Thomas, if you need an excuse to visit Arizona you'll find London Bridge at Lake Havasu City. I thought this video was really good. Lots of humor which I appreciate...and I really love the photo of the lady with her hand up to here mouth. Yes, you may have just been randomly clicking off shots, but sometimes that works.
I wanted to just make a point about all the negativity I have seen on Thom's RU-vid videos in recent weeks. I have been a subscriber since the very beginning and I have loved every video, they are informative, often witty and most importantly inspirational! With popularity comes sponsorship and demand for more frequent videos and I think it is so important for all of us to understand that Thom is a human being like the rest of us!! The sponsorships help him make more videos for us and the extra content might not always be in a wonderful location, but Thom has used these videos to provide us with his own knowledge and feelings. Most importantly Thom also has a personal life, just like everyone else he has family and friends as well as a busy work and life schedule. So please stop the negativity and snide criticism, if you have constructive feedback share it! Finally, I just want to say a big thank you to Thom for all of his dedication to RU-vid, his blogs and in building a stronger landscape photography community, you should be proud of everything you have achieved, do keep it up and ignore the jealous losers!
never understand how people get frustrated about the sponsorship. for one, the squarespace thing is just a minor part of the video. two, the sponsored videos have in there title that its sponsored. he cant make it easier for us to skip those parts if unwanted.
For those of us who struggle with all areas of photography, its helpful to see you struggle as well. The vulnerability is good to see and it's a good reminder that we can always challenge ourselves to get better.
Thomas has taken more shots in the first 30 seconds of this vlog, than rest of his RU-vid videos put together!! It's so refreshing to see him as a human Photographer and not a Landscape Demi-god!
That first shot is STUNNING. I was baffled how you even managed to get the focus spot on, and such a great composition while just walking by. Great video once again!
Yeah, I actually blurted out, "that's actually really f*ckn' good!" I've been shooting street photography for a while now, and the first shot reminded me of something like Vivian Maier, or Erik Kim. Thomas, you gotta give yourself more credit, man!
One of the reasons I love landscape photography or anything "outdoor-sy" in general is that I can be my usual self as I am a socially awkward person. Gave me a laugh when you were shooting randomly at people.
*Ooh Yes!* - I've been thinking about doing this as a collaboration with you now that I'm back in London, as a bit of a role reversal idea! I'm actually commenting before watching, so I'm eager to see how you do 👍
I've gotta say Tom, this is probably my favourite vlog of yours! It's great to see you out of your comfort zone and how you approached everything. We should definitely do this together some day though! I'll take you to some areas that might just tickle your fancy a bit more. Places like Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park Observatory, Richmond Park, Bushy Park - so many places you'll be comfortable with your tripod haha. Or, we can walk about with stripped down gear and try the street stuff again 😀 Good job!
Still think you're brilliant. The candid nature of your videos is what makes it so ......relatable. And your cousin during the outtakes was hysterical. Laughed my butt off.
This is brilliant. Kudos to you Tom stepping outside your comfort zone and then displaying it for the world to see. Very light hearted and heaps of fun!
Street photography is tough, it takes one out of their comfort zone. I've tried several times and I do some street photography when my wife and I travel. I think it helps to use a small camera and to take some time to get to know people. Just a smile and a few questions help break the ice. That said, I'm sticking to landscapes and wildlife.
Honestly, I'm an American who is glad for this comment, as when he said London Bridge I thought "but... I thought it was called Tower Bridge..." and got confused for a moment LOL.
I think there has been a misunderstanding, I said "That London bridge" you know, that bridge here in London. Not really, I totally got it wrong. I don't know my bridges here in the capital. Tower Bridge.
LOL!!! One of the funniest and thoroughly amusing videos Thomas. Thanks. Good to see you in city settings and having fun with other genre of photography.
I was laughing so hard while you were doing the street photography - doesn't do us any harm to poke a bit of fun at ourselves every now and then. Really enjoyed this video Thomas, something a bit different.
Hey Thomas, everytime i see a new video of you i click happily. You know how to make a vlog interesting, entertaining and full of lessons for photography. Thanks a lot! Keep on going :)
ah that video was beautiful thomas :) its always an inspiration to see people doing things they normaly dont do, because you start thinking about how you would do in the same situation. And i think you did a good job! Really like the b&w photo :)
We are so used to seeing you in your 'natural' environment on landscapes but seeing you out of your comfort zone and looking vulnerable was a real eye opener and was really interesting. Thanks for ALL your content.
Well done Thomas, your street photography experience has been entertaining and you captured a couple of cool shots, it's shown you that although this isn't your bag it has shown everyone watching that trying something new can still be fun, bye for now!
I love street photography. Together with wedding photography, I consider it to be the hardest of all. I had to spend a few hundreds of hours in the streets with my camera before I began feeling comfortable, train the eyes and start getting good images. Really challenging. Love it and I love my Fujifilm X100s which is great for the streets.
Hey Thomas, thanks for showing the struggle and not pretending to be a genius at ALL photography. That said, loved your street shot! You're a genius! Stunning...or is it stoonin'! Thank you sincerely...you have inspired me greatly!
Brilliant buddy. This video had me laughing all the way through. I love the honest approach to it and once a landscape photographer always a landscape photographer. I thought you were really brave to walk round London with a selfie stick :) Love you cousin too lol
Good to see you out and about in London, very well done with that first shot of that lady, the focusing for such a quick snap was spot on. I've been here for a few years now, done virtually no street photography, mainly long exposures and architectural shots. Everyone has their own taste in photography, some things you like, others you don't. But if you're ever down again and fancy a guide, let me know, there's loads of hidden gems around that you'd never find by yourself
Although not your usual video or standard of photography, I still quite enjoyed the raw nature of this video, no planning, more of the cuff in edited video was quite enjoyable for me. I know you are out your comfort zone & shows people that not just anyone can take a particular style/genre of image, excellent vid keep it up
Loved it. Fish out of water! Couldn't agree with you more. Street photography for me is alien to me as well. But getting out there and giving it a go, nothing ventured... Well done Tom for keeping us entertained.
Thomas, I think you summed up perfectly the problem a lot of us have with street photography. It's the "invasion of personal space" thing. Sometimes it's good to discover what you aren't good at, or interested in. I think the best Street Photographers compose an image, just as you do with your amazing landscapes. They do more than blast away randomly and hope for the best. It's just that they only have a split-second to capture the image they composed in their mind, as it unfolded. I'm such a fan of Vivian Maier. Her best work is clearly composed and structured. She used 6x6 roll film so she clearly couldn't blast away and hope for the best. HOWEVER.... she did use a Rollieflex, with a waist-level viewfinder. I think that may be the key for you. If you used a "flip screen" (Canon 80D) at waist level, then it does two things. (1) It breaks that intimacy with the subject. You're looking at a picture of the subject and not directly at them (2) It's discreet. People may not even know you're looking at them, it looks like you;re messing with your camera. But ultimately I think it needs the confidence to point your camera at someone, a stranger, when you see that perfect composition. (I don't have it).
Very interesting to see you doing something different and very challenging. Very good for your first shot at street photography! Much more relaxed approach to vlogging too, which was fun to watch. Looking forward to more of your landscape trips and hiking though but good on you for trying something new ☺
Thomas I'm sure I herd a little pump when you were talking about there been no chairs left, I spat my tea out laughing :-)))))))) another great video btw
Another great vid Thomas Heaton! Really good fun and you capture what it's like here in the City (eugh!). And who in their right mind wouldn't want to be in Whitley Bay?!?!
I am really happy that you take such challenge and you go out of your comfort zone. Maybe street photography is not your cup of tea but I think it is really good if people try different styles. We can all learn from them.
I find these videos of you struggling almost as inspirational as your beautiful landscape outings. If someone with your talent, creativity and preparation can struggle, then it's ok for me to struggle but still carry on. Thank you for sharing your vulnerabilities with us!!
Great video! I always love when you show the bloopers, like you getting stuck on the underground, running into the lamppost, etc. Also, the shot of the lady with her hand to her face is really beautiful. You said later that you didn't "get" it as there is no story there. What I love about street photography (which I am also really not good at) is that you can imagine the story without really knowing what lead up to that moment. When I see a compelling image, I THINK about it, wondering about what was going on and what would happen next, what was the person thinking about, etc. Sometimes, I engage even more with photos like that, where there is no explanation or backstory, simply because instead of just saying "how pretty" or "I want to go there", my curiosity takes over. Anyway, I always like your videos, and they are always a nice bit of inspiration to get out there with my camera, so even when it's not out in a beautiful outdoor setting, this video is proof that you practice what you preach and grab your camera and get out there, and out of your comfort zone. Well done! ;)
Great video, so fun watching you be like a fish out of water, which is actually good for all of to try once in a while. You even got a few great shots!
Well Mr Heaton. .... I have never giggled so much at one of your videos. For someone who is like a fish out of water your ideas were great. I would have stayed at the bridge and waited for the sun to go down. I should imagine the street lights reflecting in the river. Easy for me to say.... I do it in Manchester. great video.
Good on you for going out of your comfort zone and trying something completely different. It sounds like a great way to practice mindfulness by exploring what we're good at and (re)discovering where our interests lie. The first candid shot you took is stunning!
This was a lot of fun to watch :) I'm still feeling out what my main genre of photography is. On one hand, I'm like you, a bit standoffish when it comes to asking people, but on the other hand I like the candidness of it. But I also love landscapes and portraits and abstract...
Same exact way I feel about Street Photography. I've tried it, but never enjoyed it like I enjoy Landscape. I much prefer the slow, deliberate process of finding a composition and battling the elements and getting 1 great shot. Great video and it was a blast to see you film yourself out of your element.
That was fun!! Always good to push the comfort zone 😊 I've done street photography a few times and I just smile and shoot and luckily not had a problem
Really enjoyed this video, Tom, and have to confess I had a bit of a giggle! Being a country person, I can sympathise with how you feel in a big city and it's great to see someone else having the same feelings about doing street photography and approaching people and feeling so bleeding obvious when you are carting around a camera, not to mention, lifting it up to your eye! Don't know how it's done because you want people to look natural, which they are definitely not going to be when they know you are taking photos.
This could possibly be your most inspirational video. You went right out of your comfort zone and tried your honest best, getting a few really decent shots. I think this shows us all that we need to push ourselves and try other things, as you have done with the 4x5. But I'll be honest, street photography isn't a genre I'd like to do, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate those that can and do do it.
Love this video. Great to see that even a great photographer is not comfortable shooting anything. I can see a lot of my own insecurities in this video. Thank you a lot for sharing Thomas
Always cool to try something different! Although this is the exact opposite of what you usually do, the images were pretty nice imo. Love your Channel, keep it up!👍
Great video, example of where we all have to come out of our comfort zones at times to experience different things. You didn’t credit yourself for your lovely image of the child with the “Tories Out” sign which made the shortlist well done for your first time! only just got into photography myself and found your vlogs on here super informative, easy to watch and fun. Thank you
really enjoyed this Thomas. laughed at all your London mishaps probably because I'm the same, something about a large city causes me to become really clumsy. Really enjoyed watching and already looking forward to sunday
Your videos keep getting better and better. Love the honesty and sincerity. FWIW, Fuji X-T2 or X-T20 in silent mode is a killer Street Photography setup. Your 5D Mark iv isn't so unassuming, LOL.
I would love to see more 'Heaton Tries New Styles' videos. It's really enjoyable watching you out of your comfort zone and just having a bit of a laugh. The b&w image at 10:04 was my favourite :)
hahaha you are amazing Thomas. In the first 2 seconds of this video I can totally relate. Street photography is cool but wow, yes, so different to Landscapes. I always find myself in awkward spots when attempting street work :) :) Great video as always!
Not my favourite vlog in many ways but in other ways a brilliant and brave vlog to share. What it shows is that whilst something is outside the comfort zone still try it. It might not be something you aspire to do but still try it every now and again. I'm just pleased that Thomas isn't perfect at this as well as landscape - but he's an honest man who says as much. Cheers Thomas and I think finding content which we all want to see - and be perfect - is impossible. Keep up the great work!
I've been doing Street Photography here in Seattle for years. It's all about the moment. The two key things in making it happen are patience and tenacity. While something is constantly happening all around you in the city, like any photographic endeavor, it takes time to find interesting subjects. Some people shoot constantly hoping to grab a moment. My approach is selective and when I see what I want, I grab a shot of it. I try to make eye contact with my subject whenever possible. It's also important to be accessible and casual about it. Being an aggressive personality just doesn't help. I also carry a minimum amount of gear. I work with a collection of point and shoot cameras that can be shot from the hip and respond immediately when I see something. I find it less obtrusive than a DSLR. It also helps to have the personality for it. If you would rather avoid people, or they simply make you uncomfortable, street photography is a bad idea. Check out the work of John Free. He has been doing Street Photography in LA for years and there are several videos out there of him doing it. John is easy going and accessible. He is non evasive and respectful, and doesn't intrude on the space of others. He does good work. By contrast, Bill Eggelston has been doing Street Photography since the 60's and is extremely shy. Remarkable, since so much of his work involves both people and things.
Thanks for the content Thomas, it's nice seeing you out of your comfort zone occasionally. I'm with you on street photography, I don't "get it" either. I much prefer any decent shots that I get be down to a small amount of skill rather than a large amount of luck.
It's good to see you out of your comfort zone Thomas, you did a good job at it but your landscape photograph are something else to be seen. Nice one buddy. Tony
Brilliant stuff, when I'm not working on film and TV sets, street photography is a good way to keep going and your intro was hilarious. The massive manfrotto bag and tripod kept it nice and lowkey ;). Your "London Sunset" would've been better if you had taken a trip up the Shard!
Good to see you in London! :) I can relate a lot to what you've been through with street photography, I don't feel comfortable at all shooting random people. But I think that with practice you can overcome that easily, just remember to be kind and smile back if someone notices you just took a picture of them.
