I've spent years going down rabbit holes, first guitars, strings, effect pedals, then cycling, kit, chainsets, training software, man, I even did time trialling and wore a skin suit and pointy hat. Then came photography, but I've stuck with my mft camera and just make it work to the best of my ability. The pursuit of whatever has stopped and the acceptance of what I have is concrete. The joy of just participating and being one with what you have is valuable. And back to cycling, those journeys are a meditation. Your message, in essence, is a distillation of Dan, and I love it for what you propose. Thank you!
So spot on man, and well said through so many great examples. I wonder though, if those who need this message will have the ears to hear it. I don't know how many times I've had the "it's not about the camera" conversation but it seems nobody wants to buy what I'm selling. Somehow convinced they can't get the shots they want if they're not toting the latest and "greatest" -- they are somehow being held back from their potential without that new XX megapixel camera or fancy coated glass. Meanwhile, their work shows no awareness of composition, no sense of story, no intentionality or creativity, no post-processing skill set (I know you're film, but you know what I'm saying), no personal style... and yet somehow the magical powers of that new camera body are going to make it all come together and they'll finally be the artist they've always told the world they are. At any rate, I'm going to create a QR code to this video, print it on business cards and each time I'm asked what's in my camera bag I'm going to hand them a card and quietly walk away. Problem solved (for me anyway). Thanks for the great post. I hope it finds many open ears.
Hey Drew, it's been a long time since we spoke.(A few years?) Love your Blurb film and your lifestyle. Getting around for some real exploration, adventure, hikes, etc. My guess, this film won't have much of an impact on anyone. The industry around photography is far larger and more vibrant than the actual industry of photography. Influencers get more play than photographers because most photographers are working too much to be influencers. It's an odd Catch-22. Influencers don't even need to make images, certainly not good images to be successful. And photographers face a world where many of the power players don't know and don't care what good images are because metrics have taken over as the key factor. It's interesting to watch, however painful at times.
One of your best ones yet. Probably the best ”Gear doesn’t matter” pieces I’ve seen or heard. Love how you put it in several different contexts and how well you weave the imagery into the story. It flows effortlessly. Love the monochromeness.
Some TH-camrs will make a video from every perspective, and thereby dilute anything they may have to say, to nothing. Not here. This is gold. Thank you!
This is the most important video about photography on TH-cam. This is not hyperbole. It’s the truth. Does this mean all other videos about photography on TH-cam are terrible? No. It’s just that this is the most important. And it’s a truth bomb. Thank you, Daniel.
This video really rocked me today. Right now in Ukraine the best of the best are using Fuji XT2’s and XPro2’s. The Beijing Olympics was shot on Canon 1D III 10 megapixel which you can pick up for $600 USD on eBay. Are you a better photographer than them? My brother takes amazing photos with a Canon 70d and Sigma 30mm 1.4. This video makes me feel like a complete D**khead with the amount of money I’ve spent on things that aren’t important. I wish I had taken Dan’s photography workshop in Albania instead of buying a Canon RF 50 1.2. If I could go back to when I first began photography I’d get a Nikon D610 and a 35mm F2G or similar and be done with it. The camera I recommend to beginners now is a second hand Canon EOS 7D II with a Sigma 30mm 1.4. There’s absolutely no need to spend more than 600 on a camera and 300 on a lens. I physically feel ashamed of the money I’ve spent on gear.
Hey, live and learn. Just writing this down means you can deal with it and move on. Albania....May 2023. Sell that Canon and saddle up. I've never even heard of a Sigma 30mm 1.4 but it sounds good and small.
DM, I can only echo what has been said below. Having been an early subscriber here and at FWIW, I can confidently say that this is one of, if not the best message one person with one opinion, can pass on. Not only have you answered the GAS question, you have given this entire community a metaphysical, photographic, running, cycling, and LIFE allegory, on par with the best stoic philosophers of all time. It turns out it was never about the gear nor the F stop, it was always about seeing and shooting. Just like life the journey is the thing. And to quote someone, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." If you're bogged down about the pen, you'll never write.
I'm fortunate, I know so little about tech I can't get sucked into that vortex. Plus, with a good book always within reach, I can't imagine taking time to watch the latest camera film.
I follow your channel for some time. Your honest and in your face attitude is what this world needs. I always get so inspired to go to print and to be different and to be content with my art because it is different. Thank you Daniel!
I have been shooting for decades and only for myself as if I ever did it as a job it would longer be the hobby that I love... I have never wanted deadlines or assignments, but only the joy of making images that I like. My wife has come to understand why I always carry a camera with me whenever I'm out. Very enjoyable video Dan, well done... Thank you
Bravo Dan. Bravo. Everyone needs to hear this, including the perils of groin strain! The volume of garbage coming out of so-called 'influencers' puts me off this place. Most of them spend more time looking at their engagement stats than they do through the viewfinder of their 8k cinema webcam. Have you ever seen a good body of work from any of these people? I'd love to have a flip through your print archive one day. That'd be a treat.
Well, I think we have to remember that things like TH-cam aren't about good anything. They are about following and reach. The best photographers aren't on social at all, or if they are it's someone in their studio doing it for them. Why? Because they are out making work. TH-cam is about catering to whatever you audience wants no matter how off putting that is. This is why SO many YT types have mental health issues. You can only fake it so long.
Epic as usual. The "orange shorts" part had me laughing out loud (recalling back to a previous video of said shorts described in such detail). Your large prints really move me. I love printed work more than ever.
Hello Argentina! I'm glad the radio signal makes it all the way down. Some day I will either ride my bike or my moto across the border and into the arms of my Argentine family!
Love it thank you! Great reminder. Recently I put a phrase on a pencil that said “Focus On Progress”, to remind me the act of doing or putting to practice is far better than not doing anything. Doing will keep me out of the social media black hole. All I need now is to carve out the time and put work in its place. I need to create something and print it.
Just listened to another long take on social media. A podcast. I find social so fascinating. I was presented as "a physically addicting drug that your friends and family take at least thirty times a day." And how it makes the user feel like everyone else is being conned, but not them.
Your best video yet! Keep it up…. It’s hard and I have to remind myself every day. It does not matter . Use what you have and find a way to make it work. Wear the shit out…. Enjoy the process
I once heard someone say something like, all the beginner photographer needs is a camera, any camera, and a willingness to learn and explore. A willingness to learn what makes a good image. A willingness to learn how to use light, and composition. You can do this with any camera. Even the one you carry in your pocket if you use it correctly and you use it with a willingness to learn those elements of a photo. Only when that camera presents it's limitations to you, do you ever need to think about another camera. I have some great digital cameras, but I still reach for a camera that was made in 1967. It's a button and a couple of dials. Can it do everything the latest digital camera can do, no. But it's perfect for what I do.
"...what makes a good image." I find that this is often left out of the online equation. I FEELS like many channels are run by folks who don't really know what good is. If your audience is less informed than you are, well, you can kinda get away with this. Or if the audience doesn't know photo-history you can rip off classic essays of the past without paying homage and the audience has no clue. This is such a lame move and I see it all the time.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 I agree. Which is why I think it's important to spend time with other photographers and going through portfolio reviews, etc. The term "good image" is often subjective, which is why I think they guy followed up with learning to use Light and Composition. From there good will shift from one critique to the next. Some will like certain placement of a subject others will not. Some will like the use of shadow, some will wish it was exposed differently for more context. It really could go anyway. I think in this sense good meant technically good. I think both your video on gear, and the quote from another video (Photographic Eye) if I remember correctly, cut right to the heart of the issue of gear lust. It's not what we use. It's how we use it and that we are using it with intent. When you cut right to the bone. Nothing else really matters. Thank you for continuing to inspire through your videos and words. I've been a fan for many years since the days of the Leica Files and look forward to more content.
Spot on!! This year i've been in "monk mode". limited contact with people, focusing on growing my goals and building good habits. I've been consuming less social media, less active on these platforms and have noticed my mental health sky rocket.
The more you know about those platforms the more you have to realize you are being manipulated. And one of the most powerful aspects of this is that the platforms make you think OTHER people are being manipulated but not US. I'm in control. I only use it for "X." They are the perfect weapons.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 I fully agree. There's a film called " The Social Dilemma" that expands on that manipulation and social engineering. For me one of the most useful things (and most difficult habit to break) has been to NOT touch my devices the hour before sleep or after waking up. I try to spend that hour thinking about what I want out of today or reflecting on the day i had.
This one - and the one on marriage knock it so much out of the park for anyone else one TH-cam, it‘s kind of unfair to all of the x-million-view influencers. Will anyone notice? It doesn’t matter that much. Thank you for this one, Dan. I love it. And the one on marriage too. Any chance for a new episode of the picture package soon? Oh, and thank you for each and every episode of Fwiw! Each one of those is great! And as far as gear goes, I prefer the output of my 10 year old Fuji X-Pro 1 with the equally old 50 mil and 27 mil equivalent lenses to any Cam produced after. And I tried many of them. They were all „better“ - don’t care. I love those images from that combo most. Same camera, same lens, 10 years, 20 years… does anyone else see it? Doesn‘t matter. What matters is the impact of the image(s), the story. Does anyone care which guitar Keith Richards worked on the recording of song-x. Yes, some do. Does it matter for the millions who just love and enjoy the riffs?
Ha, well, thank you. I'm working on a picture package next. Stay tuned. Marriage is a funny thing, at least at times. As for the cam, cool. You find what you like, what works and then smoke it to the filter.
Fantastic video!! We all need to remind ourselves it is the work that matters. Not the level of work or the kit used to make it. Doing the work, whatever the work is, is what matters. Thank you for your thoughts and insights.
I'm fortunate because when I started most of us had basically the exact same thing. Nikon body and one or two lenses. FM2, 35 f/2 or 28mm f/2 being the affordable student kit. One kid had an old Contax. One kid had a Canon Ae1. One kid who was already doing newspaper assignments and freelancing while in school had a Canon F1 and 300 2.8. He also had a scanner and was killing it on the nighttime crime scenes. He took me along a few times.
Daniel, it gets condensed down to those Three M's you laid out...Meaning Matters Most...and paying attention to hidden details along the way as you venture out and about. Thanks for the visuals and dynamite music to match.
Yep. Meaning. You also see and hear quite a lot about the "A-word." Authentic. This is happening now because for over a decade everything we did was inauthentic. People finally got tired of the con game and wanted to find roots in the real.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 It's different from your other Shifter episodes, to me at least. The blank screen times (or however you describe) had me thinking a couple of times it was done...but then it continued. Also, the message is very good. But I think the "What's the best...?" phase is something everyone new to every hobby or whatever goes through, as it's the one thing they can control which might immediately offer some help or comfort toward a goal for which their skill cannot yet help. Some people get through it faster, and for others the itch never goes away. I'm still shooting with the same Nikon D610 I bought brand new almost a decade ago (which replaced a used D200 I purchased). I won't get into the dozens of film cameras I own. Sure, I get whimsical about getting a new Sony or even a Nikon D750, but then I'd have to pay Adobe their extortion fee to be a beta tester for all the software bugs they seem to roll out with new iterations of LR and PS...instead, I am still using my 2015-era copies. Oh, and I still shoot film at box speed. Screw those naysaying influencers who said Tri-X isn't ASA400. They're not the boss of me. 🤣
This video should be translated into multiple languages and made compulsory viewing from primary school into adult years. That first ‘car’ segment had me shouting a triumphant, fist-pumping ’YES!!!!’ at the tv. I’m better now.
I’ve been featured in the Uk Landscape photographer of the year awards in 9 of the last 11 years and the poshest camera I’ve used is an old D700 at 12mp.These pictures have all been blown up 3 feet by 4 for the exhibition all looking acceptable.It in what you see and being out there to see it.
I still use XT2's. My film cameras are fifty plus years old. But again, making good work isn't easy and for many that is enough deterrent to keep them focused on the finger.
That'd be some deep think you got goin' on there Milnor. I fear the massive success you deserve on this platform will elude you if you continue to tell people solid truth's based on experience - instead of what they want to hear.
Luckily, I never wanted YT success, or fame or notoriety. If I had financial security I'd disappear. On the flip side, I don't think most viewers of online photography channels want to be photographers. I think they like photography and love the discussion around it more than the actual application.
I cannot speak for others but I find your content reassuring - like a cool breeze from nowhere on a hot day. It makes me feel like I'm not the only person who thinks this way; but once again...I think your observations are correct. As to your motives - they are as irrelevant as endless gear discussions - I am just very very grateful that you make the effort, to film, to edit, and to share it with random folks like me.
Of the countless hours I burn distracting myself from my pointless existence, the ones with your videos are often the most enjoyable, and I love your work. Lately, Eric Labistida and I have chatting about everything, including a podcast/TH-cam channel where we talk talk talk. I sold him my last Sony to fund my GFX50R to shoot in 65:24 mode. Replacing my old XPAN with a digital version has been a dream of mine and the GFX is exponentially cooler than I had expected, other than being jumbo. It’s going to rekindle a panorama project and hopefully a book of abstract panoramas. Keep up the good work and I’ll keep trying to make interesting work. I love seeing a box of fiber prints. Too many non-sequiturs? How many is too many?
Get him off his ass and do it. That boy can shoot. The GFX line is stellar. All my commercial, advertising friends use those now, and most of the portrait photogs. Fuji did a nice job with knowing what people actually want. Yes, sizable.
If gear doesn't matter, why is it that whenever I see a photo that I like I think..."I wonder what camera...?" You know how that sentence ends. It's an affliction I have, probably picked up from watching too many gear videos. A similar affliction is..."Man, if I was in that place I'd take some great photos too." William Eggleston found the cure for that, but I still suffer from the disease. This film is good medicine.
Yep, that's dangerous. But that is what online photography channels and gear reviews are meant to do. Shift the focus from the prize to the finger. I never related to WE.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 yes. You can have a film camera. My 24mp camera is 6 years old and it is the best camera ever. It is a m10 ( Leica). Not planning to change it
Really loved seeing the prints coming out of the box. Lovely pictures. Really lovely.... As in full of love.... For what you're doing. It's very inspiring. What camera / lens combo did you use.... Oh yeah... it doesn't matter! Great video again.
Just brilliant. I’m in the process of sliming my kit down to 3 cameras. 1 x 35mm 1 x medium format and 1 x digital. I keep struggling to decide which ones to keep and which ones to let go. In the end it doesn’t matter. Any of them will do the job if I choose to carry them and just make photos. Thanks.
I think it's about lifestyle and the job demands, if this is something you are doing for a living. I used to be able to shoot film for pretty much everything. On my Blurb trips I'd take Hasselblad, Leica, Canon digital and Polaroid. There was time to wait and an appreciation for what those formats provided. Now, just digital camera. There is an appreciation for film if it's used to sell the idea of analog photography but there isn't much interest in the actual work. It's why so many online YT film people create films with them holding the camera, loading film, tossing film in bags, etc. But rarely do you see many of the images.
Exactly, Dan. It's called PHOTO graphy, not CAMERA graphy. Amateurs believe the manufacturers bullshit that a piece of gear will make you a better photographer. A pro knows mastering the craft makes him a better photographer but it takes more than swiping a credit card, it takes a 4 letter word, WORK. Gear for an amateur or "collector" is the goal, for a photographer, theimage is the goal and gear is only there to help achieve their vision. Amateurs want to show you their gear, pros their work. Beware groups named after cameras, instead find you tubers like Dan who is about the work and actually knows what he is talking about instead of some you tuber who starts the video with something like this is my first time shooting this camera, this film, portraits, etc. I just click out when they say that.
In the words of an older generation, "Save the take." The images are what matters, at all costs. And for a select group this still applies. But for the masses, especially men online, the ship sailed and is now taking on water. Oh well.
You always have a way of landing the message straight to the jugular and make it feel like a cool breeze, a first kiss, or waking up as a kid on Christmas morning. Impactful and always inspiring. One of your best but certainly not your last. Been here since day one and I know when I feel out of synch and need a reframe I can count on you to tell it straight and like it is.. Just started reading Seth Godin's The Practice, so this hits home on many levels. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this video. I see countless videos of the new “whatever camera”…feel like every few months it’s one of those videos. I’m happy with what I have, which is the canon t6i, plus several film cameras. Mainly use my biggest lens simply because I can take good bird photos with it. You don’t need a camera that’s 2000-4000 to do good photography, in my opinion.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 that’s what I need lol! But can’t afford that just yet. Love my birds. Also trying to figure out astrophotography…still can’t get the hang of it.
I wore them yesterday. I to do yoga at home. I was thinking it would be hilarious to go to a yoga class and where them. Its' just obscene and gross and just what most classes need.
![Chris Langan - The Interview THEY Didn't Want You To See - CTMU [Full Version; Timestamps]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9miVG2xT5jY/mqdefault.jpg)
One of the best video ever, not only about photography, about life. Many, many thanks!
Single best photo channel on the TH-cams. Thanks Dan!
Whoa, thank you.
I've spent years going down rabbit holes, first guitars, strings, effect pedals, then cycling, kit, chainsets, training software, man, I even did time trialling and wore a skin suit and pointy hat. Then came photography, but I've stuck with my mft camera and just make it work to the best of my ability. The pursuit of whatever has stopped and the acceptance of what I have is concrete. The joy of just participating and being one with what you have is valuable. And back to cycling, those journeys are a meditation. Your message, in essence, is a distillation of Dan, and I love it for what you propose. Thank you!
Isn't it funny what happens to your brain when suffering on a bike? Maybe it relates to Zen. Maybe to the body's defense mechanisms.
So spot on man, and well said through so many great examples. I wonder though, if those who need this message will have the ears to hear it.
I don't know how many times I've had the "it's not about the camera" conversation but it seems nobody wants to buy what I'm selling. Somehow convinced they can't get the shots they want if they're not toting the latest and "greatest" -- they are somehow being held back from their potential without that new XX megapixel camera or fancy coated glass. Meanwhile, their work shows no awareness of composition, no sense of story, no intentionality or creativity, no post-processing skill set (I know you're film, but you know what I'm saying), no personal style... and yet somehow the magical powers of that new camera body are going to make it all come together and they'll finally be the artist they've always told the world they are.
At any rate, I'm going to create a QR code to this video, print it on business cards and each time I'm asked what's in my camera bag I'm going to hand them a card and quietly walk away. Problem solved (for me anyway).
Thanks for the great post. I hope it finds many open ears.
Hey Drew, it's been a long time since we spoke.(A few years?) Love your Blurb film and your lifestyle. Getting around for some real exploration, adventure, hikes, etc. My guess, this film won't have much of an impact on anyone. The industry around photography is far larger and more vibrant than the actual industry of photography. Influencers get more play than photographers because most photographers are working too much to be influencers. It's an odd Catch-22. Influencers don't even need to make images, certainly not good images to be successful. And photographers face a world where many of the power players don't know and don't care what good images are because metrics have taken over as the key factor. It's interesting to watch, however painful at times.
One of your best ones yet. Probably the best ”Gear doesn’t matter” pieces I’ve seen or heard. Love how you put it in several different contexts and how well you weave the imagery into the story. It flows effortlessly. Love the monochromeness.
Some TH-camrs will make a video from every perspective, and thereby dilute anything they may have to say, to nothing. Not here. This is gold. Thank you!
Thanks Simon.
Strooooong message! Wow 👏🏻
One very powerful vid. One very important message. Listen up people.
This is the most important video about photography on TH-cam. This is not hyperbole. It’s the truth.
Does this mean all other videos about photography on TH-cam are terrible? No. It’s just that this is the most important. And it’s a truth bomb. Thank you, Daniel.
Thank you. not sure I would go that far but if this film results in someone making something good, well, then I say "all good."
This man is a poet. Love the section with the Eric Satie playing over.
not much into classical music but which part is Eric Satie?
This video really rocked me today. Right now in Ukraine the best of the best are using Fuji XT2’s and XPro2’s.
The Beijing Olympics was shot on Canon 1D III 10 megapixel which you can pick up for $600 USD on eBay.
Are you a better photographer than them? My brother takes amazing photos with a Canon 70d and Sigma 30mm 1.4.
This video makes me feel like a complete D**khead with the amount of money I’ve spent on things that aren’t important.
I wish I had taken Dan’s photography workshop in Albania instead of buying a Canon RF 50 1.2.
If I could go back to when I first began photography I’d get a Nikon D610 and a 35mm F2G or similar and be done with it.
The camera I recommend to beginners now is a second hand Canon EOS 7D II with a Sigma 30mm 1.4.
There’s absolutely no need to spend more than 600 on a camera and 300 on a lens.
I physically feel ashamed of the money I’ve spent on gear.
Hey, live and learn. Just writing this down means you can deal with it and move on. Albania....May 2023. Sell that Canon and saddle up. I've never even heard of a Sigma 30mm 1.4 but it sounds good and small.
This is one of the most influential videos I have watched. Thank you for this. And yes, since you influenced me, that does make you an influencer ;)
That's my goal. Ugh.
been watching your channel from day one dan, and i really enjoy it. this is one of your best posts. thanks for improving my day.
Thanks for watching.
DM, I can only echo what has been said below. Having been an early subscriber here and at FWIW, I can confidently say that this is one of, if not the best message one person with one opinion, can pass on. Not only have you answered the GAS question, you have given this entire community a metaphysical, photographic, running, cycling, and LIFE allegory, on par with the best stoic philosophers of all time. It turns out it was never about the gear nor the F stop, it was always about seeing and shooting. Just like life the journey is the thing. And to quote someone, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." If you're bogged down about the pen, you'll never write.
I'm fortunate, I know so little about tech I can't get sucked into that vortex. Plus, with a good book always within reach, I can't imagine taking time to watch the latest camera film.
I follow your channel for some time. Your honest and in your face attitude is what this world needs. I always get so inspired to go to print and to be different and to be content with my art because it is different. Thank you Daniel!
Cool. Glad you finding something of value.
I have been shooting for decades and only for myself as if I ever did it as a job it would longer be the hobby that I love... I have never wanted deadlines or assignments, but only the joy of making images that I like. My wife has come to understand why I always carry a camera with me whenever I'm out. Very enjoyable video Dan, well done... Thank you
Definitely the best video of yours I've seen and one of the best overall I've watched in any genre. Hats off!
Ah, thanks for that.
My new favorite Shifter title card at the end of this one.
Outstanding 🎉
Always right on ❤
This was damn powerful! Gave me chills!
Wel said Daniel this was a great and powerful message !
Hello, and thx for the inspiration. Thx for reminding what does matter. LG good light
de nada
Bravo Dan. Bravo. Everyone needs to hear this, including the perils of groin strain!
The volume of garbage coming out of so-called 'influencers' puts me off this place. Most of them spend more time looking at their engagement stats than they do through the viewfinder of their 8k cinema webcam. Have you ever seen a good body of work from any of these people?
I'd love to have a flip through your print archive one day. That'd be a treat.
Well, I think we have to remember that things like TH-cam aren't about good anything. They are about following and reach. The best photographers aren't on social at all, or if they are it's someone in their studio doing it for them. Why? Because they are out making work. TH-cam is about catering to whatever you audience wants no matter how off putting that is. This is why SO many YT types have mental health issues. You can only fake it so long.
This was good. Really good. Thanks.
Daniel, perhaps your best commentary EVER. ! (I subscribe but I missed it until now ?).
Thanks, no memory of what I said...
Epic as usual. The "orange shorts" part had me laughing out loud (recalling back to a previous video of said shorts described in such detail). Your large prints really move me. I love printed work more than ever.
I feel strange every single time I put them on. Even if I'm alone.
Just wonderful!
Man, I so much appreciate your videos. It is so refreshing, to also find such channels on YT, as yours. … And by the way: great pictures! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Ah thanks. You are the first to mention the images. Not sure what that means.
You know that your day will be great when you log on to TH-cam and see a new Daniel Milnor video on it. Saludos desde Argentina!
Hello Argentina! I'm glad the radio signal makes it all the way down. Some day I will either ride my bike or my moto across the border and into the arms of my Argentine family!
Amazingly presented!
Required watching and listening for all.
Thanks, brother. What a great gift. 🙏🏻
This was excellent; I enjoyed the images, the music, the message.
Love it thank you! Great reminder. Recently I put a phrase on a pencil that said “Focus On Progress”, to remind me the act of doing or putting to practice is far better than not doing anything. Doing will keep me out of the social media black hole. All I need now is to carve out the time and put work in its place. I need to create something and print it.
Just listened to another long take on social media. A podcast. I find social so fascinating. I was presented as "a physically addicting drug that your friends and family take at least thirty times a day." And how it makes the user feel like everyone else is being conned, but not them.
truly inspiring, thank you for these videos Dan.
Anytime.
Amazingly good video
Your best video yet! Keep it up…. It’s hard and I have to remind myself every day. It does not matter . Use what you have and find a way to make it work. Wear the shit out…. Enjoy the process
I once heard someone say something like, all the beginner photographer needs is a camera, any camera, and a willingness to learn and explore. A willingness to learn what makes a good image. A willingness to learn how to use light, and composition. You can do this with any camera. Even the one you carry in your pocket if you use it correctly and you use it with a willingness to learn those elements of a photo. Only when that camera presents it's limitations to you, do you ever need to think about another camera.
I have some great digital cameras, but I still reach for a camera that was made in 1967. It's a button and a couple of dials. Can it do everything the latest digital camera can do, no. But it's perfect for what I do.
"...what makes a good image." I find that this is often left out of the online equation. I FEELS like many channels are run by folks who don't really know what good is. If your audience is less informed than you are, well, you can kinda get away with this. Or if the audience doesn't know photo-history you can rip off classic essays of the past without paying homage and the audience has no clue. This is such a lame move and I see it all the time.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 I agree. Which is why I think it's important to spend time with other photographers and going through portfolio reviews, etc. The term "good image" is often subjective, which is why I think they guy followed up with learning to use Light and Composition. From there good will shift from one critique to the next. Some will like certain placement of a subject others will not. Some will like the use of shadow, some will wish it was exposed differently for more context. It really could go anyway. I think in this sense good meant technically good.
I think both your video on gear, and the quote from another video (Photographic Eye) if I remember correctly, cut right to the heart of the issue of gear lust. It's not what we use. It's how we use it and that we are using it with intent. When you cut right to the bone. Nothing else really matters.
Thank you for continuing to inspire through your videos and words. I've been a fan for many years since the days of the Leica Files and look forward to more content.
Spot on!! This year i've been in "monk mode". limited contact with people, focusing on growing my goals and building good habits. I've been consuming less social media, less active on these platforms and have noticed my mental health sky rocket.
The more you know about those platforms the more you have to realize you are being manipulated. And one of the most powerful aspects of this is that the platforms make you think OTHER people are being manipulated but not US. I'm in control. I only use it for "X." They are the perfect weapons.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 I fully agree. There's a film called " The Social Dilemma" that expands on that manipulation and social engineering. For me one of the most useful things (and most difficult habit to break) has been to NOT touch my devices the hour before sleep or after waking up. I try to spend that hour thinking about what I want out of today or reflecting on the day i had.
Wow, 100% pure facts.
Lovely, thoughtful dialog and that Ilford box had gems inside. Cheers ~ Peter
The contents of that box took......years. And tens of thousands of dollars and luck and friends and focus and lack of attention to anything else.
This felt like a slap, the good kind of slap that wakes you TF up…appreciate it!
Judo chop!
This one - and the one on marriage knock it so much out of the park for anyone else one TH-cam, it‘s kind of unfair to all of the x-million-view influencers. Will anyone notice? It doesn’t matter that much. Thank you for this one, Dan. I love it. And the one on marriage too. Any chance for a new episode of the picture package soon? Oh, and thank you for each and every episode of Fwiw! Each one of those is great!
And as far as gear goes, I prefer the output of my 10 year old Fuji X-Pro 1 with the equally old 50 mil and 27 mil equivalent lenses to any Cam produced after. And I tried many of them. They were all „better“ - don’t care. I love those images from that combo most. Same camera, same lens, 10 years, 20 years… does anyone else see it? Doesn‘t matter. What matters is the impact of the image(s), the story. Does anyone care which guitar Keith Richards worked on the recording of song-x. Yes, some do. Does it matter for the millions who just love and enjoy the riffs?
Ha, well, thank you. I'm working on a picture package next. Stay tuned. Marriage is a funny thing, at least at times. As for the cam, cool. You find what you like, what works and then smoke it to the filter.
Oh, and I noticed, extremely good audio on this one! The mix between music and voice is perfect. That must have been quite a bit of work 👍
Brilliant. This should be on every Photography curriculum at college. The Lit majors should watch too
I kinda wish I had been a lit major. Or anthropology, or biology or engineering or basket weaving.
Well said…..for me it’s all about the process….photography provides the antidote to my every day life.
Many thanks
Antony (London UK)
Isn't it funny how the camera can be so many different things. That closeness of life through the viewfinder.
Fantastic video!! We all need to remind ourselves it is the work that matters. Not the level of work or the kit used to make it. Doing the work, whatever the work is, is what matters. Thank you for your thoughts and insights.
I'm fortunate because when I started most of us had basically the exact same thing. Nikon body and one or two lenses. FM2, 35 f/2 or 28mm f/2 being the affordable student kit. One kid had an old Contax. One kid had a Canon Ae1. One kid who was already doing newspaper assignments and freelancing while in school had a Canon F1 and 300 2.8. He also had a scanner and was killing it on the nighttime crime scenes. He took me along a few times.
So good: missing Daniel from TH-cam but loving the collection.
Excellent. Thank you.
A m a z i n g . Thanks Dan.
Oooh - absolutely fabulous. I really, really enjoyed that Dan. Thank you.
Your best... or maybe once of your best videos.
Seems to be popular.
Daniel, it gets condensed down to those Three M's you laid out...Meaning Matters Most...and paying attention to hidden details along the way as you venture out and about. Thanks for the visuals and dynamite music to match.
Yep. Meaning. You also see and hear quite a lot about the "A-word." Authentic. This is happening now because for over a decade everything we did was inauthentic. People finally got tired of the con game and wanted to find roots in the real.
Again, thanks Daniel🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 I needed that.
Well done, amigo.
Amen!
Great video Dan.
Thanks a lot! Artfully enriching my life with this long form poem on creating meaningful work.
Anytime.
Brilliant Dan! Thanks for reminding me
Thank you - I needed to hear this.
your best video! thank you for this, dan
Another refreshing one Dan✌️whats underestimated is some truth now and then!
Ya, truth doesn't get views. "I don't want to fight you Ringo, there's no money in it."
Favorite Shifter "episode" so far!
Was just saying, seems to be a popular film. I never know. These things are about 5% of my creative life so it's haphazard at best.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 It's different from your other Shifter episodes, to me at least. The blank screen times (or however you describe) had me thinking a couple of times it was done...but then it continued.
Also, the message is very good. But I think the "What's the best...?" phase is something everyone new to every hobby or whatever goes through, as it's the one thing they can control which might immediately offer some help or comfort toward a goal for which their skill cannot yet help.
Some people get through it faster, and for others the itch never goes away. I'm still shooting with the same Nikon D610 I bought brand new almost a decade ago (which replaced a used D200 I purchased). I won't get into the dozens of film cameras I own.
Sure, I get whimsical about getting a new Sony or even a Nikon D750, but then I'd have to pay Adobe their extortion fee to be a beta tester for all the software bugs they seem to roll out with new iterations of LR and PS...instead, I am still using my 2015-era copies.
Oh, and I still shoot film at box speed. Screw those naysaying influencers who said Tri-X isn't ASA400. They're not the boss of me. 🤣
Bad ass… thank you!🦋🕊🌹
This video should be translated into multiple languages and made compulsory viewing from primary school into adult years.
That first ‘car’ segment had me shouting a triumphant, fist-pumping ’YES!!!!’ at the tv. I’m better now.
I was hoping people would find that funny. Her car is kinda trashed but she loves it that way.
I’ve actually said, ‘I wash my car EVERY time it rains’ to my friends many times over the years. I spat my tea when I heard you say it.
I’ve been featured in the Uk Landscape photographer of the year awards in 9 of the last 11 years and the poshest camera I’ve used is an old D700 at 12mp.These pictures have all been blown up 3 feet by 4 for the exhibition all looking acceptable.It in what you see and being out there to see it.
I still use XT2's. My film cameras are fifty plus years old. But again, making good work isn't easy and for many that is enough deterrent to keep them focused on the finger.
Thanks Dan - great thoughts... again!
Gracias!
Thanks Dan. Just what I needed.
Thank you so much for this vidéo.
Art, inspiring to make art. Only to make art can make meaning in an absurd world, I heard Albert Camus said yesterday. And now your video!
Yep. Just make. It ain't easy.
Absolutely brilliant…..we’ll done Dan
Thanks Jerry.
That'd be some deep think you got goin' on there Milnor. I fear the massive success you deserve on this platform will elude you if you continue to tell people solid truth's based on experience - instead of what they want to hear.
Luckily, I never wanted YT success, or fame or notoriety. If I had financial security I'd disappear. On the flip side, I don't think most viewers of online photography channels want to be photographers. I think they like photography and love the discussion around it more than the actual application.
I cannot speak for others but I find your content reassuring - like a cool breeze from nowhere on a hot day. It makes me feel like I'm not the only person who thinks this way; but once again...I think your observations are correct. As to your motives - they are as irrelevant as endless gear discussions - I am just very very grateful that you make the effort, to film, to edit, and to share it with random folks like me.
Good stuff, Dan. Thank you!
Absolutely incredible.
Wonderful and lovely use of music by Erik Satie.
The music is SO important.
Of the countless hours I burn distracting myself from my pointless existence, the ones with your videos are often the most enjoyable, and I love your work. Lately, Eric Labistida and I have chatting about everything, including a podcast/TH-cam channel where we talk talk talk. I sold him my last Sony to fund my GFX50R to shoot in 65:24 mode. Replacing my old XPAN with a digital version has been a dream of mine and the GFX is exponentially cooler than I had expected, other than being jumbo. It’s going to rekindle a panorama project and hopefully a book of abstract panoramas. Keep up the good work and I’ll keep trying to make interesting work. I love seeing a box of fiber prints. Too many non-sequiturs? How many is too many?
Get him off his ass and do it. That boy can shoot. The GFX line is stellar. All my commercial, advertising friends use those now, and most of the portrait photogs. Fuji did a nice job with knowing what people actually want. Yes, sizable.
If gear doesn't matter, why is it that whenever I see a photo that I like I think..."I wonder what camera...?" You know how that sentence ends. It's an affliction I have, probably picked up from watching too many gear videos. A similar affliction is..."Man, if I was in that place I'd take some great photos too." William Eggleston found the cure for that, but I still suffer from the disease. This film is good medicine.
Yep, that's dangerous. But that is what online photography channels and gear reviews are meant to do. Shift the focus from the prize to the finger. I never related to WE.
Love this video. Your camera matters when it lasts. And it is reliable. Awesome video.
Lasting changes with the generation. But I agree.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 yes. You can have a film camera. My 24mp camera is 6 years old and it is the best camera ever. It is a m10 ( Leica). Not planning to change it
Thank you for this
Thank you.
Really loved seeing the prints coming out of the box. Lovely pictures. Really lovely.... As in full of love.... For what you're doing. It's very inspiring. What camera / lens combo did you use.... Oh yeah... it doesn't matter! Great video again.
That box took me a long while. And many tens of thousands of dollars. But, that's what it takes.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 thanks for sharing it with us all.
An excellent installment. Many thanks.
Just brilliant. I’m in the process of sliming my kit down to 3 cameras. 1 x 35mm 1 x medium format and 1 x digital. I keep struggling to decide which ones to keep and which ones to let go. In the end it doesn’t matter. Any of them will do the job if I choose to carry them and just make photos. Thanks.
I think it's about lifestyle and the job demands, if this is something you are doing for a living. I used to be able to shoot film for pretty much everything. On my Blurb trips I'd take Hasselblad, Leica, Canon digital and Polaroid. There was time to wait and an appreciation for what those formats provided. Now, just digital camera. There is an appreciation for film if it's used to sell the idea of analog photography but there isn't much interest in the actual work. It's why so many online YT film people create films with them holding the camera, loading film, tossing film in bags, etc. But rarely do you see many of the images.
Exactly, Dan. It's called PHOTO graphy, not CAMERA graphy. Amateurs believe the manufacturers bullshit that a piece of gear will make you a better photographer. A pro knows mastering the craft makes him a better photographer but it takes more than swiping a credit card, it takes a 4 letter word, WORK. Gear for an amateur or "collector" is the goal, for a photographer, theimage is the goal and gear is only there to help achieve their vision. Amateurs want to show you their gear, pros their work. Beware groups named after cameras, instead find you tubers like Dan who is about the work and actually knows what he is talking about instead of some you tuber who starts the video with something like this is my first time shooting this camera, this film, portraits, etc. I just click out when they say that.
In the words of an older generation, "Save the take." The images are what matters, at all costs. And for a select group this still applies. But for the masses, especially men online, the ship sailed and is now taking on water. Oh well.
Best gear review ever
Zupperflex 5000 is the only way to go.
Milnor with the good shit once again.
Excellent. Love it.
Bravo👏🏼
Awesome Dan. That was art,
Thanks Dan.
it was damn good, like the voice of reason
Got dang. Keep up the video work. It feels like it’s improving.
If so it's SLOWLY but thank you.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 Is that because you have finally sussed how to avoid disturbances from Mrs Milnor?
You always have a way of landing the message straight to the jugular and make it feel like a cool breeze, a first kiss, or waking up as a kid on Christmas morning. Impactful and always inspiring. One of your best but certainly not your last. Been here since day one and I know when I feel out of synch and need a reframe I can count on you to tell it straight and like it is.. Just started reading Seth Godin's The Practice, so this hits home on many levels. Thanks.
That dude is a machine and also a good example of someone who knows how to self-publish and work with publishers.
thanks for this!
Thank you so much for this video. I see countless videos of the new “whatever camera”…feel like every few months it’s one of those videos. I’m happy with what I have, which is the canon t6i, plus several film cameras. Mainly use my biggest lens simply because I can take good bird photos with it. You don’t need a camera that’s 2000-4000 to do good photography, in my opinion.
Ahhhhh, bird photos. I played with the new Fuji 150-600 or something like that. It's such a great bird lens.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 that’s what I need lol! But can’t afford that just yet. Love my birds. Also trying to figure out astrophotography…still can’t get the hang of it.
I beg to differ. Orange short-shorts do indeed matter.
I wore them yesterday. I to do yoga at home. I was thinking it would be hilarious to go to a yoga class and where them. Its' just obscene and gross and just what most classes need.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 always leave an impression
Did you used the music of the Tv show Queens gambit on purpose? It´s amazing
I did not but I LOVE that series. One of the best in a long while.
Wow.
great one, dan! so you‘re saying that it doesn‘t matter which of my 25 cameras i take out of the drawer? kidding…
not unless you take them all at the same time.
that print box from Sicily, wow
Years went into that box. Not just the reseach, travel, shooting, expense, but then the edit and the days and days in the darkroom.