Why YOUTUBE Photographers HATE THIS 

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I'm not a RU-vid Photographer, but I play one on TV. Not sure it's an either-or situation here - there have always been photographers who offer a results-driven approach (See endless lighting books for example) and those (let's call them photographers who write, or writers who love photography) offering more 'thought driven' content. The difference now is that both types are competing in the same ecosystem - RU-vid. Both are at the mercy of a promotional system that rewards (in simple terms) views, retention, and importantly, consumption. It's also a zero-sum game - every viewer who watches - "6 more street photography lessons I learned after taking a trillion photos last week by shooting in the dark on my Leica IIIf" is one less view that a more academic type video about photography won't get. Creators (I include myself in this) aren't totally stupid and will see that street photography video getting views and try to emulate that. Views = more views = more (albeit still small) revenue = more validation to the creator that 'they matter'. The cycle then feeds upon itself. There will always be a smaller audience for the latter type of content. That's a given in any creative field - far more want to know how rather than why. The real issue IMHO is the packaging - until someone cracks the code of how to market 'why' type content in a way that doesn't either come across as a lecture or falls into sensationalist type titles (this is why your photos really suck and no-one gives a poo about them!) it's always going to be a hard sell. My own journey as a creator over two years is an object lesson in this - I make a video about Gordon Parks for instance - one of the greatest photographers (and film, writing, etc) of the 20th Century and it goes nowhere IRT views. I make a 'throwaway' video about how to choose an aperture and it gets 600k views... I suppose at the end of the day it is what it is. I enjoy taking about photographers and the WHY, and it gives me enjoyment far more than talking about shutter speeds or, God forbid, processing techniques. So I'm just going to do that. Sorry Scott that sort of turned into a comment about me! That's what you get for dipping your toe into the murky waters of The Daily Mail!

University taught me, amongst other things, how to learn, I completely agree with you. I'm a cinematographer by training and I can say that there is nothing particularly difficult in cinematography nor photography. Every concept can be grasped with very little effort. The thing is that there are millions of things to learn and they have to work in unison to make a decent piece of work. After three decades of doing this, I'm now learning how to RU-vid, I'm a newbie again. Thanks for your content, your point of view and advice is very valuable to me.

I watch this channel BECAUSE you tell me the things I don’t want to hear. I grew up among a family of artists and they’d say things like “just worry about getting good and the money will follow” and other nonsense that has wasted many years of my life going in the wrong direction.

After abou 40 years in photography, I have found that I still learn more from beginning photographers than from most of the 'seaoned' ones. This is because, as one zen philosopher said, "in the beginner's mind, all things are possible: in the expert's mind, very few things are possible." The reason is that as seasoned photographers, we "know" what "should" be done and then we don't try new approaches and eliminate a lot of possibilities. My personal approach when someone tells me 'you can't do that is to respond either, "just watch me," or, "is that a challenge?"

I’m reminded every day I watch your videos how necessary your content is. You give me that kick in the ass I need to get my photographic career progressing where I want it. Forever grateful.

Scott, I share your videos with friends who are not photographers because you address issues common across many jobs/careers. I like your channel because it seems more emotionally honest than might be typical on youtube, and you often highlight frustrations I already feel which lets me know I'm not entirely a nutjob. So, thank you for your hard work! I'll keep watching as long as you are able to keep it coming...

I've been a full time wedding photographer since 2012... and although our work is worlds apart, I absolutely love hearing from (dare I say)... another over-thinker (what's a better way of saying that?)! I feel like you ask yourself the same sort of questions I do... it took me the first 5 years to realise I was working with the complete wrong sort of people! I discovered your channel during the Pando, when I didn't have any weddings on and had a 18 month panic attack. I always wanted to have an enormous studio and shoot cars (I started out in a photo lab processing film, and got a taste for space... and the morning sunlight beaming in). But here I am... with a my camera bag and laptop... that's it! If I've taken one thing from you... it's that no matter what form of photography you do... the pleasure comes from doing it well and not settling for the mediocre. It's what keeps it exciting... which is a great place to work from! You can be happy and fulfilled in any style of photography when you're pushing your own personal boundaries - so I can watch your channel and feel motivated to take my wedding business up a gear. What do I want from RU-vid? Content that helps me to search within for answers... rather than give them to me. Kinda what you do mate ;-)

Well one of the reasons I follow you is because you are NOT predictable, routinely waffling about what everyone else waffles about, I do not subscribe to them even if I often agree with the contant because like you I fell like I am stuck in an echochamber instead of learning something new. You, for better or for worse LOL often open a can of worms others have not touched, which makes your uploads much more interesting to me.... thanks for not giving up and keep flooding us with videos... I do enjoy all of them.

I've been watching youtube on how to do photography for 5+ years now. I've learned so much about lighting, posing, editing, business management, advertising, philosophy, empathy, technical, artistical, and everything else. It's such a treasure trove for someone who wants to learn from so many different teachers. Even at college, in my field, I could see some teachers were better at teaching and others were simply academics who happened to teach because they were required to and everywhere inbetween. And even with those motivations, some were more talented than others because they had honed the craft of teaching for longer. I'm grateful for all the different voices who've taught me in each medium. Would have been a lot harder learning it all on my own as a semi-pro.

You are quite a sophisticated youtube-philospher, Scott ;-) And I really like your videos as you are not seliing stuff or quick fixes but give us a glimpse of what the thinking behind your work is. I wish you offered something like a "non-seminar", where you are just showing how you do your shoots and what actually are your challenges and how you overcome them. I do really like the visual style of your food photography but I fear I am not really interested to do that myself . I am in the events- and portraits business and I actually like most of it. I am just interested in your problem solving aproaches since I believe that is at the core of every successful photography or even more generally of every successful person.

“Giving each other high fives!” - great line

I would love a channel that talks about storytelling. At the end of the day, photography is about emotion, composition, use of color, light etc. The technical stuff is great but it doesn't make you a great photographer. Training your eye does. Practicing your craft does. I wanna watch long form content that inspires me. That challenges me. Not gear related. Not quick fixes. I wanna watch stuff that MATTERS. I wanna learn storytelling. I wanna learn how to communicate your vision with your team. I have found I struggle to communicate with my models and I end up shooting the same boring poses over and over again. There's no quick fix for that. Recently I watched a 20 minute short film about a guy who traveled to Europe and he was remembering his trip and just showed snippets of beautifully composed shots. No voice over, no narration, no gear related. No nothing. Just you (the viewer coming along on his journey through Europe) and it was the most beautiful video I've seen all year. Storytelling is the name of the game for me.

I personally love coming to your channel simply because you tell us the point of the video, why it's relevant and why other photographers and professionals might care, how you approached the issue/topic, your shortcomings (things to avoid maybe), what you've done to express growth in that area and wrap up with a challenge of getting your viewers to address these issues/topics and sharing how we might have overcome them ourselves. You don't bombard the audience with before and after / raw and edited pictures. You provide information and allow the audience to create their own results with the information given. As I type this out, the best reference that comes to me is that of a professor during a lecture prepping their students for a test and not a tutor with the answer book open showing us what the answer is and what we need to do to replicate that exact answer

Scott, you’re absolutely right. In my desperation to become ‘good’ at photography, I watched and absorbed everything. The more I watched, the more confused I became. My problem was me. I’d become a kit junkie. Every issue was caused by kit! I knew about composition and the basic theory but I hadn’t really, fully understood it. I started to look more at photographs which made me stop, and to ask myself why? I mentally deconstructed the processes. I’m now taking photos which I’m happy with. I’m not trying to prove my ability to anyone and everyone. The kit I’ve got now is old, but it’s relevant to what I shoot. I watch your channel for your honest, simple but accurate information. It is also very entertaining. Thank you

The Process: I have learned via developing my own films, and making the developers at home, that "The Process" is the key. As you work through the process somehow you get better at doing it. I have a damn sight more confidence working through the process, tightening my skills, to the point now I am sharing all this new found knowledge with a couple of member of the camera club I am in.

I love how you acknowledged you'd forget, one of the most scott things you've done

What attracted me to photography, way back in the 1960's & '70's, was how it brought together many fields of Science and how it put to use all those fields in a practical way to get something, an image, done. Light is the interaction of photons and electrons. The exposure and development of photographic film comprises the quantum phenomena of photons absorbed by the Silver Halide crystals and the chemistry of realizing the resulting image. The formation of an image involves optics, the spectra and polarization of the light, the spectral sensitivity of the emulsion. To me, Photography is Applied Quantum Electrodynamics which is fun to understand and even better when you can put it all to use. Watching youtube, I rarely look at the run length. I enjoy hour plus mind numbing lectures in areas of advanced theoretical physics. Photography videos barely delve into subjects at a technical level that I personally go into, but I do watch to get a different perspective on how others do things. I have no interest in duplicating someone else's image nor do I want to photograph something that would be an instant cliché. Astronomical phenomena are often photographed by thousands of people, all at the same time, all showing the very same thing, this is what I refer to as an instant cliché. My photograph of the June 26 2010 Eclipse does not show totality, in fact the eclipse was at best 53% of the Moon in shadow, not visible from here in Texas, and my image easily shows most of the Moon. 500px.com/photo/83928323/lunar-eclipse-by-steaphany-waelder I like that I have a rarer image of something few would have even bothered with and I was able to get this from right here in Texas, from my back yard. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2010_lunar_eclipse

I personally like longer videos compared to shorts/ reels.. I love this channel because you’re actually discussing photography and the business behind it vs trying to constantly sell me some new gear.. I do boudoir photography which is very different to what you do. I am still very new to the photography world itself but I learn more from this channel than any other… Honestly just really appreciate what you do! Hope you have a great day

Holy shit.. that is the best description of photography on RU-vid I have heard in a long time. Just giving each other high fives. - Dam I am not a fan of shorts at all or 3 min tip videos where the how, what, why is skimmed over. The videos I have done before for lighting brands have been long in format so the technique can be explained, demos and summarised. It is how I teach. Nothing more maddening than trying to fit 30-40 mins of video in terms of talked words in to 10 mins... aka only delivering half the info needed. Some folk moan about longer videos.. my question is have they not heard of the pause button? Shorts are not for me algorithm be dammed.

Hi Scott, thanks for yet another video telling it how it is. Im a third year fashion photography student, will going into my third year... And my RU-vid list of photographers has changed. I began in 2020 and became gear obsessed. Buying on credit and after watching another RU-vid video buying and selling my gear. This didn't end even when I was at uni until I realised that I don't need any of the gear that I have. I'm literally a student so I didn't need £12k with of gear that wasn't right for my photography that I wanted to shoot. The last 6 months has changed drastically for me for the better. I've downsized and now concentrating on my actual work rather than the gear. It's been my research within uni and your sage advice that has made the difference. Keep up the good work. Thanks.

I’m here because I agree with your perspective, and I’ve been in the game for 15 years. Changing radically to vertical “low quality shorts” as primary ad medium and it absolutely sucks. I personally think most real commercial work ($10-50k budgets) requires quality stills, quality 30 second ads, in addition to content for several 10 second clips. Long form (training, promo) still required and more of it - easier to distribute. Anyways, audiences are dispersing based on age/industry/platform but also easier to target and cater to. Big companies just need to do more to stay visible in the places their customers exist and look to. More and more, people are looking to “escape” to the real world thank God. Tough times to navigate! Love what you do for us Scott!!!!

Baby Einstein is called. Little snippets of knowledge without any process or any goal but to give instant gratification to the consumer. We are being trained as little mouses running into the forever wheel of misinformation. The collateral damage is the overproduction of “content” that makes this sensation of being busy but not productive.

Hi Scott. I don't often reply to RU-vid videos, but since you are specifically asking for input and I do enjoy your videos, here's my 2 cents (or perhaps 2 pennies, in your locale). Within the framework or your question, I think 2 specific kinds of content I enjoy are relevant: 1. Some expert craftsman doing their job with comments or voice over of what is happening. A bit of how and why. Not necessarily very comprehensive. I watch guitar repair, art restoration, machining, etc. I can't do any of these things and have no interest in attaining those skills, at least not to a professional level. It is relaxing, interesting, and fun to watch someone good at their craft work on top of it just being educational. 2. An expert explaining things that are right on the edge of my current level of understanding. I have a PhD in science so that could be someone from another field explaining something that is just beyond my grasp of things. It could also be something completely unrelated. I've been watching a lot of music theory and explanation videos lately. I still only half get it, but I'm slowly getting better at it. Both these types of videos seem to be viable on RU-vid and are very different from quick fix/dumbed down content. Both are often aimed at professionals or enthusiastic amateurs in the same field, but can have a much broader appeal if done well. Finding the right level of complexity for your intended audience is the tricky bit. That's on you, but both a university degree and your own understanding of your field should help a lot. On top of that, it seems it is often humour and personality that carries such relatively technical videos to a wider audience. It is a lot more difficult than "do this and your life will be perfect" videos, but I think you can pull it off. I think you're someone that enjoys a challenge :)

I rarely watch 'how to' videos and unless I'm buying a new piece of kit, I never watch gear reviews. I'm not a tech head. My interest is in the 'why' we take pictures. I love long form videos that explore process and philosophy and ideas. I love seeing people's work but tell me why, other than contractual obligation, WHY. What motivates and compels you. These are the videos I enjoy.

Well said. Over 500 hours of video are uploaded to RU-vid every minute. It's difficult to find the signal through all the noise. Glad I stumbled upon you channel and this video. Being a creative and a critical thinker is a rare combination in today's age. You sir, are an artist, technician and philosopher. I subscribed.

I'm not sure if this pertains to your video, but something I don't see anymore is real peer reviews. I miss my community College photography days. Every week we would put the prints we'd made during the week up on the wall and as a class we would discuss each other's work. It was so refreshing getting real time criticism on my pieces. I couldn't wait for Friday to hear how I needed to improve, or how I had improved. I'd trade all of the "likes" for REAL" feedback even if it's not what I want to hear.

I work as a furniture engineer, but I am getting older, and I want to experience more. I was point and shoot mostly until about 2 years ago, when my brother died and left me his T3i. I decided to take basic lessons, and I am somewhat hooked. I have only been shooting manual for 6 months, and I upgraded to a 90D. I like shooting landscape and people, or anything that looks artistic. I don't know where it is going, because life gets in the way a lot. I like your channel because you seem sincere about helping people, and you don't come across as arrogant. Thanks for sharing a lot of your experience, which is something a lot of people are not willing to do.

RE: Finding a path through the noise: putting some effort into art study outside of photography has been a guide for me lately. And I was a little shocked when I was talking among some hobby friends about mixing some classical art tropes into my next personal shoot and they looked at me like I had grown an extra head.

I try to be thoughtful on the social media I consume. I remind myself that there are powerful algorithms hard at work to keep me hooked and scrolling. I do seek out quality information and have learned that often the most useful information is hidden in the corners of YT.

I watch a lot of types of photography videos on RU-vid. Sometimes it's on gear, sometimes it's on techniques, other times its on editing, or it might just be someone hiking through the woods talking about the scenery. There's a lot of fortunate that will share with you everything they know. Then there's some that share just what they want to and then give you the option to download their course or they'll want you to come to a workshop. The thing is, the more you learn and the more you get exposed to, the easier it is to figure things out on your own. You are right about the Dunning Kruger effect. Once you learn things you can expound on that. I don't think you ever stop learning. There may be things I figure out on my own that someone else already figured out 15 years ago. It may not be new but it's new to me.

I'm a Photographer from Germany and I came Across your Chanel by Accident. Now I Watched a few of you're Videos and I really Like how you look at thinks and and how you Think about RU-vid and the Photography Business and what it takes to get you're Business moving. I started my own Business 6 month before Covid hit and Covid was the End of it, but now I'm starting over and you're Videos really gave me some very good Inspirations and Point's to think about. Thank you for sharing you're experience, you have my Abo 👍

The hi-five example was hilarious but definitely a fair one. On top of not wanting to listen to others’ opinion (especially criticism) as much as I hate to confess, I also distance myself from being the “bad guy” who breaks the ice or disagree with the majority.

You are simply put killing it!!! All of your videos are simple, but they challenge the viewers to think past the obvious and put in the work. The information seems real and heart felt and it’s not what some want to here with this instant gratification syndrome that we are living, but it is what we need to hear for a healthy and longevity type of career!!!

100% with you. The problem isn‘t just with photography videos, of course. I'm a big fan of woodworking (it isn't my career, just a hobby) and I really enjoy watching even shorts of people using high skill to, say, create a beautiful joint between two pieces of wood. However, I don't have the illusion that I can just say "oh, this is how its done, lets go to the workbench and do that". There used to be the addage "it takes 10.000 hours to become proficient in any skill", and that isn't going away. You can go out and buy all the fixings for a blackbelt in Karate - that does not make you a grand master. I see these videos as idea givers, not skill givers, and I believe that if this is your approach, you're fine. If your approach is "screw the 3 year apprenticeship in woodworking, I'm going to do this in two weeks on RU-vid", well, then you're a lost soul…

Identifying the problem is a huge first step. I wish I knew the solution. More and more I turn away from the online world and seek the information and inspiration I need elsewhere, and a lot of that is taking the time to work, experiment and read.

Agree, your videos is my go to for inspiration 😊 They are calm, not to fast, on point, well done!

Back in the day when I was very active over 19 years, and having studied with NYIP, I focused on portraits and commercial. Through my 19 years working, I studied different techniques to refine my craft with a number of very well known masters, within the industry. What I found was that in the sharing of information, many only shared, with less teaching and reaping all the prase and likes and backslapping. The two that really impressed me the most was Don Blair and Dean Collins, both excellent teachers and not into it for praise. Blair was wonderful in teaching advanced portrait lighting techniques and Collins for commercial...just brilliant. When I semi retired in 99, I dropped the PPA having held the level of CPP. I found that it was like a paper version of youtube today, many with how too's but more with, if want to learn more, come to my workshop for 1000, 00. There are a number of youtubers who in my opinion can confuse more than tech just for the hits. Tin House and what you offer really sets you apart. Keep up the great content and sharing.

People in tin houses clearly enjoy throwing enormous stones.

Having worked in a university for many years I would add another suggestion beyond assessing the reliability of the source of information. It is also cricial to examine the assumptions the author makes and also the assumptions you make when deciding to accept or reject the information provided. There will always be assumptions but they may well not be explicitly stated in which case you need to look for them.

Hey Scott. I enjoy your no nonsense approach. I have watched most of your videos for the past year. I have been forging my way as a pro photographer for 14 months. I was a motion graphics artist for 20 years. You have been immensely helpful. My mentor has helped to diminish the Dunning-Kruger effect with his honest critique. As I follow you more than any other photography expert, that has a lot to do with your topic choices and approach. I use Sony and DJI as I already had them. Glad to learn about your well worn gear and especially your process. Thank you!

Scott, In my mind, I recognize you have integrity in the valuable content and advice you deliver. I value integrity and a heartfelt conversation. Agreeable or not, I will stay for the whole conversation. I just might learn something. Thank you for your good work.

I completely agree with you about developing the ability to be discerning when it comes to sources if information. As with you I was taught this at university. There is a vast difference between just following a process and understanding why you are following that process. The former is, relatively speaking easy and the latter require a certain amount of hard work. Blindly following a process you end up merely with the result envisioned by whoever created it. However by understanding a process, whatever it may be for, you can adapt and change it to get your desired result.

I absolutely love the way you run this channel. Content is very relatable and doable!! Thank you!!

This video doesn't have nearly the love it deserves. What I love is that, while being geared towards photographers, much of what you say is applicable to all sorts of things, particularly the bits about the Dunning-Krueger effect and falling into echo chambers. Great stuff!

Boy oh boy, you tapped on the subject that I can vividly see happening to this new generation of photographers who focus solely on grabbing for instant dopamine fixes. I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be for me to become the photographer I had become if I was to learn photography on RU-vid. In 2002, I picked my first digital camera(canon D20) and a couple of years later the original 1D. I was completely a product of self teaching self educating through books, magazines, and walking that walk for years and years and never wanted to stop. Fast forward after 16 years of establishing myself as a working pro in Dallas, TX, I moved back to my hometown. In Southern California, market changed, pandemic hit…the market is saturated with young photographers who has learned the tricks on RU-vid to trick their clients into believing their magic.😂 no no no, I’m knocking on anyone or griping about my lacking, to each their own really. I have done what I believe every photographer’s trait should be. To be adaptive. During Covid lockdown, I reached deeper into myself and decided to make a migration into a medium I had refused to pick up 10 years earlier at the height of my career. I reconfigure my mind from still to motion pictures. It was difficult to pick up the camera and not take the pictures first. I spent a year just to change that habit. So now, I am at the beginning of my videography career , in which I have mostly picked up from RU-vid but with two major differences in mind. The first i have enough knowledge to know what’s trash and what’s real to pick up and everything I learn I put it to practices, I know practice doesn’t make perfect but it makes fluency. It takes more than setting up lights and pushing buttons to create images and work creatively to arrive at results that fulfill the clients need without excuses. I have enjoyed watching your videos and I can enjoy listening to the way you see photography. We’re probably about the same age. My camera is just a tool, my photography is just a medium, and for all I have learned, practiced and experienced, I do not need to reinvent myself, I just need to rewire my brain and and let see if I can do this for the next 20 years😊 🙏💪🏼❤️🐝🎯🩸📸🎥🍺😎sorry for the lòng comment. Best to you my friend.

This is brilliant! But I was already with you on this hahahahaha. We're all great together 😅 The part where we watch people we find better than us is eye opening... This is so true. That also might explain why you have more technical and beginners contente available, by definition the best are just a few...

Scott, I admire the honesty, candour and wisdom in your videos. I too am a slave to the process... the slog, the highs and the lows... and I couldn't be happier! Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the insights, Scott. I think what we also see when people are so keen to emulate the result is something I've called Tick Box Photography. This was born at the point when the internet became interactive, and about the time RU-vid took off. People started to become more aware of 'big name' photographers and decided they could copy their work. So they'd see a picture by (for example) Joel Meyerowitz and decide they want to take a photo like one of his. Off they'd trot, having bought the Leica and the 35mm Summatorother and take some snaps of people in the street and decide they've ticked that box. Then they'd see a great wildlife photo, landscape, even conflict photo and they'd buy the gear and go and shoot those. Of course many will stick to the one genre they've alighted upon, and they'll try to 'be' the photographer or photographers they admire, but they can never emulate the results because to emulate the results, they would have to live the actual lives of the people they admire. And that's not possible. The result is, people swarm to videos which show them the quick path to the result, but the result never comes because the path is gone. However much I love Don McCullin's work, I can never make a picture anything like a Don McCullin because I didn't live his life. What my ramble boils down to is this; it's hard enough to emulate the process because the process comes from the individual photographer and every aspect of the life they've lived. You can emulate technique, equipment and everything all you want, but the process has to come from inside you. Emulating the result will only ever result in a poor copy because the process isn't yours, it'll just be a tick in the box. Thanks again and I hope work picks up for you soon! (if it hasn't already).

Interestingly I came to find and listen you specifically to challenge my viewpoint! I am one of those who like to work out my Cost Of Doing Business and plan how many sessions I need a year and yada yada yada. Then a mate told me about your concept that there's a 'going rate' and to 'just pick a price'. Your viewpoint is refreshing and yet still ties up with my own so many times.

If you haven't read "The Crisis of Expertise" I think you might like it. Great video BTW.

Photography wise, I tend to either watch vlogs, where I want to share in someone else's experience out doing landscape photography (my love), or videos that are more philosophical about photography (this is the first video I've seen of yours, but getting me ruminating is why I watched all the video, am commenting and will come back to watch more). I have completely noticed what you're talking about in regards to making videos though. That was something completely new to me, so I've spent lots of time watching videos to help me learn about video, audio and editing. After a few years of this I've recently noticed that in all the areas where I've had my biggest problems, I've never found any video that has actually given me the way to fix it. In every case it's something I've needed to experiment with and work out myself, and the answers are usually something I've never heard anyone talk about. And now I look it seems that almost everyone just keeps sharing the same tips in different packaging. As for shorts, I rarely watch them, and if I do, never about photography. And while every now and then I think about making them, at the end of the day I don't want to make things I don't like...it's the same for reels on Instagram: I know they get pushed but I hate watching them so I don't make them myself.

I'm pretty new to your channel and I find it to be quite good. You're real. That's absolutely everything. I've been doing photography for almost 40 years and I've had how-to videos up to the ying yang. You just need to keep being you and sharing what you feel is important. I trust you. All the best from Ottawa Canada.

I highly appreciate your films as you touch problems wider than just photography. people on youtube don't look for real knowledge - they look for entertainment and they want to be fooled by so-called "professionals" or they watch films about the things they already know just to spot the pitfalls and mistakes. The answer is to find A real mentor - a teacher who we believe. For me are such a persons like: Jamie Windsor, Joanie Simon (Bite the shot), Sean Tucker,

Composition, impact, drama, and hustle are simply not taught in any kind of praxis. The part which involves making a living… the part that involves the strategic walk it takes to get a bird filling the frame, the part of the strategic walk that it takes to catch the moments worthy of street photography…not so much. Just “lookee at what I did” (buy my presets). Even Jared Polin has all of 6 videos where he talks through his process for sports photography Oh and then there’s actually talking to kids, families, etc and posing them

Shorts for me is generally pure entertainment (i.e. girls struggling to walk on high heels, etc). I watch long form to learn new stuff, or just be exposed to interesting ideas and concepts. I also do shorts, and I revel in doing my longer videos, but I realise that one has to do a bit of both to get the best of the whole.

so much truth and this goes for so much stuff online, I had a channel about photography but gave up thanks to stuff like that and tech bros

Watching this video, I got fulfillment. I came away knowing more than I did before I tapped the thumbnail. I don’t get that with shorts. When I scroll for 15 minutes, I just feel like I wasted my time. I hate short form content and feel it’s making us dumb

I’m here for the long form videos. I’m just getting into photography and am here for the inspiration to improve my skills but also here learning business and life lessons as well. I also appreciate the straightforward no bs presentation.

I've found that I watch a lot of photography videos on RU-vid not because I want to learn how they're doing what they do. I find I get inspiration from their approach to whatever it is they are doing, which gives me more ideas and sometimes even tricks to help in whatever conditions I find myself in. I've started watching Tin House Studio videos not because I'm interested in product photography but because I find inspiration in the way you go about things. Helps me think a little bit different when I'm out shooting landscapes.

Confirmation bias is alive and well, and will never die! At this point I'm not certain what it is I watch photography videos for, but I know I've picked up many things along the way. The percentage of time watched to tips gained might be very low, but I have them on while editing etc, so it's not too bad.

I’m so glad you asked… I personally do not like shorts at all. I don’t think they’re useful. But I use RU-vid to learn new things and apply it to my business or to photography. That said, generally speaking, the videos being put out by most RU-vidrs these days that have to do with photography are often geared towards beginners, gear reviews, and tutorials. Sadly, most do the same thing and in fact review the same products and release the videos on the same days even. Honestly, it gets old and I get sick of everyone saying “go buy my thing because it will make you succeed” - essentially. I’m not saying that type of content isn’t useful to some people or that it’s poor quality, it just seems like everyone’s doing the same thing. I never seen a RU-vid create photography challenges or exercises, which will build and strengthen a community. Not many out there actually teach the craft, like you say. There’s a few, you included, that do but most are pretty much cookie cutter reviews of products and tutorials. You mentioned Peter McKinnon, one reason I love his channel and I think so many people do is because of how humbling his channel is, how he just has fun, is himself, and gives you value at the same time. I think your channel has great value too and there’s so much to learn on here. Anyways, that’s my two cents.

So glad you packed in cycling Scott! Such a valuable video. Chapeau 😂

I so need to hear this today. Thanks

I always enjoy your practical lessons of actually learning your camera/ lens instead of pushing to buy new ones. Since watching your videos I've realized that I enjoy the way over exposing my Lumix S1 looks with photos much more than underexposing (for effect, but also whenever needed for the scene) Obviously there's much more to learn but I appreciate all your honest lessons. I also just watched your Food Photographer Tries Documentary Photography video. Really enjoy when people go outside of their comfort range/ niche. Would love to see more like that.

I appreciate what you're doing. As a photographer that never made it (as a photographer) I enjoy getting back into it as a creative outlet. I cannot imagine trying to also do a RU-vid video and caring about views. It's too many competing strategies. Being true to myself and doing what I need to do (my purposes in life) can be shared, and that is what the internet is able to provide. If others see my process, and my reasoning, and decide that inspires them to do the work, create their own process, and have their own craft, that satisfies a purpose - helping others. You're doing it, whether intentional or not. If YT is also generating a big income, then that's great too. I was a commercial assistant to photographers near your level 30ish years ago. I did my own thing too, but found I could make a lot more money in a different field. But I am benefitting greatly from your type of videos because I understand where you're coming from... and what you're teaching is that 'doing photography' isn't something you just get. It's helping me re-hone what type and level of photographer I want to be as I near retirement. Teachers on YT can't hand you the piece of knowledge like a little piece of candy that you can immediately eat and feel changes in your body. Thanks for teaching people that they need to grow their own food and figure out what they need/want to grow themselves. It's different for everyone. I try to find people like you to watch... and it's not easy. I also like MarkusPix because he comes from a good place and has the best intentions. He shows you how to buy seeds and grow plants based on what he likes. I like that too. Hope you're getting what you need out of this journey. :)

I actually started watching your channel because I didn't like what you were saying... You told me that I bought all kinds of stuff I don't need... And then I realised deep down that you are right... And now I views are starting to line up hahaha

Excellent, this is the sort of video I like. I think we are in the very early stages of the internet and it will evolve, eventually. There is no easy fix for skill, just hours invested and recognizing your errors honestly, not lying to yourself. To be proficient on a musical instrument takes 5000 hours, oh yes I'll do that, no, very few will. It's a very long time. I believe this applies to most skills. Thanks for the video

Scott please keep creating You Tube videos as I find them very useful and challenging. I feel like I can learn from you. Thank you.

I think a good way is a mix between "real education" and the short term dopamine fix, while knowing the educational stuff won't get as much views. You already gave some valuable tips in former vids, like reading about art, flipping through magazines etc. I personally would appreciate you mentioning more direct sources to consume, to get a "feel" for art, trends, colors and so on and other tips to learn about finding a way to express yourself. (sorry for gibberish - not a native speaker)

That video is one of the best works you have made for RU-vid. It was insightful! Therefore, more videos with greater detail and depth. Wisdom not waste!

This video reminds me of issues I have personally faced in my former real estate career. Having been someone whom, for decades, has written and presented live, in-person courses and seminars to train real estate appraisers and agents about the serious aspects of the processes associated with valuation, market analyses, and the motivational aspects of human behavior when it comes to their reactions to various marketing techniques I've experienced the overwhelming frustration of finding that a large percentage of the very people who claim they want to acquire more knowledge and improve their skills are unwilling to put in the time and effort to accomplish those goals. Just for one simple example, many of these are people who spend tens of thousands of dollars yearly to buy leads - the same leads being sold to their competitors - rather than learn how to generate their own leads for a tiny fraction of the cost. So, while they claim to want to learn the knowledge of the process to develop the skills, all they really want are the results. For me, the answer to this frustrating dilemma was to stop beating my head against the wall of ignorance and to give up my effort to try to teach people who refuse to learn. So, I now beat my head against the wall of trial and error to improve my own skills as a photographer.

Reading a newspaper that contradicts your beliefs really hit hard. 😮 I'll start watching RU-vidrs I like or agree with less just to broaden my horizons some more. 🤓 Your down to earth straight to the face content is gold.

The internet is no longer the information super highway. It's now all about shopping and local results on where to spend your money.

I’m just an amateur street photographer so the stakes are not so high for me. I am guilty of consuming confirmation bias type content, but I am not rigid in my thinking and am always hungry to learn more. That’s why I’m drawn to your videos, as you are brutally honest and don’t sugarcoat anything. Also, as someone who enjoys shooting contrasty color photos, I really like your work. Cheers

I don’t watch shorts on RU-vid. I do watch reels on Instagram. RU-vid is where I find information that I’m usually too lazy to read about. I try to avoid watching videos of things I already know, but instead try to gather different opinions about things that I’m trying to understand or learn. I also like to watch some videos that make me dream a little about the things that I can’t accomplish at the moment.

I went to an "Art College" and got a degree in photography. I learned more the first month working as a photo assistant than I did in school. The information is where its always been since photography was a profession . If you want to learn photography, find one who is a master of the craft (not an Instagram photographer not a YouTouber) and offer to be an assistant. You may have to work for free at first but that's cheaper than a worthless degree at a University. If you approach it with humility and as a learning opportunity, you will learn the technical and the business.

“I like watching people fall over.” 😂 Get’s an instant like from me! I enjoyed the rest of the content as well as I do most of your videos. Sorry… I’ll try to get better at liking those as well. Cheers!

Funny I tell people all the time the best thing about going to University is you learn how you learn. Also I agree that the end result is not the goal. I believe the end result is learning a technique and then being able to apply that skill to multiple situations so that you can achieve the end result no matter the situation. That is when you truly understand the skill.

I am both ADHD and Dyslexic, so I appreciate the short straight to it approach of your videos. I do have to be extra cautious of the dopamine chase though. Your comment about what you learned in university really resonated with me, I did not go to university, I did learn from my friends, who did, that a disciplined approach to information is really important. We have a fountain of knowledge at our finger tips, but few seem to take full long drinks, they just sip.

Thank for this. My approach is to learn the process and theory of photography through books and magazines and through my initial tutoring at design school. Then I research a certain aspect of photography and look for in depth learning for people who have done extensive learning themselves and share that information to me. They back it up with photographs of their own demonstrating their knowledge. I regularly look for opposite opinions about something I want to learn more about because I perceive that I am wanting to challenge myself to improve. I then test it by trying the approaches. I am constantly learning and am passionate and curious about photography. So I feel very positive about You Tube and other social media and I am not after a quick fix or dopamine fix. Finally I experiment and try what I have learned take photographs. I then criticise what I have done. For me there will be a lot of rejected photographs. As I am not a professional I am free to do what I like. I find Great You Tube people are like the next best thing to a mentor and I can have 10 mentors who might contradict each other. But that is alright.

Interesting perspective! I guess it is a bit like de-learning to eat sugar; fighting against your brain's dopamine pattern is massively up hill, especially if you're not aware what's going on. I don't have the answer either. Reading a book once in a while could help? 🤷‍♂️

The fact is that most people want the easy way. The technical side of photography is easy. Buying stuff is easy. Copying others is easy. But going through your own emotions, your traumas, your self-awareness, amongst others, is a hard and confronting thing to do. That's where few dare to go. Advanced photographychannels (as I like to call them) don't talk gear or fancy techniques, nor have annoying coffeepot intros. They speak sometimes hard words, many don't want to hear, in order to get you forward. It's like going to a doctor and hearing there is no pill to swallow but hard work to do. I'd rather have a slap in the face than a sugarcoated lie.

I’think you hit something important there. I myself do RU-vid videos about photography. As long as I talk about setting the proper aperture or buying the right stuff I get more viewers. Talking about process or philosophy I get less viewers. Well, I’m not monetized yet, so it’s just about the dopamine kick and I try to ignore it. I just found your channel but I’m trying to watch it all. Not that I’m a food photographer or aspire to be. I’m more interested of your way of thinking about gear, time, marketing … Retiring from my full time job I hope I can put more time into my photography, evolve and make some good pics. If I can earn some money it would be fine then I could invest in shooting on some cool places or with slightly better gear, but apart from my 8 year old computer and my dead screen I’ve got some decent gear and a small studio. You inspired me to go out mingling with local business owners yesterday and to shoot some headshots on myself the day before that. They will arrive on Instagram (@urbanan) one by one. It’s some sort of start.

I see your point. Everything has to be fast and to be a good photographer takes time. Time is something strange on RU-vid. To learn a skill takes time. To understand one's camera takes time. To learn a skill is not a 10 minute RU-vid video but one of trial and error.

That's what I felt for a long time. Those guides be it books or yt videos are good for improving technical side of things and editing but the most important things must happen in our heads and we must figure them out ourselves

So,so true!

Great content. People need to hear this. Awareness is the answer. Good educators are hard to find. A diverse education is hard to convince others to peruse. The best we can do is use targeted marketing strategies to reach further and inform more people. It’s all a part of the machine. Unfortunately, it is being flooded with influencers who don’t understand the concepts they are teaching, but you just have to be happy that they provide some sort of education and penetration into the photography community. Right or wrong. They may be a necessary stepping stone to get to these concepts and enjoy them. High level concepts can deter entry level photographers who have a passion. Great work, brother.

You are absolute Right!!!

“I like watching people fall over” perfect, me too

You are a smart dude...and honest, which is rare today...Cheers!

Stumbling by chance onto your channel, has been enlightening and a breath of fresh air (as was finding “the photographic eye”). I too initially fell into the trap of “the quick fix”, how do I get to the result in the shortest amount of time and then questioned….. “why don’t my photos look like yours?” It’s a bit like someone entering my field of work and expecting to be considered an expert overnight. It’s just not going to happen. I have yet to find my voice, however, I refuse to join the echo on instagram with over processed photographs of the same thing (too many sunsets and sunrises)! I post very little and don’t consider myself a good photographer, probably very mediocre to be honest. I have moved away from the obligatory “ do this one thing and you’ll become the photographer you always wanted to be”, or buy this camera / lens to get tack sharp photos from front to back. I love film, I love the feel of the cameras, large format photography and the results it produces, I think there is something to be said about the process that attracts me to it. That being said my life is busy so the practicality of a digital camera wins the day. For me, I love learning so the process will always win in the end, the result I am looking for I know will take time and many many mistakes or should I say opportunities to try something again will present themselves over and over again. I will however watch gear videos, because I have yet to find the right camera/lens combination so you tube can be a good source of quick research, albeit sometimes there is the need to filter the wheat from the chaff.

I can’t comment on the content of shorts as I flat out don’t watch them. I consume RU-vid through a TV, which is not only the wrong aspect ratio, but also squishes shorts into a small square in the middle of the screen. It sounds like I’m not missing out on much. Dumming down is the reason I’ve not watched ITV for twenty years.

I actually like videos of people breaking down their process, longer videos i tend to listen to the first go while driving before giving it a solid watch.

Just want to say thank you for this video! I find your points presented in this video, spot on. As a part time paid freelance photographer over the last 3-4 years, I'm still a beginner. I experienced myself starting out in the exact same trap you described-emulating the result or "style" as found on youtube and instagram, instead of studying the process. I measured my success by how well I could copy other work. It didn't take long, however, to realize I was going nowhere fast because what I presented was already seen and not new. This process, my first year, was exacerbated by clients saying "I like this...can you do that?" and I could say "Sure, here's my rate". Now that I'm starting to understand the art, I'm loving the journey of learning from other photographer's process, motivated by their results. Ironically, this is what has brought me from the edge of burnout. So that's why I thank you for your thoughtful presentations!

Recently the way I have found valuable information is through paid courses with professional photographers. I love learning there process in a structured way.

Dang, this is deep. Very nice 👌.

This video struck a chord with me, I'm an old timer camera operator and I've been amazed at the level of just absolute nonsense passing around facebook camera groups. I see RU-vidr X and Y cited so many times and their bad advice passed on as fact and regurgitated ad infinitum. No one seems to want to learn and go deep into the detail of how best to setup a camera for a given situation only, as you say, a quick fix, a dopamine hit of a short circuit to the desired result. There's zero depth of understanding so they don't know that they're being given bad advice. Without a fundamental level of knowledge there's no 'self-check'. What's most disappointing is that good advice is ignored because it doesn't match what popular RU-vidrs say or it's not a quick fix.

see I could never get stuck on a single philosophy. I'm driven to learn from everyone I can. I've just discovered you today, but I also follow Peter McKinnon, The Photographic Eye, Matti Haapoja(sp?), about photography, sean tucker, and whoever else seems like they know something I don't. I've never understood pigeonholing yourself like that. Someone I disagree with might have some revolutionary idea that changes my life, ya never know.

Thanks to you I've started checking source of advice/information. Who the person is,what can back up the things I've just heared. Questioning portions of your videos sometimes and I believe it's great. Thanks to you I'm more aware to good advice, not just any.