i feel like i've talked about how much any sort of arguments or conflicts can disrupt my mindset for the whole day, and nobody has really understood it before... apart from you. yes i am a particularly sensitive person but i still think that lesson is a great one that you highlighted
Definitely important to engage in things that leave you feeling motivated, positive, excited, or energetic. The internet can be a tricky place for that at times, as so much of what is designed to get our attention revolves around negativity, drama, or just terrible things in general. Gotta protect your focus and what you let in!
@@KyleMcDougall It can be tough when activism IS what makes you feel motivated and you really care about things like civil rights, the environment, transportation, or such and such. I think its important to stand up for honest values in a time where so many people are just interested in proving how big of trolls they can be, but at the same time you gotta have a balance.
I really struggle with the creative friction. I feel myself often going back and forth with edits and posting on social media due to overthinking, when in reality the changes are so subtle, I doubt anyone would notice. Great video as always, Kyle. It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one going through things like these.
I definitely relate to all 3 things that you mentioned. I am 100 percent guilty working hours on one photo to make it look the way I like it when others wouldn't even noticed. One thing that has helped me, and I think you have mentioned it in a previous video but sometimes it does help to put the camera down for a while. It works if its done right. I put mine down for a while, few months anyways and just worked on things that weren't related to photography and now I'm back at it, I feel kinda refreshed. I picked up a film camera at a flea market for cheap and I been restoring and planning on actually going to go shoot with it just for pure fun. I felt the flame kinda get reignited. I also believe social media can really hold you back on your photography too, I spent too much time and too much focusing on trying to please random strangers on the internet. It really can alter your mindset and often leads to burnout too. Great video Kyle. Always appreciate the time you spend making these videos and sharing your wonderful work and experience with us.
Your first point resonated with me the most. There are two long-term projects that I recently made a start on after months (almost a year, for one of them) of reading, thinking, note-taking, and general planning that frankly amounted to very little. I learned more for one project in an afternoon with a Paterson tank in my hand than in the months prior.
and sometimes research may even be counter effective. Steve McCurry recommends research nothing when traveling, so basically discover everything by yourself. I can definitely see the reasoning of both points though, is keeping the balance what is hard, I guess
This rings so true, for me I so ***** lazy when it actually comes to doing something, unless there is a timeframe etc (which happens if I am meeting someone, I am NEVER late, but when it comes to a hobby, things go differently for some reason) . OK, set time frame, but I have retired, so time is not so important, until it's too late.
Me Money Time Jokes aside, those are all factors that hold me back right now. I myself keep too much in my bubble and comfort zone, but I also look too much on a perfection side of things and rather don't do or show anything if I don't feel it's complete. Money shouldn't be a huge issue. I've got a phone and have a camera. I also have funds to shoot film. But I also don't have enough to replace any gear if it broke, so I keep it for the few bits of work I do get at the moment. But even more so, it means I don't have the money to properly travel outside of my bubble. And this brings time into the frame. On one hand I spend time working to earn the money needed, but I also got no time to waste. Spending my time wisely is always a concern, but not having enough time for things like travel and developing my skill, is the bigger issue that comes along with it. So in the end I need time to make money, but also money to make and spend time. Somehow, it ends up all being the same points as yours, but for different reasons or in different ways. And I think that's interesting, because it shows how personal every step of this kind of journey really is.
It's definitely a little bit different for all of us. And it's a balance... or a juggling act. For me, having kids has made me have to completely tweak the way I approach my craft, as time/energy is very limited.
Thanks Kyle. I've been stuck in this kind of limbo for years where I only research and doing deep dive for things that ended up unnecessary and not doing the project I really want to do at the beginning. Followed by so many overthinking and scared of imperfections on my works which is photography and illustrations. It sucks and I know it shouldnt happened that way. Thank you for this man, I'll try to make my way out and being the real productive this time by just do it.
Great video Kyle. Thank you for taking the time to do it. For me, what gets in the way of my photography is I'm stuck in 'this has all been done before and how can I do it any better than anyone else ' mind frame and it's basically being stuck in a comparison analysis vortex. So when that happens, I just go out and shoot for the love of capturing something through my lens. In the writing world, this is called being a pantster where you don't plan, you just start writing. It's helped to get me unstuck a lot. I find when I do research (ALOT), I really get myself paralyzed. Thanks for the video, very well done!
Oh man, I totally get all three of these! I know when I launched Classic Camera Revival and Relaunched my TH-cam channel, I knew I have the tendency to want to 'get things right from the start' so I ignored my own bad habits and dived right in. Then adjusted everything as I went along. Excellent video!
Cheers Alex. That's the only way to do it! There's so much stuff that can only be figured out by doing the word. Only so much planning beforehand that can be done.
Excellent video once again Kyle! 100% can agree with sending photos to your phone to post only to have them look crappy and you have to re-edit them. Haha.
Thanks man you’ve been a big inspiration of mine for some time now. Again your video appeared just as I was feeling negative about what I want to achieve. It's almost like I need to tell myself these positive things daily but always find myself getting lost in the negative brain fog of telling myself I'm not good enough. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise because we're always thinking about every possible outcome but I just want it to be the best one...
Cheers. I've found it takes a conscious effort daily to combat the negativity that we almost default towards. We're all our own worst critics at times.
I feel all three of these. I can avoid with the best of them! Happy to hear you feel the same type of things that I do. Hoping to start to breakthrough these impediment as I move on with the second half of this year.
Did you make this video just for me? Holy smokes, I'm the king of research without action and being a crazy perfectionist and wasting time on tiny things when i actually do produce something. Great video, hits home hard but thats a good thing!
Thanks Kyle for discussing this! It is something that we all experience as photographers and image-makers! You made me realise I need to stop avoiding discomfort! Thanks!
great points. starting youtube videos definitely required me to take a big jump as it's so public facing. removing that self doubt can be a challenge, but is necessary to grow and continue to improve. when I needed some inspiration, I just went back to other popular channels and looked at their first videos compared to the newer ones... everyone has to start somewhere and improvement comes over time. also - great call out on the time spent on boards, etc. Since I stopped almost all social media I can safely say that life has dramatically improved!
Cheers, Brian. I don't think that self-doubt ever goes away, nor does a lot of this stuff, but learning how to manage it and find better more positive habits is what's key!
oh man, exporting 6 versions of the same image with the most minute and unnoticeable changes between them...that hit home 🤣 glad I'm not the only one. It's definitely something I want to curb
Nice video as always Kyle. I would love to see a video on your approach to packing cameras for a trip or vacation. Film vs digital, how many lenses and rolls of film etc. This is something i really struggle with.
Great video. This one hits home particularly hard right now as I’m in-between jobs and I can tell you there’s a lot of time-wasting one can do in the name of job hunting that does not get you closer to a job :)
Thanks, Kyle. This was amazing, and made me feel both bad - I engage in these behaviours myself - and enthused, because I now know these faults are not just me, and I need to get over several bad practices. Thanks again.
Creative friction is a problem! With commercial work you can measure your work against brief supplied, but when I start working on my own stuff.... man, I overthink!
This conversation is good. If anyone is looking for more in this vein there's a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield that's a good place to start.
A couple years ago I was going out with my camera taking it out and testing out my camera I was walking around my neighborhood and one of my neighbors came out and said I took photos of his house when I didn't and threatened to call the police even tho I was on the sidewalk and nothing I was doing was against the law do you have any advice on dealing with situations like that?
Just be polite and walk away. Not worth trying to get in an argument or convince someone otherwise when it sounds like they had their mind made up. Sounds like they were probably having a shitty day.
@@KyleMcDougallI was trying to but they keeped following me unfortunately the people their are always like this that wasn't the first time I had problems with people down there
Third thing is the biggest change I've made to my photography. My wife helped me realize this. I'd ask her to pick between two or three photos of the same thing and she'd just be like "They look the same" I finally realized that if I can't tell which one is better neither can my audience, who is only going to see the one photo I post anyway. This has really sped up my workflow.
When you're doing a project and you've determined a film stock you want to use, do you ever get your negatives/scans and realize you wish you had chosen a different stock?
Not really. And in that case, I would just switch to something different. I will say, with editing, most of my images end up looking quite similar, regardless of the film (within reason).
Consider time a finite ‘thing’, like the amount of money you’ll earn in your entire lifetime. You won’t earn more and you won’t earn less. You cannot ‘get more time’ than what you get. 24hrs in a day. 60 mins in an hour etc. Time is not in your control. It is what you do with your attention that matters (attention being the currency of time). Attention is what you can control. Give attention to the things that require it.
If you cannot shoot an image, you are overthinking! Forget if you fail! If you hesitate to grab images, your are a loser already! If we look at older photographers, Cartier Bresson, he didn't worry which camera, he had 2. Lenses 4. 2x50mm! No photoshop or whatever. He used a guy to print! Travelling light, he enjoyed the trip. The more you carry, the longer your decion making ! I hardly adjust my images, no cropping! I seldom pushed film.. Set goals! 10 or 5 images in next 30 minutes leaving home or when you get there! No if's buts and well light not right! You may hate these images! Great make 4x6" prints, place on your fridge! maybe something will happen and it's good! Many of my friends are shy, frightened to compete with me! It's not a competition. There are no stars in your day book. Pondering and ruminating with large cameras is death, to creativity! Grab a toy camera, small digital. Use it often! sorry got to get ready, more images waiting!
#4 Watching videos about how to live your life. I really like your photographic work, but I find this kind of videos pointless. It doesn't get me anywhere when someone tells me how they live their life. The exciting thing about life is that you can and should find it out for yourself. The 20-minute debate you mention at 5:25 could also be a 10-minute video plus writing a commentary underneath.
By far my favourite photography related channel on youtube Kyle. Keep it up
Cheers, Evan!
i feel like i've talked about how much any sort of arguments or conflicts can disrupt my mindset for the whole day, and nobody has really understood it before... apart from you. yes i am a particularly sensitive person but i still think that lesson is a great one that you highlighted
You're not the only one. Conflicts and arguments often flip a switch for me and the day is ruined! A friend of mine once called it hypersensitivity...
@@SteffenMiethke in that case i guess i'm quite hypersensitive, but at least i'm not alone!
Definitely important to engage in things that leave you feeling motivated, positive, excited, or energetic. The internet can be a tricky place for that at times, as so much of what is designed to get our attention revolves around negativity, drama, or just terrible things in general. Gotta protect your focus and what you let in!
@@KyleMcDougall thank you for the reply!
@@KyleMcDougall It can be tough when activism IS what makes you feel motivated and you really care about things like civil rights, the environment, transportation, or such and such.
I think its important to stand up for honest values in a time where so many people are just interested in proving how big of trolls they can be, but at the same time you gotta have a balance.
Omgosh you’ve touched on so many vital points (discomfort and creative friction) great video - definitely sound advice 👍🏽
Glad it was helpful!
I'm really love how your videos are photography coaching, inspiring me to get off my computer and go shoot for real
I really struggle with the creative friction. I feel myself often going back and forth with edits and posting on social media due to overthinking, when in reality the changes are so subtle, I doubt anyone would notice. Great video as always, Kyle. It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one going through things like these.
Cheers! Yeah, it's easy to get in our heads and obsess over minuscule stuff that no one else will likely notice.
I definitely relate to all 3 things that you mentioned. I am 100 percent guilty working hours on one photo to make it look the way I like it when others wouldn't even noticed. One thing that has helped me, and I think you have mentioned it in a previous video but sometimes it does help to put the camera down for a while. It works if its done right. I put mine down for a while, few months anyways and just worked on things that weren't related to photography and now I'm back at it, I feel kinda refreshed. I picked up a film camera at a flea market for cheap and I been restoring and planning on actually going to go shoot with it just for pure fun. I felt the flame kinda get reignited. I also believe social media can really hold you back on your photography too, I spent too much time and too much focusing on trying to please random strangers on the internet. It really can alter your mindset and often leads to burnout too. Great video Kyle. Always appreciate the time you spend making these videos and sharing your wonderful work and experience with us.
Cheers! And yeah, taking a break is always a good thing. Even if just for a couple of days or a week. Glad you found this helpful!
Very helpful advice Kyle. As always thank you for the advice.
You're welcome. Cheers.
will forever and always love your videos. for inspo, for gear, for confidence, etc. so thank you
Thank you, George!
Definitely feel this video.
The mindset is the key to longevity in any creative field 🧠
Absolutely!
Your first point resonated with me the most. There are two long-term projects that I recently made a start on after months (almost a year, for one of them) of reading, thinking, note-taking, and general planning that frankly amounted to very little. I learned more for one project in an afternoon with a Paterson tank in my hand than in the months prior.
We all do it, that's for sure. Planning, prepping, etc. When we can make so much progress by just starting the work.
and sometimes research may even be counter effective. Steve McCurry recommends research nothing when traveling, so basically discover everything by yourself. I can definitely see the reasoning of both points though, is keeping the balance what is hard, I guess
This rings so true, for me I so ***** lazy when it actually comes to doing something, unless there is a timeframe etc (which happens if I am meeting someone, I am NEVER late, but when it comes to a hobby, things go differently for some reason) . OK, set time frame, but I have retired, so time is not so important, until it's too late.
Me
Money
Time
Jokes aside, those are all factors that hold me back right now. I myself keep too much in my bubble and comfort zone, but I also look too much on a perfection side of things and rather don't do or show anything if I don't feel it's complete.
Money shouldn't be a huge issue. I've got a phone and have a camera. I also have funds to shoot film. But I also don't have enough to replace any gear if it broke, so I keep it for the few bits of work I do get at the moment. But even more so, it means I don't have the money to properly travel outside of my bubble.
And this brings time into the frame. On one hand I spend time working to earn the money needed, but I also got no time to waste. Spending my time wisely is always a concern, but not having enough time for things like travel and developing my skill, is the bigger issue that comes along with it. So in the end I need time to make money, but also money to make and spend time.
Somehow, it ends up all being the same points as yours, but for different reasons or in different ways. And I think that's interesting, because it shows how personal every step of this kind of journey really is.
It's definitely a little bit different for all of us. And it's a balance... or a juggling act. For me, having kids has made me have to completely tweak the way I approach my craft, as time/energy is very limited.
Thank you for making me realise its not just me as an amateur who feels the same way. That even pros can get these same feelings.
Kyle, you deserve so much more recognition in the photography world. Loved this video.
Glad you enjoyed this one!
Very useful information. Nice to see some shots of back home to!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks Kyle for sharing, super useful info as always! I can definitely relate to creative friction.
wow, this is my complicated life. thank you for your videos. they tip my mind over the edge of accepting my reality and push myself to do better
Thanks Kyle. I've been stuck in this kind of limbo for years where I only research and doing deep dive for things that ended up unnecessary and not doing the project I really want to do at the beginning. Followed by so many overthinking and scared of imperfections on my works which is photography and illustrations. It sucks and I know it shouldnt happened that way. Thank you for this man, I'll try to make my way out and being the real productive this time by just do it.
It's a process for all of us, with many ups and downs. Most important part is just to keep moving forward!
Great video Kyle. Thank you for taking the time to do it. For me, what gets in the way of my photography is I'm stuck in 'this has all been done before and how can I do it any better than anyone else ' mind frame and it's basically being stuck in a comparison analysis vortex. So when that happens, I just go out and shoot for the love of capturing something through my lens. In the writing world, this is called being a pantster where you don't plan, you just start writing. It's helped to get me unstuck a lot. I find when I do research (ALOT), I really get myself paralyzed. Thanks for the video, very well done!
Glad you enjoyed this one and can relate!
I love these types of videos from you. Its always interesting to hear your thoughts, advice and honesty. Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh man, I totally get all three of these! I know when I launched Classic Camera Revival and Relaunched my TH-cam channel, I knew I have the tendency to want to 'get things right from the start' so I ignored my own bad habits and dived right in. Then adjusted everything as I went along. Excellent video!
Cheers Alex. That's the only way to do it! There's so much stuff that can only be figured out by doing the word. Only so much planning beforehand that can be done.
Excellent video once again Kyle! 100% can agree with sending photos to your phone to post only to have them look crappy and you have to re-edit them. Haha.
Glad you enjoyed!
Thanks man you’ve been a big inspiration of mine for some time now. Again your video appeared just as I was feeling negative about what I want to achieve. It's almost like I need to tell myself these positive things daily but always find myself getting lost in the negative brain fog of telling myself I'm not good enough. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise because we're always thinking about every possible outcome but I just want it to be the best one...
Cheers. I've found it takes a conscious effort daily to combat the negativity that we almost default towards. We're all our own worst critics at times.
I feel all three of these. I can avoid with the best of them! Happy to hear you feel the same type of things that I do. Hoping to start to breakthrough these impediment as I move on with the second half of this year.
Did you make this video just for me? Holy smokes, I'm the king of research without action and being a crazy perfectionist and wasting time on tiny things when i actually do produce something.
Great video, hits home hard but thats a good thing!
I think we're all very similar!
This is such good advice for life in general.
Kyle you’re killing it 👍🏾
I was expecting the first two things but the last one surprised me. Something to think about. Thank you.
You're welcome. Cheers.
Thanks Kyle for discussing this! It is something that we all experience as photographers and image-makers! You made me realise I need to stop avoiding discomfort! Thanks!
Gave me insight, thankyou very much!!
You're welcome.
Excellent advise.
great points. starting youtube videos definitely required me to take a big jump as it's so public facing. removing that self doubt can be a challenge, but is necessary to grow and continue to improve. when I needed some inspiration, I just went back to other popular channels and looked at their first videos compared to the newer ones... everyone has to start somewhere and improvement comes over time. also - great call out on the time spent on boards, etc. Since I stopped almost all social media I can safely say that life has dramatically improved!
Cheers, Brian. I don't think that self-doubt ever goes away, nor does a lot of this stuff, but learning how to manage it and find better more positive habits is what's key!
oh man, exporting 6 versions of the same image with the most minute and unnoticeable changes between them...that hit home 🤣 glad I'm not the only one. It's definitely something I want to curb
Definitely something that I think a lot of us do!
Great video Kyle, brought home a lot of things I didn’t even know I was doing, which I will now be holding myself accountable for!
Glad it was helpful!
Love the vid. Number 3 really hit me lol
Great video like always Kyle!
Glad you enjoyed!
I procrastinate sometimes with my photography and this help to understand that thank you
Happy to hear that. Cheers.
Kyle is basically the self help guru for visual artists haha. always poignant and timely mate, thanks
🙌
Nice video as always Kyle. I would love to see a video on your approach to packing cameras for a trip or vacation. Film vs digital, how many lenses and rolls of film etc. This is something i really struggle with.
Great video. Powerful stuff that I have feel victim too especially the re-edit of the photos numerous even after posting
Cheers. Glad you could relate.
What camera is that in the opening sequence with the iPhone attached to it? Thanks.
Noble Design 617
Great video. This one hits home particularly hard right now as I’m in-between jobs and I can tell you there’s a lot of time-wasting one can do in the name of job hunting that does not get you closer to a job :)
Thanks, Kyle. This was amazing, and made me feel both bad - I engage in these behaviours myself - and enthused, because I now know these faults are not just me, and I need to get over several bad practices. Thanks again.
Definitely, nothing to feel bad about. We all do this stuff to varying degrees. The process is messy for all of us!
Creative friction is a problem! With commercial work you can measure your work against brief supplied, but when I start working on my own stuff.... man, I overthink!
Great video Kyle, I think the word is "Deflection"
Deflection fits!
Well said 👌
This conversation is good. If anyone is looking for more in this vein there's a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield that's a good place to start.
One of my favourite books. Read it many times!
A couple years ago I was going out with my camera taking it out and testing out my camera I was walking around my neighborhood and one of my neighbors came out and said I took photos of his house when I didn't and threatened to call the police even tho I was on the sidewalk and nothing I was doing was against the law do you have any advice on dealing with situations like that?
Just be polite and walk away. Not worth trying to get in an argument or convince someone otherwise when it sounds like they had their mind made up. Sounds like they were probably having a shitty day.
@@KyleMcDougallI was trying to but they keeped following me unfortunately the people their are always like this that wasn't the first time I had problems with people down there
In the States land of the free, better to forget about such images! They fear you are going to sell their home!
Yup! All true. Thanks for pointing out these three syndromes.
Liked and subscribed.
Good advice...... btw - That derelict church you visited is allegedly the most haunted site in the uk... 👻
Oh really, I didn't know. Interesting!
Third thing is the biggest change I've made to my photography. My wife helped me realize this. I'd ask her to pick between two or three photos of the same thing and she'd just be like "They look the same"
I finally realized that if I can't tell which one is better neither can my audience, who is only going to see the one photo I post anyway.
This has really sped up my workflow.
When you're doing a project and you've determined a film stock you want to use, do you ever get your negatives/scans and realize you wish you had chosen a different stock?
Not really. And in that case, I would just switch to something different. I will say, with editing, most of my images end up looking quite similar, regardless of the film (within reason).
Consider time a finite ‘thing’, like the amount of money you’ll earn in your entire lifetime. You won’t earn more and you won’t earn less. You cannot ‘get more time’ than what you get. 24hrs in a day. 60 mins in an hour etc. Time is not in your control. It is what you do with your attention that matters (attention being the currency of time). Attention is what you can control. Give attention to the things that require it.
I know it's musicbed but I need to find this song on the "Wasted time and energy".
But sometimes doing nothing is necessary 😊
You hit a nerve when you said about making it "perfect". Perfectionism (making things hard on myself) can make me feel totally inefficient.
Hi Kyle u hit 100k 🎉🎉 I wanna see the youtube plaque!!!
B.E
"Don't confuse movement with progress" - Denzel Washington
I'm a terrible time waster, never truly focused.
Fluffffff
If you cannot shoot an image, you are overthinking! Forget if you fail! If you hesitate to grab images, your are a loser already! If we look at older photographers, Cartier Bresson, he didn't worry which camera, he had 2. Lenses 4. 2x50mm! No photoshop or whatever. He used a guy to print! Travelling light, he enjoyed the trip. The more you carry, the longer your decion making ! I hardly adjust my images, no cropping! I seldom pushed film.. Set goals! 10 or 5 images in next 30 minutes leaving home or when you get there! No if's buts and well light not right! You may hate these images! Great make 4x6" prints, place on your fridge! maybe something will happen and it's good!
Many of my friends are shy, frightened to compete with me! It's not a competition. There are no stars in your day book. Pondering and ruminating with large cameras is death, to creativity! Grab a toy camera, small digital. Use it often! sorry got to get ready, more images waiting!
It's the first one for me - it's debilitating
#4 Watching videos about how to live your life.
I really like your photographic work, but I find this kind of videos pointless. It doesn't get me anywhere when someone tells me how they live their life. The exciting thing about life is that you can and should find it out for yourself.
The 20-minute debate you mention at 5:25 could also be a 10-minute video plus writing a commentary underneath.
All good if this one isn't for you. I completely accept that not everything I make will resonate with everyone.
Good video. I fine these things ALL affect me! I do need to change my focus..
I always enjoy your videos. Even as a songwriter, these simple reminders apply. Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed!