@@mattdayphoto I always get this feeling as someone who shoots mostly large format. It’s a struggle but it pushes you to learn how to better recognize and pre plan for the moments you want to capture.
I got married with my camera on me. And I got one of the most beautiful pictures of my ex - girlfriend (now wife :) )ever. Always wear a camera. Thanks for your inspiring words.
Do you have anyone who documents you being there? I look back at my pictures of my family and see a record of our life without me in it as I am on the other side of the camera. I feel the need to throw in the odd group selfie just to remind the family history that I was there too!
I feel so sad bc my little brother was the one behind the camera ! He was taken from this earth this year and looking back at the pictures , he took most of them and didn’t appear in many 😔😔
My father did this for the first 12 years of my life and he passed away 20 years ago. Today I've got his vision instead of himself in most photos. I know that he was the person on the other side of the camera and always think that this is spectacular. Selfies are. Idk.
This video couldn't have come at a better time in my life. I'm currently reinventing myself, learning to live strictly in the present, not dwelling on the past and not yearning for the future. I'm a photographer and I take a lot of photos of models and places but almost none from my everyday life. I'm going to change that.
Really great point and funny that you mention exactly this, because I am thinking about the same stuff at the moment ... I also try to live in the present and am asking myself, whether photography is sometimes just a way of freezing the past to remember. Is it possible to combine the love for the present moment with our will to cling to the past? Happy for some exchange :)
Chris W. Most definitely. Photography is a way to freeze the moment and preserve it for the present and the future, too. I’ve always been a person that dwelled on the past and used to be weary about the future. But 2020, more than any other year, greeted me with events in my life that showed me the most important thing is to be here, now. With your thoughts, body and moments captured with your camera. And by doing that, we can learn from the past and plan for the future.
I've carried a camera with me everywhere for the past two years. People have stopped being bothered by the fact I always have a camera, and honestly it's helped me get into conversations about my business as a photographer. Also, I've found that people are way less intimidated by my camera when they find out I'm shooting on film. Not sure why, but film seems to disarm peoples' cynicism. Thanks, Matt! Been shooting way more photos of my family life since I stumbled across your channel about a year ago. Don't regret it at all.
I think that if your shoot on film, it gives the sense that you won’t be uploading the photos to social media. Also, at least from my personal opinion as a non-pro, people are less bothered by a professional photographer on scene than by Joe Public “influencer/content creator”. When people see a pro, they assume you aren’t going to shoot petty things and you’re not intentionally looking for scandal and “dirt” (unless your jacket is embroidered with the logo of a media company, I suppose).
I picked up a camera to photograph my daughter and my family but instagram made me forget it. The chase for that “banger” shot had consumed me and I have forgotten why I started all of this. Seriously thank you for this and thank your for reminding me of my purpose. Cheers !
I love the capturing of those small nuanced moments that leave this world in an instant and leave you longing for them to appear again. They are beautiful moments.
Thanks Brother Matt, this is golden! I restarted photography after a 21-yr hiatus. I woke-up at the beginning of this year and suddenly realized 21-yrs of my life is missing from film. Children are adults-grown & gone; grand children are well on their way....so I bought a couple of older DSLR’s & spent countless hours learning on RU-vid and on-line. Biking, driving the car, walking, even a quick run to the post office, I try to carry my camera. Next, I hope to sell my learning gear and purchase a camera I can become one with so as you mentioned I won’t miss fleeting moments with camera adjustments. I too believe that gratitude helps shape our perspectives and values in life. Stay safe. 👍🏾😎
Since I bought my Q2 2 months ago, I've been using it every single day. Not a day at all without it. I use it at home to practice and document life, my 3 y.o. daugther, everytime we go out, to the playground or visit something. I think I will even carry it with me when I go back to work, because there's a million things you see and can document while you're commuting. That's the only way you can know a camera inside out and just shoot without thinking, and instead be part of the moment you're shooting.
Same story with me, my q2 and two kids and a wife. I f***Ing love this camera for daily documentation. It's a tool to carry everywhere and catch magic moments everywhere. Best scenes appear out of nowhere. That's where the q2 is a quick pic cam for that purpose. If I am true to myself, I do only need that one camera. Instead I have a big Sony system and lot of technical stuff going on in my head when using that camera. Not with the q2. Nothing to think about, just shoot and feel the moment
smo exactly this. I sold some of my gears because even if it was good stuff, it was good stuff I don't want to carry every time I leave the house, whereas with the Q2 I have it with me all the time like you, and in such a short lapse of time, I made such great pictures and so much souvenirs it is already worth the price for this. I just want to take pictures, great pictures with amazing quality and less fuss and the Q2 is totally awesome for this, I can go out an know I am more than covered, the lens is a beast and versatile.
@@AlexandreGrison I sold exactly the amount of Sony stuff to buy a new q2. I never looked back :) If someone would built a sort of q camera with a 50mm lens, I would get rid of all the rest and be (hopefully) happy for a long time. After some years of G.A.S. I enjoy photography more than ever with this camera.
smo a 50mm Q2 would be great. At the end of the day I much prefer the versatility of a 28 for universal usage, I wouldn't even mind a 24. Next step would be a M10 with some lenses as I would love to test one for some time, but then the burden of carry everything, or jus go out with a 27 or any other lens if needs be, but keeping the Q way of having only one. I would need to sell way more stuff :-D
what resonated with me the most in terms of being present is: learning how to use your camera to the point where it's second nature. I make it a point to just hold my camera in my hands for thirty minutes a day even if I don't have film to shoot, so my hands always feel comfortable handling it so when I do go out to shoot I'm only thinking about composition and creating the images I want to (also it's just really relaxing lol)
I initially became interested in photography because of wildlife and birds. Lately, I’ve really begun to enjoy catching organic moments with family and friends. My favorite photo recently was of my daughter talking to my mother at the mall. I don’t even remember taking the photo. Neither are aware of the photo being taken, and it’s such a perfect moment that somehow reveals who they truly are and the relationship they have. I can’t even explain it, but I hope I can continue to build upon that and capture more of those moments.
Hello Matt. I would like to start by thanking you for this channel. It seems like you are the only one in the whole RU-vid platform, as far as I know, that really talks about photography and not the gear. Nowadays it’s been so hard to find at least one photographer other than you that is really into the art of photography. it’s sad but looks like all do you real photographers are gone and now what we have left is a bunch of young kids who never really studied about photography and keep replicating what they hear from others like them. We don’t see documentaries about photography anymore, we don’t see any photographer who is doing very good work, we don’t see anybody talking about the beauty of this craft. Only you. Thank you very much for your work and for being so competent and integrating this into your family life. please don’t change. Please don’t sell yourself to the manufacturers in exchange for a cheap gear or a few dollars. Have you ever thought about building yourself a photographers community? A community really well curated, where photographers could discuss, share and enjoy the art of photography? I would be the first one joining it. One more time, thank you.
Great content, Matt. I'm enjoying your channel video after video after video. I'm currently on my second 365 on my 1.5 years old son and your words here resonate with me more than I could have imagined. I've been carrying my camera every minute for 500 days or so and I'm loving every second. It has made me see all the little details and at the same time I've been present for and with my family; I rarely check what I shot, I just shot and process once a week or so. It's an amazing process and can't wait for my daughter's birth next January to start her 365. Committing to creating a picture a day has led me to create even more than that, to the point I wish I had documented my life before. Thanks for sharing this kind of stuff, really.
My dad used to photograph me, my mom and brother in childhood so much. Back when cameras weren’t in smartphones and with a small digital camera. Then he would need to develop them all to physical photos and carefully arrange them in albums by the timeline. I miss those times so much, nobody would pose for a photo, he would just take photos of the moment. It was so beautiful. Gotta get myself some small digital or film camera to captire moments as well. DSLR are amazing, but they’re huge and I want those small ones because people tend to be afraid of DSLR as if the photographer is some kind of paparazzi.
Excellent video, Matt! Though I have to say as a single guy that isn't around many other people outside of work I often feel like I have nothing worth documenting. History a huge hobby that takes up a lot of my extra time so I feel like I spend more time preserving other people's memories than I do making my own.
Great advice overall. Another advice i'd add to this is to adjust your camera settings as you move or as light changes, constantly. It takes a second and doesn't take you away from the moment, and allows you to make sure the process of capturing is only focus and snap, making sure you're still there to enjoy everything
Had stopped carrying my SLR about two years ago and recently looked back on some of the better photos I took with it and they're just stunning. Phone cameras are so good but they still struggle to compare. Your lovely vid is another kick for me to pick it up again, thanks :-)
I feel this way so much as well Matt. I have SO many photos of life since my kids came along. I have lots of friends who ask ‘do you have to take the camera everywhere?’ Bu t then see the photos I get of the kids- my current favourite being the Fujifilm X100V. It’s perfect for this.
i loved everything about this. i am always the person that is taking photos or carrying around my camera and its just amazing that there are other people who love documenting their life and precious moments just as much as me.
Excellent video, thank you very much for sharing. This has been a difficult subject for me, I could never completely disconnect from photography when documenting my family. When I was present being the best possible father then I couldn't be the best possible photographer. And if I was the best photographer possible and managed to capture those special moments, then inevitably I was not there. It does not matter if I polished my technique to the point of minimizing my absence, when I pressed the shutter I was not present, and that made me feel like a hypocrite, showing beautiful family moments in which I was not a father. Trade-offs leave a bad taste in my mouth, but when I shifted my focus from using photography as an observational tool to just another family activity, then I felt better.
This vid has encouraged me to carry my M6 more, recently I’ve been trying to plan a day of using it rather than just carrying it around and letting the moments happen in front of me. Great vid!
Thanks for the reminder that most great shots have a few so-so or good shots on either side of them, and that its okay to take more than one exposure per scene.
This. I'm 2yrs deep in my photography journey and got into it simply because I wanted to document every step of my sons life. Just now rolling into the film realm (hehe see what I did there), but shooting digital has became a form of memory lane entertainment at the end of the day for my wife and myself during our "ok, he's finally sleeping, let's eat" time. Reviewing his mile stones he hit (or surpassed) or the very random moments we had that day whether it was a simple laugh session or watching bugs simply crawl on the ground that sparked his interest. It's been a vital part of my life since then and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Thanks for being that dad that's up in their kids face savoring that moment not just for you but for the whole family. Such a wholesome feeling. You're awesome Matt, please keep up the great work.
This is so great, really feel this. I've got two toddlers that like to get up just before 6am most days. Usually get up with them so my wife can sleep in a little. I've found that's such a wonderful time to make photos where I can be engaged in those moments with them, but still be able to capture it on camera. Love the continued emphasis on documenting these every day things.
Super inspiring. Really makes me think about my personal relationship to photography and what I’m doing it for. Documenting my fiancée and my son, along with the rest of my family has been, and probably will always be, the most rewarding thing. Nothing else even comes close to that feeling of reliving those special and mundane moments with them through looking at a photograph. Thanks for this reminder, Matt!
Loved this so much! I'm am guilty of 'orchastrating' the photo often on days out with my son and every time, I ask myself...... am I even still here, or am I just seeing this moment through a lens now and missing out on the moment itself. My son can tire of the constant photos too, which I've only really begun to realise as he's got older and become understandably less tolerant. So I found this video such an important and useful reminder that it's the moment I want to capture and not the idea for a photo in my head that I'm trying to orchestrate and often ruin the real moment for. Thanks
@@smodjo I think in the modern age we live in, surrounded my social media etc, we consume so much imagery on a daily basis that our creative minds can run wild with ideas and sometimes forget what photography should really be about. Document your life, capture moments!
I vouch for this. Film photography has been helping me slow my life down a bit. The best cathartic part of it is when I forget a roll I shot, seeing the photos again after months is the best feeling. I'd never stop.
I took a lot of pictures from 2012-2015 but I stopped because it wasn't as fun anymore. Then I started taking pictures again in January of 2019 and haven't stopped. I currently have a photo journal of about 8,000 pictures. I do regret not taking very many pictures in 2018 however. That was arguably the best year of my life and all I have of it are memories that will fade. People, take more pictures! You will thank yourself down the road. Everything is important.
As always a great video. I appreciate the message you share day in and day out. I have been carrying my camera daily for the past six years, which includes the entirety of my childrens' lives. The memories and emotions that have been captured are cherished. The last 7 months or so have not been documented as well (due to work) and I have had to work to motivate myself to keep capturing. Though the quantity hasn't been there, the photos I have made are some of the most important in our lives so far. When I don't think about the gear (thank you old standby cameras), I don't need to think about the machine, and can focus on the moments. Thank you for the inspiration.
During my film days in the 1980s and 90s I was the camera guy, a Pentax K1000 was my constant companion. Many family members would have had no pictures without me. In recent years the smart phone seems to make the camera redundant since it can get great images but... I have started carrying a camera again. The tactile nature of the camera, and its greater flexibility, make it more enjoyable for me and allows me to get better pictures, mostly of family. Great video.
This definitely made me bring my x100s back out and just capture the little stuff with my kids. Now Im sub'd to RU-vid, Podcast and IG. Looking forward to more stuff!
actually i am also "working" on myself - be more satisfied with that i have (house, job, family, health, little photo side business) - be more satisfied and live more in the moment - AND take more pictures! there is no need for award winning photos - the most important photos are the ones of your family. and also a great sentence i heard and this is true: a photograph has not to be perfect - it has to be important!
What you say in this video is what I feel but could not describe. Thank you so much. Your last videos have become so inspiring. Keep on the good work and don't bother too much about clicks. This is the right direction.
I don’t know if being a non-professional photographer would be considered good or bad by you guys, but here’s my layman’s take. I have found that fiddling with gear and settings can often separate you from the moment or cause you to loose the moment altogether. This matters most (to me) when it’s family or event action. So… I prefer to carry an old Canon PowerShot point n’ Shoot style pocket camera. The smartphone can be even more convenient; however, I find Notifications and pop up Alerts can interfere sometimes with getting the camera ready. Also, I contend with storage. Personally, I’ve come close to bricking my phone 3 times because it was so full of photo and video that it couldn’t function. For that reason, I carry a dedicated camera with an SD card. In my experience, anything larger than a pocket sized camera tells everyone that their photo will be taken. Then they alter their behavior. For speed, I keep the settings on Auto. For capture-the-moment shots, these work great. I’m not chasing a Pulitzer. Monkeying around with settings trying to catch that magazine cover shot of your friends and family is a waste of precious seconds in my opinion. TIP: go into the settings and shut off the sounds. The chimes and bells can ruin your candid shots ESPECIALLY with a camera shy subject. By the time the camera shy person hears the shutter or sees the flash it’s too late. But you’ll only get that ONE shot. Then they’ll change their behavior once they are aware of the camera. If the camera plays chimes or sounds prior to the shot, and they become aware of the camera, they change their behavior and you’ve lost the candid true life shot you were seeking. I find stealth and ability to capture a shot very quickly are the keys to catching the moments. Everything else is a pose.
This video is really inspiring. Thank you. I'm involved in a photo project about "my typical day" (as a result of an advanced photography course). But I couldn't find anything special or impressive. Now something is moving inside me. Thank you again.
Great content as always! Thanks a lot for the inspiration for shooting daily. As a father of two little girls I really understand you pointing out to be present and thankful - every single day! Keep it up!
Those photos are so gorgeous🥺 I love your philosophy on the topic!
4 года назад
That's exactly it - being in the moment and taking a picture ... not interrupting the moment for everybody by taking the picture. Yes. Yes. And yes. You so often see this - even with famous youtubers - who "life the live for the camera" and not just document what is. For it's a question of respect, too. To respect the experience I am having - others are having ... and just making some pictures nonchalontly ... ;-) And so true - you have to know the gear - the more intuitive it is, the more you can be present. Thanks for your awesome videos! :-)
Interesting video and subject. Some would argue that being present with your camera means not actually being present in the moment. But I’m with you. Documenting the small things in life is a very special practice that makes me so much more grateful for what I have.
I am two rolls deep into documenting my family. Both on my grandpa's old yashica mat. Roll one was of my mom's two week quarantine after visiting my grandpa across the border in the states. I think they might be my favorite photos I have made.
what a beautiful video, Matt! I always feel so thankful when you let us peek in your everyday life... these photos have such a depth! btw.. which book is that? 03:57
This was such a great video Matt! I have been practicing this very thing this year. The beginning of 2020 made me realize that I only touched my cameras for work and not for my every day life. Not only has this mindset given me some of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken, its inspired me to start s channel just for fun instead of watching videos for hours. My wife and I don’t have kids yet but seeing photos of your family inspires me to document my own life.
thanks for making and expressing yourself in this video!! its made me carry my camera with me and its changed how i go about in life and at the same time its changed my photography for the better.
thank you so much for this! I recently started taking pictures and filming and it really does put you in the moment and I’m always thankful for having those moments captured
This would be great advice if I didn’t spend every day by myself 😄 But in all seriousness, I loved this video. Great insight, wonderful shots and a message anybody who shoots people should take to heart.
That’s no excuse! Take a look at CraigMod.com. Craig lives by himself in Japan and his photography and publishings are usually taken on his daily walks. If a solitary photographer can publish entire books, there is still hope for you to document where you live, your community and what you do in your past time.
Very good video. Any young photographer that takes this advice will not regret it when they get older. As an older photographer, I plan to take this advice and finish strong. Thanks, Matt
I love everything about this even though I'm just now finding this 2 years later. Always so inspiring. Though I gotta say, lowkey, you sound like Theo Von--I mean that in the best way possible!!
Matt these new videos are so inspiring!! It makes me want to go out and shoot every time you talk about photography and making photographs! Thank you for always creating such enjoyable content!
Thanks Matt for your inspiration. I’m documenting more and more about my life. It’s a never ending process but what I enjoy the most, like you said, it’s that right feeling when you’re in the moment. I enjoy focusing on those little things that make the whole difference when it comes to gratitude and happiness. I chose to focus on life, emotions, happiness, interaction, storytelling. You’re a symbolism of all of that. Thanks
Absolutely loved this video. Documenting my life is something I have always been drawn to do, but haven't always been successful in actually doing. As I've learned from this, I really need to master my camera, which ultimately is just a tool, in and out to be able to not even think about the technicalities of it as moments happen in my life. I feel like this video is going to be something I will keep coming back to as a guide. Thank you for this.
Wow Matt. You're very good at putting a smile on my face and you're even better at teaching me new things I had yet to think about. And your family is very photogenic! Thank you for the amazing videos.
Very nice video Matt, love the way this channel is going. It is not only about the technical aspects of photography or gear, but it is becoming a bit more philosophical, more about what really means to be a photographer. Keep up the good work!
really respect your work mah dude. someday when i have a family of my own, i will be documenting my life with them as you are doing with yours. beautiful photos in this video
I was practicing this early this year but one thing caused me to stall - having so many un-reviewed images in my queue that it became paralyzing. It's so bad that I have images on camera that I haven't even offloaded to computer yet because I know it will just make my backlog bigger. Since you do this for a living maybe it's not so bad but as a hobby it can seem like a chore to slug through more and more images with no end in sight. I'd be curious to hear if others have this problem.
NinjaMonkeyPrime Hey, I had the same problem - complicated by using several different cameras (including mobile devices). It was horribly overwhelming. So, I bit the bullet. I purchased Photo Mechanic and once a week I speed sort through my images (usually with my Sunday morning coffee) Quite amazing what I've done the week prior! I then lol some images across to friends, family, and stuff some saway for Social Media. It's great to have them all sorted! Best wishes to you.
I think this is one of the reasons I prefer film myself. Film causes me to be more intentional of what I am shooting and so I dont have a 100 images of about the same thing. It's a more pricey medium but I enjoy the less overwhelmingness about it. I guess the other way is to also create less of a backlog with digital by shooting less or being conscious of how many shots are being taken. Anywho those are my thoughts on that. Happy shooting 📸
@@ezequielmorales330 I was never smart enough to predict the settings I needed to get decent shots with film. Maybe now I might be able to do it but I'm not very confident. But I agree with what you are saying. One compromise I have experimented with is shooting in JPEG mode instead of RAW. If the only thing I have is JPEG then it's pretty quick to decide if it's worth keeping. With RAW I can fix a lot of issues so I have to fully review it before making a decision. I'm still undecided on the best approach.
Really love this one Matt! Great perspective about something that goes into a legacy mindset rather than a momentary mindset. Also, the grading on this was very very nice - love this filming angle and the environment it creates
Important stuff. Nice one, Matt. Inspiring and beautiful: being thankful (the love for photography) in times of negativity - that is important, very important.
Wonderful video, Matt. I’m not sure why I’ve only just discovered your channel but I’m glad it happened. Thanks for the insight and inspiration. You got my sub. ✌️
