WEBVTT
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You can take a photo of something that's beautiful in flat, dull light.
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And it won't be very interesting.
00:00:09.548 --> 00:00:20.689
You won't love the photo, but if you find a little shaft of sunlight coming through some trees and you put anything into that little pool of light, doesn't matter if it's a cup of coffee, a flask of coffee, a shoe, anything.
00:00:20.989 --> 00:00:22.609
It will just look really interesting and beautiful.
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Hey, welcome to the Beginner Photography Podcast, brought to you by Cloud Spot.
00:00:27.655 --> 00:00:36.896
I'm your host, Raymond Hatfield, and today we are chatting with longtime listener favorite Nick Church about these seven essential skills every photographer needs to grow their craft.
00:00:37.536 --> 00:00:41.646
But first, the Beginner Photography Podcast is brought to you by That's Right Cloud Spot.
00:00:42.186 --> 00:00:51.576
With Cloud Spot you can simplify your business with studio management which means that you can organize clients, send professional contracts, automate invoice payments, and so much more.
00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:56.060
So keeping track of everything just got a whole lot easier with Clouds.
00:00:56.091 --> 00:01:02.447
Spott, why don't you grab your free Forever account today over@deliverphotos.com and only upgrade when you and your business are.
00:01:04.066 --> 00:01:16.216
You know, I first interviewed Nick, back in the beginning of 2019, about how he went from, being a beginner to going pro as a wedding photographer in just 24 months.
00:01:16.546 --> 00:01:23.037
And to this day, that remains one of the most downloaded episodes of the podcast for obvious reasons.
00:01:23.397 --> 00:01:25.557
Well, it's been almost seven years since then.
00:01:25.677 --> 00:01:30.777
He's still shooting weddings, so I thought, Hey, maybe I'll invite Nick back on to catch up.
00:01:30.777 --> 00:01:34.492
See how his business has grown and evolved since then as well.
00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:46.980
And with those extra years of shooting, Nick has come up with a simple list of seven things that all photographers need to be doing if they want to grow in their craft and become better photographers.
00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:49.322
And, that's what he's gonna share with you today.
00:01:49.328 --> 00:01:54.120
So, be sure to get a pen and paper ready,'cause you're gonna want to take notes.
00:01:54.703 --> 00:01:57.462
So let's go ahead and jump on into this interview with Nick Church.
00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:02.987
Nick, last time you were on was 2019, which is crazy.
00:02:02.987 --> 00:02:11.627
So not only is the world a very different place, which we were just talking about right before we hit record, but also, you in a very different place.
00:02:11.837 --> 00:02:15.407
I think you had just recently went full-time in weddings.
00:02:15.768 --> 00:02:21.055
And I recently listened back to that episode and I could hear the like, optimism in your voice, right?
00:00:02.236 --> 00:00:07.756
You can take a photo of something that's beautiful in flat, dull light.
00:00:08.278 --> 00:00:09.448
And it won't be very interesting.
00:00:09.548 --> 00:00:20.689
You won't love the photo, but if you find a little shaft of sunlight coming through some trees and you put anything into that little pool of light, doesn't matter if it's a cup of coffee, a flask of coffee, a shoe, anything.
00:00:20.989 --> 00:00:22.609
It will just look really interesting and beautiful.
00:00:23.567 --> 00:00:27.189
Hey, welcome to the Beginner Photography Podcast, brought to you by Cloud Spot.
00:00:27.655 --> 00:00:36.896
I'm your host, Raymond Hatfield, and today we are chatting with longtime listener favorite Nick Church about these seven essential skills every photographer needs to grow their craft.
00:00:37.536 --> 00:00:41.646
But first, the Beginner Photography Podcast is brought to you by That's Right Cloud Spot.
00:00:42.186 --> 00:00:51.576
With Cloud Spot you can simplify your business with studio management which means that you can organize clients, send professional contracts, automate invoice payments, and so much more.
00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:56.060
So keeping track of everything just got a whole lot easier with Clouds.
00:00:56.091 --> 00:01:02.447
Spott, why don't you grab your free Forever account today over@deliverphotos.com and only upgrade when you and your business are.
00:01:04.066 --> 00:01:16.216
You know, I first interviewed Nick, back in the beginning of 2019, about how he went from, being a beginner to going pro as a wedding photographer in just 24 months.
00:01:16.546 --> 00:01:23.037
And to this day, that remains one of the most downloaded episodes of the podcast for obvious reasons.
00:01:23.397 --> 00:01:25.557
Well, it's been almost seven years since then.
00:01:25.677 --> 00:01:30.777
He's still shooting weddings, so I thought, Hey, maybe I'll invite Nick back on to catch up.
00:01:30.777 --> 00:01:34.492
See how his business has grown and evolved since then as well.
00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:46.980
And with those extra years of shooting, Nick has come up with a simple list of seven things that all photographers need to be doing if they want to grow in their craft and become better photographers.
00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:49.322
And, that's what he's gonna share with you today.
00:01:49.328 --> 00:01:54.120
So, be sure to get a pen and paper ready,'cause you're gonna want to take notes.
00:01:54.703 --> 00:01:57.462
So let's go ahead and jump on into this interview with Nick Church.
00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:02.987
Nick, last time you were on was 2019, which is crazy.
00:02:02.987 --> 00:02:11.627
So not only is the world a very different place, which we were just talking about right before we hit record, but also, you in a very different place.
00:02:11.837 --> 00:02:15.407
I think you had just recently went full-time in weddings.
00:02:15.768 --> 00:02:21.055
And I recently listened back to that episode and I could hear the like, optimism in your voice, right?
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The excitement in your voice.
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So now that it's been, almost 10 years shooting weddings, or fully 10 years shooting weddings, it's been a long time since we chatted, what has changed most in your perspective about, photography since then?
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I've got no optimism left.
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I'm a husk of a man.
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I'm dead inside.
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No, I'm not.
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I'm still really optimistic.
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Oh, you made me, you made me feel.
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that, that's a bad thing.
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No, no, Now you're just seasoned.
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Right?
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It's not as exciting.
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I get it.
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Yeah.
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that season.
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Yeah.
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no, so I've been doing now weddings.
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Now for what about, yeah.
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So another six years from, last time, we chatted and it's been great and it would be a lie to say that, it doesn't become a bit of a run of the mill every wedding, and that, that's made me have to develop a different set of skill or an additional set of skills, which is something different each time, to try and keep things new and try and doing different things creatively and working out, how can I do this well, especially if it's at the same venue that I've been to a dozen times before.
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It's, it would be really easy to operate at 80% effort level and just do all the same shots.
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'cause that couple don't know because they haven't seen the other ones.
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Right.
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am sort of digging deeper in terms of, right, what can I do to make this one different?
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How can I make this one more creative?
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How can I keep that interest there?
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Because I think that's pretty important for motivation is to always have a feeling that we're doing different things and we're progressing our expertise in an area.
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Yeah, I am very much the same way.
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I don't think I would want to shoot the same venue every single weekend.
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But there are other photographers who I've interviewed who are like, that's the dream, right?
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Like, just show up.
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You know exactly what you're gonna do.
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You're prepared and you're ready to go.
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But yeah, no, I'm like you, I would rather have, something new going on.
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view the world through some fresh eyes.
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So you said that you've had to adapt a little bit and, change things up.
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So what does that look like?
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While using different techniques.
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looking for more interesting light, trying to do things a bit more creatively and thinking, oh, that reflection looks, you know, quite interesting that if I could get that bride standing there or those grooms standing there, then I can work with that and try something a bit different.
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You don't need to do, I don't do it all the time.
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You know, you do have your stock toolkit of photos that you know are gonna work really well and you have to be a bit careful because as photographers or professional photographers our brand is our portfolio and they're expecting that.
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So you can't just completely decide to change up and do something totally different.
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But, yeah, it is just looking at other people's work and without duplicating it, sort of being, trying to be, encouraged by that and take reference, reference to it.
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And, yeah, just getting inspiration from different places and using what I can on the day.
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One thing I've found.
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Since we last spoke is, is definitely that I've had also to work lot harder on doing photos for my own enjoyment.
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You know, just
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Hmm.
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and that's something that about a year ago, I guess I realized that I hadn't taken my camera out for probably a year.
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Just to take any photos, it's all on holiday or anything.
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I just couldn't be bothered.
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And I thought, that's not a great situation.
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I wanna still have that passion for photography as well as having a passion for my business.
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And, so I have tried to sort of do a bit, a few more personal projects and things like that.
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And the side, it's really hard to fit it all in with, really busy kind of calendar of weddings and commercial shoots.
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But yeah, that's something that's helped as well because when you're doing that, you kind of, you have a, I actually even bought a different system.
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I bought a Fuji, Fuji film camera as well, just so I wasn't taking my usual work camera.
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So, so it felt very different.
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And that's really helped as well because, you're developing because when you're doing your own stuff, you can do whatever you like.
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You don't have a, a pattern that you have to try and fit it.
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You know, I don't have to produce the same images.
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I can just try something completely wacky and that helps.
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Then to put that into weddings, I can then go and think, I'm gonna just do a bit of that stuff that I did last weekend on my own, you know?
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And, yeah, that's kept things interesting as well.
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But doing the what I have found is reducing the number of weddings.
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I'm sure most wedding photographers you're probably the same if you are doing 40, 50, 60 weddings a year.
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It's very tough to keep, um, enthusiastic and to give that each new couple, all of your attention'cause we wanna make them feel like they're the most important thing
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Yeah.
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their wedding day'cause of course they are.
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that's really hard to do at the end of a sort of 45, 55.
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Wedding season, you know?
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So, I've built up the commercial work that I do, so interiors and, I don't do headshots and stuff very often anymore, but it's mostly, sort of interior, interior sort of high-end kind of properties.
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That nice.
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'cause it's just meant that the weddings have come back a little bit into something where I'm still up for it.
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I'm still up, I'm still interested in it.
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When I get up, I think, all right, I'm excited to get to this wedding.
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Whereas a couple years ago, that was quite hard to do.
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I still did it and
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Hmm.
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was just a little bit, it took a little bit more effort to be as motivated.
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So that, that's been a nice change as well.
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Yeah, so what I heard most from that was that, Fujifilm cameras give you the creative eye.
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I love it.
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Perfect.
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All other camera systems can, just go by the wayside.
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That's perfect.
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I love it.
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That comes straight from Nick Church there.
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Just kidding.
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I'm just kidding.
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but, tell me if you feel the same way, because I, have found also that personal projects have really helped me.
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However, coming from weddings where it's like the day is scheduled, you're gonna be there that day, and whatever happens, you're just gonna photograph that.
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But with personal projects, there's not a defined date, there's not a defined time.
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There's not a defined schedule of exactly what's gonna happen.
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So it feels harder to put together and feel like there's a finish line.
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Do you feel that same way as well?
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And if so, or if not, like, how do you deal with that?
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Well, they, no, I do.
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And I think the, I suppose when I say projects, I might be overstating a bit.
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I'm talking about just going out with my camera for a
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Hmm.
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of time with the purpose of taking photos.
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you're absolutely right that what happens is that.
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That's in your free time and it's alongside loads of other things that are competing for that same precious few hours, like family and socializing and relaxing and trying to get some exercise and all these other things that you think you've gotta decide what to do.
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So I, I tend to go out, either for a walk and just take my camera and just be a bit more mindful about it, about just going for walks.
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So rather than going specifically to somewhere I know I can take good photos, go for somewhere where I like to have a walk with my camera just trying to look, look in a different way to, as I normally would.
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I'm normally quite a epic landscapey type viewer.
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That's what I tend to look for.
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Yeah.
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finding that when I'm doing that, I'm finding things like little fungi or maybe, some tree roots or something like that.
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Just completely more, much more abstract than I would normally do.
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And so that, that feels like quite a nice kind of, a nice balance.
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But it is, it is hard to do it.
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And when you get really busy, when the editing stacking up, or your tax is due, then of course it's the thing that just falls by the wayside, like
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Right.
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and like everything else, you know, it just gets swallowed up that time.
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Yeah, it is definitely hard.
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I've been through that as well, but, I try to keep reminding myself of that phrase, if it's important to you, you'll make time for it.
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maybe because I operate, based on guilt, right?
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Like if I guilt myself into it, like I'll have to do it.
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but, yeah, that is difficult.
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And I also, am not good at sharing photos, because at least with weddings, it's like they feel like they're meant to be shared.
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And it's like this moment and you know how it's going to be delivered in the end.
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But with personal photos, again, nobody wants to see a photo of just like a fungi on Facebook or whatever it is.
00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:51.301
So then you think, you start to question yourself, well, what's the point of this?
00:09:51.365 --> 00:09:56.745
I ever do post something that's very different, get a lot more likes on those posts than I do for my wedding things.
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I think people are probably saturated, I've saturated my feed with,
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Uh,
00:10:01.245 --> 00:10:01.754
images.
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Yeah, I think people do like the fact that there's something different there.
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but
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I gotta try that.
00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:08.139
a, I don't even edit some of them.
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Do you know what I mean?
00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:09.250
It is the
00:10:09.538 --> 00:10:10.227
Oh, of course.
00:10:10.269 --> 00:10:23.735
of of just taking them because to then come back and then sit in front of the light room and start editing them, ahead of ones that are in the queue that I really need to get cracking on, you know, commercial images or whatever it might be, then I'm making a bit of a decision that I'm pushing back work.
00:10:23.735 --> 00:10:26.315
And that's quite a hard one to, to do when you're running a business.
00:10:26.315 --> 00:10:33.841
So, yeah, sometimes I'll, I'll shoot and just jpeg and just get that immediate kind of, endorphin rush first, oh, that's a really nice photo.
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I'm pleased with that.
00:10:34.381 --> 00:10:34.981
And then move on.
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And then sometimes don't even look at it very often again.
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That's the joy of Fuji.
00:10:39.043 --> 00:10:40.003
Like that's what I've loved.
00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:47.039
Once I started, I started shooting Fuji in 2016, and pretty quickly I went, I went straight to jpeg.
00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:50.370
Like I just stopped shooting raw, even like for weddings and whatnot.
00:10:50.370 --> 00:10:54.269
And still today, I've never had a photo that I thought to myself.
00:10:54.929 --> 00:10:56.669
Man, I really wish that I shot this in raw.
00:10:56.980 --> 00:11:02.169
But I mean, I acknowledge that that comes with a few years of experience to being able to get it right in camera.
00:11:02.169 --> 00:11:05.360
And when you're just learning photography, maybe it's, it's not as easy.
00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:07.441
So, that insurance policy does help.
00:11:07.557 --> 00:11:07.857
doesn't it?
00:11:07.857 --> 00:11:08.548
It's a little bit of
00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:08.900
Yeah.
00:11:09.437 --> 00:11:11.567
bigger margin of error when we're
00:11:11.571 --> 00:11:11.841
yeah,
00:11:11.898 --> 00:11:13.878
out and I find it at wedding sometimes.
00:11:14.748 --> 00:11:17.207
I need that if, if stuff happens really quickly and
00:11:17.630 --> 00:11:18.171
yeah, yeah.
00:11:18.557 --> 00:11:22.205
like, like every other human on, you know, you make mistakes and sometimes you think, well, I'm,
00:11:22.327 --> 00:11:22.533
Not me.
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I shot that in
00:11:23.317 --> 00:11:23.408
No.
00:11:23.705 --> 00:11:23.945
No.
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Well, you are a machine, so.
00:11:27.712 --> 00:11:40.692
Speaking of machines let's move on from this because I wanna get to the main topic of our conversation today because you shared with me seven rules or themes, that I think are gonna be really important for photographers today.
00:11:41.052 --> 00:11:55.426
So I guess quickly before we get into that, for those who hadn't listened to your past episode of the podcast, give them a very high level, 30,000 foot overview of how you got into photography and, where you're at today in terms of weddings.
00:11:55.668 --> 00:11:55.938
Yeah.
00:11:55.969 --> 00:12:03.349
I had a career in the software industry in 2014 I was sent off to do some work in Malaysia.
00:12:03.349 --> 00:12:05.105
So I had a meet set of meetings over there.
00:12:05.586 --> 00:12:07.296
Hadn't ever picked up a camera before.
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Picked up a, a camera, learned how to use it, and started taking photos and just immediately, like, fell in love with it instantly.
00:12:16.591 --> 00:12:21.375
This, the immediacy of it, because I was previously doing pet and ink drawings and things like that, which took a long time.
00:12:21.554 --> 00:12:22.605
This was just so immediate.
00:12:22.965 --> 00:12:28.924
I started taking shots of my local city selling those in art galleries and cafes and things.
00:12:29.392 --> 00:12:34.912
A lady was looking for some money to buy a print of mine and she said shoot weddings.
00:12:35.361 --> 00:12:37.131
And I very foolishly said, absolutely.
00:12:37.131 --> 00:12:37.491
Yeah, I do.
00:12:37.672 --> 00:12:38.662
I'd be happy to do that.
00:12:38.662 --> 00:12:41.331
I, I did explain that I hadn't done one, but I would happily do it.
00:12:41.782 --> 00:12:43.971
And so I became a wedding photographer completely by accident.
00:12:43.971 --> 00:12:49.298
And I didn't have a vision of that I was gonna do it as a career, but it just grew and grew.
00:12:49.365 --> 00:12:54.254
And it got to a point about sort of two years later where I had so many weddings booked in.
00:12:55.095 --> 00:12:56.595
I thought, I'm gonna have to decide what to do.
00:12:56.595 --> 00:12:57.404
I can't do this.
00:12:57.434 --> 00:12:58.544
And a really demanding job.
00:12:58.544 --> 00:13:05.764
So I was able to, just get a few more bookings and then leave that corporate career and do wedding photography full time.
00:13:05.764 --> 00:13:08.774
So that was where I created Nick Church Photography, since then.
00:13:08.835 --> 00:13:15.277
So things have apart from a little, you know, COVID, issue of a few weddings, but things have just escalated from there.
00:13:15.277 --> 00:13:21.157
And I've done more commercial stuff and also built up the training side of my business as well.
00:13:21.157 --> 00:13:22.447
So that's something that I really love to do.
00:13:22.447 --> 00:13:25.351
I do really like sort of mentoring and coaching other people.
00:13:25.831 --> 00:13:40.611
And this year has been whole new, massive project of creating the Nick Church Creative Academy, which is taking a lot of the content that I deliver in person and putting it online as a suite of online courses and, I really love them.
00:13:40.611 --> 00:13:41.572
I'm really passionate about'em.
00:13:41.572 --> 00:13:42.951
I, I've put a lot of effort into them.
00:13:42.951 --> 00:13:48.351
I really want them to be the best place to get, you know, for a photographer, wherever they are in their journey.
00:13:48.351 --> 00:13:58.221
So whether they're beginning, I wanna take a hobby forwards or whether they have an idea of doing a career that then this course, the photographer unleashed course, is aimed at getting them to that point.
00:13:58.221 --> 00:14:04.022
And one of those lessons that, that I recorded is my thoughts on, here's just some themes that.
00:14:04.751 --> 00:14:10.261
found it, it's really useful for all of us photographers to be thinking about the time when we're taking photos.
00:14:10.261 --> 00:14:14.269
And so, yeah, that, that's what you are referring to seven, sort of themes that I've got.
00:14:14.812 --> 00:14:15.412
That's perfect.
00:14:15.412 --> 00:14:26.644
And I think one thing that I love is that, and I'm sure you know this as well, I'll get like emails several a week from people like just asking to be on the podcast, you know, and they're like, I gotta share this thing.
00:14:27.004 --> 00:14:31.384
And I'll just give a quick, like ten second look into who they are, because I've never heard of them before.
00:14:31.565 --> 00:14:35.855
And it's like, oh, they, they just started photography like last year, you know?
00:14:35.855 --> 00:14:40.715
And here they are trying to tell people how to build a six figure, you know, photography business.
00:14:40.894 --> 00:14:43.955
And there's not a lot behind that.
00:14:44.264 --> 00:14:47.355
And that's why I love having people on like you who are battle tested.
00:14:47.475 --> 00:14:53.865
That doesn't mean old, that just means, you know, you're seasoned, like I said earlier, and, you've been, you know, through the trenches of, of this.
00:14:53.865 --> 00:14:58.034
And now you're at the point to where you can share that knowledge that you have learned over the years.
00:14:58.466 --> 00:14:58.547
Hmm.
00:14:58.605 --> 00:15:00.195
While actually behind the camera.
00:15:00.195 --> 00:15:03.514
So I'm really excited, to hear, these seven things today.
00:15:03.514 --> 00:15:05.504
So, let's start off with number one.
00:15:05.504 --> 00:15:09.315
what is the first rule or theme that photographers need to know and keep top of mind?
00:15:09.701 --> 00:15:09.971
Yeah.
00:15:09.971 --> 00:15:11.682
Well, these are in no particular order.
00:15:11.682 --> 00:15:26.639
The first one is avoid gas, so gear acquisition syndrome, which is something that afflicts all of us as photographers and that's not to say people can't buy stuff, but it's this idea that we can buy something going to improve our photography and we're not really sure why it is.
00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:27.419
And that's the crucial thing.
00:15:27.419 --> 00:15:35.373
We're buying something in a endless quest to improve our photography, but we're not really, don't have the data or the understanding about if that's gonna make any difference.
00:15:35.793 --> 00:15:36.363
And so.
00:15:36.697 --> 00:15:43.748
way that I've, you know, had to do an intervention on myself about this'cause I love buying kites as much as everyone else is to ask myself two questions.
00:15:44.557 --> 00:15:47.827
this new thing I'm about to buy, it might be a camera body, a camera lens.
00:15:48.727 --> 00:15:51.628
Can I articulate the problem I've got with the thing I've got now?
00:15:51.826 --> 00:15:52.046
Hmm.
00:15:52.339 --> 00:15:52.938
that something I can say?
00:15:52.938 --> 00:15:53.089
Right?
00:15:53.089 --> 00:15:53.989
There's a problem with that.
00:15:54.318 --> 00:15:55.339
And can I articulate it?
00:15:55.339 --> 00:15:57.922
'cause you find a lot of people I work with just can't articulate.
00:15:57.960 --> 00:15:59.278
They don't know why there's a problem.
00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:00.629
So can you articulate it?
00:16:01.019 --> 00:16:05.249
And the second question, can you be sure that that new thing is gonna solve that problem?
00:16:05.249 --> 00:16:10.918
So if it's like a kit lens for example, then you know you have a problem where you can't really get very shallow depth of field.
00:16:10.918 --> 00:16:16.828
Then of course, you know, buying a prime lens, a 50 mil prime lens is a pretty low cost way to fix that problem.
00:16:16.828 --> 00:16:18.089
It's very sort of nailed on.
00:16:18.869 --> 00:16:22.111
when you see things like someone might be having problem focusing.
00:16:22.501 --> 00:16:29.591
They're just having a problem focusing, and they find a lens review that says the focusing on this lens is absolutely stellar and the lens is like$2,000.
00:16:29.591 --> 00:16:34.234
And of course, you know, unless they've got a really old lens or it's broken, the lens isn't the problem there.
00:16:34.234 --> 00:16:35.644
It's technique or camera set up.
00:16:35.644 --> 00:16:36.423
And just
00:16:36.572 --> 00:16:36.812
Yeah.
00:16:36.964 --> 00:16:42.105
on that one word, it is they're suddenly dropping a load of cash on something that's actually not gonna make any difference probably.
00:16:42.495 --> 00:16:48.395
So that's the first one is to just be mindful of improving our skills with the kit we have.
00:16:48.985 --> 00:16:54.328
Work out into what the problem might be'cause we will get to a point where we think that I've now got a problem with this.
00:16:54.328 --> 00:16:55.859
I've reached the limits of this kit.
00:16:56.188 --> 00:16:56.489
Once we
00:16:56.642 --> 00:16:56.971
Yeah.
00:16:57.448 --> 00:17:02.519
that, that's the time that if you can afford it and justify it, that's the time to move on to a different, different equipment.
00:17:03.886 --> 00:17:04.366
Perfect.
00:17:04.426 --> 00:17:13.297
Yeah, and my take is like if you want to buy new gear, like buy new gear, like I'm not gonna tell you what to do with your money, but if you want to know if it's actually gonna help you as a photographer.
00:17:13.597 --> 00:17:20.438
I mean, you said it perfectly right there, articulate what problem you're having and what problem this thing is going to solve.
00:17:20.557 --> 00:17:23.708
And that's something that so many people don't think of.
00:17:23.738 --> 00:17:36.938
or one thing that I've noticed a lot is most YouTube reviews let's say that they're talking about how fast and fantastic focusing is, it's like compared to what, you know, compared to a kit lens, yeah, it's probably fantastic.
00:17:36.938 --> 00:17:41.258
But compared to last year's, you know, L Lens or flagship model.
00:17:41.903 --> 00:17:43.553
What is it, five, 10% better?
00:17:43.583 --> 00:17:47.482
You know, is that going to make a huge difference in the way that you shoot?
00:17:47.482 --> 00:17:58.155
So, just trying to be more open about that and, aware that there's a certain amount of people on YouTube who are doing everything that they can to sell you
00:17:58.333 --> 00:17:58.393
Of
00:17:58.516 --> 00:18:01.546
that gear rather than just inform you on what it is.
00:18:01.605 --> 00:18:03.625
So, I love it, number one.
00:18:03.625 --> 00:18:04.405
Fantastic.
00:18:04.732 --> 00:18:13.589
you know, I think that's the reason that, we kind of, we think we're gonna improve something and then you think, well, hang on, this latest lens only came out last year, Have no decent shots.
00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:15.390
Could people not focus before last year?
00:18:15.962 --> 00:18:16.262
Right.
00:18:16.529 --> 00:18:17.369
clearly isn't true.
00:18:18.450 --> 00:18:18.509
So
00:18:18.903 --> 00:18:19.653
Exactly.
00:18:19.863 --> 00:18:20.313
Exactly.
00:18:20.313 --> 00:18:20.492
Yeah.
00:18:21.153 --> 00:18:21.452
All right.
00:18:21.452 --> 00:18:21.748
What's number two?
00:18:22.470 --> 00:18:26.369
Number two is to always be critical about our work.
00:18:28.230 --> 00:18:30.390
with's a really important skill I think, for us to develop.
00:18:30.390 --> 00:18:31.259
And you can develop it.
00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:39.220
'cause I've developed it with coaching clients of mine to look at your images and try and work out what is it you love about it, what is it you don't love about it?
00:18:40.329 --> 00:18:46.900
it's this, the quest that I've got, and I still do this to this day, is to look at every image I shoot, try and critique it.
00:18:46.950 --> 00:18:55.446
The ideal situation of every photo I take is generally this photo I really like, the couple's gonna love it, my client's gonna love its commercial, whatever it might be.
00:18:55.882 --> 00:19:00.172
But I also have some ideas on how I could do even better next time and that kind of relentless improvement.
00:19:00.172 --> 00:19:08.122
And it might just be composition or I wish I'd just gone left a bit, or maybe that if I'd stopped down a little bit, that person just, you know, a bit further back would also be sharp.
00:19:08.152 --> 00:19:10.011
But they're still gonna love it and they won't notice that.
00:19:10.011 --> 00:19:11.832
But it just always helps us get better.
00:19:11.832 --> 00:19:19.208
And developing those skills a really useful thing to do because we can, and, and the same applies if we're looking at other people's photos.
00:19:19.652 --> 00:19:26.011
A lot of beginners, and I can remember feeling this myself, that you look at someone else's photos, you think, man, my, I wish my photos looked like that.
00:19:26.192 --> 00:19:27.271
They just don't look like that.
00:19:27.751 --> 00:19:35.942
And identifying the difference between our photos and some photos that we really love is pretty much the same base skills that we are gonna use to get there.
00:19:36.001 --> 00:19:37.682
We will get there, we just dunno how to get there yet.
00:19:37.682 --> 00:19:43.862
But having that base skill of seeing the difference and thinking, oh, those colors, or, wow, the light, the contrast.
00:19:44.176 --> 00:19:47.946
It's fantastic with the side lighting that's come in, that's all you need to actually get there.
00:19:47.946 --> 00:19:48.846
It just takes a bit longer.
00:19:48.846 --> 00:19:50.707
You're a bit further behind, but you will get there then.
00:19:51.126 --> 00:19:54.426
And we can exercise that by looking at our own work and critiquing it.
00:19:54.960 --> 00:20:09.151
Follow up question there for you, because one of the things that I hear from a lot of listeners is they'll ask how to get better photos because when they look at other people's photos, they just look more polished, but like that doesn't necessarily mean edited.
00:20:09.211 --> 00:20:09.570
Right.
00:20:09.570 --> 00:20:15.520
So do you have a, pillars of things that you look at to determine, well, this needs work.
00:20:15.580 --> 00:20:16.480
That's okay.
00:20:16.510 --> 00:20:18.161
This thing could use some work.
00:20:18.161 --> 00:20:24.961
And then, you know, same with this other thing, like, I know for me, one of the things that I look for is just my direction of light, right?
00:20:24.961 --> 00:20:28.351
That's one of the things that I always look for in not only my images, but others.
00:20:28.681 --> 00:20:29.580
Is there anything else like.
00:20:30.036 --> 00:20:34.496
a pillar like that, that you look for to determine this needs help, or, I'm good with this.
00:21:07.528 --> 00:21:09.212
It is often light related.
00:21:09.212 --> 00:21:10.653
It's either light or depth of feel with me.
00:21:10.653 --> 00:21:13.322
I mean, obviously if it's a missed focus, then that's just an error.
00:21:13.383 --> 00:21:15.288
You know, there's no way to sort of, you can just fix that.
00:21:15.288 --> 00:21:16.218
You can't really improve it.
00:21:16.667 --> 00:21:26.238
But if the depth of feel's not right, and I think I've definitely as time's gone on, not always gone for the shallowest depth of field possible because it's just a bit of an easy win, isn't it?
00:21:26.238 --> 00:21:30.937
Especially if you've got a nice F 2.8 70, 70 to 200 lens, you can shoot an event.
00:21:31.417 --> 00:21:33.548
And you've got beautiful photos of everybody, but it
00:21:33.735 --> 00:21:34.026
Yeah.
00:21:34.597 --> 00:21:35.738
a load of really nice headshots.
00:21:35.738 --> 00:21:42.008
There's no story being played out there and that needs you to stop down a bit, go a bit wider, bring lots of things into the frame.
00:21:42.008 --> 00:21:44.407
And that means you can't just have junk in it.
00:21:44.413 --> 00:21:47.197
It has to be a bit more careful with composition to make sure that things work.
00:21:47.248 --> 00:21:50.509
And so it's, it's usually things in the frame that.
00:21:51.117 --> 00:21:55.960
I wish weren't there and I could have easily been something we can't move, but I could have moved a bit and just avoided it.
00:21:56.019 --> 00:22:00.309
I could have avoided that and created a much more balanced image having anything that's bright behind.
00:22:00.309 --> 00:22:08.299
Certainly when I started out, that was the key thing for me is I realized by doing this process where if I'm, let's say there's somebody stood by a window.
00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:12.029
If I shoot alongside that window, kind of parallel to it.
00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:17.299
I'm getting some beautiful sidelight there and the window's not in the frame, so I'm not getting all these blown highlights behind.
00:22:17.947 --> 00:22:18.248
Yeah.
00:22:18.259 --> 00:22:20.710
sorts of things have really elevated my work.
00:22:20.710 --> 00:22:22.369
And that's been, really useful.
00:22:22.901 --> 00:22:28.921
It's funny how whenever, like you'll go somewhere, family gathering or friends or whatever, and they're like, let's take a photo.
00:22:28.951 --> 00:22:34.691
Let's all get in front of this window, and they want to put the window directly behind them thinking that there's just a bunch of light and you're like, no, no, no.
00:22:34.691 --> 00:22:35.130
This is.
00:22:35.360 --> 00:22:36.411
Let's turn the other way.
00:22:36.441 --> 00:22:38.151
'cause otherwise we're all gonna be silhouettes.
00:22:38.488 --> 00:22:38.697
Yeah.
00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:42.610
But it is funny that, like, everybody understands that we need more light.
00:22:42.637 --> 00:22:43.784
They're just using it wrong.
00:22:43.784 --> 00:22:44.924
So I think you're right.
00:22:44.924 --> 00:22:51.184
If you can just figure out, how to use light even just a little bit better than most people, your photos are gonna take off.
00:22:51.184 --> 00:22:51.964
They're gonna explode.
00:22:51.964 --> 00:22:52.984
So that was great.
00:22:53.194 --> 00:22:53.464
All right.
00:22:53.464 --> 00:22:54.065
What's number three?
00:22:54.626 --> 00:22:57.656
Number three is don't try to rescue a shot in the edit.
00:22:57.656 --> 00:23:05.052
And I see this one all the time, certainly in in Facebook groups where there's a shot that ultimately it isn't quite right.
00:23:05.113 --> 00:23:06.222
It's never gonna be a great shot.
00:23:06.252 --> 00:23:10.182
This idea that if a shot is gonna be great, it'll be great in camera.
00:23:10.182 --> 00:23:14.442
You look at it before you've edit it and think, wow, that's an absolute banger that shot, that's gonna be fantastic.
00:23:14.472 --> 00:23:26.757
And then it really is, you know, you reedit it and it's, when you are trying to work on it and you are using AI to sort of select the subject, make it brighter, and then they look stuck on, so you make it a bit dark, you're better off just leaving it as it is.
00:23:26.817 --> 00:23:28.557
It's probably still a really nice shot.
00:23:29.037 --> 00:23:30.176
And just do better next time.
00:23:30.206 --> 00:23:31.287
Go back out and reshoot it.
00:23:31.287 --> 00:23:33.716
There's very few situations that you can go out and reshoot.
00:23:33.716 --> 00:23:39.086
If it's your kids, a local scene, pets, flora, whatever it is you're shooting, you can go out and do it again.
00:23:39.086 --> 00:23:45.777
And with that knowledge of that previous rule about what you can improve next time, they genuinely will be better and you will start getting those great.
00:23:46.605 --> 00:23:47.024
Mm-hmm.
00:23:47.545 --> 00:23:49.734
you expand on me a little bit more?
00:23:49.795 --> 00:23:54.805
Just for those who might be confused, are we saying no editing should be required?
00:23:54.805 --> 00:23:56.875
That our goal should always be 100%.
00:23:56.875 --> 00:23:57.714
Get it right in camera.
00:23:57.997 --> 00:23:58.267
Oh no.
00:23:58.317 --> 00:23:58.797
Absolutely not.
00:23:58.846 --> 00:24:04.759
It is not in my rule, in this list of rules, but that's one of another lesson on the online course is about photography myths.
00:24:04.759 --> 00:24:09.049
And that's one of them people saying that, you know, you need to get it right on camera, that you shouldn't need to edit.
00:24:09.049 --> 00:24:10.970
And of course you should because raw files,
00:24:10.978 --> 00:24:10.988
Yeah.
00:24:11.059 --> 00:24:15.559
example, need to be edited and JPEGs are already edited just by your camera, not by you.
00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:23.109
So, no, we definitely need to edit our photos there's a point where the editing is bringing out the things that are really lovely about that picture.
00:24:23.797 --> 00:24:32.970
if it might be, some really lovely, a very autumnal scene, or it might be a very warm, very late golden hour sort of scene, and you could really enhance that with editing.
00:24:33.329 --> 00:24:34.426
But it was, right in camera.
00:24:34.576 --> 00:24:37.096
It would be too flat in camera, so you need to edit it to bring it out.
00:24:37.486 --> 00:24:40.416
But it's when there's mistakes in camera that we're
00:24:40.484 --> 00:24:40.904
Hmm.
00:24:41.166 --> 00:24:49.586
We're trying to repair things and it's become more common now with AI's ability to, you know, remove things, replace things, easily select subjects and make them brighter.
00:24:49.586 --> 00:24:53.007
And it just never looks great and you are always gonna be better off going back out there.
00:24:53.538 --> 00:24:54.048
Yeah.
00:24:54.137 --> 00:24:54.468
Yeah.
00:24:54.897 --> 00:24:57.298
I find that, at least when I would go and cull through a wedding.
00:24:57.807 --> 00:25:01.214
The thing that I would look for first and foremost would always be moment.
00:25:01.244 --> 00:25:06.644
Like, if it's a good moment, if it's a good laugh, I'm gonna save the photo and then I'll do a second pass.
00:25:06.644 --> 00:25:11.295
And then look at things like lighting composition, camera settings, things like that.
00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:17.872
Because I know that, if I get a photo with a good moment and maybe the camera settings weren't that great, I can.
00:25:18.051 --> 00:25:21.790
I don't wanna say that I can save that in the edit, but like, that's already 90% of the way there.
00:25:21.790 --> 00:25:25.861
Like for my style of photography, the moment is the most important.
00:25:26.111 --> 00:25:32.988
And then secondary are the other things like the light, the composition, the settings, and then those are things that you can of course enhance from there.
00:25:33.029 --> 00:25:34.545
Yeah, I agree with you completely.
00:25:34.595 --> 00:25:39.841
everything you said there that I think I'm talking about, so you absolutely can rescue images.
00:25:39.841 --> 00:25:40.922
You can make them deliverable rather.
00:25:41.882 --> 00:25:42.061
Right.
00:25:42.061 --> 00:25:51.398
So you can make shots that, well, it's got some good things that are great, like a moment, like you said, that are really strong images and a, a couple don't care if there's blown highlights in the background.
00:25:51.517 --> 00:25:51.866
Right.
00:25:51.999 --> 00:25:55.959
the fact that there was, everyone was doing shots or there was people just laughing hilariously.
00:25:55.959 --> 00:25:57.489
That's a lovely photo for them to have.
00:25:58.269 --> 00:26:00.204
Is it gonna be, let's use that as an example.
00:26:00.204 --> 00:26:04.434
Say there was, there were blown highlights'cause that moment happened and you, I grabbed my camera and, and took it.
00:26:05.125 --> 00:26:05.694
captured it.
00:26:06.016 --> 00:26:06.645
It's too bright.
00:26:06.645 --> 00:26:07.336
There's blown highlights.
00:26:07.635 --> 00:26:10.306
It's never gonna be a great image as, as a result that's gonna be really
00:26:10.338 --> 00:26:10.699
Right,
00:26:10.846 --> 00:26:11.895
be very great for them.
00:26:12.286 --> 00:26:15.763
But is it gonna be something that I could put on the front page of my website?
00:26:15.763 --> 00:26:16.634
Probably not because
00:26:16.732 --> 00:26:17.123
right.
00:26:17.329 --> 00:26:17.420
it.
00:26:17.869 --> 00:26:27.200
I could replace the sky into all these other things, but I think you just strike it down as a miss and go back out and think, well, that was really good, next time I'm gonna try and make sure I do that without blowing the highlights.
00:26:27.619 --> 00:26:33.509
And it's because there's just seems to be a lot of, you can spend a lot of time fixing things or trying to fix things.
00:26:33.509 --> 00:26:38.719
Trying to make a shot really, really great that isn't just, isn't, hasn't got the legs to get there.
00:26:39.182 --> 00:26:46.603
Whereas all the time, if you spent an hour in Lightroom and it was a shot from your local forest, you could probably gone there and back and taken another one in in that
00:26:46.816 --> 00:26:47.105
Yeah.
00:26:48.961 --> 00:26:49.201
Yeah.
00:26:49.201 --> 00:26:50.010
I'm right there with you.
00:26:50.010 --> 00:26:50.401
Yeah.
00:26:50.401 --> 00:26:58.916
And I didn't mean to contradict what you had said it was, I think that when you can marry moment with all the other things, the light, the settings, the composition,
00:26:59.033 --> 00:26:59.303
Hmm.
00:26:59.696 --> 00:27:01.797
right there is a great moment in camera.
00:27:01.826 --> 00:27:03.777
And now it's set up and ready to go to.
00:27:04.541 --> 00:27:06.521
Put it in your visual signature when editing.
00:27:06.521 --> 00:27:07.351
So that's really good.
00:27:07.442 --> 00:27:08.011
That's really good.
00:27:08.171 --> 00:27:09.340
that's always the goal, isn't it?
00:27:09.340 --> 00:27:19.776
For, you know, weddings and events, photographers, but I, I suppose family, you know, when, if it's your own family gatherings as well, a moment and great light and everything else.
00:27:20.391 --> 00:27:21.891
It's like that's what we're all chasing.
00:27:21.891 --> 00:27:22.250
We're all
00:27:22.493 --> 00:27:23.183
It feels great.
00:27:23.270 --> 00:27:27.941
I think photography is such an addictive pastime because we're always trying to achieve that.
00:27:27.941 --> 00:27:32.183
And you things like all of those things where stuff happens like that, you can't control it.
00:27:32.273 --> 00:27:34.374
So you can't generally, you can't say, right?
00:27:34.793 --> 00:27:38.513
All have a really nice moment, but just turn the other way a bit so I can get nice at light on it.
00:27:38.513 --> 00:27:39.203
It doesn't work.
00:27:39.473 --> 00:27:40.824
So we're always trying to work with that.
00:27:41.724 --> 00:27:42.204
Yeah.
00:27:42.254 --> 00:27:45.014
you would kill the moment so fast to do that.
00:27:45.014 --> 00:27:45.884
Yeah, absolutely.
00:27:46.605 --> 00:27:48.585
Well, we are, uh, we're just pumping through these.
00:27:48.585 --> 00:27:50.249
How about we continue, that was number three.
00:27:50.249 --> 00:27:50.878
What's number four?
00:27:50.921 --> 00:27:51.221
right?
00:27:51.280 --> 00:27:57.580
Then number four is trying to think about does this photo I'm about to take communicate?
00:27:58.153 --> 00:27:58.233
Hmm.
00:27:58.510 --> 00:28:06.010
And it, it doesn't mean that every photo has to be an a really piece of ironic art or a street photo, you know, something like that.
00:28:06.401 --> 00:28:08.350
But when we're thinking about this, what does it communicate?
00:28:08.350 --> 00:28:09.350
Is there a lovely balance to it?
00:28:09.350 --> 00:28:10.820
Is it a, a beautiful scene?
00:28:11.211 --> 00:28:12.411
Is the light really beautiful?
00:28:12.411 --> 00:28:14.030
Is there some humor in it?
00:28:14.030 --> 00:28:14.810
Is there some expression?
00:28:14.810 --> 00:28:17.956
If it's of kids and stuff, you know, is some kids sitting, you know, are kids sitting.
00:28:18.176 --> 00:28:22.287
Just staring at the camera they've been sitting there for five minutes, isn't a great photo.
00:28:22.317 --> 00:28:27.956
But once they look at each other and one of them said something really rude and they're really laughing, that, that is a lovely photo.
00:28:27.956 --> 00:28:30.534
And that's what that it then picks up a load of energy.
00:28:30.534 --> 00:28:40.694
So having photos that try and communicate something, whether it's sort of emotion or, some, if it's a travel photo, does it really make us feel like we wanna go there or can we walk into that photo?
00:28:40.694 --> 00:28:44.524
And all, all of those things aren't things that we can do every time.
00:28:44.795 --> 00:28:51.688
But when we're thinking about it, I find in my clients that our photography does start to improve because we're thinking, oh, right, yeah, that, there's something here.
00:28:51.749 --> 00:28:54.178
And it sort of, again, it's all about that muscle memory.
00:28:54.178 --> 00:28:55.739
So our internal brain muscle memory.
00:28:56.201 --> 00:28:58.721
When that's the vision, that's the goal that we're going for.
00:28:59.201 --> 00:29:05.892
We can actually start to put that into practice'cause otherwise, ultimately we're, if we don't have anything like that, then it's just snapshots.
00:29:05.892 --> 00:29:12.426
And those do have value because they capture memories and moments and you know, that's how we look back and remember our lives through these snapshots.
00:29:12.426 --> 00:29:12.997
But that's what
00:29:13.069 --> 00:29:13.399
Yeah.
00:29:13.446 --> 00:29:14.442
are, they're snapshots.
00:29:14.531 --> 00:29:20.182
And if we really have a desire to create something that's above that, then we're looking for something else in there.
00:29:20.461 --> 00:29:26.731
And we don't do it straight away and it's very hard to get it right, but just start thinking about it now as soon as we can.
00:29:27.301 --> 00:29:29.761
And then that, that will redevelop sort of in the background.
00:29:30.514 --> 00:29:38.744
Yeah, I say something similar, which is like, the difference between a photograph and a snapshot is just the amount of intention that went into it, right?
00:29:38.744 --> 00:29:39.075
So
00:29:39.146 --> 00:29:39.356
Yeah.
00:29:39.555 --> 00:29:40.611
it sounds very similar, right?
00:29:40.611 --> 00:29:42.021
What are you trying to communicate here?
00:29:42.423 --> 00:29:42.453
a
00:29:42.636 --> 00:29:43.146
Yeah.
00:29:43.293 --> 00:29:43.503
Yeah.
00:29:43.626 --> 00:29:43.986
Yeah.
00:29:44.106 --> 00:29:50.749
And it's, it can be hard sometimes because as, I think the first thing you said there was like, it doesn't have to be this crazy photo.
00:29:51.009 --> 00:29:52.989
It doesn't have to be poignant necessarily.
00:29:52.989 --> 00:29:58.838
Sometimes you're just trying to communicate, this is what my child looks at nine years old, and that's okay.
00:29:58.868 --> 00:30:03.489
Sometimes you're trying to communicate this is what the sun looked like when it was hitting the back of these leaves.
00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:04.418
And that's okay.
00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:07.539
It doesn't have to be, this is what life is about.
00:30:07.569 --> 00:30:10.309
This is the meaning of, the world and everything in it.
00:30:10.700 --> 00:30:12.379
It can be smaller stories.
00:30:12.769 --> 00:30:15.615
And I think that that can be hard to fully understand.
00:30:15.626 --> 00:30:16.026
Mm-hmm.
00:30:16.213 --> 00:30:22.953
you ever go through anything like that as far as like you felt like you were trying to tell too big of a story and you had to narrow it down?
00:30:22.953 --> 00:30:24.634
Or are you still trying to tell these massive stories?
00:30:25.260 --> 00:30:37.976
I am trying, I'm still trying to capture something and it, it doesn't, I find that it can be something very slight, just a slight sideways glance between, you know, say if it's a, it is a wedding and, and it might just be, a grandmother looking at the bride's dress.
00:30:37.976 --> 00:30:39.747
And that that is a really strong moment.
00:30:39.747 --> 00:30:43.106
And there's, there's no great big kind of motive behind it.
00:30:43.106 --> 00:30:46.767
It is just, but when you're looking for those things, you do start to see them all the time.
00:30:46.797 --> 00:30:47.576
'cause life is happening
00:30:47.730 --> 00:30:48.019
Yeah.
00:30:48.267 --> 00:30:48.386
it?
00:30:48.386 --> 00:30:48.807
You know?
00:30:49.257 --> 00:30:51.731
And if we're not thinking like it, we just miss it all the time.
00:30:51.912 --> 00:30:55.809
And what I find myself doing sometimes is something's happening, I think.
00:30:55.839 --> 00:30:56.799
Oh, that's amazing.
00:30:56.829 --> 00:31:03.139
I think what we're doing, I'm not taking the picture, so I've forgotten to actually take, take the picture of it'cause I've, I'm enjoying the moment happening right there in front of me.
00:31:03.712 --> 00:31:06.230
Yeah, it happened to me once.
00:31:06.230 --> 00:31:13.093
I regret not taking a photo of a flower girl puking into a trash can because she was so nervous.
00:31:13.123 --> 00:31:14.802
But I was looking at her like, is she gonna do it?
00:31:14.802 --> 00:31:15.343
Is she gonna do it?
00:31:15.343 --> 00:31:16.032
She's doing it.
00:31:16.153 --> 00:31:17.292
And then it was too late.
00:31:17.292 --> 00:31:20.262
I missed it, but I know I should have, I should have been behind the camera.
00:31:20.262 --> 00:31:20.593
Yeah.
00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:22.909
Well, let's move on to number five.
00:31:22.909 --> 00:31:23.109
What do we got?
00:31:23.507 --> 00:31:27.324
Number five is to shoot more photos than you think you're ever gonna need.
00:31:28.313 --> 00:31:29.219
And this is because.
00:31:30.129 --> 00:31:35.933
if I do a, a photo tour with people, we'll find a nice scene, we'll find some nice light or something, and they'll take a shot.
00:31:35.933 --> 00:31:36.114
Yeah.
00:31:36.114 --> 00:31:36.503
Great.
00:31:36.594 --> 00:31:38.844
You know, I think, you're just gonna take the one then.
00:31:38.894 --> 00:31:39.644
Let's take some more.
00:31:39.644 --> 00:31:42.523
Let's very, you know, because there's nothing worse than coming back.
00:31:42.584 --> 00:31:45.344
If you just take one photo, you look at it, you bring it up on your computer.
00:31:46.033 --> 00:31:47.263
might be slightly out focus.
00:31:47.263 --> 00:31:56.916
It is one problem you think, oh man, I wish I just, I wish I checked it or it might be that you wish you'd taken, if it's something moving or something you wish you'd taken one, just a fraction a second before or afterwards.
00:31:57.307 --> 00:32:02.683
And if we're just taking loads then we've just got, we've given ourselves a much bigger toolkit to choose from.
00:32:03.134 --> 00:32:08.983
I think that the reason often people don't do this is'cause we're worried about running outta space on our cards.
00:32:08.983 --> 00:32:09.223
And,
00:32:09.866 --> 00:32:10.086
Hmm.
00:32:10.094 --> 00:32:16.673
because you're storing images on your SD card, then that's a problem in itself because your SD card is, they're designed for size, not for security.
00:32:16.673 --> 00:32:17.243
And they, that
00:32:17.321 --> 00:32:17.682
Sure.
00:32:17.813 --> 00:32:19.854
most fragile place to store your images.
00:32:19.854 --> 00:32:21.354
So get'em off of there.
00:32:21.354 --> 00:32:26.190
Get a, you know, memory cards are so cheap nowadays for sort of$15, for 128 gig.
00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:27.420
Get a fresh card.
00:32:28.149 --> 00:32:32.769
just put it on rapid fire and just find, you know, just take loads of options, loads of options, fill us.
00:32:33.029 --> 00:32:33.990
So that, that's that one.
00:32:34.039 --> 00:32:52.769
I have one follow up question there, which is, talk to me about the balance between shooting with intention and shooting more shots than you think that you need because I think somebody listening might think, oh, great, I'm just gonna put it on burst mode and just, just shoot a ton unnecessarily.
00:32:53.009 --> 00:32:54.170
So what, Yeah.
00:32:54.200 --> 00:32:55.789
help me figure out that balance.
00:32:56.551 --> 00:32:59.801
It's so the intention should always be there.
00:33:00.281 --> 00:33:07.932
Once the intention's there, we are just shooting multiple versions of that same intentional shot just to give ourselves options.
00:33:08.182 --> 00:33:12.832
When you've taken lots of shots of the same thing, I mean, there's no point taking 200 photos that are exactly the same.
00:33:13.643 --> 00:33:19.667
then move a little bit, you know, get a different angle and that then helps us when we're reviewing them, the intention's still there.
00:33:19.667 --> 00:33:26.357
It might be a really lovely, there's something about that shot that you really love, but just change the angle and take it again, change the angle and take a few more options.
00:33:26.357 --> 00:33:32.748
And then when we're reviewing them, we can think, oh, actually when I moved lower, suddenly got different perspective and it feels much more immersive.
00:33:32.748 --> 00:33:34.218
It feels like I walk into the photo more.
00:33:34.577 --> 00:33:40.974
And that only happens when we're kind of doing this mode of, rather than just taking a shot, let's take lots of them, let's change our position, take a few more.
00:33:41.365 --> 00:33:42.805
And we're just intentionally doing it.
00:33:43.105 --> 00:33:49.955
That's not to say that you just, you know, walk around on rapid fire with your finger held down and just pointing at various different things and hoping that you
00:33:49.989 --> 00:33:50.528
Yeah.
00:33:50.586 --> 00:33:52.086
because yeah, you, you never will.
00:33:53.048 --> 00:33:53.499
No.
00:33:53.499 --> 00:33:54.098
Oh, man.
00:33:54.098 --> 00:34:01.989
And I can't, oh, that just sounds so dreadful to have to go through 10,000 photos of, of just junk and hoping that you get one that you like.
00:34:02.298 --> 00:34:04.709
I do find that I do take, I mean, I, I'm looking at.
00:34:05.348 --> 00:34:09.364
staring down the barrel of 7,000 photos sometimes from a wedding, and it's
00:34:09.817 --> 00:34:10.146
Yeah.
00:34:10.414 --> 00:34:11.313
to go through.
00:34:11.704 --> 00:34:16.264
And what's your thoughts on using AI to cull
00:34:16.981 --> 00:34:19.811
Honestly, I haven't used it, from what I've heard from others.
00:34:19.892 --> 00:34:27.762
they find it great to just one, immediately get rid of things like duplicates or misfocused or, lack of smiles.
00:34:27.762 --> 00:34:33.992
But, you know, because suddenly if instead of having to go through 7,000 photos now you only have to go through 4,000 photos.
00:34:33.992 --> 00:34:35.642
It's a lot easier to do yourself.
00:34:35.642 --> 00:34:37.291
Do you do any ai calling?
00:34:37.528 --> 00:34:38.219
No, I don't.
00:34:38.219 --> 00:34:43.719
I do with editing, I use AI to do a base edit, but I still retouch every shot afterwards.
00:34:43.838 --> 00:34:46.778
yeah, and I just interested because I think at what.
00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:51.308
I think as we've talked about, finding those moments that may not be the perfect photo.
00:34:52.028 --> 00:34:54.668
let's say you managed to get that girl that was being sick into a bucket
00:34:55.211 --> 00:34:55.572
Yeah,
00:34:55.628 --> 00:35:00.342
grabbed it and you got it, but there was technically some, a little bit of an error there.
00:35:00.822 --> 00:35:02.802
AI probably wouldn't have included it'cause it doesn't know.
00:35:02.862 --> 00:35:03.672
Oh, that's quite funny.
00:35:03.672 --> 00:35:05.023
'cause she's being sick in a bucket.
00:35:05.052 --> 00:35:05.262
It,
00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:06.101
That's a good point.
00:35:06.402 --> 00:35:11.242
you know, so it does miss these things sometimes when someone's eyes are closed, they might be closed for all sorts of reasons.
00:35:11.242 --> 00:35:13.643
Not just'cause they're blinking, they might be emotional or something else.
00:35:13.643 --> 00:35:17.063
And you, I dunno how accurate it is it picking up those moments.
00:35:17.063 --> 00:35:21.509
I'd hate to miss some of those things just because it's looking for what it classes as good photo.
00:35:21.509 --> 00:35:22.858
Anyway, we, that, that's off topic.
00:35:22.858 --> 00:35:24.538
We've gone off the tracks a bit.
00:35:25.596 --> 00:35:27.786
I still thought, I still thought it was interesting.
00:35:27.887 --> 00:35:28.427
That was number five.
00:35:28.427 --> 00:35:31.786
So number six is to keep practicing the harder stuff.
00:35:31.786 --> 00:35:44.639
And this is, something that I do with, I found with when learning an instrument as well, when I'm sort of, I was learning guitar a couple years ago or learning guitar again'cause I'd never learned it properly realized that just doing a little bit.
00:35:45.364 --> 00:35:51.838
the harder, the bits that harder, that we're finding more difficult regularly and often really help the muscle memory.
00:35:51.849 --> 00:35:58.219
it's like magic And you know, you just practice for five minutes on the things that aren't so easy that we're not finding so natural.
00:35:58.909 --> 00:36:05.648
And the next time you come back, the next day easier and something's happened in the background, it's carried on kind of working even, you know, while we sleep.
00:36:05.648 --> 00:36:09.759
And it's just like, it is like magic, but you have to combine it'cause it is harder.
00:36:09.759 --> 00:36:12.818
It is not as fun to do that stuff, and that's why we can sometimes avoid it.
00:36:13.358 --> 00:36:15.099
And photography is supposed to be fun as well.
00:36:15.099 --> 00:36:18.188
So you want to balance it with take, doing the stuff that you like doing.
00:36:18.188 --> 00:36:27.849
And also, if you're learning manual mode, for example, just take it outta aperture priority or whatever mode you're in and just get into manual mode and just try that for a little bit every day, even just for a couple of minutes.
00:36:27.878 --> 00:36:33.213
And it will really develop and you pretty soon get to a point where you're faster and faster every time.
00:36:33.844 --> 00:36:43.697
Yeah, what I love about that is that I feel like there's two schools of thoughts either you gradually learn something before you actually implement it, or you just dive straight on into the deep end.
00:36:44.023 --> 00:36:44.411
But that's not.
00:36:44.942 --> 00:36:46.802
That's not always the case for everything, right?
00:36:46.802 --> 00:36:57.195
Like, you can't just dive straight into the deep end when it comes to opposing couples because you only have so much time with finding somebody, and getting them in front of your camera.
00:36:57.255 --> 00:37:05.365
So you do have to take these shorter moments and then try to just do them more often but that manual mode example is perfect, right?
00:37:05.365 --> 00:37:06.146
We're not saying.
00:37:06.576 --> 00:37:12.759
I mean, you could be the person who just wants to turn it to him and, you know, lock it in place, use super glue and you know, never turn it off.
00:37:13.159 --> 00:37:27.393
But I found that for me, when it came to posing my couples, because I only had that time in front of them, that was so short, what would help me a ton was when I would get ready for an engagement session, I'd be packing up my bag.
00:37:27.784 --> 00:37:37.574
I would have the couple's name in my head, and I would just verbally say out loud the directions that I will be giving them to get them into a specific, pose or a position.
00:37:38.308 --> 00:37:42.119
Yeah, so then that way when you get there, it doesn't feel like you're starting from scratch.
00:37:42.389 --> 00:37:44.398
It's like, oh wait, I already said this earlier.
00:37:44.429 --> 00:37:46.498
Now it's easier to kind of remember these things.
00:37:46.808 --> 00:37:55.583
And I always did the first like 30 minutes of my engagement session almost exactly the same, just to ensure that I got all the shots'cause I have a pretty terrible memory when it comes to bouncing all over the place.
00:37:55.583 --> 00:37:58.838
And then the last 30 minutes was just fun goofing around.
00:37:58.978 --> 00:38:01.588
Trying some interesting and, and more creative stuff.
00:38:01.838 --> 00:38:14.909
But yeah, there's always a way to figure out, I think, how you can implement more of a strategy or more of a technique into your everyday life, even if it's not a dedicated 6, 8, 12 hours of learning.
00:38:14.909 --> 00:38:17.474
As you said, maybe it is just five minutes a day and that'll, that'll do it.
00:38:18.351 --> 00:38:20.400
And what could be a danger is that you leave it too long.
00:38:20.400 --> 00:38:24.510
You leave it a couple of weeks, and then you do spend an hour doing it and then leave it another two weeks.
00:38:24.510 --> 00:38:27.240
And every time you do that, you're going back to square one every time.
00:38:27.240 --> 00:38:27.811
And it's just
00:38:28.058 --> 00:38:28.349
Yeah.
00:38:28.681 --> 00:38:29.161
every time.
00:38:29.521 --> 00:38:34.891
On the photographer Unleashed online course that I've launched, we do go into manual mode straight away.
00:38:35.271 --> 00:38:40.010
And it's slow to start with, but there's a process I've devised, which makes it really easy.
00:38:40.400 --> 00:38:46.860
And then we do, then we go into ab priority afterwards'cause I find that way if you're never using manual mode, you'll never get good at using manual mode.
00:38:47.108 --> 00:38:47.398
Sure.
00:38:47.463 --> 00:38:47.824
Sure.
00:38:47.971 --> 00:38:54.740
you know what the camera's doing in manual mode and, what the process is to find your settings, which is pretty much what Apture Priority's doing.
00:38:54.740 --> 00:38:55.521
It's just doing it for you.
00:38:55.760 --> 00:39:03.050
You can then use apture priority or auto because you can then use it as a tool to help get you through certain situations and you,'cause you know what it's doing.
00:39:03.050 --> 00:39:12.050
But if you're doing it in a way, if you're using AP amateur priority, because manual aid is just a bit of a, sort of black hole of knowledge at the moment, then I think you'll, you're never gonna get out of it.
00:39:12.230 --> 00:39:15.000
You're never gonna kind of experiment with manual mode but
00:39:15.034 --> 00:39:15.364
Right.
00:39:15.570 --> 00:39:16.141
in, looking off.
00:39:17.206 --> 00:39:18.346
seeing how it works.
00:39:18.346 --> 00:39:26.891
I in a controlled environment, so it's not like you're in a wedding shoot or someone's watching you because that, as soon as you get pressure like that, it's very hard to to think straight.
00:39:27.340 --> 00:39:31.030
And I think that's a really good idea with a couple, because it's all that confidence, isn't it?
00:39:31.030 --> 00:39:31.391
If you
00:39:31.768 --> 00:39:32.099
Yes.
00:39:32.337 --> 00:39:37.003
If you've done that, raven, you're gonna then be much more confident, you, with a couple.
00:39:37.003 --> 00:39:38.443
And they're gonna feel that confidence.
00:39:38.864 --> 00:39:44.253
And as soon as there's a slight kind of crackle in that confidence, it's like blood to a shark, isn't it?
00:39:44.253 --> 00:39:44.793
They can tell
00:39:45.311 --> 00:39:45.740
Yeah.
00:39:45.800 --> 00:39:47.121
Did we pick the right person?
00:39:47.121 --> 00:39:48.500
Is he gonna ruin our wedding?
00:39:48.541 --> 00:39:48.601
Yeah.
00:39:48.980 --> 00:39:49.110
Then
00:39:49.110 --> 00:39:54.992
you are worried about that and then you both had it, so, so it is such a, it is such a good, a good idea.
00:39:55.686 --> 00:39:57.965
Yeah, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy at that point.
00:39:57.965 --> 00:39:59.556
If you don't prepare for these things.
00:39:59.585 --> 00:40:00.815
That's, that's exactly right.
00:40:00.846 --> 00:40:02.675
And lemme just share a personal story real quick.
00:40:02.706 --> 00:40:08.105
So I told you before we hit record, my son has really been into plane spotting recently.
00:40:08.105 --> 00:40:09.909
So like we've been going to a lot of air shows.
00:40:09.909 --> 00:40:10.268
Right.
00:40:10.329 --> 00:40:19.777
And just for fun, I decided that I'd bring my camera along, along with him, and take some photos and I bombed this thing, like it was terrible.
00:40:19.806 --> 00:40:28.692
Like for so long, shooting weddings, you know, you get used to changing your auto focus mode as the bride's walking down the aisle or, you know, just different moving subjects you just get into that muscle memory.
00:40:29.317 --> 00:40:39.186
Because I hadn't been doing that for so long and the type of photography that I do now is much more personal and still, and not fast moving man trying to go back and forth in between these focusing modes.
00:40:39.487 --> 00:40:43.237
I was missing shots left and right and trying to get the focusing point in the right spot.
00:40:43.596 --> 00:40:44.586
I missed so many shots.
00:40:44.586 --> 00:40:48.983
And it was exactly what you said because I hadn't been using it in so long that I lost it.
00:40:49.083 --> 00:40:53.943
So then immediately after that, I took it to my daughter's softball game'cause I was like, she's gonna have to run down to first base.
00:40:54.458 --> 00:40:56.588
I'm gonna work on focusing modes again.
00:40:56.648 --> 00:41:00.742
And, you know, after a few weeks it feels like I'm starting to get there again.
00:41:00.742 --> 00:41:02.152
But yeah, absolutely.
00:41:02.152 --> 00:41:04.461
you, once you learn these things, you got to keep doing them.
00:41:04.461 --> 00:41:07.221
Otherwise, it's not as easy as just riding a bike.
00:41:07.282 --> 00:41:11.121
There's a lot more involved and, especially with like different camera systems and
00:41:11.659 --> 00:41:13.159
it's occupying a bit of your brain, isn't it?
00:41:13.159 --> 00:41:18.253
And every bit of new information is, all competing for the same space, and it would just push out the stuff that
00:41:18.706 --> 00:41:19.485
exactly.
00:41:19.663 --> 00:41:20.233
used.
00:41:20.715 --> 00:41:21.615
Exactly.
00:41:21.615 --> 00:41:22.215
Exactly.
00:41:22.215 --> 00:41:22.456
Yeah.
00:41:22.516 --> 00:41:23.596
Do not want that.
00:41:23.596 --> 00:41:26.271
So, well, we have, reached the end here.
00:41:26.271 --> 00:41:27.382
We're at number seven.
00:41:27.411 --> 00:41:28.101
Is that right?
00:41:28.188 --> 00:41:39.489
Now we've got one more, which is kind of we, we've kind of covered this already, but look for lovely light and it's my theory of you can take a photo of something that's beautiful in flat, dull light.
00:41:40.012 --> 00:41:41.182
And it won't be very interesting.
00:41:41.282 --> 00:41:52.422
You won't love the photo, but if you find a little shaft of sunlight coming through some trees and you put anything into that little pool of light, doesn't matter if it's a cup of coffee, a flask of coffee, a shoe, anything.
00:41:52.722 --> 00:41:54.342
It will just look really interesting and beautiful.
00:41:54.342 --> 00:42:03.846
And so that's, again, something that we always start looking for, you know, and, and if we're doing that in the background, looking for those, that light eventually, and this is a little trick we do at weddings, isn't it?
00:42:03.846 --> 00:42:05.215
You know, you've got the bride's bouquet.
00:42:05.666 --> 00:42:09.945
You go into a wedding, into a church, and you see a shaft of sunlight coming the window.
00:42:10.565 --> 00:42:12.275
You just move the bouquet to where that,
00:42:12.358 --> 00:42:12.579
Yes.
00:42:12.755 --> 00:42:16.541
light sits, you know, you don't just take it on the other pew because it's in shade.
00:42:16.961 --> 00:42:18.431
You move it and people say, wow, what a photo.
00:42:18.431 --> 00:42:20.052
You know what, God, the timing must have been perfect.
00:42:20.052 --> 00:42:21.612
It's like, well, no, I just moved it.
00:42:21.994 --> 00:42:22.284
Yeah.
00:42:22.331 --> 00:42:26.871
You have to sort of, you know, work with within the parameters of, chaos, which is what weddings are.
00:42:26.871 --> 00:42:34.552
You have this all, everything's out of our control so that when we can put things on our control, we definitely wanna take those opportunities, but looking for, yeah, looking for that lovely light all the time.
00:42:34.851 --> 00:42:39.612
Whether it's like a family and it's that very rosy, golden hour light.
00:42:39.666 --> 00:42:43.925
At the end of the day, we suddenly start to see, oh wow, I can actually shoot straight into the sun here.
00:42:43.925 --> 00:42:47.344
And it looks really lovely, really warm, and you know, very inviting.
00:42:47.715 --> 00:42:50.085
shooting in the middle of the day really hard.
00:42:50.085 --> 00:42:52.634
It's really hard work if you've got the sun behind them, they're very dark.
00:42:52.634 --> 00:42:54.134
The sun in front of'em, everyone's squinting.
00:42:54.134 --> 00:42:55.904
So it's a really tough, tough time to shoot.
00:42:55.904 --> 00:43:01.025
And just identifying what that good light is, can really help us choose our composition.
00:43:01.889 --> 00:43:05.400
I am gonna go one step deeper since this is the Beginner Photography podcast.
00:43:05.429 --> 00:43:08.880
A lot of people I hear when you're like, yeah, look for light.
00:43:08.909 --> 00:43:10.219
They're like, I see light all the time.
00:43:10.219 --> 00:43:10.820
Like, what are you talking about?
00:43:10.820 --> 00:43:11.539
There's light everywhere.
00:43:11.539 --> 00:43:12.920
Like, what do you mean look for the light?
00:43:13.259 --> 00:43:19.779
Do you have any exercises for, beginners to start to see things like direction and quality of light?
00:43:20.217 --> 00:43:28.376
Yeah, so, when I say interesting light for me, and it's, it's different for everybody because photography is about light and we've all got different styles of photography, so we all treat light differently.
00:43:28.929 --> 00:43:28.989
Yeah.
00:43:29.096 --> 00:43:37.034
I'm very much a, I have quite like a rush, Italian kind of oil painted style, that's what I like to put in photos if I can.
00:43:37.496 --> 00:43:41.907
So that's always having the subject of that photo being the brightest thing in the shot.
00:43:42.268 --> 00:43:43.826
And that's a pretty good starting point.
00:43:43.826 --> 00:43:47.666
If you've got, it doesn't matter if it's college photos, your kids, dogs, anything.
00:43:47.666 --> 00:43:53.286
If there's brighter stuff in the behind them, then it's not, it's gonna be quite hard to work with that light if they're the
00:43:53.335 --> 00:43:53.625
Yeah.
00:43:53.677 --> 00:43:54.396
thing in that photos.
00:43:54.396 --> 00:43:56.934
And that means if it's a really bright, sunny.
00:43:57.710 --> 00:44:01.489
Then people are often correctly going into shade'cause it's just too harsh otherwise.
00:44:01.849 --> 00:44:03.619
But when you go into shade, you've gotta make sure there's
00:44:03.753 --> 00:44:06.512
Mm-hmm.
00:44:06.650 --> 00:44:11.449
shade and there's a really bright building behind, it's just gonna blow the highlights and it's gonna be really hard to work with.
00:44:11.789 --> 00:44:23.224
So that's one really easy tip I can give people that are starting their journey is to just make sure that someone's the, either the brightest thing or at least there's nothing else brighter in the frame.
00:44:23.974 --> 00:44:24.514
That's gonna make
00:44:24.567 --> 00:44:26.875
That is, uh, that is good.
00:44:26.875 --> 00:44:33.065
That is something that, I think so many people can just, be aware of next time they go out and shoot.
00:44:33.436 --> 00:44:38.755
When I go out and shoot, when I would practice, I would think to myself, what's the one thing I'm gonna focus on today?
00:44:39.155 --> 00:44:42.295
Rather than, I'm gonna work on, creating nine bangers.
00:44:42.295 --> 00:44:44.576
You know, every single shot has to be absolutely perfect.
00:44:45.025 --> 00:44:50.485
And focusing on something like that, how can I make my subject the brightest thing in the frame, is huge.
00:44:50.605 --> 00:44:52.615
And I, I really don't hear a lot of people talk about that.
00:44:52.615 --> 00:45:12.853
But now that I think about that, one of the things that people I see do most when it comes to editing in Lightroom is they'll use an AI mask on the subject, bump up their exposure, a quarter or a half a stop and then invert the mask as well, and then bring down the exposure of everything else in the frame, a quarter or half a stop, because it does give that effect, right?
00:45:12.853 --> 00:45:13.902
The, I don't know if it was.
00:45:14.322 --> 00:45:15.358
Is it Caravaggio?
00:45:15.358 --> 00:45:16.199
Is that the right painter?
00:45:16.199 --> 00:45:17.308
Or, anyway, it like,
00:45:17.335 --> 00:45:17.695
Yeah.
00:45:17.869 --> 00:45:18.139
it,
00:45:18.255 --> 00:45:18.615
or, yeah.
00:45:18.615 --> 00:45:19.215
All the, yeah.
00:45:19.579 --> 00:45:24.139
it gives that effect and it is pleasing to the eye and it makes your subject stand out.
00:45:24.139 --> 00:45:28.862
So as you said, kind of one of your first, key themes is, oh, I totally just lost it.
00:45:28.913 --> 00:45:29.333
It was,
00:45:29.362 --> 00:45:30.407
making the subject, the brightest thing.
00:45:31.179 --> 00:45:35.980
Yeah, making the subject the brightest thing so that when you go out and shoot, yeah, just always looking for the light.
00:45:35.980 --> 00:45:37.900
Like that's always incredibly important to do.
00:45:37.909 --> 00:45:41.079
That was a great exercise even in the midst of my, brain fart there.
00:45:41.079 --> 00:45:41.980
I apologize for that.
00:45:42.460 --> 00:45:43.269
so that was seven.
00:45:43.300 --> 00:45:44.019
That was awesome.
00:45:44.130 --> 00:46:02.675
let me ask you, a question here, because now you do have the history of shooting weddings for years here and one of the thing that I think, new photographers are always wondering is like, when you get into photography, you're working on the photography, you're working on your camera settings, you're trying to get compelling images, you're working on your editing.
00:46:03.094 --> 00:46:12.514
But then for those who do one day want to start a business, turn their hobby into a side hustle and generate an income, it's almost like.
00:46:13.445 --> 00:46:20.045
Their brain goes blank, like that brain fart that I just had, and they don't know exactly what to work on to, to start to make progress there.
00:46:20.394 --> 00:46:33.904
So what would you say if somebody has worked on the camera skills, they're pretty confident in that and they're ready to start working on growing a business, what is one thing that they should start focusing on this week to, to get them there?
00:46:35.132 --> 00:46:40.561
You want to be getting your work front of people that are likely to be interested.
00:46:40.621 --> 00:46:46.451
So that's using social media, your website, although people aren't just gonna go and visit website because your SEO's gonna be low still.
00:46:46.451 --> 00:46:46.751
So,
00:46:47.144 --> 00:46:47.355
Hmm.
00:46:47.592 --> 00:46:53.554
but getting your work out there and, that's the main thing to most couples that are likely to be booking a wedding photographer.
00:46:54.202 --> 00:46:56.452
They're generally, we gotta speak generally.
00:46:56.452 --> 00:47:04.702
'cause everyone's so different, but generally they're not experts in photography over a certain level, much all of our photos look exactly the same.
00:47:05.052 --> 00:47:08.293
So what they're gonna be buying is you and your passion for it.
00:47:08.623 --> 00:47:16.833
So communicating that through social media, through your website, anytime you're talking about your photography or your business, you need to be saying about why you are doing it rather than, this is what I do.
00:47:16.833 --> 00:47:17.552
Look at my photos.
00:47:17.552 --> 00:47:19.682
It's, I just love wedding photography.
00:47:19.682 --> 00:47:22.413
I'd love being part of that amazing day and creating these memories for you.
00:47:22.413 --> 00:47:24.483
Whatever, whatever that sounds like.
00:47:24.632 --> 00:47:31.702
When it comes from in your voice, that's what you need to be getting out there because that's what people buy and if they resonate with that, then.
00:47:32.047 --> 00:47:33.547
You kind of half sold them already.
00:47:33.547 --> 00:47:37.201
the images is if they're good enough then that that's not a deal breaker.
00:47:37.621 --> 00:47:39.121
Then they're looking at price and other things.
00:47:39.121 --> 00:47:43.871
But all those things are much more easier to overcome if they're emotionally invested in you as a photographer.
00:47:44.621 --> 00:47:51.940
the outset, and the only way to do that is be completely authentic even to say, I'm new to this area, I'm really looking to start weddings.
00:47:51.940 --> 00:47:53.920
I'm absolutely just so excited about this.
00:47:53.980 --> 00:47:55.630
That excitement is what people will buy.
00:47:55.840 --> 00:47:56.050
You know?
00:47:56.050 --> 00:48:03.226
Don't just silently post photos because you are then up against a million other photographers, they're always just also just posting photos.
00:48:03.574 --> 00:48:03.864
Yeah.
00:48:04.036 --> 00:48:04.695
what people are buying.
00:48:04.701 --> 00:48:08.175
they're buying, the reason why you do it and to have you there on their day.
00:48:08.175 --> 00:48:12.706
If they resonate with your personality, they're gonna want to have you as part of their day.
00:48:12.706 --> 00:48:15.896
'cause that they'll know you fit in well with their family and their guests.
00:48:16.105 --> 00:48:19.873
They can only do that if you show your personality as authentically.
00:48:20.786 --> 00:48:23.027
And, let me add something onto that, which is that.
00:48:23.501 --> 00:48:25.451
it can change as well over time.
00:48:25.481 --> 00:48:29.081
Like your reason, your love for this thing can change over time.
00:48:29.081 --> 00:48:32.322
So like, don't get hung up trying to craft the world's.
00:48:32.322 --> 00:48:33.221
Perfect.
00:48:33.471 --> 00:48:36.922
most perfect reason why you are into photography.
00:48:37.132 --> 00:48:43.721
Like today, as you just said, Nick, maybe it's, I just moved here and, visually it's very different and it gets me excited to shoot.
00:48:44.322 --> 00:48:46.692
That's fine, but 10 years from now, it could be.
00:48:47.052 --> 00:48:51.351
You just really love the connection between, two people who come from large families.
00:48:51.382 --> 00:48:54.599
Like it can change and adapt over time, so,
00:48:54.760 --> 00:48:55.061
Yeah.
00:48:55.331 --> 00:48:58.780
whatever it changes to just make sure that that's present
00:48:59.068 --> 00:48:59.278
no.
00:48:59.458 --> 00:48:59.759
Yeah.
00:49:00.101 --> 00:49:06.190
all of our voices, because otherwise we're all saying the same thing, which is we're gonna capture wonderful moments of your day, blah, blah, blah.
00:49:06.190 --> 00:49:06.431
You know?
00:49:06.431 --> 00:49:07.690
And it, there's just nothing there.
00:49:07.690 --> 00:49:11.860
But if ev, if we all sound the same, we're all saying the same kind of stuff.
00:49:12.449 --> 00:49:12.599
Yeah.
00:49:13.195 --> 00:49:18.905
are indistinguishable in the main, because most people aren't experts in photography, so all they're looking at is your price and that's what they're judging on.
00:49:18.905 --> 00:49:21.585
And which is not a big deal for a beginner, but it, it is.
00:49:21.585 --> 00:49:29.740
If you are actually having a mission to sort of go up into the high levels of photography, you need to have something different that, that need to know why they should pick you over somebody else.
00:49:30.509 --> 00:49:30.998
Perfect.
00:49:31.003 --> 00:49:31.784
Perfect, perfect.
00:49:32.623 --> 00:49:33.733
Well, Nick.
00:49:34.498 --> 00:49:37.318
I think today went as well as our last interview.
00:49:37.509 --> 00:49:44.978
I really enjoyed our chat today, and I really appreciate you coming on and, and sharing these seven things as well because a lot of listeners have a lot of questions.
00:49:44.978 --> 00:49:53.628
There's a lot of self-doubt in hearing from somebody who's been doing this as, as long as you have, I think can give people the confidence, that either they're on the right track or.
00:49:54.248 --> 00:49:57.398
Now they know what direction to, to take their photography.
00:49:57.398 --> 00:50:00.579
So first I just wanna say thank you so much for coming on today and chatting.
00:50:00.579 --> 00:50:03.914
But second, I know listeners are gonna be thinking, this was great.
00:50:03.945 --> 00:50:05.175
I wanna learn more about Nick.
00:50:05.235 --> 00:50:06.884
The way he communicates is fantastic.
00:50:07.184 --> 00:50:11.144
Where can listeners find out more about you online?
00:50:11.981 --> 00:50:15.831
They should head to, the Nick Church Creative Academy.
00:50:15.831 --> 00:50:19.492
So that's www.nickchurchcreativeacademy.com.
00:50:20.422 --> 00:50:29.471
on there is a coaching courses and online courses in the online courses of, currently still, half price as a launch offer on those.
00:50:29.891 --> 00:50:35.945
And it, these seven themes that I've just talked through is one of the lessons in the photographer unleashed online course.
00:50:36.005 --> 00:50:39.934
So there's, photographer Unleashed, Lightroom Unleashed, and Photoshop Unleashed as well.
00:50:39.934 --> 00:50:44.371
So it's all video prerecorded, lessons and people just run it at their own pace.
00:50:44.791 --> 00:50:46.112
And there's a community on there as well.
00:50:46.112 --> 00:50:52.222
And there's my support throughout'cause I found that I created the Academy because find a lot of people that are starting out.
00:50:52.222 --> 00:50:57.217
You go to YouTube and there's just so much content, it's unstructured and you're not sure if it's right.
00:50:57.427 --> 00:51:00.967
You dunno what questions to ask to even search YouTube to find the answer to.
00:51:01.297 --> 00:51:02.929
So this is much more structured.
00:51:02.962 --> 00:51:12.306
It takes you from the ground up and builds you into someone that's actually thinking like a photographer, which I think I've kind of, you probably sense from the way that I've talked about it.
00:51:12.306 --> 00:51:16.715
It's not just the technical stuff and all those things are important and that's in there as well.
00:51:16.715 --> 00:51:33.340
But it's actually thinking about light and thinking about our photography and making it something that's actually, you know, something we're really passionate about and that that's how I believe that that we learn the best is sort of thinking in, in this way and using manual mode slowly to start with building up our skills.
00:51:33.500 --> 00:51:39.081
So that's the, online courses, so that, that'd be the best place to come in and there's contact pager.
00:51:39.081 --> 00:51:41.721
Any questions about anything including the stuff I've said today?
00:51:41.721 --> 00:51:43.065
I'll be more than happy to, answer.
00:51:44.353 --> 00:51:44.744
All right.
00:51:44.793 --> 00:51:57.076
So your action item for the day being, if you implement just one thing from today's interview into your photography, that's going to move the needle forward, let it be this, critique of the next 10 photos that you see.
00:51:57.436 --> 00:52:00.226
I mean, this could be photos in online ads.
00:52:00.226 --> 00:52:03.737
It could be a magazine that you're reading while waiting for a haircut.
00:52:04.016 --> 00:52:06.925
Or probably most likely just scrolling Instagram.
00:52:07.313 --> 00:52:12.594
So the next 10 photos that you see, critique them specifically to learn from them.
00:52:13.074 --> 00:52:15.773
So look for something that you like in each photo.
00:52:16.074 --> 00:52:19.094
It could be the light, it could be the action, or moment.
00:52:19.373 --> 00:52:20.153
It could be the framing.
00:52:20.213 --> 00:52:37.217
You know, anything, find anything that you like, then mentally figure out how, if you wanted to achieve something similar in your next photo shoot, how would you go about doing so is it, an editing technique that you want to, get better at?
00:52:37.246 --> 00:52:41.056
Is it a specific type of light that you need to look out for while shooting?
00:52:41.447 --> 00:52:47.653
Is it shooting through the moment, just a second or two longer to get fuller expressions?
00:52:47.704 --> 00:52:50.898
What is the thing that you love and how can you achieve it?
00:52:51.498 --> 00:53:03.587
When we start to look at everyone else's work as inspiration rather than comparison, you start to rewire the brain in a positive way, focused on growth, rather than focusing on the gap in skill level.
00:53:03.587 --> 00:53:04.367
So give it a try.
00:53:04.898 --> 00:53:05.168
All right.
00:53:05.168 --> 00:53:07.268
That is all that I got for you today.
00:53:07.688 --> 00:53:12.248
Until next week, remember, the more that you shoot today, the better of a photographer you will be tomorrow.
00:53:12.458 --> 00:53:12.873
Talk soon.