What a really great video. Wonderful to hear that "it's not about the light". We hear so much about only shooting in the golden hour or the blue hour and we all know that's just not always possible and there is so much more light in the day when great shots can be made, as you have so clearly demonstrated. Thanks for your wisdom, gained from experience.
Hey Andy what a great video - you are one of the few people that I trust to deliver a worthwhile message instead of clickbait and this certainly didn't disappoint. I'm guilty of these on a regular basis and it's comforting to know it happens to the best of us. I really enjoy your photos in overcast weather and would be ecstatic if you made a video on your editing process for getting the most out of those overcast, moody days. Cheers and stay sane during these crazy times :)
Hi Eric, thanks for the comment, really glad you enjoyed it. I actually had plans to do lots of workflow videos this year, with shooting on location and then the post processing, but COVID wiped out my travel plans (I should just be returning from Patagonia now and heading to Tuscany in a week or so). Hopefully though I'll be able to get back shooting soon and should be able to put some Capture to Processing videos together, and I'll be in Iceland in August, which is always perfect for cloudy weather. Stay safe yourself
Thank you for always very generously sharing your insights and experiences with photography on this channel. It’s immensely inspiring and hugely appreciated. Thanks again and best wishes.
thank you for adding so much examples of your photos in this video. Colors and composition are really great. I am curious if you make them with single shot or used panoramic technics to compose multiple photos in one.
Great video my friend! "You have to work with the light you're given, not the light that you wanted to have." Perhaps the best advice not just for photography, but for an approach to our lives in total. Stay well!
Hey Jeff, how's it going? Hope you're well...all's good here in Portugal. Glad you enjoyed the video...I never forget you're the guy who put me on to Fuji 5 years ago
Hi Andy, Thank you for your wonderful video content. I am not a professional photographer but I have been using cameras most of my life, starting with a Brownie 127, inherited from my aunt progressing through many different iterations - most Nikon, to my current D700 and Air 2S. My question is - WHY DID YOU NOT MAKE THIS VIDEO 30 YEARS AGO £$%^"! - would have saved me much wailing and gnashing of teeth and certainly lot of unnecessary equipment updates. I live here in the West of Ireland - along the Wild Atlantic Way. This video has changed my photo philosophy forever - I am heading out into a brave new world. Thanks again - keep up the wonderful work.
Hi Sean, thanks so much for the comment...its really nice to receive feedback like that and hear it was so useful. Apologies for not being able to get the video out 30 years ago as well 🙂
@@AndyMumford Thanks Andy, I received a lot of insight on the use of the fixed aperture 2.8 sensor on your Air 2S video. I won't be updating to the Mavic 3. Take care, be good. sm
true. still rocking my EOS M and various lenses & adapters & converters & filters. Not considering of updating to the new stuff with HDR and so on because it has Magic Lantern and I can do all of them either in camera or at post processing.
@@AndyMumford Have 3, one for IR RAW Video, one for IR Photo, and another for RGB HDR RAW photos :) In my experience, Canon's tend to last a lot longer than manufacturer claims. Their battery life sucks so I had to improvise "years" ago though. www.deviantart.com/weraqs/art/EOS-M-HomeMade-BatteryPack-381655093 continuum also gallery. Nothing fancy.
I've really started to take an interest in Landscape/Travel Photography. My preferred genres are Macro and Monochrome Documentary. After reviewing several YT Landscape channels, I found yours and I have to say your style, presence, content and down-to-earth advice and insights are a great fit with my style, needs and ambitions. I shoot a Fujifilm X-H1 and I've just ordered a used Fujinon XF16-80mm f4 telephoto lens to complement my XF16MM f2.8, XF60MM F2.4 Macro and Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary lenses. I look forward to reviewing more of your videos and expanding my Photography Journey. Thank You Andy🙏🙏‼️
I lived in Umeå in the North of Sweden for a month last winter. I was following the Aurora forecast cause it felt like the perfect opportunity being up there. One night I packed everything and headed to a lake nearby. I took a bus and walked 30' alone at -7°C. When I arrived to the lake with all my gear, some warm milk in a thermo, and being a bit scared of being alone there, at night, being a woman I tried to wait patiently for some Aurora activity. But after 20' nothing happened, I was freezing my butt out, could not feel my fingers not my cheeks despite all the clothes and thermic stuff I was wearing and all of a sudden it was no longer fun. I surprised myself after all the effort and preparation feeling cold, alone, scared and frustrated so I told myself: this ain't no longer fun, you better come back. And I did. Was a very tirening and frustrating experience. But photography needs to be fun. If you are no longer having fun, then it's time to go home. Even without an image 😊😊
Just found your videos recently. Found your video on Fuji camera system. Went on to watch other videos you have made wish I would have found your Chanel sooner. Great photos and amazing information you provide. Would love to see some tutorials or on location videos. Keep up the amazing work
Thanks so much for the comment, glad you enjoyed the videos. I plan to be doing quite a lot of location videos this year, and there are already quite a few on my channel. Tre Cime ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xtBqY_EzB50.html Haifoss waterfall ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KwLNx25PTkI.html Iceland volcano ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BSfB-KxqpH8.html
Wow! I tried to watch 2 videos yesterday regarding the new iPad pro with the M1 chip. I never finished either as the presenters talk so fast with a constant mono-toned voice, no commas or full-stops and without taking a breath for ten minutes ....... so how great to watch this relaxed presentation of yours Andy. It's like easy listening music mixed with great advice and so relaxing and informative - such a world of difference. Thank you.
Thanks so much for the comment Martin, it's lovely to read. I tend to speak relatively quietly...I was a teacher for many years before I was a photographer and always found that it's easier to pay attention when people speak softly and without hurry. Really glad you enjoyed the video
Great vid, the point about not overlooking overcast days is something I learnt. I spend a week camping in the rain in Scotland and only bothered taking a few shots. When the film got developed I realised the colours were great - just a different type of lighting,
Thanks so much, really glad you enjoyed it. I had a similar experience in Scotland...2 days when it wasn't raining out of a whole week, but the colours there in the flat cloudy light are fantastic and really fit the mood of the place
Top advice Andy...certainly rings some bells. Expectation is the biggest one to overcome as this can dictate mood. If you are not in a positive frame of mind from dissatisfaction about the weather or conditions, you will not get a good photo! Forcing the issue also applies to spending considerable time on post when you know in your heart, the shot was not good enough in the first place. Thanks again, great content👍
Great comment Nick, and you're absolutely right about forcing the image in processing....something else I've wasted a lot of time doing. I've done a video before about expectation and think that it's a key thing in photography because it really affects how we view a scene
Lots of people talk about photography on RU-vid, but rare are the one giving real and sound advices on how to envision the photographic process. I've just discovered your channel with this video and will dig into it, but those 3 advices are by far the most valuable content for every photographer out there. Thanks a lot 😉
Oh, and definitely the 3rd point. The act of photography - treating it as a practice - is more important. It’s a privilege to be out amongst nature; bagging a good photo is icing on the cake. 👍😄
The first part is just such good advice I feel. I have two toddlers and have been shielding for almost a year due to covid and a health condition. Opportunities to get out and make pictures of anything at all have been few and far between. If I get the opportunity to get out for a few hours on my own I haven't had the luxury of having the light I might want. It has been a real lesson in making the best of what I have, and developing different approaches depending on light and weather. Adaptability must surely be a big tool for creativity. Good stuff.
Thanks so much for the comment, glad you found the video useful. Indeed this last year has been an exercise in flexibility when it comes to photography (well...all things I guess)
Portugal. Great country. In fact I've been considering moving to Portugal. Currently I'm in South Africa. I spent 3 years in Spain and I was often in Portugal.
Thank you for a very thoughtful video. Just discovered your videos. Have just started Using Fujifilm camera. Has previously been a Nikon photographer. but testing Fujifilm. As you say it's not about the camera
Brilliant video Andy. It's awesome to have a channel where I can get both great landscape photography advice and Fujifilm advice once I get my X-T4 later this year. Also, your photos are absolutely epic!! Yourself along with Mads Peter Iversen and Michael Shainblum are currently my favourite and most influential landscape photographers. Keep up the great work 👍
Wholeheartedly agreeing. Those three crucial advices corresponds to three, kind of, separate dimensions of our photographic practices. I’d like to add a fourth, if it’s not too rude: Know thyself. We should ask ourselves: What’s my agenda? Convey pure beauty? Or, additionally perhaps, send a message of some sort about the world to the world? That’s where studying the masters comes in handy. Learning the difference between, say, Robert Adams and Ansel Adams is to evolve and to learn about ourselves as photographers and human beings.
@@AndyMumford thanks for your reply, and just let me say that I enjoy your videos immensely. I’ve been in this game for many decades, as pro and amateur, and I’m still very much in love with the medium. And your videos only add wood to that fire. Nice to see that you’re returning to Lofoten soon. I live in Narvik, not that far away.
2:45 "Overcome that disappointment, because disappointment can distract you." That is so true. It's so easy to compare the day outside with the day we see on a tourist postcard, but that's the laziness we need to overcome. I live in San Francisco, a famously beautiful city with famously bleak weather. So often, I'll commute to work in dazzling, dappled sunshine, but when my day off comes round and I head out, it will be foggy and dull. I need to remember your advice more. Also, there's a quote by American comic Jerry Seinfeld that goes something like "I fell in love with the work, and the work saved me from my celebrity." If we don't learn to love the knobs, the clicks, the fresh air, the waiting, the tourists, the Photoshop layers, we will eventually hate this expensive hobby. Because only a few photos in 100 are worthwhile on their own, and the rest have to be the byproducts of enjoyment.
Great motivational speech that so eloquently conveys the spirit of landscape photography. Thank you for your inspiring work, Andy. I really appreciated it.
I've been to Iceland and Norway and they are two of my favorite places because of the beautiful landscapes but I've never been to the Faroe Islands. They look similar to Iceland in some ways and beautiful. I'm looking to buy a good tripod and ball head. I wanted to be lightweight and it doesn't need to support anything really heavier than a Canon 5D Mark 4 with a 70 to 200 zoom lens. What do you recommend? Thanks.
The Faros are similar to Iceland in a lot of ways, they also remind me a little of Scotland, but the thing that's unique are the cliffs there. The cliffs and drops into the ocean are unlike anything I've seen anywhere else. As for a tripod, I use a Gitzo Traveller 1545 and it's great. Benro do a similar traveller tripod thats a little less expensive that's also very good
Living in South Wales means the chances of good light are a little better - sunshine before or after rain is not uncommon, it's just getting it at the right time of day!!
Such great advice. This is the second video I watched from you and both are absolutely packed full of great, valuable advice and such important points. Thank you for that.
@@AndyMumford I live in London but I am originally from Tuscany. Are there any places left in the Tuscany workshop you're doing some time in 2022? Thank you
@@alpao74 There are some places left Alex. Drop me an email at andy@andymumford.com and we can take it from there. With YT comments, I receive a lot so in a few days it will be hard to find this again.
Cracking images there 👌 and real words of wisdom from experience thanks. Am surprised at the lack of B&W images (my own preference) some of the more moody pictures look like they'd be great in B&W as well (none of my business obviously 😁)
Thanks so much for the comment, really glad you enjoyed the video. As for black and white, it's just not really my thing. I occasionally try it out but always prefer the images in colour
thanks Andy - your videos always calm me down after all the bombardment I get with new gear on the market. As I always so to myself when tempted to upgrade my gear: "When you're as good as Andy, then consider new gear..." and that will probably never happen :-)
This is probably the best video I have seen with regards to advice about “perfect” conditions that rarely exist and encouraging photographers to just get out there a do what we love to do. I watched the video last night and this morning I got up early and took my cameras to various local spots. I had the most amazing experience just being out there doing what I love. I happened to take a few photos that are some of my best work even though had no expectations except to get out in nature with my gear. Thank you so much for not only this video but the many others on your channel that have really provided some great information and insight. Many thanks.
Thanks for watching, and the brilliant comment. Really glad you enjoyed the video and found it useful, and that you had such a productive morning's photography. All the best
Thanks for the very motivating statement that on should not just take photos in so called "perfect conditions". Especially for amateur photographers (like myself) who have a normal job and maybe only time for their hobby on the weekend it's usually not possible to re-visit a location multiple times day after day before sunrise to have the perfect golden hour condition.
Great video, Andy! Thanks. Arthur Ashe, the ground-breaking black professional tennis player from the 1960's and 70's once said, "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." This quote is my all-time favorite quote by anyone because it seems applicable to so many aspects of life... and I think it works as well for photography.
Valued advice, wise view on things. My modest addition is, if you on a trip with another photographer/s try to find your own scene, even a couple of meters distance may make a surprising difference in final compositions.
Dear Andy, Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experiences so that other photographers can develop faster and avoid some mistakes that normally occur. I got to your page from DPreview, and ended up watching several videos. Excellent content and very good advice. Looking forward to watching more videos going forward! All the best from Tokyo!
I appreciate your videos that convey value and not try to sell like the 99.99% of people on RU-vid do. Your channel and that of Dave Morrow are the only ones I personally follow because you're just being honest. Thank you, Andy and keep going :) I wish you would do some infield videos too.
Thanks so much, really glad you enjoy the videos. I planned to do a lot of infield videos this year but COVID ruined my travel plans. Hopefully I'll be able to get away in the summer though and I've got some videos from Norway, Iceland and the Dolomites planned
It's hard to say, I don't do anything specific to my shots to make them sharp. You could certainly try shooting at f7,1 or f8, which is sharper. Also, I sharpen my images after resizing them for the web, not before
Just found your channel Andy and this is the first video of yours that i have watched... and what a breath of fresh air it was too. virtually every other photographer will only preach the virtues of sunrise and sunset, and that's all very well and good when you do photography for a living, but for most of us its a hobby and our time to participate is limited. Liked and subscribed, I will start going through your back catalogue.
Thanks so much for the comment Steve, and for the sub too...glad you enjoyed it. Sunrise and sunset are of course great, but not always practical for the reasons that you said. Besides, when you're doing a trip you waste so much time just shooting at the beginning and end of the day, particularly when it's cloudy which means midday is no different to sunset
Thanks so much. For the iPhone images I shoot in the Lightroom app which gives you a DNG file (basically an iPhone RAW with more latitude) and then I edit them on the phone usually. Nothing complex, just local contrast and colour adjustments
Hi Andy! I had to pause the video and come here to comment that "There is always a way of making any image that's going to work" is a quote that I will take with me forever! Thank you lots for your content! I'm obsessed with your RU-vid channel! Your Salar de Uyuni picture is incredible! I spent some seconds trying to figure out what was going on there with that "lava"
@@AndyMumford absolutely! I'm taking valuable lessons from your videos! I hope someday I will be able to attend one of your workshops! Cheers and thank you one more time!
This is a great video and your insight is really appreciated. I am enjoying a lot my landscape photography experimenting each sortie, in good and bad weather, normally in the middle of the day and I have got some pictures I am very fond of. You've been most inspirational! Thank you.
The segment, "It’s Not About The Light," is most fitting. I am about to venture to the jungle of South America and is researching how to get the "best images in bright day light," since I don't think my tour will wait around for golden hour, you can imagine how appropriate this topic is. Always interesting, inspirational, thank AM.
Thanks so much for the comment Rick, glad you found the video useful. Shooting in the rainforest the canopy should be quite thick which removes a lot of the harsh contrast, and of course if its cloud forest it will be wonderful. The thing is to just lean into it. A few years ago I did the photos for a guide book to beaches in my area and when i started I shot them in the golden hour, but pretty soon realised that the images didn't give an accurate impression of the beaches. Most people who got the guide book would be going there in the middle of bright sunny days, so instead I started shooting all the images in the middle of the, and after a few sessions I stared to realise that there was lots you could do with that kind of light. I'm out hiking most weeks now (I'll be out again tomorrow) and usually in the middle of the day. I shoot loads of images for Instagram stories and they're all brightly lit. There are a few in this video when I was talking about shooting with a phone at 7:42
Thank you so much for your tips Andy! They make so much sense to me. Time goes by and I always agree with what you say. Passion, wisdom, humility, honesty, perspicacity : you got it all! Thanks for sharing with us.