If someone offered me a slice of pizza that is not even 1/8th of the pizza I'd end all my relationships with that person. So pie :D (I can live with having smaller pieces of pie) Great video overall =) Enjoy Sri Lanka! Cheers from Germany =)
You should teach at some sort of institution - students will love your style! And I think you would motivate them to just get better and better. We have to talk about your assessment of gear, though … ;-)
Brilliant. I would encourage all serious students of photography to pay attention to this one. I am 67 years old and only recently settled into an updated genre. (My old one worked well but went out of style and it took me decades to transition from the dark room to digital😔).
Not natural talent,it's an ability to understand certain things quickly or more smoothy..I play foosball,and have played 2 people with 4 balls on the table,beating the crap out of them,and taught pool,yet never really wanted to play myself.I have some ability to do different things,and yes,it comes with a LOT of practice and repetition..when it comes to shooting,i like being in the streets when i see something that i would want to see on my wall.The other part is to KNOW YOUR GEAR,and sticking to a lens,maybe 2,and moving,setting up composition.Now since i have a sealed DSLR that's rugged,it keeps me from having to worry about the weather,and I am prepared to break,bend,and change some of the 'rules',if need be...Be careful of using other's work and books,because you need to remain open and ready for anything..Great Video.........................
You can use regular scissors if you pinch the handles together as you cut. Normally left hand use pushes the blades apart but if you force them together they'll shear properly.
Thanks by way. I am new to DSLR photography. I have shot with point and shoot cameras for years and enjoyed it, but it was time to move up. I know very little so turned to TH-cam. After viewing many channels I found yours.You are very informative, and make a newbie feel comfortable while learning . Thanks again.
Jodeane Sullens similar to me and the same reasons I started watching James and still do, although I’ve stopped watching quite a few others. Some channels have just gone wayward and all they seem to do is review gear. Nothing wrong with reviewing gear but not every vlog.
Master photography in 10 hours? Wow. Sign me u...... Oh wait. There another zero. Well, I suppose. Wait. Another zero. Actually, I don’t think...... Is that another zero? Sod it. Mediocrity is sorta my thing anyway. It gives my work a sense of.........🤔.........😖..........🤨.......earthiness. Yes. That’s it. Earthiness.
I tell my Daughter (and anyone else that comments on my art work) that anyone can be an artist, it just takes practice, practice, practice. I believe some people pick it up quicker than others and that is construed as natural ability. But it's just the ability to learn and apply quicker than most. As for the 10,000. hrs, I think i've put in over 20,000 hrs and i'm still the most amateur of amateur photographers. Or maybe that is immature photographer!
Should have posted this one on PI day (March 14). Oh well. Agree w/general principles, lots of room for variations among individuals. Another channel (Anthony Morganti) summarized the skills development process for photogs as (1) technician; (2) craftsman; (3) artisan; and (4) creative master - or something akin to that. No need for cutting out paper dolls, though - that phase comes later 😁. Cheers.
Hi James, great video. Particularly identified with the bit about finding an interest within the interest in relation to genre, never really thought about it that way but it does make perfect sense. Cheers. Oh and also, perhaps as viewer feed back....I watched loads of your videos prior to subscribing and the reason I did subscribe is because you never ask ;)
I agree wholeheartedly. Get out there and "shoot" or stay in and "shoot". I am a very serious amateur photographer. I have taken some kick ass photos in my time. I have also taken some really sh***y photos. The one thing they all have in common is that I had a GREAT time doing both. The sh***y ones weren't on purpose btw...
I hear people listing out their favorite photographers but I have never really gone searching. I don't know many famous photographers and don't really have a favorite. Is this wrong? I just don't feel like and don't even really know how to go about it. It seems like a chore.
I dont't say the pratice point is wrong, but there are 5 year old out there that can play the violin better than adult playing all their live and we do not understand the human genome for the vast majority yet. Still noone should feel like they can't do something, because they lack "talent". That's just an excuse
Next time you need to use scissors drop me a DM. You have to cover the cost of shipment to Eastern Europe and back but no worries, I own a pair of scissors and I am willing to partake in some outsourcing, let's ruin UK economy together!
excellent food-for-thought. Thank you for putting this together edit: some prodigies are definitely wired differently, or have been gifted a fully functioning mind. Genetic support can exists. be aware some can also have significant deficiencies in areas away from their talents.
What I believe is that natural talent does exist, however it is not as useful as people believe it is. A lot of cases natural talent can be a detriment. As all skills require practice and honing of skill. If you are naturally good at something, it is common that you don't practice and hone that skill. Others who are not as naturally gifted will build a better working habit and often surpass those naturally inclined. There's a study, I forget where I read it, that supports this theory. I live in Victoria, Australia and here the final study score you get for completing highschool is called an ATAR. This study found that students with a higher IQ were less likely to score highly and those with a lower IQ often did better. The study believed this had to do with the fact that the students with the lower IQ had to study harder and worked out better study routines than those who had already excelled at highschool but had plateaued due to not building goody study routines.
The door was probably home to a hot water tank at some point and that would have been off the ground so it's easy to maintain. I'm guessing the tank has since been replaced with a combi boiler or something. (the boring speculation part of these comments is now over)
This was a really great video, i dont imagine many others (if any) could say it any better. I can totally see this video becoming an instant classic photography video on youtube. Wll done James!
I feel enlightened thank you grasshopper............btw that sort of cupboard is usually an airing cupboard in older houses more often than not housed the hot water cylinder, once replaced with a combi type boiler not required, and becomes a cupboard, hope you feel enlightened too
Hmm, right-handed scissors, camera grips, etc. Left-handed siblings mention their challenges sometimes. Though right-handed myself, I am left-eyed: I have to use left eye with camera viewfinders, designed mostly for right-eyed photographers, so I feel your pain. I read your chart as 1/6 tools, 1/3 study, and 1/2 practice.... a rule of another kind? - Your videos are always good food for thought. ;-)
Very good. Another 9998 hours and you will have mastered the art of teaching. Only kidding. I really liked the way you sumed it up at the end, putting practice at 50%. Now exactly what is the best way to practice? Is there some rules one should fallow in order to get the max from all that practice. Just wondering.
That’s a marmot cupboard. People used to import marmots from the Austrian alps in the late 19th century and keep them in purpose built cupboards. They made them roughly 1.5’ (or half a meter in terms a marmot would understand) so the animals would feel at home due to their mountainous upbringing. Pretty obvious when you think about it.
One of your better videos and a great way to think of advancing your photography skills. I have always been skeptical of reviews where the person has had 20 minutes with the gear. It takes me at least 6 months just to get familiar, not expert, with new equipment. I have always considered photography divided into three components. "Shooting", processing, and the understanding the art of photography. I think each component requires almost the 10k hours of practice.
I've never studied others. I don't care what other people shoot. I know what interests me and how I want to show it, and that's the foundation of what it takes to make good images. Direction and vision.
nicodimus2222 I’ve long shared some of this sentiment. But now that I’ve come to find some other photographers I quite appreciate I have also discovered that I find inspiration in their work which I can adapt to the photography I enjoy. Not copying their work, but finding that the perspective they may take, or how they frame or represent a subject, can serve as inspiration for my own ideas.
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst" - Henri Cartier-Bresson (but he probably said it in French) I am still just amazed at this lens that is so sharp even as you talk naturally with a bit of lean in and lens out, while the background remains al-dente soft.
I do believe in the 10,000 hour rule. The problem is that it also takes 10,000 repetitions to replace a bad habit with a good one. So, you have to practice the right things, and practice them as perfectly as possible. I do actually believe that natural talent is real; however, untrained talent is useless compared to learning one's craft (whatever it is) and building on it with discipline, regardless of your natural ability to learn.
I would say your pie is pretty much spot on to the way I've approached photography. Unfortunately, your chart leaves out something that I've missed over the years as well, Self Promotion. It's become a very necessary part of mastering photography because if nobody sees your work, does it really exist?
As I see it, if photography doesn’t invade your bloodstream--and become the thing you are passionate about, 10K or 50K hours will not make a difference. For me, photography is what I think about practically all the time. If not making images, I am editing. And if I’m doing neither of those, I’m studying and learning (reading, TH-cam videos). No doubt I’ve long since passed 10K hours. And the journey is still ahead. But I am having so much fun-no one needs to tell me what my hour count is up to now.
I’d like to add this. Having an eye for composing. I can’t call this natural talent, I guess more of a natural understanding of imagery, I think ! I was gifted with this and after decades of zero true photography I’m getting back into it as I’m almost ready to retire from my profession. Love beautiful images of all kinds. I see them in everyday life here and their. Learning digital photography isn’t just the camera. It’s the computer and cf card. C going from card to computer to editing to usb to print or customer. That’s what I’m trying to figure out now ! Any advise. ? Ps. I’m learning my D4S
Yes I tend to agree that since my film gear dates back when Johnson and the Nixon era, and my digital gear dates when Little Bush was in office and ruin our 401K in 2008, and have one hell of a photo library, that I do not consider my self as a Pro, not even a Master, but the film Master Of The World one hell of a movie, Vincent Price being the good guy, Bronson representing the Government bringing Price's dream down, but that is Jules Verne story. We all have dreams in being best in what we do, and have the gear that we are More Comfortable to work with. But what I cannot understand is why people shelling a lot of MONEY $$$€€€£££¥¥¥ in buying gear, and do not know how to use it Right? Are they pro's or Masters of the World? No just paying off their Credit cards for gear that they will not use, and will see it on EBay until when they buy more junk to used to be Master Shooter. Come On Guys, remember KISS Keep It Simple Shithead.
If every click of the shutter would take us half a second we would have to take 72M photos to reach those 10, 000 hours of practice. Of course those 10, 000 hours aren't just taking pictures constantly, there is a lot more involved.
Great vlog James, I will find this very useful in becoming a photographer. Really enjoyed your talk at the photography show, wanted to come and say hi, but my nerves got the better of me. Hopefully will see you again in future shows. Thanks so much for sharing.👍🏻
Thanks James, you came across really well, if you were nervous you definitely didn’t show it. Talking in front of people must be one of the hardest things. Good work!👍
I really enjoyed this video James (as always). It's certainly made me think about a lot of things; do I know my camera well enough, do I understand settings well enough, do I need to analyse other people's work more and most importantly, in my opinion, who the heck thought that putting a full height door for a cupboard a foot off the ground was a good idea?!
I think the "10,000 hours to mastery" is rather an average of the concept of mastery. I think that 10,000 hours is Malcolm Gladwell's chosen number because he deems it the number that would, on average, guarantee the person to experience all potential obstacles or opportunities in such field. By experiencing all possible problems/successes in their field, one would be a master. I haven't read the book but I think Gladwell may have been refering to this rather than 10,000 hours of pure practice being a necessity it mastery. 10,000 hours is his chosen measure of time that would [on average] entail all potential obstacles or opportunities in ones field. but idk.
I too had the honour of being born left-handed. After many decades of struggling through scissored life, I was gifted a pair of left-handed scissors for my birthday. It was a revelation! I spent the next couple of days cutting up anything and everything! "Do you need me to cut that gas bill up for you?"... etc. Loved them. Then I moved house and they were lost to the mists of the back of a Transit Luton. I have been in mourning ever since, and may never recover from the carefree snippage I once knew. Ooh yeah. Almost forgot about the main message... Love it James. And you have given an old fart such as myself some ideas about how to go about improving things. The "Gear" bit has changed so much since I started out - it used to be focus, aperture, shutter, with an eye to where you wanted to twist the exposure regarding backlight etc. But, yeah. at least 50% of it has got to be getting out there and shooting. Love your work.
IF you don't know what the Gap is, clearly you've never been to a shopping mall... and saying that after 1.5 years of a global pandemic where most things were locked down and myself living in a very tiny town and the nearest gap is thousands of kilometers away, and never having been in one, but I still know what it is.... is saying something!
I think getting feedback is missing - if only maybe 5%. I found it really valuable to discuss with fellow photographers why an image works or not, and to solicit suggestions for improvement. Even if I disagree, it makes me understand more about what I value in my pictures.
Could it also be, that the more time you spend studying theory, the less time you're spending on the actual practice, the 'doing'? Oh, and pizza or pie works for me! But I think for the purposes of what you're talking about, then definitely pizza.
Ehm... Sorry, is the link to the video that you've mentioned somewhere and I'm missing it? Sorry if that's the case, I was just curious about the video.
Yes, there is a natural talent. It is the persistence needed to do a simpler task 10,000 times to perfectly master it. Or 10,000 hours for more complex expertise that build on several elementary tasks. Second is self-critique or evaluation and the ability to listen to others for advice. Many people do not have that talent. After a couple initial failures they give up "I can't do it."
Editing? (you must mean processing.) Often unnecessary, often overdone, but occasionally useful. As for the storage cupboard, perhaps it's easier to reach for your shoes if they are one foot off the floor.
Rule of thirds. A misinterpretation of composition by an indifferent artist. Check the Phase One channel, there's a recent video there about composition.
i personally subscribe to the theory that there is no "natural-born talent", but instead some people are able to better intuit the world than others. some peoples' brains are better tuned to intuition, and so they tend to "just get" things more consistently and quickly than "normal" people. I like this theory mostly because it makes the most sense to me (imo). there are definitely people who just kind of pick up and do many things, who don't always practice a lot. but rather, their brain connects some dots subconsciously and the way to do the thing they're learning/trying to do is more easily understandable by the brain.
Practice is key but practice will be most effective for someone with a ferocious interest. That interest will, by default, promote practice and study. This is true for everyone.
A large portion to know whether you'll get better is the amount of mistakes you can find in your own work and the way you try to avoid those in the future (and not give up). The best people in any kind of profession will keep on working on the tiniest mistake. If you don't do that you can spend years and years without really improving, or certainly not towards a high level of skill. You can use the best tools, know all needed configuration options in the software you are using, but if you are too easily satisfied you won't make it to the best of your possibilities. I like to have a critical view on the things I do and I use that knowledge to improve the next time I do those things. That way I only need a fraction of the time to reach an above average level in most things compared to most people.
I’ve got to disagree about the “no such thing as natural talent” James, I spent the last 8 years of my working life as a professional artist and wildlife carver and through the thousands of other artists I’ve seen throughout my life and the people I taught carving to I can assure you that a lot of those people could spend every day practising their chosen craft and never achieve even a mediocre ability? so I’m sorry but that belief is wrong! IMO of course 👍😊📷
It took me about 10 mins and 5 photos to realize I was a genius of photography. I am a perfect master of the camera. I know that I'm one of a kind, try not to stare.
Make up a cool story for the door. Example: It leads to a ladder so persons can exit without disturbing other persons inside the house. It was installed by... insert some long dead famous person.
Nice, another left hander, though I'm old so they tried to make me right handed, which I always hated, but lately realized I wouldn't be as ambidextrous... I play all my instruments right handed, but I do find myself doing a lot of things backwards.... I've had this philosophy about Mastering something, once you "master" it, you might as well quit, the learning & expanding process for, well anything, is the best part. The only reason to be a master is to brag really.... Great video, take it easy...
I read that some people have become stutterers because of the disrespect for left-handers natural inclination. When you are punished for how 'god made you', and abusively try to force right-handess upon you, it is probably not ideal. Though, in your case, it appears you've adapted. My mother had some wierd thing about the russians taking over USA, and they don't allow people to be right handed. I was born a couple months after the Cuban-Missile-Crisis, so I think that event permanently affected her.
@@Garacha222 Yeah, growing up I was always the weird kid, it took years to pay off, but it became a blessing because I learned not to be like everyone else & to think for myself(though I had awesome parents too, that instilled that in me). It made me realize trying to be other people is really boring, I just wish it didn't take so long to figure out...
Pretty good breakout I'd say... I have a one pager (which grew into both sides) for starting photographers - things like make sure what you don't want in the picture isn't in your framing... maybe 50-ish things that are pretty simple... kind of a wisdom jump-start. On the other hand, your vid clip of the alphabet soup letters reminded me of a meme my cousin's daughter sent - she's a really smart young woman now and in marketing somehow...she's working with a group that's going to create a product which will combine alphabet soup with a laxative and call it "Letter Rip". She thought it was funny, so "passing" it on. ;)
Another (old) left hander, but I use scissors with my right hand, and I’ve never been bothered that the film winder was on the right and not the left side of the camera. Go figure. Anyway... wasn’t it Ansel Adams who said that the first 10,000 shots are your worst. Perhaps this is what he meant. If not, and “expertise” in photography is based on time, and the definition of “expert in photography” means “creates iconic photographs”, rather than “makes loads of money using a camera”, then there would be a whole bunch of retired amateurs and hobbyists (who don’t have to worry about “admin”, and marketing, and VAT returns etc..) who would be churning out iconic photos faster than Henri Cartier-Bresson could eat a croissant. Just a thought. Great video. Keep it up.
Pie or pizza?
Cake!
PINT
Calzone!
If someone offered me a slice of pizza that is not even 1/8th of the pizza I'd end all my relationships with that person. So pie :D (I can live with having smaller pieces of pie)
Great video overall =)
Enjoy Sri Lanka!
Cheers from Germany =)
Pizza pie
I dig that 70's VHS porn soundtrack!
All he needs is the dodgy handle bar tash.
😂😂😂
We know how you spent the 70s.
@@kerry5586 ...and the 80s. 90's. 2000's....
I 'took' some really incredible photographs the other day!
Unfortunately the photographer caught me and now it's a whole 'thing'. ;(
😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You should teach at some sort of institution - students will love your style! And I think you would motivate them to just get better and better. We have to talk about your assessment of gear, though … ;-)
Haha, thanks Christian 🙂
Five years full time. = an apprenticeship back in my day... also totally with you in your struggle with scissors! Lefties forever!
I remember it well.
Been there done that. I wonder if that’s the source of the value.
Lefties unite!!
This is bollox, I've been training sleeping for at least half of my life now and I am still tired when I get up! 😉
Wojtek W Too much time sleeping, not enough time learning how to spell bollocks
😂😂
Brilliant. I would encourage all serious students of photography to pay attention to this one. I am 67 years old and only recently settled into an updated genre. (My old one worked well but went out of style and it took me decades to transition from the dark room to digital😔).
Thanks Joanne 🙂
Not natural talent,it's an ability to understand certain things quickly or more smoothy..I play foosball,and have played 2 people with 4 balls on the table,beating the crap out of them,and taught pool,yet never really wanted to play myself.I have some ability to do different things,and yes,it comes with a LOT of practice and repetition..when it comes to shooting,i like being in the streets when i see something that i would want to see on my wall.The other part is to KNOW YOUR GEAR,and sticking to a lens,maybe 2,and moving,setting up composition.Now since i have a sealed DSLR that's rugged,it keeps me from having to worry about the weather,and I am prepared to break,bend,and change some of the 'rules',if need be...Be careful of using other's work and books,because you need to remain open and ready for anything..Great Video.........................
James - this video does a great job of quoting but not being a slave to the sources. One of my favorite of your videos so far, I'm well chuffed!
Thanks so much 🙂
As a fellow left hander I've had the same pair of left handed scissors for probably 20 years!
You can use regular scissors if you pinch the handles together as you cut. Normally left hand use pushes the blades apart but if you force them together they'll shear properly.
Ahh, Santa will hear about this!
Awesome! 🙂
Will Phipps::: As a true full lefty, left handed scissors suck.
Now when it comes to metal sheers, you seriously need lefty.
Thanks by way. I am new to DSLR photography. I have shot with point and shoot cameras for years and enjoyed it, but it was time to move up. I know very little so turned to TH-cam. After viewing many channels I found yours.You are very informative, and make a newbie feel comfortable while learning . Thanks again.
Jodeane Sullens similar to me and the same reasons I started watching James and still do, although I’ve stopped watching quite a few others. Some channels have just gone wayward and all they seem to do is review gear. Nothing wrong with reviewing gear but not every vlog.
Awesome to hear 🙂
Master photography in 10 hours? Wow. Sign me u...... Oh wait. There another zero. Well, I suppose. Wait. Another zero. Actually, I don’t think...... Is that another zero?
Sod it. Mediocrity is sorta my thing anyway. It gives my work a sense of.........🤔.........😖..........🤨.......earthiness. Yes. That’s it. Earthiness.
😂😂
I tell my Daughter (and anyone else that comments on my art work) that anyone can be an artist, it just takes practice, practice, practice. I believe some people pick it up quicker than others and that is construed as natural ability. But it's just the ability to learn and apply quicker than most.
As for the 10,000. hrs, I think i've put in over 20,000 hrs and i'm still the most amateur of amateur photographers. Or maybe that is immature photographer!
Should have posted this one on PI day (March 14). Oh well. Agree w/general principles, lots of room for variations among individuals. Another channel (Anthony Morganti) summarized the skills development process for photogs as (1) technician; (2) craftsman; (3) artisan; and (4) creative master - or something akin to that. No need for cutting out paper dolls, though - that phase comes later 😁. Cheers.
I think I more likely require about 10.000 decades before I were to actually master photography, lol.
polyrhythm I’m with you on that
Hi James, great video. Particularly identified with the bit about finding an interest within the interest in relation to genre, never really thought about it that way but it does make perfect sense. Cheers. Oh and also, perhaps as viewer feed back....I watched loads of your videos prior to subscribing and the reason I did subscribe is because you never ask ;)
I agree wholeheartedly. Get out there and "shoot" or stay in and "shoot". I am a very serious amateur photographer. I have taken some kick ass photos in my time. I have also taken some really sh***y photos. The one thing they all have in common is that I had a GREAT time doing both. The sh***y ones weren't on purpose btw...
I hear people listing out their favorite photographers but I have never really gone searching. I don't know many famous photographers and don't really have a favorite. Is this wrong? I just don't feel like and don't even really know how to go about it. It seems like a chore.
This is one of your most useful videos. Very well thought out and well prepared and lucidly presented. Fab.
Thanks so much 🙂
I dont't say the pratice point is wrong, but there are 5 year old out there that can play the violin better than adult playing all their live and we do not understand the human genome for the vast majority yet. Still noone should feel like they can't do something, because they lack "talent". That's just an excuse
Are the shelves still up? Left is best, right is wrong. Oh, and the cupboard thing saves you getting a bad back from bending down to get things.
So if I understand you correctly, I need to spend 10,000 hours learning to use scissors. Good video, I agree with your analysis. Thanks.
Next time you need to use scissors drop me a DM. You have to cover the cost of shipment to Eastern Europe and back but no worries, I own a pair of scissors and I am willing to partake in some outsourcing, let's ruin UK economy together!
😂😂 Thanks so much 🙂
excellent food-for-thought.
Thank you for putting this together
edit: some prodigies are definitely wired differently, or have been gifted a fully functioning mind. Genetic support can exists. be aware some can also have significant deficiencies in areas away from their talents.
What I believe is that natural talent does exist, however it is not as useful as people believe it is. A lot of cases natural talent can be a detriment. As all skills require practice and honing of skill. If you are naturally good at something, it is common that you don't practice and hone that skill. Others who are not as naturally gifted will build a better working habit and often surpass those naturally inclined.
There's a study, I forget where I read it, that supports this theory. I live in Victoria, Australia and here the final study score you get for completing highschool is called an ATAR. This study found that students with a higher IQ were less likely to score highly and those with a lower IQ often did better. The study believed this had to do with the fact that the students with the lower IQ had to study harder and worked out better study routines than those who had already excelled at highschool but had plateaued due to not building goody study routines.
The door was probably home to a hot water tank at some point and that would have been off the ground so it's easy to maintain. I'm guessing the tank has since been replaced with a combi boiler or something. (the boring speculation part of these comments is now over)
This was a really great video, i dont imagine many others (if any) could say it any better. I can totally see this video becoming an instant classic photography video on youtube. Wll done James!
Thanks so much Conor 🙂
I love how honest this guy is!
Thanks mate 🙂
I feel enlightened thank you grasshopper............btw that sort of cupboard is usually an airing cupboard in older houses more often than not housed the hot water cylinder, once replaced with a combi type boiler not required, and becomes a cupboard, hope you feel enlightened too
I certainly do Kelvin! Thanks 🙂
Hmm, right-handed scissors, camera grips, etc. Left-handed siblings mention their challenges sometimes. Though right-handed myself, I am left-eyed: I have to use left eye with camera viewfinders, designed mostly for right-eyed photographers, so I feel your pain. I read your chart as 1/6 tools, 1/3 study, and 1/2 practice.... a rule of another kind? - Your videos are always good food for thought. ;-)
Thanks Rick! 🙂
HAHAH people will never understand the struggle of using scissors as a lefty
Very good. Another 9998 hours and you will have mastered the art of teaching. Only kidding. I really liked the way you sumed it up at the end, putting practice at 50%.
Now exactly what is the best way to practice? Is there some rules one should fallow in order to get the max from all that practice.
Just wondering.
Good question John! Perhaps I should dig into that 🙂
That’s a marmot cupboard. People used to import marmots from the Austrian alps in the late 19th century and keep them in purpose built cupboards. They made them roughly 1.5’ (or half a meter in terms a marmot would understand) so the animals would feel at home due to their mountainous upbringing.
Pretty obvious when you think about it.
Ahhaaa! Thank you 🙂
After 100,000 plus snaps of runners …. I think I might have acquired the knack of what makes a good image. Pie for me please James.
One of the most down to earth and straight up photo channel on this plat form, inspirational in a way that he’s an ordinary guy making amazing art
Thanks so much 🙂
Pizza!! - Good vid James, really well explained :) - More shooting & practise!!
Wonderful video James. Now get out and shoot! Oh, yeah you said that was happening...
😂 Cheers Andrew!
There's probably a stack of money hidden in the wall below the cupboard! If there is I want a cut.
Well I can't help but get the axe out now... 😂
As for scissors... There's always southpaw scissors, which are specifically designed for us left handed people ^_^
One of your better videos and a great way to think of advancing your photography skills. I have always been skeptical of reviews where the person has had 20 minutes with the gear. It takes me at least 6 months just to get familiar, not expert, with new equipment. I have always considered photography divided into three components. "Shooting", processing, and the understanding the art of photography. I think each component requires almost the 10k hours of practice.
Cheers John!
I've never studied others. I don't care what other people shoot. I know what interests me and how I want to show it, and that's the foundation of what it takes to make good images. Direction and vision.
nicodimus2222 I’ve long shared some of this sentiment. But now that I’ve come to find some other photographers I quite appreciate I have also discovered that I find inspiration in their work which I can adapt to the photography I enjoy. Not copying their work, but finding that the perspective they may take, or how they frame or represent a subject, can serve as inspiration for my own ideas.
Good points. Shooting thoughtfully should lead to progress with all the elements on the left side of the pizza. Rock on!
Cool vid. Like an episode of art attack.
Your coloured bulbs are STILL working!! You must of got the good ones.
😂😂 I loved that show! And yeah still going strong 🙂
I've been shooting since 2012 : ) But started making videos ever so kinda recently , serious videos anyways
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst" - Henri Cartier-Bresson (but he probably said it in French) I am still just amazed at this lens that is so sharp even as you talk naturally with a bit of lean in and lens out, while the background remains al-dente soft.
I’m newer to your channel but I absolutely love it!! Thanks for your comedic approach to things and for making great videos!
Cheers Joe!
I do believe in the 10,000 hour rule. The problem is that it also takes 10,000 repetitions to replace a bad habit with a good one. So, you have to practice the right things, and practice them as perfectly as possible. I do actually believe that natural talent is real; however, untrained talent is useless compared to learning one's craft (whatever it is) and building on it with discipline, regardless of your natural ability to learn.
Wait, did James popsy just post a video shot at the same place?
Great video!
Thanks mate!
That was the most useful TH-cam video I've seen this year. Absolutely fabulous work James. Thank you.
Thanks so much Matt, that's great to hear 🙂
I would say your pie is pretty much spot on to the way I've approached photography. Unfortunately, your chart leaves out something that I've missed over the years as well, Self Promotion. It's become a very necessary part of mastering photography because if nobody sees your work, does it really exist?
Pie! Coconut cream, please. Enjoyed the video James.
Renewed respect for a fellow leftie😊
Great video and really helpful
As I see it, if photography doesn’t invade your bloodstream--and become the thing you are passionate about, 10K or 50K hours will not make a difference. For me, photography is what I think about practically all the time. If not making images, I am editing. And if I’m doing neither of those, I’m studying and learning (reading, TH-cam videos). No doubt I’ve long since passed 10K hours. And the journey is still ahead. But I am having so much fun-no one needs to tell me what my hour count is up to now.
Paused to say: I FEEL YOR SCISSOR PAIN!!
I’d like to add this. Having an eye for composing. I can’t call this natural talent, I guess more of a natural understanding of imagery, I think ! I was gifted with this and after decades of zero true photography I’m getting back into it as I’m almost ready to retire from my profession. Love beautiful images of all kinds. I see them in everyday life here and their. Learning digital photography isn’t just the camera. It’s the computer and cf card. C going from card to computer to editing to usb to print or customer. That’s what I’m trying to figure out now ! Any advise. ? Ps. I’m learning my D4S
Yes I tend to agree that since my film gear dates back when Johnson and the Nixon era, and my digital gear dates when Little Bush was in office and ruin our 401K in 2008, and have one hell of a photo library, that I do not consider my self as a Pro, not even a Master, but the film Master Of The World one hell of a movie, Vincent Price being the good guy, Bronson representing the Government bringing Price's dream down, but that is Jules Verne story. We all have dreams in being best in what we do, and have the gear that we are More Comfortable to work with. But what I cannot understand is why people shelling a lot of MONEY $$$€€€£££¥¥¥ in buying gear, and do not know how to use it Right? Are they pro's or Masters of the World? No just paying off their Credit cards for gear that they will not use, and will see it on EBay until when they buy more junk to used to be Master Shooter. Come On Guys, remember KISS Keep It Simple Shithead.
My average photograph takes 1/125 second. I don't think I'll live long enough to accumulate 10,000 hours...
If every click of the shutter would take us half a second we would have to take 72M photos to reach those 10, 000 hours of practice.
Of course those 10, 000 hours aren't just taking pictures constantly, there is a lot more involved.
Great video James👍 I those travel photography as a genre, like to photograph everything🌴⛰🐝🌲🌎🗻✈ and 🐑🐏
Definitely a pie. If it was a pizza there would have been pineapple.
YES FAM
Great vlog James, I will find this very useful in becoming a photographer. Really enjoyed your talk at the photography show, wanted to come and say hi, but my nerves got the better of me. Hopefully will see you again in future shows. Thanks so much for sharing.👍🏻
Cheers Mark! Definitely come and say hi in future, I guarantee I was more nervous than you 🙂
Thanks James, you came across really well, if you were nervous you definitely didn’t show it. Talking in front of people must be one of the hardest things. Good work!👍
I really enjoyed this video James (as always). It's certainly made me think about a lot of things; do I know my camera well enough, do I understand settings well enough, do I need to analyse other people's work more and most importantly, in my opinion, who the heck thought that putting a full height door for a cupboard a foot off the ground was a good idea?!
Awesome explanation 😳👍🏻 I’m 65 next month and been shooting since I was 15. Almost up to 10,000 hrs 👍🏻🍷❤️📷☕️
I think the "10,000 hours to mastery" is rather an average of the concept of mastery.
I think that 10,000 hours is Malcolm Gladwell's chosen number because he deems it the number that would, on average, guarantee the person to experience all potential obstacles or opportunities in such field. By experiencing all possible problems/successes in their field, one would be a master.
I haven't read the book but I think Gladwell may have been refering to this rather than 10,000 hours of pure practice being a necessity it mastery.
10,000 hours is his chosen measure of time that would [on average] entail all potential obstacles or opportunities in ones field.
but idk.
I too had the honour of being born left-handed. After many decades of struggling through scissored life, I was gifted a pair of left-handed scissors for my birthday. It was a revelation! I spent the next couple of days cutting up anything and everything! "Do you need me to cut that gas bill up for you?"... etc. Loved them. Then I moved house and they were lost to the mists of the back of a Transit Luton. I have been in mourning ever since, and may never recover from the carefree snippage I once knew.
Ooh yeah. Almost forgot about the main message... Love it James. And you have given an old fart such as myself some ideas about how to go about improving things. The "Gear" bit has changed so much since I started out - it used to be focus, aperture, shutter, with an eye to where you wanted to twist the exposure regarding backlight etc.
But, yeah. at least 50% of it has got to be getting out there and shooting. Love your work.
IF you don't know what the Gap is, clearly you've never been to a shopping mall... and saying that after 1.5 years of a global pandemic where most things were locked down and myself living in a very tiny town and the nearest gap is thousands of kilometers away, and never having been in one, but I still know what it is.... is saying something!
I think getting feedback is missing - if only maybe 5%.
I found it really valuable to discuss with fellow photographers why an image works or not, and to solicit suggestions for improvement. Even if I disagree, it makes me understand more about what I value in my pictures.
really well put, thanks!
Could it also be, that the more time you spend studying theory, the less time you're spending on the actual practice, the 'doing'? Oh, and pizza or pie works for me! But I think for the purposes of what you're talking about, then definitely pizza.
Tony Hewitt
AIPP Photographer of the Year in four different categories.
Grandmaster photographer.
Child prodigies.
The Polgar sisters. Google them.
Ehm... Sorry, is the link to the video that you've mentioned somewhere and I'm missing it? Sorry if that's the case, I was just curious about the video.
Thanks once again James for your insight into this art. Appreciate The Gap as well, I hadn't seen it. Very powerful.
Yes, there is a natural talent. It is the persistence needed to do a simpler task 10,000 times to perfectly master it. Or 10,000 hours for more complex expertise that build on several elementary tasks. Second is self-critique or evaluation and the ability to listen to others for advice. Many people do not have that talent. After a couple initial failures they give up "I can't do it."
most people nowadays concentrate to much about their success instead of just learning and enjoying the process itself.
Editing? (you must mean processing.) Often unnecessary, often overdone, but occasionally useful.
As for the storage cupboard, perhaps it's easier to reach for your shoes if they are one foot off the floor.
10,000 hours is to get the top 1% of a field. Like being a nuro surgen. Not to be a working professional. You reach that level much faster.
Rule of thirds.
A misinterpretation of composition by an indifferent artist.
Check the Phase One channel, there's a recent video there about composition.
i personally subscribe to the theory that there is no "natural-born talent", but instead some people are able to better intuit the world than others. some peoples' brains are better tuned to intuition, and so they tend to "just get" things more consistently and quickly than "normal" people. I like this theory mostly because it makes the most sense to me (imo). there are definitely people who just kind of pick up and do many things, who don't always practice a lot. but rather, their brain connects some dots subconsciously and the way to do the thing they're learning/trying to do is more easily understandable by the brain.
Practice is key but practice will be most effective for someone with a ferocious interest. That interest will, by default, promote practice and study. This is true for everyone.
A bellcurve os definitely not the graph he should be drawing. More like a line that simply becomes less steep as it goes up.
A large portion to know whether you'll get better is the amount of mistakes you can find in your own work and the way you try to avoid those in the future (and not give up). The best people in any kind of profession will keep on working on the tiniest mistake. If you don't do that you can spend years and years without really improving, or certainly not towards a high level of skill. You can use the best tools, know all needed configuration options in the software you are using, but if you are too easily satisfied you won't make it to the best of your possibilities.
I like to have a critical view on the things I do and I use that knowledge to improve the next time I do those things. That way I only need a fraction of the time to reach an above average level in most things compared to most people.
Very useful video. Thank you so much. Can you say some resources when you say study theory?
Thanks! Just basics books to start with should do the trick 🙂
Anyone that’s played high level sport would agree that natural talent is a thing, especially at a younger age.
I know people who've worked five years full-time and aren't masters of anything.
Great video James! Enjoy your trip!
Thanks so much 🙂
I’ve got to disagree about the “no such thing as natural talent” James, I spent the last 8 years of my working life as a professional artist and wildlife carver and through the thousands of other artists I’ve seen throughout my life and the people I taught carving to I can assure you that a lot of those people could spend every day practising their chosen craft and never achieve even a mediocre ability? so I’m sorry but that belief is wrong! IMO of course 👍😊📷
It took me about 10 mins and 5 photos to realize I was a genius of photography. I am a perfect master of the camera. I know that I'm one of a kind, try not to stare.
Make up a cool story for the door. Example: It leads to a ladder so persons can exit without disturbing other persons inside the house. It was installed by... insert some long dead famous person.
Nice, another left hander, though I'm old so they tried to make me right handed, which I always hated, but lately realized I wouldn't be as ambidextrous... I play all my instruments right handed, but I do find myself doing a lot of things backwards.... I've had this philosophy about Mastering something, once you "master" it, you might as well quit, the learning & expanding process for, well anything, is the best part. The only reason to be a master is to brag really.... Great video, take it easy...
I read that some people have become stutterers because of the disrespect for left-handers natural inclination. When you are punished for how 'god made you', and abusively try to force right-handess upon you, it is probably not ideal. Though, in your case, it appears you've adapted.
My mother had some wierd thing about the russians taking over USA, and they don't allow people to be right handed. I was born a couple months after the Cuban-Missile-Crisis, so I think that event permanently affected her.
@@Garacha222 Yeah, growing up I was always the weird kid, it took years to pay off, but it became a blessing because I learned not to be like everyone else & to think for myself(though I had awesome parents too, that instilled that in me). It made me realize trying to be other people is really boring, I just wish it didn't take so long to figure out...
I agree mate, learning is the fun bit 🙂 And cheers to being a lefty, the struggle is real, although sounds like it used to be worse!
Still wearing that hat indoors!!!
Laziness, and I normally only have an acceptable hair day when pigs jump over the moon 👍🏻
@@JamesPopsysPhoto Embrace the bad hair
I'm left handed, but use normal scissors right handed and eat right handed .... adapt.
Check out the TedxTalk of Josh kaufman if you are intrested in the concept of practice.
I have problems picking a genre. Im always chopping from one to another which i know doesnt help me.
I'm a bit of a Jack of all...okay...some photography trades, master of none...well...some. 😆
Alice in wonderland
Great video! Well thought out and executed.
Thanks so much 🙂
Pretty good breakout I'd say... I have a one pager (which grew into both sides) for starting photographers - things like make sure what you don't want in the picture isn't in your framing... maybe 50-ish things that are pretty simple... kind of a wisdom jump-start. On the other hand, your vid clip of the alphabet soup letters reminded me of a meme my cousin's daughter sent - she's a really smart young woman now and in marketing somehow...she's working with a group that's going to create a product which will combine alphabet soup with a laxative and call it "Letter Rip". She thought it was funny, so "passing" it on. ;)
😂
Excellent video this was helpful
Awesome mate!
Another (old) left hander, but I use scissors with my right hand, and I’ve never been bothered that the film winder was on the right and not the left side of the camera. Go figure. Anyway... wasn’t it Ansel Adams who said that the first 10,000 shots are your worst. Perhaps this is what he meant. If not, and “expertise” in photography is based on time, and the definition of “expert in photography” means “creates iconic photographs”, rather than “makes loads of money using a camera”, then there would be a whole bunch of retired amateurs and hobbyists (who don’t have to worry about “admin”, and marketing, and VAT returns etc..) who would be churning out iconic photos faster than Henri Cartier-Bresson could eat a croissant. Just a thought. Great video. Keep it up.
That's the secret I think Mark 🙂👍🏻