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Nice one that place is just wonderful what I said on Steve's blog goes the same for all of you and getting up at that time in the morning you deserved everything that you got! Thanks for sharing...and yes I have been there!

Well spoken young man! lets just call them photographers and forget the amateur bit, if you have a camera then you are a Photographer good or bad it makes no difference! Now what's the difference between a Pro camera and a Amateur camera or even a Beginners camera? are they three different cameras? errr I think top class, middle class and working class could be bought into this debate could it not, I am lucky I guess I own three cameras, so called but not by me, a Pro camera, a semi Pro camera and Beginners camera, they are all well used, but I love using the beginners camera the controls are so easy to understand and its so light you can almost get it in your pocket and you can without a lens on! but that's no good at all it has to be in your hands! There are many people on here who's opening words are Hello I am a Professional Landscape Photographer this is how you should be doing things yes that makes my blood boil too, but I still watch them telling us all what we already know, and at the end of the day it's all good fun, I am so glad I am long retired and forgotten about titles...except for my pictures of course! Thank you for bringing the subject up it's always good talking matter, perhaps your this subject may be asked in one of the many Pubcast's that are on here and yes I watch them too! Have a nice day and oh I nearly forgot you got some nice picture's in that woodland you went to, well done...

I completely agree with you Martin on your outlook to photography, I find it difficult to watch videos,-youtubers, where they say pros do this, I think 90 percent of it bullshit and 10 percent photography, now I have got that off my chest, some really good tips and information on woodland photography, love your compositions and processing Martin, because with the conditions you had on that day I find so difficult to get any images at all, thanks for shearing mate.

Totally agree, in fact the moment they put “Pro” in the title I won’t watch the video.

Well said Martin I’ve started to unsubscribe from some seems there is a trend one starts and others follow suit.

Not keen on labels, apparently I'm an enthusiast or hobbiest photographer. I'm neither to be fair, I've a boring style, but love it. Never gunna get a penny, but I get lots of mind freeing joy from the taking to the editing 👍 loved this content 👍

As an amateur photography who does it just for fun and to motivate myself to get out of the house, I have never even considered the phrase, 'The pros do this..." to be insulting or condescending at all. None of those people who I watch for inspiration come off to me as arrogant at all. They are just people who have been lucky enough to make a living doing what they love and want to share it. I do find a lot of braggards in the comment sections of those videos however.

Manfrotto 410 geared head - 20 years on still going strong and it has never let me down.

Woodland photography is something I really struggle with. I enjoy your videos and suggestions for improving. It all about compositions and your videos help. Thanks.

Oh I completely agree with you on all points. Love your work as well mate, well done. Got ya'self a new subscriber and follower on Instagram!

I've had exactly the same thoughts recently - 'Pro's do this!' In their clickbait title and/or thumbnail. When i see that, it just feels condescending.

Very good point put across there mate, I think with all the Pros do this Pros do that, can really dishearten people new to photography, which then takes away the whole reason they took up the hobby which, like many of us is purely for the love of it, the out doors and meeting up with others with the same passion.

Martin, I can perhaps some sympathy with your comments, there are certainly some professional You tubers who are very good at putting them selves on pedestals , often indirectly, but they make sure that everyone knows that they are the expert, the best , in either Denmark or in Camper van conversions for instance , but they see this as their USP , that gets them even more viewers and sponsorship. This is how they make a living , and its what they have found has to be done to get the revenue and lead the lifestyle they have chosen. They do tend to produce well crafted vlogs, that have an impact, even if we don't agree with the content . Other professionals simply have charisma , and people watch this . There are some other professionals who just get on with it, without patronising everyone. Their work is useful and informative and well worth watching. Each of these have their idiosyncrasies, that makes them unique. It will appeal to some but not everyone. They are useful and these tend to blend into the amateur market where many people like yourself are creating great content and often just want to share things and shoot extremely good images and talk a lot of sense. However there other people out there at the 'amateur' level, who set themselves as something special just because they have the latest Nikon Zx camera for instance or because they know beyond all doubt they are the worlds leading expert on landscape photography, but cant understand why everyone doesn't love them . These are just as bad as the some of the professionals and compound thing's as they dont shoot great images and often waste peoples time in watching them through poor content or repeating other videos content that has been produced by others a few days before to a high standard. Neither side of this argument is without issues. Its down to people and the way they work and in the pro case get paid. Both sides have short comings for certain, the need for attention snapping headlines to get the views sometimes drive these things. As a consumer of the content, everyone gets the same chance to impress , and I often subscribe to channels, which after several weeks viewing , you start to realise that they are not making it for you, so you unsubscribe and stop watching their content and move on. You will never change peoples personalities and their motivation for doing these things , everyone of us is different. When people talk S**t too much people move on, they eventually get found out. The last election in the UK showed that. Keep it up Martin, the content is good and worthwhile , don't forget that and dont be distracted by the false gods out there.

Easier said than done but I try and ignore those click bait ‘tubers. Great video Martin, with the usual high standard of images 👍🏻 Absolutely love woodland. Definitely my happy place to be as a location. I just get disheartened when I can’t transfer the feeling of being there in to the images 🤷‍♂️

Any person trying to make a living out of photography these days good luck to them, everybody else enjoy your hobby.

I always struggle with woodland. I struggle to see compositions. Great advice to get some great shots. I really like your editing style.

Nice one Martin - must admit CZcams video titles wind me up at times... I defo think a lot of CZcamsrs just use them as 'click Bait' to draw you in... Some nice images given the conditions..👍

Lovely video mate and definitely agree with your point! They are no better in fact some are worse😂

I have to agree with you Martin, about the "pros do this" and also my bug bear "3/5/10 + bonus tips" videos, disappointingly do effect my motivation to produce content for youtube. Although I dont actively watch those videos, when i'm considering producing a video on my photography for YT, I will like all others, research what is already been done and in 99.99% of cases my idea has been executed and delivered far better than I can/could do, so I end up not bothering. If you or any of you subscribers have thoughts on combating this attitude im all ears has i have been trying for years to break that blocker lol :) 😆

Hi mate, some very nice images that morning. i think the vloggers that use titles like you mention are really only trying to play the CZcams algorithm , i dont think they all think their better than everyone else, although im sure there are a few that do. CZcams has created the problem and those that are trying to make revenue from youtube are trying to maximise that. Sadly if your new to photography and or the youtube platform you may not be aware of this and can lead to the problems you spoke about. There are many amateur photographers out there that are fantastic at what they do , better than many pros . I dont think i can make the same income from my photography as i can from my full time job and if photography was to become my job would i loose the love i have for it as i would have to concentrate so much more time than people realize into running the business side of things . Like you and many others im more than happy shooting when i can . Hope your feeling better having offloaded :-) , take care mate !

Totally agree with you one this one, nearly never watched it because of the title but glad I did. Pros are under constant pressure to produce the goods and self promote. One of the things I like most about photography is that it is a constant learning curve and the great feeling when it all comes together and you produce an image that you are proud of.

Hi some good thoughts great photos! Like you I take photos because I enjoy getting out being around nature not for a living! It really does help you well being and balancing life best wishes Anthony

Well said Martin, the difference between an amateur (hobbyist) and a pro is, an amateur (hobbyist) has to work for living and has limited time to shoot… Not all the so called pros make great images all the time either.. Love your channel, all the best.

Hi Martin. A video that could of been called "The Humanising of Inanimate Objects" as the key feature was the interplay between trees and how the shapes they form remind us of humans in various situations relevant to our life experiences (akin somewhat to pareidolia). Plus, it would of made a great clickbait title :-)) Our tax status from earnings associated with photography, in the eyes of HMRC, is what separates amateurs from professionals, 😂 I look forward to more videos of trees/people dancing in the forests and woodlands. Enjoy your weekend.

I enjoyed your photos and hearing about your process. I really liked your thoughts on the “pros do this” clickbait.

Great video mate, i totally agree i get sick of all the crap thumbnails Pros do it this way etc, its a load of shite lol some of the image they show are nothing special either. When i think about it most of the amateur Vloggers that are out most weekends because they love being out with a camera get better images than the so called Pro photographers.

Great one mate that hit the nail squarely on the head. Lovely images mate.

Really great video and the photos were beautiful 👌🌳

This rant makes you my favourite youtuber!!!

Well said Martin ! You might be an amateur but you’re a top woodland photographer !!

Nice one Martin and you have given me an idea about a location along my local canal.😊😊😊

Resonate with that one Martin. Having said that, it’s not something that bothers me as I recognise the people you are probably referring to are only doing what they need to make a living. Completely agree that amateurs are just as capable as taking great images as the pros. I guess that the pros typically have more opportunities to get out which increases their chances of taking those better images. What I don’t like is some of the snobbery that exists in photography, but thankfully that seems to be contained within the non CZcams community!

I would like to pull you up on one point there Martin...... They don't all produce amazing photos lol. But I get what your saying, its click bait marketing and often only teaching you to suck eggs. But they know that its people just starting out that is the biggest market I suppose, so play on it. If half of them where with you on that day I doubt they would have matched your images 👌👌

I feel exactly the same way, really enjoyed the video and images mate 👍

Are the nobs the only way to adjust the ca era position? It seems like you would be turning the nobs forever if you wanted to make any kind of large adjustments.

Wouldn’t have thought for a second to use that cow parsley as foreground but that’s a great set of images from that side of the castle. Really enjoyed the whole video Martin 👍🏻

You could definitely tell you were knackered at the start 😴 Although the conditions weren't great you made the most of the light. The cow parsley image with the castle was a simple image but well balanced and it worked as did the one with the castle and the puddle. The side lighting on the castle was really nice. As I mentioned on the other vlogs if you can time it so you get onto the island before sunrise with the tide rising it'll keep most people away until the causeway opens again. I managed it last year and probably had a good 4-5 hours with just another photographer

Way too much pontificating! Geez! snap! So much gear!

Any focus stacking with castle shots?

Hi Martin. The vertical picture with the cowslip in the foreground was the right thing to do and you were rewarded for your efforts with an image I liked a lot. The upturned boats turned better than I initially thought they would and the edit was gorgeous. Have a good start to your week.

Thoroughly enjoyable mate I didn’t realise you were so tired but that was one knackering weekend it has to be said. Some great photographs but that’s always the case.

Lovely pics and a great location, got to get there early to beat the crowds unfortunately in high summer it is stupid o’clock. The heather on Cannock Chase is just turning purple and the early morning light is breaking through at the coppice, it’s looking good up there at the moment.

Good to see your take on the location , blimey you guys crammed a lot in , in such a short space of time no wonder you were feeling it. Still great memories im sure and some really nice images to remember it by.

Nice work Martin ! Really like the balance in them first images !

I cant find my way out of the bed after 2-3 hrs so fair play to you guys, I really do like the first image really well composed 👌👌

Lovely stuff mate, I'll echo what Dan's said. It shows you were knackerd but we were all in the same boat with that. A trend to be repeated throughout our visit. Regardless of that mate, you still pulled it off. 👍

Great video 👍📷

Great images!

Thanks Martin, you did get some fine images from the trip. Good time to go to avoid the crowds, I often bypass the castle and walk around to the obelisk and sand dunes where there are sometimes basking seals, you can hear their grunts.

Simply beautiful images there mate. Yeah that was an early wake up call that morning but well worth it in the end.