling in the dough talking about large format compadre!
I think they show humility in the person and I think they're authentic portraits that document someone as they are. They aren't produced. There's no fluff. I think they represent the person well. I think they're dignified and respectful. I'm not the one to ask what they say. I should ask the viewer that and if they feel something, great. If they don't, I probably need to make another portrait.
I’m glad you don’t feel that all this boring photography is amazing nor is the street photography in New York, if I understood you right. I don’t take street photos I do documentary work. But your portrait of Doug doesn’t document his life like that photographer you mentioned did. What do your portraits mean to you? Why portraits?? I do like your picture of Travis on the tailgate though. It’s getting closer to a documentary image and I like it! I hope this stimulates you to think about your work. I’m not trying to be a downer or mean/harsh. Just my thoughts.
The portraits I showed of Doug aren’t going to be part of the project because the photos I took before were better portraits. I said that in the video. But I figured it would be better to show them than not. Again, and I said this in a previous comment, I'm not only going to show the best shit and most of the time my shit will be boring and once in a while it might all come together like the Travis portrait. But that doesn't happen often.
The touristboard for het Midwest will probably not use this video for their promotions but, man, this is a fantastic moody video! Thank you very much for all the hard work you put in making this for us.
You might like the photography of Danny Wilcox Frazier, you know him ? Very midwest, very much into communities and the people in rural areas. His images are quite different from yours, which I think can be a bonus... And thanks for another great video !
What point in the video makes you think that I’m not okay? Lmao I’m perfectly fine. Probably the most level headed I’ve been since I started this channel.
@@grizzlyrunfast Please explain where I am defensive. Is it the part about boring photography? Is it a comment? I honestly don't know. All I'm doing is sharing my process, experience, and opinions just like I've been doing for four years. I'm sure at some point it may be negative in some way, shape, or form. It's not all positive and great all the time and I try to show that. I'm not a super jovial person either so maybe my talking comes across a way that makes it seem like that? I don't know. I'm trying to figure out what you mean. Lol
The best photographers from the Midwest are 1) Gary Irving (Places of Grace, Beneath an Open Sky, Illinois) 2) David Plowden (The Hand of Man on America, Vanishing Point, A Sense of Place) 3) Terry Evans (The Inhabited Prairie, Disarming the Prairie, Prairie: Images of Ground and Sky These are the Best of the Midwest.📷🌟🌟🌟
I live in Illinois. The mental struggle to find beauty is so hard for me. Your channel and work inspires me. It feels really rewarding when I get an interesting photo. Always look forward to a new video. Keep up the great work!
Thank you! What part of Illinois? I feel like the closer you get to the Mississippi river the better things get. Southwest Illinois is pretty beautiful.
Thank you for all your videos , sometimes I watch them a couple of times. If you're planning to come a little bit closer to Chicago let us know . I think a lot of people get inspired for your videos and also the recomendations about other photographers that you follow. One more time, Thanks .
Man your vulnerability and expression of your ideas and thoughts is just so refreshing and relatable. Yourself, Willy and Brae are like my holy trinity. Thanks Bryan!
