There's something about your channel that sets it apart from other landscape photographers. Something that has kept me coming back for years and looking forward to each new video every week. Its hard to put my finger on exactly what that is. I think it's a combination of your approach to photography, the quality of your images, and the way you present your process through video. More simply put...it's inspiring.
Couldnt agree more. For me it is that cozy feeling, the warm music, the unagitated way of explaining things to us, the british XD. His films are always relaxing. At the same time, he always manages to spread the joy which is really infectious. I have the same feeling often with Morten Hilmer's documentaries, but those videos are quite long (over 30min) and focused more on wild live than landscape. So its just that touch different.
I feel exactly the same. I'm constantly looking on RU-vid for another one like Thomas so I can watch more than 1 photography video a week but there is noone like him and his style.
Add me to the list of subscribers that feel the same way! I think highchiller said it best. Your videos are like relaxing documentaries on landscape photography. I learn a lot, get inspired a lot, and chuckle quite a bit also. If Thomas forgot to put a card in or left a lens cap on the film camera while shooting, we'd hear all about it. It's like being on a photo adventure with a good friend.
LOVE to see film photographers today. In the "OLD" days I would buy film by the case and had a fridge just for the film. Travelling was NUTS as I would have bricks of film with me. Today a couple rolls of film is an adventure. I guess that is why I am in love with digital. A couple camera cards and a laptop and that is it. NO more worrying about Xrays, heat, carrying fresh film to the assignment then transporting it back after it was exposed, shipping to the lab, etc, etc, etc.
I shoot liberally mainly when I'm in a slump. Great work on the photos. You never know what you're going to get with film and something, on at least one of the frames, will not turn out how you wanted. That's why I like it, embracing the imperfection and chaos.
I'm like 1 min 30 sec in... "but can we make it work?"... I know the answer, YES YOU CAN, and I'm going to freaking love the result. You are an inspiration.
If you want to shoot panoramas similar to the X-pan but don't want to spend the bucks for the specialist camera and lenses, you can mask the viewfinder of the typical 2 1/4 camera and then crop the pictures when printing them. This also gives you a little wiggle room if you need slightly more top or bottom. A 645 camera will waste even less film than the 6X6 format and still give you a little wiggle room. The X-pan is a unique camera, but a bit of an expense for us common mortals.
11:08 is spectacular. Something about the subtle color and the atmospheric haze over the mountains just sets it apart for me from the rest of the images. Feels like it's straight out of a movie, like some Bond villain's secret arctic base would be there.
Thx Thomas. Now you have me searching for an XPan when I have no business doing so 🫵🏼 Quickly becoming one of my favorite photography channels. I just moved back to Hawaii after almost 10 years away. It's incredible in every direction I look so I can't wait to dive back into photography after a few painful years away. Cheers 🤙🏼🍻
So here I sit in stifling summer heat, watching Thomas Heaton, Nigel Danson, and Brendan Van Son all in the near-frozen Arctic and wishing I were there too.
Oh, the guy that was filming you - he is so good with the composition! Beautiful. You can see that video is probably not his thing, but the picture when set is so good.
I was dying for more of Svalbard and oh boy : this one didn’t disappoint. A stunning set of images again and the portra160 was put to such an amazing use !
If you are a glutton for punishment you might try shooting a wedding with film, Thomas. No pressure there, huh? I did it for several years using a Mamiya 645 1000s with a 220 roll film back. You never know what you have until you get the contact sheets back. One time I had to shoot an outdoor wedding in July. The ceremony started at 6:00 p.m. and it was sweltering. In just a few minutes sweat was dripping off the end of my tie. The photos turned out great but the marriage ended in divorce in just a few months. What a waste of effort. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is thank goodness for digital photography. Never thought I would say that. :)) Glad you are having fun and enjoying success with your X-Pan, Thomas.
Only the picture counts. I would never have thought that you would take pictures on "green". I've never seen a Hasselblad that's so unnaturally scraped off. professional.
What an absolutely wonderful treat it was to see this video pop up on the feed! The images all turned out really great and brought back such wonderful memories from the trip! The polar image is really something! Cheers! 😊
This one is a doozy. Great story telling, fantastic mood, awesome images and I loved the pieces to camera through the x-pan viewfinder. Awesome work Thomas!
Mirrorless (film) and TLR cameras with parallax viewfinders. That was a major reason to not shoot Leica, Rolleiflex, etc.. Now you have the experience with the ship in the frame, next time you could hold the camera upside down, if only to inspect your framing. Way back, the better parallax viewfinders had a form of parallax compensation but that would not give you the actual perspective that the photo lens would see.
A friend of mine did a cross Atlantic sailboat trip using the X-Pan - it's all low POV waterscapes - scanned on my Imacon (now Hasselblad) Flextight 646 scanner. Great little camera.
The first pano is an absolute belter - could look at it all day. Have recently picked up film again and am collecting the Olympus OM cameras and Zuiko lenses. Fujifilm Acros is now on my shopping list :) Stay well Tom
I know you hate taking video with people around you. But I have learned over the years watching your videos that it seems to be only strangers. When you are around your peers like during this expedition you seem to have less issues. Though I can't see into your mind so you could be struggling internally and just trying to get through it. But great work as always mate.
Great video reminding me of the tactile feeling and the calmness of being in the moment taking photographs. I don’t have a Hasselblad but the idea of taking a single camera and single lens and immersing in the landscape or environment - urban, rural, forest, mountains, seaside etc - catching images and impressions is my definition of freedom
Wow! I have no interest in film photography, but I loved this. I must admit, it makes me nostalgic for the days when cameras had no menus. Just select the right lens on and set your exposure triangle and off you go.
I follow both film and digital photographers on RU-vid and I've noticed that many film photographers are more concerned about the technical part of photography than the composition whereas most digital photographers concentrate on composition. I've watched some film photographers just load a roll of film and walk around their neighborhood shooting boring subjects and thinking they are great shots because the shots were properly exposed, properly developed and properly scanned.
I was not on your ship but I traveled around Spitsbergen. I hope you make a video about photography and videography. I have changed to videography from photography. Additionally, I am changing to wildlife more than landscape. I appreciate the landscape. It is truly breathtaking.
I'm so glad you made another Svalbard video. I was worried we were only going to get the one. 😊 Both monochrome and colour images were amazing! I think my favourite (but only by a slimmest of margins) was the image with the blue ice. PS I think you're on a winning strategy by mixing up your content between digital and film, different aspect ratios, trips abroad and van-life etc. I keeps the chanel interesting and it looks like you're having a great time of it too. Looking forward to the next vid.❤
....was für wunderbare fotos das macht auch das Panoramaformat aus -- wenn ich die Wahl hätte zwischen einer Digitalen Leica und der X pan würde ich letztere vorziehen da ich schon eine M3 ds habe! Danke Thomas für diese Tollen Fotos!!!...👍
Nice watching another video from Svalbard and see photos photographed with the X-Pan! An excellent photo with the polar bear! I hope there will be more Svalbard photos! I myself have been on Svalbard by ship up to 80°N in 2017. Kind regards from Sweden
Insanely beautiful video and photography. I had just heard about the hasselblad x-pan on The Art of Photography, and YT popped up this as a suggested video.
dumb question but as someone with an Xpan and a 50r, why not use the 50r as a digital xpan? You get to see what you get via the EVF and you don't need to wait. I know the appeal of film but with the costs it seems like it's losing its appeal and you already have thes best digital alternative.
It's more about the film and the analogue photography. It's a bit like driving a classic car, they're not as good as modern cars, but they have a lot of personality and if nothing else, it's fun.
Hi, Thomas, just watched your video shooting x-pan in the Arctic. The one thing about black and white photography is that when you get it right it is magic ! You certainly got it right here with stunning images that really do justice to the fabulous landscape. That trip really paid off in the videos and images you gave us, WELL DONE.
